Hey Fryette gang!
Why would running a Valvulator 1 in front of a modeler improve the “feel”?
I have been using an AxeFx3 for the past year, with great results.(now using the Fryette 2/99/2 as the power amp!)
On a hunch, I purchased a Valvulator 1 last summer to “preamp” the AxeFx.
The Valvulator is doing something that makes playing through the AxeFx actually feel like playing through a real amp.
At first I thought I was imagining the effect, but my friend and I spent an afternoon A/B’ing with/without the Valvulator, and we both could tell the difference.
(Of course, I’m looking forward to the Valvulator Mini)
That’s a good question.
V1 is typically the most important tube in any tube amp as it sets up the whole preamp gain structure. If you swap out different V1 tubes I do find they make audible differences. So maybe it’s something like that?
I agree there is something nice about having a real tube circuit in the mix. Quite a few people do something similar with the Power Station but using it’s power amp after the modeller, Self-Attenuation mode: Can the Power Station add power tube mojo to my modeller or preamp?