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No Mics, No Cab, No Problem!

No Mics, No Cab, No Problem!

Streamline your stage or studio rig and increase your tone options at the same time with one of these speaker-simulation pedals.

For any player who is less than enamoured with the idea of repeatedly hauling a heavy cab to a gig or studio session, and the effort involved with cabling and mic placement, the addition of a cab sim pedal to your 'board could be a gamechanger. We've rounded up a sampling of 10 options to help you minimize your footprint while maximizing your efficiency and tone.

Torpedo C.A.B. M+

Designed to be the missing link between a guitarist’s rig and the PA or audio interface, this pedal is loaded with 32 Two Notes cabinets, eight power amps, eight mics, and eight rooms to choose from.

TWO NOTES
$279

Red Box 5

This handy DI and speaker simulator offers powerful control over your sound, including cabinet size and cab tightness, and a means to avoid miking up your rig onstage.

HUGHES & KETTNER
$129

OmniCabSim Deluxe

Designed for guitarists who want to create their own cabinet response settings, rather than rely on presets, this pedal allows players to define their sound and get an accurate reproduction of it when gigging or recording.

DSM NOISEMAKER
$249

Iridium

This pedal has mathematically modeled every aspect of three iconic tube amps, and includes nine of Iridium’s IR cabinets with 24-bit 96 kHz resolution for the entire 500 milliseconds of its impulse responses.

STRYMON
$399

CabClone IR

Featuring two banks of eight Mesa cab presets for 16 proprietary IRs and the ability to upload third-party IRs, this pedal also functions as a tone-rich, silent practice tool with a set of headphones.

MESA/BOOGIE
$599

Element

With five cabinet simulations, a multi-channel USB-C audio interface, and Bluetooth tech to listen to backing tracks, this pedal was designed with practicality in mind, to empower modern musicians.

DARKGLASS ELECTRONICS
$249

Radar

With 30 cab models to choose from and microphone and power-amp simulation ideal for recording or silent practice, this mini can help transform a pedalboard into a complete guitar rig.

MOOER AUDIO
$148

Cabzeus

This two-channel cabinet/speaker/miking simulator uses advanced DSP processing techniques coupled with clean and robust circuit designs for minimal noise and optimal headroom.

GFI SYSTEM
$319

CabDriVR

Featuring 14 guitar- and bass-cabinet impulse responses and dual inputs and outputs, this emulator also has separate level controls so players can balance each cab’s volume in the mix.

DIGITECH
$169

Omni IR

This compact pedal houses 40 legendary guitar and bass cabinet IRs, a 4-band EQ with 12 dB boost/cut, and a hi-res OLED screen for easy operation in any recording or live scenario.

HOTONE
$129


Jerry Cantrell Explains Alice In Chains & I Want Blood Album Collaborations
- YouTube

The riffmeister details why he works best with musical partners and how that's been successful in both Alice in Chains and his solo career, including new album I Want Blood.

Name: Edward Sarkis Balian

Hometown: Detroit, Michigan

Guitars: The Van Gogh Brothers, Vinnie and Theo


The Van Gogh Strat, aka “Vinnie,” built with a Canadian alder body and featuring a replica of the painter’s famous work.

This passionate builder designed a custom Strat/Tele pair, both adorned with hand-painted replicas of The Starry Night.

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Photo by Jay Gilbert

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter expands his acclaimed first-ever solo album, Speed of Heat, with a brand new Storytellers Edition, featuring brand-new commentary tracks.

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Beauty and sweet sonority elevate a simple-to-use, streamlined acoustic and vocal amplifier.

An EQ curve that trades accuracy for warmth. Easy-to-learn, simple-to-use controls. It’s pretty!

Still exhibits some classic acoustic-amplification problems, like brash, unforgiving midrange if you’re not careful.

$1,199

Taylor Circa 74
taylorguitars.com

4.5
4.5
4.5
4

Save for a few notable (usually expensive) exceptions, acoustic amplifiers are rarely beautiful in a way that matches the intrinsic loveliness of an acoustic flattop. I’ve certainly seen companies try—usually by using brown-colored vinyl to convey … earthiness? Don’t get me wrong, a lot of these amps sound great and even look okay. But the bar for aesthetics, in my admittedly snotty opinion, remains rather low. So, my hat’s off to Taylor for clearing that bar so decisively and with such style. The Circa 74 is, indeed, a pretty piece of work that’s forgiving to work with, ease to use, streamlined, and sharp.

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