Flat range full response (or full response flat range) is not a new perspective on the way to amplify electric guitar but it is the standard of a new generation of guitar players . A simple way to explain it is to plug a guitar in a modeler and into an active speaker FRFR monitor. A simple, light and versatile rig. On a more old school approach, you have the classic tube amp rig. A guitar plugged in a pedalboard, into an amp and connected to a speaker cab. This approach has produced the legendary sound of countless guitar heroes. Both approaches are cool and valid options and have strengths and weaknesses. In my opinion, we debate too much on how close the modeling sounds like the real thing and we are not talking enough about the way both options react and sound in a real life situation.

Lets start with the tube amp. On the good side, it is the real thing, you are not faking anything, tube amps are fun and are a very Rock N’ Roll way to amplify and create cool guitar tones. It can cut through the apocalyptic sound of a mad drummer from hell and with compression it gives you sustain when you need it the most on stage. In front of full stack you feel like the god of thunder (Thor not Gene) and it is a very cool experience, a very addictive experience. So, the main positive reasons of this approach are : great tones, the coolness factor, volume, sustain and you feel like a god.

Tube amps also have disadvantages. First, a great tone is not guaranteed when you purchase a tube amp and all tube amps are not the same. You have different amp class, different power amp tubes and speakers and many other components that contribute to the sound in good or bad ways. If you don’t maintain your tube amp in good order, with time the sound will change. Slowly at first, but one day your amp won’t feel the same and the sound will be different. Maintenance is a big part of a good tube amp tone and if you have multiple amps it can be very costly.

To explore another disadvantage of tube amps, let’s talk about the Holy Grail of tube amps, the Marshall Super Lead.
If you have a 1968 Marshall Plexi in your amp arsenal you are very lucky : it is one of the most iconic amp, but you also have a big problem to deal with : volume. That amp was created to be used in stadiums without a PA, it has tons of headroom and dynamics and the magic only happens when the amp is loud. Bringing a Plexi at a small club gig is like hunting deers with a Sherman tank; you have to much fire power. Power attuanaters are a compromise but the sound and the feel of the amp are not the same.

Personally, the maintenance cost and the necessity to operate a tube amp at an high volume to find the sweet spot are the two main disadvantages of this approach.

FRFR
I remember, many years ago, using a distortion pedal into a direct box in the P.A. because my amp died and did not had a backup amp. The experience was very painful, but I did finished the show and nobody cared in the audience about my situation, the music was good. Fast forward a few years, the Line 6 Pod was the new thing. I had a show in a school auditorium with a good P.A. system. I took a chance and used the red bean device. Again, nobody cared about me not using an amplifier and the sound was good and the experience was not painful at all.

Lets start on the positive side of the coin : modeling technology these days is very good and the sound is great. You have many options: Fractal audio, Kemper, Line 6, Atomic amps, HeadRush Pedalboard and others. They all make great products. Versatility is the name of the game, no more one trick pony. Countless amp models and stompboxes emulations, studio quality effects programmable by presets and scenes or rig or whatever you want to call it. You have many sound options. You can have all your songs presets in your set list or have a few clean, crunch and lead patches, the options are yours.

Another avantage of the FRFR approach is that you can control the volume on stage without altering the sound of the modeler. You have the same sound and sustain on stage and in your practice room. You can place the monitors the way you like it, in front or behind you or on the side, you have the control. With this approach, the guitar sound is more ambient, less beamy and blends more in the band mix.

Weight is a big avantage of a FRFR rig. A less than 30 pounds monitor (or 2 for a stereo rig) with a floor modeler like the popular Fractal audio AX8 or the HeadRush Pedalboard, a few cables and a guitar makes you a 50 pounds rig (or less if you don’t bring your own monitor, but I always do).

A FRFR rig is almost limitless ; you can use the same rig with a country gig or a death metal gig. Plug your acoustic guitar and you have an acoustic rig. For a Bad Moon Deluxe gig, I have patches for cigar box guitars, acoustic guitars, Merlin dulcimer and electric guitars. All programmed in advance, so I have the best sound for each instruments.

The other side of the coin.

The fist negative point of the FRFR approach is : your dealing with a lot of presets and amps models emulations and they can all act different eq wise in different venues. I once saw a world class guitar player readjusting the level and the eq of all is presets in is Axe fx during a meet and greet before the show. It was not a very cool soundcheck in a fan’s perspective. Global eq is primordial for this task and makes the job easier, but all your presets have to be in the same ball park eq wise and on the level side.

Another negative point : your modeler is a computer, and like all computers, it can bug and freeze. It never happened to me on a gig, but I saw a guitar player restart is Axe Fx in the middle of a song in a show on a big reunion tour. Again, not very cool in a fan’s perspective. To be honest, you can’t restart a tube amp in the middle of a show if your amp goes down and, to be fair, it did happen to me once, so be prepared and have a backup.

The third negative point of a modeler and FRFR rig is the most difficult to deal with because it’s a mojo thing. The stage presence is different for two reasons, you don’t have the look and the fire power of a cool tube amp rig behind you and it can be very intimidating at first because your not the loudest instrument on stage anymore. The guitar blends more in the band mix, it is a good thing, but guitar players have a tendency to cut through the mix, so you have to learn to be a team player. Lookwise, there is no wall of stacks, only a guitar and a monitor (or two) : it is different.

In the end, the sound is in your hands ; use gear as tools to express yourself. Choose a rig that will help you to get in your comfort zone and be creative. After all, tone chasing is part of the game. Have fun!