Universal Audio Lion 68: A Sceptic Review (from a modeling novice)
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- Опубликовано: 24 авг 2024
- Even though I’m kind of an old school, analog and tube amp snob, Universal Audio has impressed me with their digital emulations of vintage analog gear. And as a big time Marshall plexi enthusiast, I was intrigued when their Lion 68 was released. But a lot of manufacturers try to do this circuit, and in my opinion it’s never like the real thing. While I had doubts that Universal Audio could pull if off in a way that could convince a sceptic and a novice like me, I wanted to try it for myself.
To be clear: I bought this pedal myself and have no affiliation with Universal Audio. If I did, I wouldn’t mind obviously, but this was paid with my own hard earned money and filmed to answer the questions I had myself, to hopefully help others whether to buy this pedal.
My band 'Nighthawker' open.spotify.c...
My side project 'Steven Anthony Band' open.spotify.c...
Finally someone who plays “Marshally” riffs with the Lion and not someone who’s making ambient sounds through it. This is the best side by side comparison I’ve seen!
Thanks, glad to hear that 🙂
This pedal has changed the game in my opinion. The range of sounds is absolutely vast and I look forward to years of playing and recording with it.
I'm sure there are other great modelers, but for me this is a game changer as well.
Best review of the Lion 68 I´ve seen so far. Congrats!
In my humble opinion, even if it didn´t sound anything like the original Plexi, it is still an amazing sounding amp in a pedal. The fact that it gets so close, almost identical to the Plexi is a bonus.
Thanks! And I agree 🙂
The only tube amp I own is a Marshall DSL100HR. It's in the shop getting new caps. I bought this pedal because I was tired of computer amp sims. This pedal is so awesome, I don't know how or if I'm going to use my DSL when I get it back. It's simply amazing, and I feel like I've found my own sound with this pedal. Now, I have to get a real plexi!
@@JosephAlphonse the Lion is great, but nothing beats playing a real amp in the room. I can recommend getting a plexi!... along with an attenuator 😉
@StevenAnthonyGuitar thankfully, I have one: a Two Notes Torpedo Captor. I'll probably go with the SV20H. It's the most affordable and practical for me.
@@JosephAlphonse depending on where you live, it's also great value for money!
The pedal sounds better, in my opinion.
I can imagine some people would prefer the pedal 🙂
Ditto, bros.
Somehow a bit louder, more headroom. 🤔👏
Me too I’m
Shocked pedal sounds better
I liked the pedal better as well. 😮
I've got a follow-up, using both through the same guitar cabinet ✌️
Steven, vielen Dank für die tolle Bewrtung
1. The Lion sounds objectively better.
2. If you insist it doesn't, you're lying to yourself.
3. If The Edge doesn't need the valves, you most certainly do not, as well.
I hate this. I have tried almost every brand of amp there is. I still own valve heads - Two Rock CLRS, Marshall Silver Jubilee, Ceriatone Plexi101 All Access, Vox AC30 TB from 1965, Dumble SSS clone from Laszlo at SL amps etc... I have always been the valve amp believer, and I still am.
Yesterday, thought, at band practice, I used the UAFX Dream and NOTHING ELSE (apart from the Lehle P-Split Stereo to make sure the long jack cables do not introduce any noise).
In short, the guitar sound was phenomenal - all the other band members, veterans of the country scene, appreciated the fact that THE sound was there, right from the PA, at manageable level, without the blaring valve amp behind me.
Guys, honestly, I love the tubes. I have all the NOS ones you can dream of, and I intend to keep the amps I love. BUT! If you're not Slash or John Frusciante (I'd say they'll make use of there soon enough), and the venue you play in ACTUALLY has a decent PA system with proper monitors (or you have your own in-ears), I would suggest going this route. The simplicity is the killer of the tube.
