Modeling amps are affordable, packed with features, and sound good. You have everything in one box. They come in different wattages, sizes, and amp voicing.
But does a modeling amplifier works as a practicing amp? Is it a good idea to get a digital amp to master your instrument or use it for warm-ups?
If you have the same questions you came to the right place. I will answer them for you.
6 Reasons Why Modeling Amps Are Great For Practicing
Modeling guitar amplifiers are great for practicing and warm-ups. And I will give you the five reasons why it is so.
1. Modeling Amplifier Is Easy To Use
The first reason why modeling guitar amps are great for practicing is the ease of use. When you want to practice guitar scales or riffs, the process should be easy and fast.
You just need to plug your instrument, dial in the tone fast, and just play. And that’s exactly what a modeling amplifier does.
As soon as you plug in your guitar, you have an almost unlimited number of tone choices. You can pick clean tones, dirty tones, add effects, etc. And it can be done very fast.
Every modern digital amp comes with presets which makes working with them even easier. And you can create your custom presets too. So, you don’t need to do anything. Just one click on the button and your tone are there.
Other types of amps don’t come closer to modeling amps when it comes to ease of use. And that’s one of the reasons why digital modeling amplifiers a great for practicing.
2. Modeling Amps Have Multiple Amp Sound
My second reason why I like modeling amps for practicing is that they offer a variety of amp voicings. These amp voicings are based on famous guitar amplifiers and sound great.
In one amp you can choose clean, crunchy, lead, or hi-gain amps in seconds. This gives you the ability to try and create new and interesting sounds.
Also, it teaches you a lot. You will understand the characteristics of different amps and tones. You can tweak these tones even more and make them your own.
Some amps have more voicings than others but every digital amp offers more than three amp voicings. And every amp will have at least one clean, crunchy, and heavy tone.
This means that you can play any type of music. And you can practice scales or riffs. You have unlimited options. Tube and solid-state amps don’t offer these features.
3. They Come With Built-in Effects
The next reason is the built-in effects. When you practice scales or riffs, you need to have effects to make them sound more interesting. Because playing only clean or dirty tones can become boring.
And digital amps offer all the effects you will ever need for practicing guitar. They have modulation effects such as chorus, phaser, flanger, wah, and more. And most amps have dedicated reverb and delay sections.
Another reason why it’s a great option is that you will learn how different effects work. You will understand different kinds of reverbs and delays, what impact they have on guitar tone, and more.
So, not only it’s good for practicing, but it also teaches you a lot of things. Modeling amps help you to understand amps and effects in a very convenient way.
And the best thing is that you don’t need to buy additional gear to learn it. You have everything in one box. That’s one of my favorite things about modeling amplifiers.
4. Modeling Amps Have Presets
One of the best things about modeling guitar amps is preset because it allows you to have many different sounds and use them any time you want.
Most modern digital amplifiers have two types of presets – factory presets and custom preset slots where you can create your own tones.
Depending on the modeling amplifier, you may have hundreds of slots for presets. Also, you can edit factory presets too which is a great option too.
This feature makes this type of guitar amplifier a great tool for practice because you can practice your clean, dirty, or lead tones.
But this feature is not only good for practice but for any case such as gigging or even recording.
You don’t need to have effects or effect processors because you have everything in one box.
5. Modeling Amps Are Reliable
Modeling amps are perhaps the most reliable amplifiers. We can say that about solid-state amps too but not about tube amps.
Tube amplifiers require maintenance. Tubes will lose their power after some time and you need to change them, they may not function under certain circumstances, or they might stop working.
However, there are great small tube amps that are great for practice and also for recording.
On the other hand, modeling amps will never lose sound quality because they are digital. Doesn’t matter how old a modeling amp is, it will sound like new. It requires no maintenance.
Also, they are less heavier and it’s easy to carry them. That’s great when you travel or move a lot. Or you can take it in the rehearsal studio or on a live show.
Reliability is one of the best things in modeling guitar amplifiers. You will never have to change any part of the amp. It will always sound new.
6. Best For Beginners
All the reasons listed above make modeling amplifiers the best choice for beginners. And that’s another reason why they are great for practicing.
Because when you are a beginner and learning guitar, your main focus is the instrument, not the amp and sounds. And digital amps let you do it.
Plug your guitar in, choose your sound in seconds and you are ready to focus on the guitar. There will be no distractions. And the sound will be great.
But when you have a solid-state amp, first you need to dial in a decent tone to practice. And when you are a beginner, it can be challenging. You don’t know what a treble or middle knob is, you don’t understand how they work, etc.
With modeling amps, you don’t have that problem. You know that you can dial in good sound ins seconds. And you can choose from hundreds of different tones and effects.
And this naturally teaches you to understand how guitar amps work in general. How EQ or effects shape sound, how different types of amplifiers work, and more.
So, all these features make digital modeling amps the best choice for beginners. Also, they are affordable, reliable, and very convenient to use.
Conclusion
As you can see from this article, I think that modeling amps are great and perhaps the best option for practicing. You can have different amp voicings, and all effects you need, they are very reliable and affordable. Also, digital modeling amps are best for beginners. It teaches you how effects and amps work, and how clean and dirty tones work, and working with them is very easy.