has "pickup modelling" ever been tired?

[RCCollins]

with all the amp modelling devices and software out there, I wonder if a kind of pickup modelling has ever been tried. Of course I've seen attack/sustain devices that claim to make single coil guitar pickups sound like humbiuckers. But has a real digital modelling approach ever been taken?

just something that crossed my mind

[Jehos]

Yes, that's what Line6 Variax guitars and basses do.

[dannybuoy]

I think the Roland V-Bass does something similar as well.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by RCCollins

has "pickup modelling" ever been tired?

Yes, and it should take a nap.

[RickenBoogie]

Well, I think all modelling should take a nap. A long nap. But, that's just me. I have friends who swear by this "amazing" technology.

[DiscoFreq]

I wonder if that's what this new Rocktron pedal is supposed to do:
http://www.effectsdatabase.com/model.../texasrecoiler

The lower knob is labeled "less windings - more windings".

[jonnymac101881]

There's a reason Line6 stopped making the Variax Bass. I had one and I wasn't impressed. To me a lot of the "instruments" sounded the same and then there were also some that were just completely unusable.

[Animal Mother]

The Gibson Dusk Tiger.

[FreaqyFrequency]

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

Well, I think all modelling should take a nap. A long nap. But, that's just me. I have friends who swear by this "amazing" technology.

To be fair, modeling, when done properly, achieves results so convincing that few, if any, people, would know the difference on a recording or in a live setting. That's where modeling holds its value (again, when done right); It allows you to sound like you're packing much more gear than you are, while freeing you from the responsibility of shelling out considerably more money to achieve that sound and from bringing that gear to every gig, if you're a gigging musician. I don't know many people who would object to that.

[Jools4001]

Originally Posted by jonnymac101881

There's a reason Line6 stopped making the Variax Bass. I had one and I wasn't impressed. To me a lot of the "instruments" sounded the same and then there were also some that were just completely unusable.

Where is Dave Muscato when you need him?

He did a blind test on here with a Variax and a 'proper' example of the bass that the Variax was modelling....most people thought the Variax was the real deal.

I don't use Variaxes, but I do use a Bass Pod Pro as my pre. It has it's drawbacks...the bewildering number of options and sounds for one, and the sniffiness of purists for another - but it's great to be able to set up a bunch of presets for specific basses and switch between a gnarly Rick sound one moment and to a more mellow vibe the next, then to swap basses to a fretless and simply select the next bank with crucial fretless tones locked and loaded

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by jonnymac101881

There's a reason Line6 stopped making the Variax Bass. I had one and I wasn't impressed. To me a lot of the "instruments" sounded the same and then there were also some that were just completely unusable.

i have to say, though, that the variax guitar was pretty impressive. peter noone's guitarist had one, and he went through all the sounds for us and they were pretty convincing.

[thugler]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89IaT4o193E

variax bass sounds horrible, not all that much like what it's modelling, and horribly digital sounding. I've yet to hear any convincing sound samples from it. If there are good examples, find some clips.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by thugler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89IaT4o193E

variax bass sounds horrible, not all that much like what it's modelling, and horribly digital sounding. I've yet to hear any convincing sound samples from it. If there are good examples, find some clips.

if you're using youtube as an indicator, then you have no idea.

[thugler]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

if you're using youtube as an indicator, then you have no idea.

Audio clips I've heard sound bad too. Youtube does mess up the sound a bit, but stuff can still sound good through it, there are a number of clips up all sounding equally dodgy to me. That one is a promo clip for variax so I would imagine it would sound roughly right no?

[moose23]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

if you're using youtube as an indicator, then you have no idea.

JimmyM speaks the truth yet again.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by thugler

Audio clips I've heard sound bad too. Youtube does mess up the sound a bit, but stuff can still sound good through it, there are a number of clips up all sounding equally dodgy to me. That one is a promo clip for variax so I would imagine it would sound roughly right no?

i thought that was a horrible sounding demo, and i have heard many horrible sounding demos from manufacturers on youtube. besides, the only way you can really tell if this digital emulation stuff is good is to play it yourself. granted, i'm not a huge fan of digital emulation, but it has gotten a lot better since it first came out, and whereas i used to dismiss it as a joke, after my own experiences with newer line 6 stuff and hearing this dude with the variax guitar live in front of me, i have to say i think it does a very good job. not a great job, but very good. of course, that's my opinion. ymmv.

[cybersnyder]

Some of the models on the Variax Bass sounded very good, but overall I didn't like the feel of the instrument and sold it.

[ga_edwards]

Originally Posted by cybersnyder

Some of the models on the Variax Bass sounded very good, but overall I didn't like the feel of the instrument and sold it.

I though the same about the feel when I tried one. For something that completely digitally models the tone and resonance of other instruments, I cannot understand why they built the thing to be so huge and unwieldily.

Soundwise, the only sounds I liked was the Thumb (which I already owned) and the MM Stingray. For the price of it, I could have bought a real MM and got the real deal, a better playing one at that too.

[jbybj]

My Variax 4 string actually feels pretty sweet in my hands. What I have noticed is that when I play through my "hifi" rig, Alembic pre and QSC power, the clarity of the setup lays bare the rough edges of the modelling. But that my Variax sounds pretty convincing through a Vintage Traynor tube amp with single 15".

The old school tube "warmth" helps it alot.

[fokof]

On roland's VBass , there is a bass model called "Vari" on wich you can choose from piezo , single and humbucker pickups.
You can place 'em where you want on the bass and even put the space you want between each strings.

Usefull to create very "personal" tones.

A couple of model basses are very good on the VBass , the MusicMan, Rickenbacker are very good. The Hofner, PBass and Active are good.