Back in November I bought myself the Hotone Ampero which is a digital amp modeling and effects unit. I posted about my initial experiences with it back then, and now, almost two months later, decided to update what I have experienced since then.
Let me just start by saying that it is a solid piece of equipment that, for the price, has so much versatility, it’s stupid. But…There are some downsides (most likely they are due to my lack of experience with the device) and most focus around the inordinate amount of time you need to invest in dialing it in.
I’ll explain.
I’m sorry, but the presets that are stored in the device, while potentially usable for maybe very heavy rock or metal, are not useful for a blues type musician. They are over the top and seem to be designed for very loud volumes. The amount of effects used is triple what I would ever use playing live. And quite frankly, they sound… meh…(to me anyway). So that meant going on and setting up my own presets to meet my needs.
Setting presets is, in itself, not a difficult endeavor, especially if you are using the computer editor. It becomes way more tricky when done on the device. It’s doable, and not terribly difficult, but restrictive and not suited well for making changes in a live environment. But the real issue I’m finding is the inconsistency in volume and tone depending on the front house system (FOH) I am running through in conjunction with the room I am playing in. Needless to say, the environment changes often enough that constantly making changes is irksome. Once they are dialed in again, they sound incredible. But it just isn’t manageable when it has to be done with every change of venue/FOH system.
Now, to be fair, this mostly has to do with the amp/cab modeling portion. However, this does affect the effects as well. Example: I setup a Dr. 38 Clean (based on the Dr. Z Maz 38 amplifier) using an Engle 4×12 (should be Celestion Vintage 30’s) on a FOH system with the Zen Garden (Hermida Zendrive) as an extra push to the already sweet gain the Dr Z has. Sounds incredible. Until I go to a live gig. Now I have to make modifications to not only the amp, but the cabinet IR load (mic placement, mic, etc) to get it to sound good. The Zen Garden doesn’t really require anything more than maybe some mild gain adjustment. Then, this happens all over again at a different venue. That is just way too many constant changes.
So, while the amp/cab modeling are incredible and really sound like what you would expect in a pristine (can you say studio) setting, live they are too much work and trouble.
The effects, seem to be the stable factor for a live setup. I have considered turning off the amp/cab modeling and simply use the device as an effects rig in front of my Quilter Superblock US (SBUS) that also runs direct to FOH or a cab. The SBUS I almost keep exclusively on the Normal and 65 setting (blackface Twin) with little to no gain on it and let the pedals in front of it add the color (overdrive, slight compression, boost). I tend to get better results with this setup and it seems consistent across multiple FOH systems. As of this post I have not incorporated the Ampero as an effects-only device in this setup. I will be trying that and will update a future post with the results.
So, the Ampero that I had high hopes for hasn’t been the be all end all solution I thought. However, like I stated, I see it as being the perfect solution for studio work as it opens up a huge amount of options in an environment that seems more suited for the device rather than a live situation.
Finally, there is one other scenario where I will be testing it in a live situation.
I have a jazz trio that is myself on guitar, a sax and bass player doing light, background jazz. What this means is that I need a nice, clean sound. Enter the Ampero’s Jazz Clean amp and Jazz Twin 2×12 which replicate the Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus 2×12 amp that is a jazz standard. My hope is because of the lower volume, the absence of anything other than the guitar affecting the tone (no effects) that the sound variations on the FOH systems will be so minimal very slight modification will have to be done to compensate for the rooms we play. Again, fodder for a future blog post.
So, for now, the Ampero is a very good tool to have in my arsenal, it’s just not ready (or maybe it’s me that isn’t ready) to be my main tool. My Quilter SBUS and handful of pedals feel better, sound better and keep things simple in a live environment. If you’ve ever gigged live, you know it can sometimes be stressful to be constantly worrying about your tone and one making adjustments on the fly. The SBUS with old school pedals alleviates some of that stress. So while I am still in the digital world, I’m finding the comforts of old school tech relevant to my current gigging lifestyle.