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10 Amp Sims That Deliver Big Tones

No tubes? No problem. Here are a handful of plug-ins that won't wake the kids or bug the neighbors.

Whether you're trying to keep the dBs down or you need a wealth of amps, cabs, effects, and mics at your fingertips, this collection of plugins will help you realize the tone in your head quickly and easily.

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5

In addition to official emulations of Fender, Mesa, Orange, and Wampler gear, this robust plug-in also features a DAW, looper, and much more.

$199 street
ikmultimedia.com

Line 6 Helix Native

Packed with dozens of virtual amps and effects, this gateway into the Helix ecosphere mimics the tones of the company's hardware units in handy plug-and-play form.

$399 street
line6.com

Kuassa Matchlock

A decidedly Fender-flavored setup, this trio of amp models aims at copping Fullerton's greatest hits with two options for each amp and seven different types of mics.

$49 street
kuassa.com

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 6 Pro

The latest iteration offers a rack-based visual setup that allows you to customize every part of your signal chain right down to mixing up to eight mics together via the virtual mixer.

$199 street
native-instruments.com

Neural DSP Archetype: Cory Wong

Based on AI technology, this collection of amps and effects curated by the internet's favorite guitarist is targeted for players who are looking for clean and low-gain tones.

$144 USD street
neuraldsp.com

Overloud TH-U

This all-in-one suite offers hundreds of amp, cab, and effects options, including officially licensed gear from Randall, DV Mark, Brunetti, and THD.

$299 street
overloud.com

Positive Grid Bias Amp 2 Elite

Not only does this plug-in offer accurate models of legendary amps, it allows you to design your own amp from the ground up and includes technology to match either a mic'd amp or recorded track.

$179 street
positivegrid.com

Universal Audio Fender '55 Tweed Deluxe

If you dig the classic tones of one of Leo's best amps, this plug-in offers a faithful recreation and adds the ability to mix and match legendary mics.

$99 street
uaudio.com

Waves PRS SuperModels

This collection include two of the company's most popular models—the Archon and Dallas—plus an amp that was never released: the Blue Sierra/V9, which was an early version of the J-MOD 100.

$35 street
waves.com

Scuffham S-Gear

Covering tones from vintage tweed-style combos to '80s high-gain heads, this collection offers five amps, a handful of effects, and more.

$99 street
scuffhamamps.com

From Your Site Articles

Kernom Elipse Review

Analog modulation guided by a digital brain willing to get weird.

Fun, fluid operation. Capable of vintage-thick textures at heavier gain settings. High headroom for accommodating other effects.

MIDI required to access more than one preset—which you’ll probably long for, given the breadth of voices.

$369

Kernom Elipse

kernom.com

4.5

If you love modulation—and lots of it—you can eat up a lot of pedalboard space fast. Modulation effects can be super-idiosyncratic and specialized, which leads to keeping many around, particularly if you favor the analog domain. TheKernom Elipse multi-modulator is pretty big and, at a glance, might not seem the best solution for real estate scarcity. Yet the Elipse is only about 1 1/4" wider than two standard-sized Boss pedals side by side. And by combining an analog signal path with digital control, it makes impressive, efficient use of its size—stuffing fine-sounding harmonic tremolo, phaser, rotary-style, chorus, vibrato, flanger, and Uni-Vibe-style effects into a single hefty enclosure. Many of the effects can also be blended and morphed into one another using a rotary control aptly called “mood.” The Elipse, most certainly, has many of those.

Eastman FullerTone DC’62 Review

Fabulous neck with just-right fatness. Distinctive tone profile. Smooth, stable vibrato. Ice blue metallic and aluminum look delish together.

Higher output pickups could turn off Fender-geared traditionalists.

$939

Eastman FullerTone DC’62

eastmanguitars.com

4.5

An affordable version of Eastman’s U.S.-made solidbody rolls with unique, well-executed features—at a price and quality level that rivals very tough competition.

Eastman’s instruments regularly impress in terms ofquality and performance. A few left my PG colleagues downright smitten. But if Eastman isn’t a household name among guitarists, it might be a case of consumer psychology: Relative to most instruments built in China, Eastmans are expensive. So, if you spend your life longing for a Gibson 335 and a comparable (if superficially fancier) Eastman costs just 20 percent less than the least expensive version of the real deal, why not save up for a bit longer and get the guitar of your dreams?