Like I said in the video, I think on it's own with its own cabsim, the Lion sounds best. Through the CAB-M, the Marshall sounds slighty better. I could get the Marshall through the CAB-M closer by altering the IR I made, and the Lion closer through the CAB-M by slighty tweaking the Lion itself. In a mix I know that the current IR from the CAB-M would work better though.
And I don't think there's an 'objectively better' when it comes to tone. It all depends on the player, his/her taste and what's done with it. Some of the greatest riffs where recorded with a tone that isn't really pleasing, yet works. Also, I'm not the Edge. Whatever works for him, doesn't have to work for me and vice versa.
But like I also said in the video, I probably couldn't pick the real Marshall from the Lion when listening to a recording. I'm currently trying to use it with a guitar cab and power amps, and I can feel and hear a slight difference, though not a shocking one.
In the end, on stage I'd still prefer interaction with an actual guitar cabinet. I don't play with in-ears and I've always prefered to hear my guitar sound from my own speakers, not from the monitors that change from gig to gig and can often sound shitty. Next to that, for the music I make, those amps are part of the decor. So I'd still always prefer to bring the real stuff for my own playing experience, even if the crowd couldn't hear the difference between the Lion and the tube amp with mics.
For me the Lion is great for recording, for having something on the fly. A solution that isn't bulky, heavy and only loud. So for me, it will have its use in a lot of situations. For gigs, it will only be my backup though. If people view this differently, that's no problem and I can understand, but I'm still a rock and roll romantic 🙂
DID YOU USE THE DREAM 65 CLEAN, DIRTY, BOTH? WHAT MUSIC STYLE? DID YOU NEED MORE MIDS, WHICH THE DREAM HAS NO MID KNOB? WAS IT TOO BASSY? CHEERS
In my opinion I can’t say one is sounding better than the other. I like them both a lot.
So do I. Mostly different tools for different situations.
It's nice to see a video where Its comments aren’t overrun by people defending their Helix 😅
For sure. Or where there's a tube amp vs modeler discussion. But maybe any of those will arrive at a later point in time 😅 I think all of these thing are aimed at different people.
You should do a video on the Boss ST-2 Power Stack - meant to emulate a cranked Marshall Stack, super underrated pedal. Would love to see some content on it as it's difficult to find reviews of on RUclips
Love your content, by the way!
Thanks! I've heard a off few people loving that pedal. I actually gave up om MIAB overdrives, as they never did the job for me. Whether it was the Xotic SL Drive, Bogner La Grange, Lumpy's Zoso drive, Friedman Dirty Shirley (pedal), it always sounded too much like a pedal. Until the Lion, which of course is different as it's a modeler. But if I feel adventurous again, I might give the Boss Powerstack a go sometime.
I love my Marshall, but i still bought the Lion for low volume practice and open mic gigs. The Marshall is still the best when I need a real amp. Modelers are called modelers for a very good reason.
I'm just surprised they got it so right and so close! Did you already use the Lion live?
Man! nice video! I would love if you could do the same with the UAD Ruby and a Vox AC30TB
The Ruby has been on the wishlist ever since it came out, but I only have my wife's AC15 to compare it with. Might give it a try somewhere this year though!
nice demo, when you write direct to interface is it in the HZ input ? it seems that the Lion needs always a preamp to work with ( DI signal ), thanks
Thanks! Most interfaces offer an instrument input, if you plug it in there, you should be good! 🙂
Hi! How does it work with higher gain stuff? Does it get "Fuzzy?" Because I am a Marshall guy but a JVM guy I'm looking for that sorta Orange OD channel setting/sound. I'd love if this could be a backup/take it to a gig on the 3rd floor with no elevator type device!
If you're looking for EVH territory, it does that.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Thank you for replying, I have pulled the trigger and bought one, should be here soon I'm excited lol
Great video and thanks for the comparison. I got mine last week and it's a deal breaker compared to all others I think, or the ones I've tried. Easy to dial in a brilliant tone like on a great amp. Then the option to deep edit like bright cap and ghost note in the app too. I was so impressed I also ordered the OX Box.
