“Drink a beer and plug into an amp: grow up!”: Joyce Manor guitarist on why it’s “not cool” when bands don’t use real amps on stage
Slowly but surely, amp modellers like the Kemper Profiler are winning guitarists over. From AFI’s Jade Puget calling tube amps “constraining” to Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi claiming it’s “hard to tell the difference” between a modeller and a real amplifier, artists from every genre are becoming converts. However, if you’re considering making the switch, Joyce Manor are here to knock some sense into you.
In a new interview with Marshall, punk rock emo revivalists Joyce Manor admit they “judge” anyone that prefers modeller over a real amp. “I’m judging you – get an amp!” lead vocalist, Barry Johnson, laughs. “It’s so un-rock-n-roll. It’s so not cool!”
He even goes so far as to liken a modeller to vaping; it’s a modern shortcut that takes any ‘cool’ factor out of what you’re actually doing. “You’ve got to get cabs – or you’re, like, vaping, y’know?” he laughs. “Just rip a cig! What are you doing?! Plug into an amplifier! Drink a beer and plug into an amp. Grow up already!”
READ MORE: Laney Prism-Mini review – a sub-£100 desktop amp with sounds that’ll rival your main rig
He closes off his short, humorous rant with a short: “Modelling amp!! Jesus Christ!”
The frustration was spurred on by Johnson and his bandmate, Chase Knobbe, reminiscing about their first amps. “The first amp I bought for myself was a Marshall JCM800,” Johnson recalls. “I bought it from my friend, Eric, and it belonged to a guitar player of Thrice and it was actually modded to be a little more high gain…”
“My first Marshall was a 1987X – the Yngwie Malmsteen one,” Knobbe chimes in. “That was in my era when I did not know what any knob did… and that it still sounded awesome. I’d just kind of turn everything up…”
The experimental approach is how Joyce Manor’s guitarists found their sound – and the conversation is reminiscent of what Analog Man founder Mike Pierra said in a February interview. In his mind, the joy of discovering your personal guitar tone comes from the hands-on experience. If you jump in with a modeller from the get-go, you could be doing yourself a massive disservice.
Appearing on Products of Music, Pierra said: “I don’t personally try out the digital modelling things. I have no interest in them. Because to me, it’s not any fun…I want to play my guitar. I want it to go through real pedals, real amps and real speakers.”
And, to hone in on Joyce Manor’s argument once again – a clean, stackless stage set up is just “not cool”. Even Joe Bonamassa agrees; last year, the legendary guitarist appeared on the No Cover Charge podcast, and he also said that modellers aren’t as “cool” as the real deal. Being a rockstar is about great tone, but it’s also about looking the part with some vintage, rugged gear by your side.
“Imagine if Eddie Van Halen showed up with a Neural [Quad Cortex] and a Suhr.” he said. “Is it as cool? I’m not knocking John Suhr, I’m not knocking Neural… Great invention, but I just pose the question. People hear with their eyes. It’s the whole thing!”
View this post on Instagram
The post “Drink a beer and plug into an amp: grow up!”: Joyce Manor guitarist on why it’s “not cool” when bands don’t use real amps on stage appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
