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10 Guitar Plugins That Ditch the Tubes

10 Guitar Plugins That Ditch the Tubes

From low-gain American tones to high-powered gain machines, this collection of plugins can cover nearly any tone you can dream of.

Thanks to modern technology, you can chase the sounds in your head with a rather minimal setup. Each of the 10 guitar plugins listed below offer unique features, a wealth of options, and—maybe most importantly—less chiro visits.

Neural DSP Archetype: Petrucci

As one of the company’s most comprehensive plugins, it features four amplifiers, a pre-effects section with a wah, compressor, and four stompboxes, and a post-effects section with rack-design stereo chorus, delay, and reverb.

$169 street

neuraldsp.com

Universal Audio Friedman Buxom Betty

This plugin aims for an exact representation of the original EL34-powered amp. It includes 100 recording chains, a host-syncable vintage delay unit, and preamp and power amp bypass.

$149 street

uaudio.com

STL Tones Tonality: Andy James

Developed from Andy James' signature guitar sounds, this plugin suite uses advanced modeling algorithms to provide real-time simulations of his amps. You can also employ an 808 emulation and James’ signature preamp pedal.

$119 street

stltones.com

Softube Amp Room

Softube's professional audio guitar and bass platform offers a wide range of precisely modeled amplifiers, cabs, pedals, studio effects, and more, as well as several IR Producer Packs.

$149 street

softube.com

Blue Cat Axiom

A fully customizable amp simulation based on Blue Cat's Destructor, this software has a flexible routing system with two parallel amp simulation channels, input and master sections, and more than 70 built-in effects.

$199 street

bluecataudio.com

Waves GTR3

This collection of amps comes with Fender, Marshall, Mesa/Boogie, and Vox plugin models, in addition to over 30 different cab simulations and 25 stompboxes, including distortion, delays, and modulation.

$129 street

waves.com

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 6 Pro

Here’s a setup that offers a range of classic vintage tones and modern high-gain sounds, and artist presets from Yvette Young, Vernon Reid, Pete Thorn, Zola Jesus, and Eric Krasno.

$199 street

native-instruments.com

IK Multimedia TONEX

TONEX is a standalone application that allows users to create, play, and share 400 of their own Tone Models of amps, cabinets, combos, and pedals. It comes with 40 amps and 20 pedals.

$149 street

ikmultimedia.com

Line 6 Metallurgy Collection

Using this collection of Metallurgy’s Modern, Thrash, and Doom plugins, you can select a variety of high-gain tones drawn from the company's HX line of amps and cabs.

$199 street

line6.com

Overloud TH-U Eric Gales Expansion Pack

One of the most astounding blues guitarists of his generation, Eric Gales, has collaborated with Overloud on this plugin that emulates his live rig. It includes three amps, three cabs, and 15 effects.

$59 street

overloud.com

The Elipse blends analog warmth with digital control, giving you seamless access to chorus, tremolo, flanger, phaser, and rotary effects. Enter now for a chance to add this modulation powerhouse to your board. Ends June 10, 2025.

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Cort Guitars announces a new multi-scale, seven string guitar in the KX507 series – the KX507MS Pale Moon. The addition to the beloved series shows Cort’s efforts to continue elevating their position in the marketplace. The guitar is now available online and in local retail stores.

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Grover has introduced Grover Guitar Polish, a premium, all-natural guitar care solution designed to clean, shine, and protect your guitar’s finish. Whether you're polishing your prized axe or simply maintaining your gear, Grover Guitar Polish offers a safe, effective choice for making your guitar’s finish look its best.

Grover Guitar Polish is specially formulated to remove dirt, fingerprints, and grime while enhancing the natural luster of your guitar. The versatile polish is safe for virtually all guitars: it works on gloss, matte, and satin surfaces without causing damage or altering the finish.

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The 1929 Gibson L-5 Andy Fairweather Low plays on Invisible Bluesman was a gift from Eric Clapton and was previously owned by J.J. Cale.

The MVP sideman has spent his life playing with the stars, but he’s also a bandleader with a hit new album, The Invisible Bluesman. Fairweather Low also explains why Steve Cropper is his favorite guitarist.

If debuting a new album at No. 1 on the U.K. Jazz and Blues chart seems a lifetime away from topping the U.K. pop charts with the singsong-y “(If Paradise Is) Half As Nice,” it’s certainly a good chunk—56 of Andy Fairweather Low’s 76 years, to be exact. And on The Invisible Bluesman, Fairweather Low’s newly released, tradition-rooted long player, the Welshman channels Arthur Crudup by way of Robert Johnson, delivers an overdriven “Bright Lights, Big City,” and proves up to the challenge of “Lightnin’s Boogie.”

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