Thanks! Yeah I have to try the app again and hope I can get it to work. This week I want to try it with a power amp through a cabinet and see how that works, something else that's new for me in the world of modeling 😉
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Yes I had a little bit of a problem getting it to work first. I think there a firmware update. Interesting to get to know what you feel about using it over an amp cabinet. But I'm still so blown away it sound like a real amp over my studio monitors. Have fun with your gear now.
Nice playing!
Thanks! 🙂
Best Demo of this pedal . Authentic or not, there's something about the sound I don't care for
Thanks! What I'm mainly missing is different bright cap values. Many commenters here prefer the sound of the Lion when heard on its own, but in my experience it can get lost in the mix, unless I use my own IR in the CAB-M+.
I think they both sound good, depending on what you’re looking for.
Great rwview and comparison sir. ❤
I thought it sounded just like the real amp when you used your cab IRs on both. I couldnt really tell the difference. ❤
Great review my friend❤
I want one for live going direct hecause anywhere I play locally requires either a silemt stage or very very very low volume which as you know doesnt work with a tube amp very well. So this is an excellent solution for me with maybe a boost pedal and a delay such as the micropitch since I lobe that Vai stuff and play mostly hard rock and blues based rock and I like delay and reverb for lead espexially with a little micro pitch to fill out the sound❤.
Thanks man..
Regards from South Central Indians. USA..
Tim...❤
I'm glad this video helped you out! I've also done a follow-up with a power amp and cab, which might also help you. I've had the Lion for almost half a year now and I think it's great, although I'd still prefer a real amp. I'll probably do another 'field review' this year after I've used it for a longer time.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar It was really good. ♥️🤘
The pedal sounds better than the Marshall to me
I can see people favouring the pedal over the amp in this comparison. Is that with the cab sim of the Lion, or also with the Lion through the CAB-M+ for your taste?
The amp sounds fine but the pedal sounds better in all circumstances to me. For low volume Marshall tones this must be one of the best options if you have a good set of monitors to use
@@fatshartspunhouse2403 yeah absolutely, I'm still surprised by how well this pedal works.
I’m yet to see a bad review with regards to the sounds
@@fatshartspunhouse2403 most issues are regarding the app issues. But I didn't think every video presented this pedal in the right way, so I wasn't convinced this could actually sound like a Marshall. Ofcourse I don't claim I made the perfect demo, but at least I could test and share how close to an actual Marshall this can get.
Nice video and nice tele!
Thanks!
The one thing I wish UAFX would let you do is load a small number of custom impulse responses into the pedal. I find the stock ones to all be too dark.
I think that might be solved by adding more bright cap options, that's what I would prefer. But I usually use it with a power amp through a cab for playback in the room and the other going through my Two Notes CAB-M+ with my own IR. Would also be nice if you could select different outputs: one without and one with IR.
I haven't tried anything from UA yet, but I have a number of other similar pedals under various brand names (read that as low-cost Chinese-made clones). There are generally four basic types - the "Marshall," the "Fender," the "Vox," and the "Mesa (Boogie)." I have several of each flavor - with different brand names. None are exactly alike, which is a good thing in my opinion. All have the same (or similar) basic 6-knob interface, and all are straight up analog devices. I like them a lot and almost always use at least one of them. But I don't use them in an attempt to recreate the exact sound of a particular amp. I use them as they were (I think) actually designed and intended to be used (before the marketing guys got involved) - which is to say, as a tone shaping pre-amp. They add a great deal of tonal versatility and flexibility to the pallet. I don't think of them necessarily as replacements for a tube amp, but I'm not really a true believer anymore in the "only real tube amps" religion. Nor do I treat them as just another overdrive pedal. I typically have the amp (if I'm using one) set for a very clean, low-gain response, and then use the pre-amp pedal (and other pedals) to sculpt a particular sound. The UA pedals look nice as they have toggle switches for different variations, which is always good to have on hand.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said the pedal is more versatile and easier to work with than a real tube amp. I think that's why these sorts of pedals are great to have on hand. And a lot easier to haul around too!
