Amps & Modeling
Everything here comes from a rig that lives on both sides of the war: tube amps at home and in the studio, a modeler on stage. Start with the modeling essay if you want the big picture, the FRFR explainer if your modeler feels wrong out loud, and the used-amp checklist before you hand anyone cash.
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I Said Modeling Amps Would Catch Up in 2001. Here Is the Scorecard
In April 2001 I wrote that modeling amps would get good enough. Here is exactly what I said, and how it held up against the Kemper, the Helix and a digital Deluxe Reverb.
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Running Two Amps at Once: ABY Boxes, Phase, and What Didn't Work in 2001
How to run two guitar amps at once: what an ABY box does, why phase and ground loops cause thin tone and hum, and the blend experiment that failed for me in 2001.
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No Car, Lots of Stairs: Building a Lightweight Amp Rig for City Gigs
How to build a light amp rig for gigs without a car: the 2x12 question I asked in 2001, what I actually kept, and what neodymium speakers and digital amps weigh now.
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Joe Bonamassa's Tone Master '59 Twin: Mixed Feelings, and the Violence Problem
Fender's Joe Bonamassa Tone Master '59 Twin is a lighter Twin that holds together tighter. One player's take on what it gets right, why one tone is a limit, and what modelers still miss.
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Do FRFR Cabs Actually Sound Different? Size, EQ and the Looks Problem
Are FRFR cabs all the same? A player's take on how size and EQ change the sound, plus the other problem with FRFR: they all look like PA speakers, and what to do about it.
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Kemper
Kemper Profiler ownership and gigging notes: why it runs the live rig, and which Kemper actually fits your setup.
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Tube Amps vs. Modelers: You're Comparing the Wrong Thing
The perfect tube amp in your basement, tuned just right, is genuinely the best thing you'll ever hear. That's not the comparison a gigging player is actually making. It's about what reaches the audience, and how consistently.
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Repairable Doesn't Mean Cheap: The Real Cost of Keeping a Tube Amp Running
The popular case for tube amps says anything can be repaired decades from now. True, but tubes wear out on a schedule, and what a full retube actually costs adds up to more than people think.
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Fender Tone Master FR-10 vs Headrush: Why I Switched (and Bought a Second One)
Two Tone Master FR-10s bought five months apart, and what actually changed coming from Headrush: sound, tone-shaping controls, and real value.
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Combo vs Head and Cab: Which Should You Actually Buy?
The real tradeoffs between a combo amp and a separate head-and-cab rig: weight, tone, flexibility, and cost, and how to actually decide which fits how you play.
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Class A vs Class AB Tube Amps: What Actually Changes in the Tone
The real difference between Class A and Class AB power amp designs, why Class A breaks up earlier and sweeter, and why the higher spec number on the AB amp doesn't mean it wins.
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EAST Studio 2 Review: Jeff Bober's Next Chapter, Owned Early and Recorded Often
A long-term Budda Superdrive owner reviews the EAST Amplification Studio 2: the lineage, the thicker-throatier voice, and why it became the recording amp of the house.
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Mesa Subway Rocket Retrospective: The Amp That Beat the NYC Stairs Test
A long-term owner looks back at Mesa's compact Subway Rocket: the portability that earned it a decade of sit-in gigs, the voice it refuses to do, and what to pay used.
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Why My Live Rig Is a Kemper (While My Tube Amps Stay Home)
A working guitarist's split-rig confession: boutique tube amps for home and studio, a Kemper Profiler Stage for every gig, and the honest reasons why.
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Your Tube Amp Is Too Loud: Every Real Fix, Ranked
Attenuators, low-watt amps, speaker swaps, master tricks, and the modeler escape hatch: every legitimate way to get tube tone at survivable volume, ranked honestly.
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What Is an FRFR Speaker? The Missing Piece of Your Modeler Rig, Explained
FRFR means full range, flat response: a neutral powered cab that lets your modeler's cab sim do the talking. What it is, why it feels different, and how to pick one.
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Budda Superdrive Review: The Most Underrated Amp on the Planet (I Own Five)
A long-term owner's review of the Budda Superdrive SD18, SD30, SD80, and V20: the Plexi-meets-Dumble sound, why the world overlooked it, and how to buy one used.
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Friedman BE-Mini Review: The $200 Answer to a $3,000 Question
Friedman's 30-watt lunchbox head puts the BE-100's hot-rodded voice in a solid-state box. What it nails, what it can't, and who it's really for.
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Modeling Won. The Last Honest Argument for Tubes Is Dying Too.
Blind tests say almost nobody can hear the difference anymore. The holdout argument was 'amp in the room,' and FRFR cabs like Fender's Tone Master FR-12 are ending that one.
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Buying a Used Tube Amp: The 15-Minute Checklist That Saves You Hundreds
What to check before handing over cash for a used tube amp: tubes, pots, reverb, speaker, transformers, and the haggling math sellers expect you to know.
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Boss Katana vs Positive Grid Spark: Which Practice Amp Fits How You Actually Play?
The two most recommended home practice amps compared honestly: sound, app dependence, gigging headroom, and which player each one actually suits.
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The Apartment Guitarist's Gear Guide: Great Tone Without the Volume
How to get amp tone you love at apartment volume: modelers, headphone rigs, low-watt amps, and what to skip. Real budgets, honest tradeoffs.
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The Best Amp Is Sometimes the One You'll Actually Bring
A Fuchs ODH 1x10 combo, bought for a very unglamorous reason: it's light enough to actually bring. What grab-and-go amp ownership really solves, and why it beat the bigger rigs to the door.
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Kemper Profiler Stage vs Player: Two Kempers, Two Different Jobs
Owning both a Kemper Profiler Stage and a Profiler Player: why the Stage runs the real stage rig, why the Player earns its keep on small looping-into-PA setups, and the one thing the Player can't do.
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Flying With Guitars: The Case, the Modeler, and What Actually Gets Checked
The real logistics of flying with a guitar rig: when a soft gig bag is enough, when a hard flight case earns its weight, and how a modeler changes the whole equation.