So, what is the best modeller in 2023?

NelsonP · March 2023

Fractal FM9
Kemper Stage
Quad Cortex
Boss GT1000
Boss GX100
Helix
HX stomp
Tonex
Atomic
Hotone Ampero
Mooer GE300
Strymon Iridium
Other
None

Which one and why?

mrkb · March 2023

Fractal FM9 - used by Pros, great support.

Kemper Stage, Quad Cortex and Tonex just capture one set of amp settings so arent modelling. I tried Tonex and turned down the amp drive and it sounds weird.

Roland · March 2023

AxeFX III by a smidgeon over the FM9.

Why: quality of amp modelling, quality of effects, quality of engineering, and quality of worldwide support.

sweepy · March 2023

I'd plump for the AxeFx3, ruinously expensive to have a full Giggable setup but of all the units previously listed, it just edges it

Musicman20 · March 2023

I still think the HX Stomp is the ‘best’ in its size/price range.

Wazmeister · March 2023

Fractal - best sounds
HX Stomp - easiest to use, best size
QC - well desineD and gorgeous
Kemper - great amp sounds

Musicwolf · March 2023

I can only compare the two that I have. The Kemper (mine is a rack rather than a Stage) and the full-fat Helix.

When it comes to reproducing / emulating the sound, and feel, of a real amp mic’d up then the Kemper wins hands down in my book. I always record with my Kemper, never with the Helix. The reason that I have the Helix (which was bought after the Kemper), aside from uncontrolled GAS, is that it wins out in just about every other aspect. The Helix has more, and possibly better, effects. You can have dual amp paths, you can load IRs (which I use mostly for acoustic guitars sims live), switching seems to be a little bit faster and editing is way better (even though Kemper have improved their Editor in recent years). MIDI control is better on the Helix and you can also send and receive MIDI over USB which is more convenient.

Grumpyrocker · March 2023

I'd add to the list the Valeton GP200 - for the inexpensive end, it offers a heck of a lot for a first modeller.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob · March 2023

Personally I loved my Pod GO - perfect for people like me who want the versatility of amp modellers but don't enjoy the option paralysis and potential rabbit hole of endless tweaking and fiddling of other modellers. Very intuitive to use, and cracking value for money.

Maybe also Headrush to the list? The new one they've just announced looks pretty good!

susbemol · March 2023

It depends on your definition of "best".

For some, the best would be the one that does everything you are after by taking the least out of your pocket. YMMV.

Danny1969 · March 2023

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

Personally I loved my Pod GO - perfect for people like me who want the versatility of amp modellers but don't enjoy the option paralysis and potential rabbit hole of endless tweaking and fiddling of other modellers. Very intuitive to use, and cracking value for money.

Maybe also Headrush to the list? The new one they've just announced looks pretty good!

The Pod Go is great value, certainly doesn't sound worse than the Helix amp wise and it has enough effects to satisfy most people. The harmony function is it's secret weapon. If you know your keys and intervals you can get all the Brian May, Iron Maiden type very easy but you can also use it in a less obvious fashion to thicken up licks.
Despite hating modellers I would use it on a pedal board for that reason alone.

Also it's not on the list but the Nux mighty plug is a modeller, sounds great straight into the PA at rehearsal or into a Bluetooth speaker for home jams ... it's more than just a practice tool and cost less than £60.

Nerine · March 2023

Having used the Helix (borrowed for a while), Kemper (owned for 9-10 years, did a LOT of recording with it), Quad Cortex (borrowed for a while and did gigs with it) and an FM9T (Own to present day) the FM9T is the only one I've been happy doing gigs with, and the only one I've felt confident building an ecosystem around - I.e. bought new wedges, mounted it to a board, integrated some analogue drives and fuzzes into the setup, bought the Fractal expression pedal etc.

To me it sounds the best and It feels the best.

It's the most flexible, has the best switching (it's totally genius when you dig into it), the support and quantity and quality of updates is second to none, the desktop editor is superb, it's easy to use if you actually try and it's cheaper than a Klon Centaur - which when me and some fellow guitarists did some A/B testing going into the front end of a Two Rock Classic Reverb Sig (I made a patch with literally just the drive block), no one could tell which was which.

It's been sounding killer at gigs, I really like using it, I can get much more authentic sounds, closer to the bands we ape/cover and load in and setup is a cinch.

Like, not a lot to not like.

I've gradually been selling off my amps and cabinets. They feel archaic in comparison. Using the FM9 makes me feel like my imagination is the only limit.

I monitor with a Yamaha DXR10 MkII and I would recommend that to anyone. I'm going to get another for stereo shenanigans. Will sound epic.

FarleyUK · March 2023

Any of the Fractal offerings - all depends on your needs and use case.

But you really cannot go wrong with the FM3 / FM9 / Axe FX 3.

monquixote · March 2023

We are at a stage where the main high end ones that I've tried: Helix, GT-1000, AxeFX are good enough that you can't really tell them from a miced up valve amp in a live, or track mix.

The main impediment to getting a good sound out of them is your ability to understand and tweak them more than the differences between the units.
That being the case unless you are more interested in identifying nuances between algorithms than making music I'd pick the one you like the workflow and approach of the most (For me Boss) and don't worry about it too much.

For personal playing pleasure I like a valve amp and probably always will in the same way that some people will prefer a horse to a car or vinyl to a FLAC file.

Norlin4life · April 2023

I’ve owned a Kemper, FM9 and currently have a QC. Honestly it’s splitting hairs at this point as the sound differences are minimal and can be levelled out with eq. Go for Fractal if you need the effects and don’t mind the slight learning curve, Kemper if you like lots of knobs and want the biggest capture library, and QC if you want the prettiest unit with the nicest interface.

If I was gigging I’d go for Fractal, otherwise it’s QC all day. ToneX is too limited and I hate having to use a computer anywhere near my guitars.

Headrush prime looks like it was designed by Fisher Price and is ugly beyond words. Helix is decent but the lack of capture tech means I’d wait until the new version.

Strymon Iridium sounds shite to my ears and I much prefer the Simplifier Deluxe.

NelsonP · April 2023

This is pretty interesting....11.30 in

BGG · April 2023

The best ? Whatever sounds ‘best’ to your ears , and which interface suits you.

My journey …
DV Mark Multiamp - sounded great, easy to set up, very limited for live use, midi a pain to set up.

Helix - easy to tweak they said, I found it complicated. Sounded digital to my ears, couldn’t get a clean or dirty tone I liked at all.

Kemper - Sounds awesome, works great live , gigged it for two years. Menus a bit of a faff, Rig Manager makes it a bit easier.

Quad Cortex - sounds as good as the Kemper, smaller footprint, lighter too. Menus are simple, quick and a delight to use, no need to read the manual.

Makes me play more, not interested in plug ins or a desktop editor. It just works for me.

Jonathanthomas83 · April 2023

I’ve borrowed a Helix and owned a Kemper and currently have an Axe FX III. I’d also had a spell with plugins only. They all have their pro’s and con’s. I like the Fractal, it’s a great piece of kit and sounds good. I still prefer real amps and will eventually get some amps again when finances allow.

Voxman · April 2023

No such thing as the best modeller only the best one for 'you' and how you want to use it. Gigging players will typically have different priority needs to home players or studio users where rugged build quality, reliability, ease of use, good floor control, and fast tweaking on stage will usually be more important considerations than loads of amp and fx models where many will sound the same in a band mix.

Roland · April 2023

Voxman said:

No such thing as the best modeller only the best one for 'you' and how you want to use it..

well said

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So, what is the best modeller in 2023?

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