Funny enough I do what you describe on bass: I always have the same preamp pedal on, which is part of my sound. For guitar I only use a drive or boost for lower output pickups or soloing. Personally I don't see myself ever gigging without an amp on stage, but this Lion is great for noodling around when I don't really need to use one of my loud amps.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Yeah - that's pretty much all I do nowadays - noodle and/or record at home. I have a small bass amp, but for recording I usually run it thru a dedicated bass pre-amp DI pedal, which I think gives it a better sound and lets me get much more tonal variation than an amp does. For guitar I either run the output of my pedal chain straight into a line-level input in front of the USB interface, or more often lately I run it into a small combo amp with a mic on the amp. That way, I can noodle around until I find the sound I want, then just mic it. When recording, I'll put the amp on the other side of the room and turn it around facing away from me. I can still hear it, but it doesn't overpower my headphones while recording.
On a totally different subject - what's the deal with Geert Wilders? His election was big news here. Over here, Trump has good chance of getting elected again next year. This is a crazy planet.
@@anthonypanneton923 yeah I never imagined so many people here would vote for him. Saddens me that this is where my country is at.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar its been crazy here for 7 years now, and shows no signs of getting better any time soon. I'm kinda glad I'm old and will be gone before too much longer! I fear the west is slipping back into old bad habits.
@@anthonypanneton923 I fear the same and I'm baffled we don't seem to learn from out past as a species. Hopefully things have changed by the time my boy is old enough to figure out what's going on in the world.
I'm not gonna say one sounds better than the other, but I do prefer the pedal for some reason.
I mean, if it’s good enough for The Edge, right?? 🤷♂️
Depends if you're in a U2 tribute act. If not, everyone has to figure out what they like, not what The Edge likes. A Squier is good enough fir Mike Rutherford, yet the whole world didn't stop playing Fenders because of it.
Through the RUclips quality sound the Lion sounded best.
i bought so many of these type of things until I got fed up, realized how much money that I was spending, and I just sold all the sims and bought the sound I wanted. I bought a JCM800 2203, a Friedman BE Deluxe, a DSL100HR, a Klon, and Vemuram Shanks 4k, etc. We spend so much time and money chasing the tones we want that we'd be better off just buying the real gear we like in the first place. I did the same thing with my guitars. I had about 30 guitars of mostly Gibson USA and PRS. I sold ALL of them and bought 3 Custom Shop Gibson guitars that do the thing. I bought a Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul M2M, a CS Les Paul Custom, and a CS SG '64 Reissue. The only guitar I have left to buy is a Jason Smith Fender Strat Master built, and I'm set for life. Anything else I would ever need is covered with my Quad Cortex. So much less stress when gigging, or going into the studio.
Yeah I got the real amps I wanted before I tried this 😉 I'm sure the Quad Cortex is great too, but would be too much for my needs.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar the QC is a great back up in a pinch, and so much easier on fly gigs. I can carry it on the plane, and most airlines will let me carry on a guitar and put it with staff gear if i ask nicely. Worse case scenario i know will have at least a rig to get through the show.
The speaker is like 70% of the sound it's crazy lol.
I really want to try the Lion + Mooer Baby Bomb + 1x12 Cab with 75hz Greenbacks or Scumbacks in it, I feel like it'd be amazing but I don't want to buy all this stuff only to be disappointed and it would have sounded better through studio monitors with Impulse Response. What do you think? have you tried a similar combo of gear?
This week I got the Hotone Loudster as a power amp and I used it a full night at rehearsal with my band. Sound, felt, and worked way better than expected through my Marshall 4x12" with Greenbacks! My bandmates didn't notice I wasn't playing the actual Marshall plexi sitting on top of my cab.
That's awesome! Do you know how does this setup come out at bedroom volumes vs monitors with IR's? I imagine the big speakers just aren't moving enough to sound any good?
