[Drew]

I've owned a Johnson J-Station, and borrowed a Line6 Spider for a gig in an emergency once, as well as did a little bit of recording with one.

The J-Station actually had a couple nice models - the "blackface" clean, mark-II, and Recto patches were excellent, although seriously bass-heavy until I changed them all to run through 1x12s. In fact, itwas the Johnson takeon the Recto sound that got me into Mesas in the first place, when I first played a Millenium. That said, it couldn't compete with the real thing - I recorded most of the mp3.com album I did with a J-station, and it sounded fine on its own, but any time I tried mixing a modeled tone with a real amp, with VERY specific exceptions (say,textural parts), the tones didn't seem to mesh.

The Line6 felt stiff, couldn't hang live, but didn't sound too bad mic'd up.

 

[Drew]

While I can agree that tubes are far more responsive and articulate (which is why I have a proper high gain 3 channel tube amp on the way for my recording rig to replace my POD as the recording rig/dongle for POD Farm), I find your "It's just not pro level stuff" claim to be a little over the top.
Meshuggah relied on it for many years, touring around the world. If it wasn't "pro quality" I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have used it for so long.

I've long used Meshuggah as an example of about one of maybe two genres were modeling makes sense. I don't know exactly why (I suspect it may have something to do with an exaggerated frequency response relative to a "real" cab and mic), but the only times I've ever been able to cop the vibe of their post-Nothing stuff has been using speaker emulation. It's just a little more immediate in the attack - this works horribly for 99% of guitar tones, but for their percussive, almost percussion-like approach, it's just perfect.

(the other exception is electronica/metal hybrid stuff like Orgy or Prodigy, where you don't WANT natural tones).

 

[Drew]

^ Trent Reznor's been using a Vetta II since they came out, too, and again, it makes sense that he would :lol:

I didn't know that, but yeah, makes perfect sense to me. :lol:

 

[Drew]

:yesway::metal:

...which is the only possible reason why you could actually like that horribly over-gained, incredibly edgy, over-bassy clusterfuck that is the "Insane" model. :lol:

(sorry :wub

 

[Drew]

None needed. I do find it fascinating that you nailed precisely what I loved about that model. If they made a tube amp that sounded like that model, I might be a tube guy today.

That's probably, because we have vastly different tastes in what constitutes "good tone," we also both have ears.

I was about to post up something about how you should check out a few Peaveys, then I remembered that a couple posts back you mentioned those are the only tube amps you've played that you like. :lol:

 

[Drew]

For example, I never knew Stevie Ray Vaughn played an acoustic tune on a 12-string, until I heard "Life By The Drop", but I knew it was him with the lick he played to start the song.

Isn't that a gorgeous tune, too? Honestly, that "The Sky Is Crying" posthumous release is probably my favorite Stevie Ray album. :yesway:

 

[Drew]

Actually, I think of it as both. I know when Mike picks up my guitar and plugs into my rig, it sounds different. That is the part of your tone that comes from the way you pick the strings. There is no changing that.

Or, how I picked up your guitar, plugged into your amp, and with the help of a raging hangover managed to make "your" rhythm tone sound like shit. :yesway:

 

[Drew]

Wheres the option for "I own one, but just for recording purposes and my live rig is total Mesa pwnage" ?

"I own one but it's not part of my main rig."

 

[Drew]

Yeah, that is completely not for me at all. It is not even an ethics thing as much as "4-5 guys with 3 amps and a drumkit" ALWAYS sound bigger and badder than the guys dragging SkyLab up on stage with them. I've just yet to see a band that does all sorts of complicated stuff sound as good live as a solid backline will provide.

I'm not 100% sure, but I THINK he was joking. :lol: