For playing (not recording) – amp or modeller + headphones – Guitars Forum

I’ve been experimenting with various “amp alternatives” for quite a few years. Back in the ’90s, I used a small headphone amp that plugged directly into my guitar. Since then, I’ve tested nearly every guitar amp simulator out there. Many of them sound fantastic (a big shoutout to Blue Cat Audio’s Axiom!), but I still find myself leaning toward plugging into a real amp when I really want to let loose.

For home use, I usually rely on my trusty Marshall Valvestate 30W (solid-state) from the early ’90s. I tend to stay on the clean channel and get my overdrive by running it through my 1987 DS1 (MIJ) followed by a TS9 — that combination just nails the tone for me! The downside is that since it’s home use, I never get the chance to turn it up to the volume levels I’d love to play at.

Last week, I gave my Zoom G3XN another go, this time using headphones and running a Plexi and 4×12 cab model. To my surprise, it sounded pretty good (I’ll give it another shot with my pedals next). The biggest change, though, was how it affected my playing style. After thinking about it, I realized it’s because I couldn’t hear the strings the same way. When I play through a quiet amp, I can still hear the strings, which makes me hold back a little to avoid getting too much of that sound. But with headphones, I could just dig into the strings as hard as I wanted and only hear the amp sound. Still, it’s not quite the same as cranking up a loud amp.

I actually posted this same question on another guitar-related forum, but I’d love to hear what the KVR crowd thinks about it! So, how do you guys feel about it? Does anyone else prefer playing through headphones, or find it more enjoyable than using a quieter amp?