On this website, you can find comparisons between digital and analog formats in both the Hi-Fi and Photography sections. Recently, I found myself facing this same dilemma when it comes to the guitar. Digital technology and computing are, of course, taking over every field. Even in cars (another section of this site), where screen size now counts more among the features to advertise than the type of suspension (and yet using your cell phone is prohibited). Generally, digital technology is supposed to simplify things for us, come to our aid, and allow us to do things we couldn’t do before. It used to be impossible for someone to call us while we were out and about. Are you sure it’s better today to receive work calls—or worse, aggressive marketing calls—no matter where we are? Sure, it’s nice to be able to call in an emergency; sometimes it’s vital. But in general, without discounting the life-saving cases, digital technology rushes us, overwhelms us with choices, and ends up making us enjoy things less (think choosing a movie or series on a streaming platform). And what about the guitar?

Just to be clear: I’m not one of those people who turns their nose up at digital gear because it sounds worse than a real tube amp with nice analog pedals. That might be true, but that’s not my point. My point is that I have absolutely no desire to do what it takes to get a good sound out of a digital system. I prefer the downsides of an analog system (cables, bulk, weight) over the upsides of a digital system (compactness, consistent sound, immediacy). I have absolutely no desire to learn and use a computerized system, simply because IT is my job. Even though this should make the transition to digital much easier for me, it actually puts me in a terrible mood, precisely because it feels like I’m continuing to work during my free time. I can’t stand it…

When I started playing in a band again years ago, I didn’t have any guitar effects. I hardly ever used an electric guitar. I’d had a Boss distortion pedal when I was younger, which I later replaced with a Zoom digital multi-effects unit—it eventually died, but I remember I only used a couple of the presets it came with. I started looking around and came across Amplitube software from the Italian company IK Multimedia. In theory, I could have connected my guitar to an iPhone and use simulations of effects and amplifiers. I ended up buying a Zoom Multistomp, if only to try out some of the many effects available to get a feel for how they work. I knew absolutely nothing about this stuff. Then I bought a couple of good analog stompbox effects and slowly started to educate myself.

I ended up with a pedalboard with about ten effects, weighing nearly ten kilograms. Carrying it around every week for rehearsals, along with a 4–5 kg guitar in its case, wasn’t exactly fun. Not to mention those rare live gigs—what a pain it was to lug around a 20-kg tube amp too! Collecting pedals had almost become a passion, and after a period where I only bought the ones I actually used, I ended up accumulating quite a few. I had over 1,000 euros worth of pedals! A bit disgusted with myself (no offense to those who have way more, but that’s how I feel), I decided to take the plunge into digital and sell almost everything! Ah! Finally, a bit of modernity and a simpler life!

No way.

I had bought a used Line 6 HX Stomp. Far from simple. Let me repeat: I’ve never been averse to technology. Quite the opposite. I was the one friends called when they had computer problems. I’ve used every operating system out there; I’m a Linux advocate. After losing my job as a geologist, I reinvented myself thanks to my IT skills, and every day at work I configure software, program, and figure out how certain IT tools work. When I clock out, I’ve had enough—I can’t keep this up just to play guitar too! It really drives me crazy! After a week, I sold the Line 6 and bought back a few pedals I’d sold. I decided to stick to a small pedalboard, and if I need to, I’ll go straight to the mixer thanks to the amp simulations on a small digital effect. The rest is analog.

Let’s be clear: modern digital systems sound really good, and they’re used by both professionals and celebrities. At an event where the gear is top-notch and you need to keep the volume on stage to a minimum, it’s great to have all your sounds ready to go, stored in the multi-effects unit—including the necessary amps—perfectly modeled by powerful software. You take your sound anywhere, plug into the mixer, and you’re set. But that’s not always the case, and it’s not for everyone.

First, it’s true that modern units sound amazing, but they need to be amplified to actually play. Unless you’re practicing with headphones or on a small home stereo system, or recording directly into a computer (where they’re fantastic—try miking up an amp at home and playing it at the volume where it sounds best!), you still need a powered speaker to hear yourself. And it has to be just as good as the amazing digital multi-effects unit you’ve bought. So, unless we’re talking about ultra-expensive, heavy amplifiers or massive head-and-cab systems, I start to question the point of switching to digital.

I get why someone—probably a pro—would have a Two Rock, a Marshall, or a vintage Fender in their studio—expensive and bulky as they are. They can model them and carry them sound in their pocket; they don’t have to break their back, and they don’t risk damaging it or worse by lugging them around. They don’t have to struggle to mic it up correctly and position it just right. It’s a dream! But a mere mortal like me has a tube amp for gigs (Bugera V22) and a small one for home (Bugera V5). What do I do? Do I model them so I don’t have to lug them around? Or do I use models of, say, a Two Rock or a Dumble that I’ll never own? And how can a Dumble simulation sound like a Dumble if I use a cheap cabinet? Maybe it needs a very expensive one—not as expensive as a Dumble, that’s impossible, but maybe as much as a good Fender, superior (it depends) to a Bugera. And I’m back to square one: I still have weight to carry around. Sure, if I have everything set up in the rehearsal room, I just need to bring my multi-effects unit and my guitar, and that’s it. The problem is what I’ll find if I go around playing live in clubs. What would be the difference between lugging around a 20-kg combo plus a pedalboard or a quality monitor plus a digital multi-effects unit?

It’s true that there are pocket-sized systems out there today that sound amazing. But can they really match up to a good tube amp and a few high-quality stompboxes? How can even a serious, expensive multi-effects unit truly emulate a real Tubescreamer, Klon, or Blues Driver driving a good tube amp—even one that isn’t too expensive? They’re getting closer, and they’ll keep getting closer. But in the end, it’s like with audio or TV streaming: you have hundreds of effects and dozens of amps at your disposal. But what do you do with them? In reality, how many do you actually use? I use at most a dozen pedals and one amplifier. Professionals might use more. It’s also true that if I need a certain effect for just one song, instead of buying it, with digital gear I just select it when I need it. But it’s enough to have a small multi-effects pedal for those cases and keep the pedalboard and amplifier real.

What really holds me back is that I know—and have experienced firsthand—that to get a digital multi-effects unit to sound right, you have to learn how to set it up properly. That’s my real obstacle. I’m perfectly capable of doing it, but I have absolutely no desire to spend my free time on it. After work, I just want to have fun. I prefer knobs. Then there’s the fact that if a jam session pops up, someone suggests a song on the fly, and I need a certain type of effect: if I’m using analog gear, I might not have it on my pedalboard and I’ll just have to adapt…. if I’m using digital, I have it but I have to fiddle around to get it into the patch. I prefer the first option. I agree if the venue is small and an extra guitar amp would just add to the chaos, so it’s fine to go straight to the mixer with a multi-effects unit. But if I don’t have exceptional speakers, why bother using the best Dumble emulator! What’s the point then? Especially if I’m not a professional?

The reason is probably the market. With today’s technology, it’s impossible not to use it in this field as well, prompting more and more guitarists to ditch cluttered pedalboards, jacks and cables, hum, and heavy, bulky amplifiers in favor of digital systems that quickly become outdated and need to be upgraded. Nothing beats a nice ’60s Fender that still sounds… even better than today’s amps! But it’s not good for business!

Maybe the digital guitar trend is just a bubble that’s about to burst. Then everyone will go back to vintage gear, just like with vinyl records. But it’ll cost more, and those who can’t afford it will have to stick with digital… maybe it’s better not to sell your essential pedals!