[DISCUSSION] Is it ridiculous to still use a combo tube amp with stompboxes in 2023? How do you guys manage your effects, especially live?

Hi everyone,

First of all, a bit of context: I’ve been playing guitar since 1993 (yep, I’m old) and I’m the “Strat’ with Marshall amp” kind of guy (watched too many times John Frusciante on Funky Monks;-) ). I’ve been mostly using stompboxes (most common ones, chorus, distortion, reverb, delay) but I’ve used multieffects too (depending on the band’s style).

I see more and more musicians (amateurs and pros alike) using sophisticated gear (for me!) and less and less cargo (preamps, amps, cabinets, stompboxes). I’ve met a rock band lately and they simply don’t use amps at all. They all have in ears, their own mixing console, smarphone app for their own mix and rackable multieffects. The romantic part of me thinks that’s not really how we play rock…but on the other hand, it looks so much simpler and less heavy.

How do you guys see this situation? How how you have configured your hardware? What are the pros and cons you have encountered?