@@kraM1t I first tried it with my Yamaha HS7 monitors and it sounded good, same with headphones. It's just a bit of a different experience if you're, like me, new at modeling.
oh my ... I preferred the UA. . The Lion, Dream, Ethos Clean Fusion Deluxe ... I need to rethink everything.
I did a follow-up, maybe that might help as well 😉
What's that black guitar you're playing? Is it a black Gibson LP Jr. with a cream pickguard?
It's indeed a Les Paul Junior, but with a gold pickguard. I've got a full video on that guitar here:
ruclips.net/video/GhXCUAWmDGk/видео.htmlsi=yXDLcAdW2P-slaeg
I'm on the fence, The Super bass option is very intriguing since that's what I'm looking for, and very few options for the SB sound is around. Can you run it in the loop of a 1987X and get the SB sound?
I haven't tried that, but it won't be its best use. With a affordable power amp behind it through a guitar cab you'll get much better results. I'm making a video about that. But the Lion is worth the buy 100% if you ask me!
Hey Steven, I am thinking to buy a Dz Z Wreck but then UA Lion came out. Could you do a tone comparison for the two with a strat or tele please???
They're two differents beasts, not just in sound, but also obviously one is a modeler and the other a tube head. So it's all down to what you want first: a real amp or a 'fake' amp. For strat and tele tones I prefer to use my Z-Wreck Jr over my Marshalls, so just for that I'd say the Z-Wreck Jr. If you're not playing with a band and just want to record at home through your interface and keep the volume down, the Super Bass setting on the Lion is cool with single coils.
@STEVEN ANTHONY, Did you sell or trade your other 60's standard? I am still 100% in love with the 2018 historic R9
i was finally able to get after wanting one for a long time. 🙏 I do not miss my 60's standard at all even though i will still
say they are great Les Paul's overall!
I was thinking about selling one of the two, but eventually I upgraded the hardware and took the pickguard of the other one and kept both. Love both equal now, they're simply great!
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar 👍 I will never sell my Historic R9.
@@These_go_to_eleven_1959 you shouldn't either. I'm very glad I didn't sell my second 60s Standard, but gave it an extra upgrade instead.
The writen description in the video before playing is the opposite i Think... Marshall
before uad Lion and vice versa ... that why many people prefer the Lion hehe
@@sailisi the description adds up to the pilot light you see on the amp. I think many people prefer the Lion because it sounds a bit fuller and more polite when isolated. In a mix, that doesn't necessarily work though.
what if you put the lion throuh the marshall?
Then it sounds like a Fender.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar it explodes
Hey Steven, great sounds thanks for that demo! A few things though:
1. How do you judge the quality of the UA IRs? They claim their onboard IRs are superior to regular off the shelf IRs, then again coming out with the OX Stomp…being even superior to the sound of their amp pedals 🧐 To me personally the UA Lion cab you used in the beginning sounded way better than your Cab M+ stuff 🤭
2. So far I use a RevivalDRIVE Compact (Plexi tones) and an IR loader as a backup. Being a real amp guy who carries a truckload of stuff to every gig, playing easily over 50 shows a year, the UA Lion makes me wanna try to go direct for some gigs and sessions out of pure convenience. How would you set this up and what do you think…could this satisfy an old analog guy like me? I mean it’s fine when people enjoy great sound coming out of the PA, but could I have my fun, too?
