AMP-IN-A-BOX PEDALS

piebaldpython

Blues Junior
Just wondering how many of you use Amp-In-A-Box pedals? Why/why not? Pros/cons?

Joyo and Mooer (other makers too) have a bunch of them and they cover just about every popular amp known to mankind.
 

straightblues

Blues Junior
Like with all pedals, some are great and some are not. Listen to as many YouTube videos of them as you can to help you decide. Also pay attention to the amps they are using.
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
That's pretty much my main mode of operation. Sure now and then I'll power up an amp or my Eleven Rack, but in my solo gigs, I pretty much stick with the lightest weight options I can find. My 2 main go-to pedals are my TC Helicon Voice Live Play GTX or my Moore GE150. Another really nice option, if you are going the pedalboard route is the Zoom MS-100BT. I've had a few Joyo things and they get quickly relegated to the junk heap.
 

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
Get these two pedals and that is literally all you will ever need. I could literally play any gig with just these two pedals direct into a PA. You may want more, but these two are all you will ever need. No, they are not junk! They work just as well as a pedal into a clean amp and they stack wonderfully as well.

 
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OG_Blues

Guitar Geezer
If you want to try something out that is extremely cost effective, I 100% agree with RR on the Joyo amp sim pedals. I have the American and it is a superb pedal at a very low price point.
On the other hand, if you want to spend a lot of $, well, we can help you there too - just ask. :)
 

dvs

Green Mountain Blues
I use a Tech 21 Blonde from the (discontinued) Sansamp Character series. It is the pedal that the Joyo American Sound pedal is supposedly a copy of. I am very happy with the sounds I get out of it. It is an analog pedal and it acts very amp-like, with or without overdrive pedals in front of it. It is buffered (even when it's off) so it can serve a couple of purposes on a board. I like it a lot. I use it going into a clean amp, PA, or a mixer for recording.

I tried a Mooer 006 Micro Preamp, which was attractive to me because of its size, but I did not like it nearly as much as the Tech 21. It is digital, not analog, with two channels (clean/dirty), but it was harder to dial in sounds I liked. I found the tiny control knobs to be kind of a pain, and because the settings can be set independently for each or the two channels it is difficult to know what they are actually set at (not necessarily the same as where they are pointed). It is also true bypass, plus I did not think it reacted well to OD pedals in front. The flashing light when speaker emulation was set to "on" was distracting. Current draw is 300 mA, which is kind of high but probably not an issue unless you're trying to run a board from a battery. (Fortunately, it also sells quickly on Reverb.)
 
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Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
I am not kidding a bit when I say I could easily play any professional gig with nothing but the Joyo American pedal direct into a PA (well, maybe with the addition of a decent reverb pedal) ... but I play almost 100% blues. If you also want some good "Raunch n' Roll" get the Joyo California as well and add dual-rectifier Mesa Boogie to your "rig". I like the California better than either the British or AC30 Joyo pedals.

All of them work GREAT direct into your computer and also work GREAT in front of a clean amp. And you just can't beat the price. And they are high-quality sturdy metal pedals. I really don't know how they pack that much great performance into a pedal for that price!
 

piebaldpython

Blues Junior
Thanks to all who replied.

I asked because I have J Rockett The Dude (Dumble), Barber Direct Drive V3 (Various stages of Marshall) and Xotic SL Drive (Super Lead/Super Bass). Though these are not AIAB pedals by marketing standards (all are advertised as various OD pedals), essentially they are AIAB.
 

PapaBear

Guit Fiddlier
Thanks to all who replied.

I asked because I have J Rockett The Dude (Dumble), Barber Direct Drive V3 (Various stages of Marshall) and Xotic SL Drive (Super Lead/Super Bass). Though these are not AIAB pedals by marketing standards (all are advertised as various OD pedals), essentially they are AIAB.
Most overdrive and distortion pedals are trying to emulate a tube amp to some degree
 

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
Note the words "most" and "to some degree" in my statement!
Well, none of the pedals in your statement (Dude, etc.) have those controls and you said that that essentially they are AIAB. The Dude is a great pedal and I am sure I could get very nice tone using just it direct into a DAW or PA ... but that does not make it an AIAB pedal ... to me at least. If it does to you, well, we'll just have to agree to disagree. :)
 

PapaBear

Guit Fiddlier
Well, none of the pedals in your statement (Dude, etc.) have those controls and you said that that essentially they are AIAB. The Dude is a great pedal and I am sure I could get very nice tone using just it direct into a DAW or PA ... but that does not make it an AIAB pedal ... to me at least. If it does to you, well, we'll just have to agree to disagree. :)
You really should read more carefully, I cited no pedals in my post
 

ronico

rainyislandblues
AITB? Better get that on Snarf's vocabulary list! (couldn't find the thread) Anyway does an older Flyrig V qualify. Got it used a couple of years back and love it either to mixer or amp. Has really been a while since I had the pedalboard out of the case. Sort of a floor clutter thing.....
 

PapaBear

Guit Fiddlier
I am so sorry! It was Piebaldpython's post I was referring to. You are right, I need to pay more attention.
Apology accepted, though pedals started out IMHO to enhance an amps tone eg Fuzz Face, Tone Bender , Muff and later various modulations, the industry has migrated to pursuing this tone or that be it copying a Fender tone stack or certain amps characteristics eg Dumble, Vox or Marshall, it's all part of the fun
 

Crossroads

Thump the Bottom
You also have to consider what amp you are playing through and what speaker you are using. These will have a big effect on AITB. units.

Sometimes the speaker is an afterthought but it is an essential part of the equation.. A dude played through the same Plexi with greenbacks is going to sound different than one played through a G12H or V30s. Add in the different types of amps Marshall Vox Fender and you have a whole Smorgasbord of sounds.

That is one of the advantages of digital equipment. You can swap your speakers, your amp, anything just by turning a dial. That said, when trying to emulate amp sounds. I like to use a neutral power amp with IRs, and a neutral speaker to give the ability to find tune the sound, so the physical amp or physical speaker doesn't color the sound.
 
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