✌️☮️🎸
I think the IR's that are in the Lion sound good and convincing, but you cannot tweak. Like I mentioned in the video, I too prefer the sound directly out of the Lion compared to my own IR in the CAB-M on it's own in the video, though I now the latter sounds better in a mix. By the way, I saw your video of the Revival Drive with the Harley Benton power amp, and that's how I use the Lion now, but with the Hotone Loudster instead of the Harley Benton. I used it at a full band rehearsal like that, going through my Marshall 4x12" and loved it. Got a video on the Lion through a cab coming January 6th, which might answer some of your questions. As an old school tube amp guy myself, I would have to problem gigging like this, though I wouldn't gig without at least a real cabinet on stage myself and rather use this as a backup.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙏 Very helpful! Looking forward to seeing your video in January 👍☮️
hi there, my main question, is how is the dynamic with this pedal? simply just turning down the volume knob how it responds/ reacts? i have been for many years (and still now) frustrated by amp simulations that sounds ok with high gain, but the tactile feeling, dynamic , of a "real" thing, is missing out totally, the sensibility to the touch passing your fingers on the strings, they little nuances in dynamics are 99% lost in amp simulations. Is this (for what i have heard) working differently? they were able to put in this missing piece?
Absolutely. I turn down the volume and my playing a few times in this video, I think you should be able to hear it. But I play my Marshall without tons of gain and not really saturated or compressed, because I like those dynamics too. I don't notice a difference with the Lion, it's like playing the real thing.
The way I test and judge any Marshall emulating device is turn down the gain and see if it can do a Hendrix style clean to edge of breakup tone. That’s where 99% of them utterly fail - at low gain, they lose any Marshall character and just have a generic, neutral JC-120 clean tone. This is the point where lots of people chime in with “Who uses a Marshall for cleaner tones anyway?” Well, Hendrix did, and I do, so…
@@darwinsaye it can do nice cleans, but I prefer getting my cleans from rolling back the volume on the guitar. But especially the Super Bass setting has some nice round cleans with good headroom!
What is the loin being amplified by? a guitar amplifier? Speaker?
It's either direct to the audio interface or via the Two Notes CAB-M+.
I have the Ruby and Dream '65.... MUST get a Lion.....
It's really awesome! How do you like the Ruby?
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar I love the Ruby. The speaker emulations are all very different, and it has a huge range of tones.
@@stringedaz I've been wanting to try that one as well, so maybe I will next year!
This pedal has a great sounding but the App doesn't work at all, it's really frustrating😢
Yeah I figured I'm not the only one. Really hope UA fixes that soon.
Check the new firmware, i have no problems
@@MrHierundjetzt I have the latest firmware and I checked if there were updates in the app store as well. Are you running Android or iOS? I know I'm not the only one having issues.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Android. Have issues with the uafx ruby in the past, so i sold it. With the new firmware and the lion it works fine.
@@MrHierundjetzt I will try it again later today. Last time I tried was earlier this week, afte4 which I gave up for a few days. Here's to hoping it works for me too now.
UAFX Lion + power amp or studio JTM for live use?
Depends on what you want to do. The Lion can get plenty of gain by itself, for clean and lighter gain the Studio JTM is great. I've got a video on the Studio JTM online already, and I've got a video about the Lion with a power amp coming out on January 6th.
One thing that is definitely authentic about the pedal.... the knobs 😂
Almost!
Can I connect it to a 2x12 cab directly?
You could, but you wouldn't get a lot of sound. Get an affordable power amp pedal. I tried a few and really liked and kept the Hotone Loudster. Put that behind the Lion and turn its cab sim off, and you basically have a tiny Marshall amp.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar thank you for your answer, do you think hotone ampero 2 can handle it?
@@asafeyal as far as I'm aware that's also not a power amp. If you want to run something through a guitar cabinet without a head, you need some sort of power amp dat can actually send power to the cab. A regular pedal can't do this.
It’s wild how different they sound. Pedal doesn’t sound bad, sounds really good but doesn’t come close to sounding like the real thing when you do this side by side
When both go through the same IR in the CAB-M+, they sound almost identical. In the later comparisons it's Lion with cabsim, then real Marshall through IR, then Lion through same IR. You can hardly call it wildly different.
All Right Now is to my ears not a Plexi, I am in the Selmer TB camp when it comes to the studio version of the tune.
For the studio version that might be, but for me it's one of those songs that I connect to the live versions, and that was a plexi for sure 😉
The pedal sounds better. This is crazy
I still have to get used to the fact that there's a modeler I like.
Hha me too:-)@@StevenAnthonyGuitar
@@JanPanCygan but it's great! I got a power amp in pedal form so I can use it through a cab as well, and it holds up great even like that. I've shot a video of both through a guitar cabinet, coming in January :)
@@StevenAnthonyGuitarwaiting for this video!
@@asafeyal it'll be there in 15 days, I'm taking the next two weeks off. Once it's there, I'd like to hear your takeaways in the comments of that follow-up video 🙂
Through my speakers, and to my ears, the Lion sounded better in every example. it has more 'substance' and 'push'.
The only difference we’re hearing is between Cab M and UA cab sim technology.
That's why I'm running the Lion through the CAB-M+ as well for those three comparisons 😉 With that, the difference is really minimal. The real Marshall has just a bit more bottom, which I could fix by changing either the normal volume or the bass on the Lion.
Just got mine . And yes the app is garbage.
But the pedal is pretty cool right? Although it would be nice if they added more bright cap values.
After hearing this I'm so glad I went with The Harlot V3!
It's a pedal, small and easy to lose.
Small and easy to carry as well 😉
In a perfect would i would have the real deal. But for the most people its not douable to get every real amp you want. Ua hit the right spot with there pedals. Now i can own multiple (digital ) good sounding vintage amps. You dont brake your bank account and you back 😂. The app is indeed not working good. Really annoying.
I agree. Thanks to the Lion I could finally try a Super Bass 😊
Typical! I've got the other three UA amp pedals but gave up on them ever doing a Plexi version so bought a Tonex (running Tone Junkie Plexi captures) instead. I'm not getting rid of my 1987X quite yet though....
I wouldn't get rid of mine either, ever. But the Lion does a way better job than I anticipated.
the lion kills the tonex IMO
@@sixslinger9951 I haven't tried one, but with the Lion I also don't feel the need to try it. I was very close to being the ToneX a few times, but if I would've done that, I would probably still be tweaking instead of playing.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar You ought to try the Tonex (as opposed to BUY the Tonex); the factory presets are useless (just like the Kemper, Fractal, Helix, Quad Cortex etc etc) but 3rd party ones from Amalgam, Tone Junkie, Jasón Sadites etc) are a revelation. With a carefully selected preset I can emulate my 1987x and EVM12L Thiele cab perfectly. And.... it takes pedals, not as well as the real thing as you obviously cn]an overload a digital input, but hey.... they're £330 !
@@digitalchris6681 yeah I really want to try it sometime. I've heard it produce some great sounds. Only thing that scares me off a bit is the digital deep diving. But can't be worse than a Kemper, that thing to me is overly complicated, but that might be me.
The amp is better than the pedal, no modelers has nailed it yet…
Don’t sell your amp😉
Like I said at the end: I will never ditch my tube amps, and I will always prefer to gig with them. But when it comes to just the recorded sound, I think they nailed it. This Lion can probably perform in such a way that I wouldn't be able to pick the real Marshall in a blind test when listening to sound samples. And I never thought I would admit that.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar 👍
4:38 you play Led Zep in the wrong tuning, how dare you!
I play almost everything in the wrong tuning, as all my guitars are tuned a half step down. Helps with avoiding copyright claims though 😉
Oh come on, DI it's good, but the real comparison it's through a miced cab.
That one's coming to, but for this one it wouldn't be a fair comparison.
Would have to be through a FR speaker and not just "any" guitar amp cabinet - since ya know, it already has speaker/cabinet emulation....
@@PedalPoopers that can be turned off and you can use it with a power amp to play through a real cab. But then you have to use an external cabsim ofcourse, which might defeat the purpose for many, unless you've got something else.
@@PedalPoopers Even FR speakers can sound different, for example a 1x10 FR speaker will sound different from a 2x12 FR speakers.