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There’s no greater indicator of the rise of digital amp modeling than the most die-hard tube amp lovers being drawn to the dark side, and now John Mayer’s digital tone journey has taken the next step: he’s using his plugins in the studio.
His signature plugin from Neural DSP dropped in December, with a Dumble amp and a faithful recreation of his Klon Centaur, an indispensable mainstay of his rig, standout features as it went on to bag a 4.5* review from us.
Mayer’s backing it so much that he’s using it in the studio alongside his more tangible go-to gear.
“If I were in a pinch, I would always use this plugin, and I have already on records,” he says in a new video for Neural DSP. “I’m just not going to tell you which ones they are, and I don’t think you’ll know.”
For a guitarist who has always championed air pushing, and who went to extreme lengths to blast his tube amps at the Las Vegas Sphere, which has famously strict noise restrictions, it’s a shrewd move. As he says, the plugin isn’t replacing anything, but it’s proven worthy enough for a spot in his arsenal.
“That is not meant to replace an amp,” he confirms. “I’m always going to play tube amps. It’s meant to give you more options. It’s meant to bring the experience of owning a tube amplifier and owning this gear into your home, no matter who you are.”
Indeed, owning a Vibroverb alone is going to cost a few grand, and that’s without factoring in the Dumble, Klon, and everything else within the €169 (around $190, plus tax) plugin. Digitalized gear has been bringing high-end tones to the masses for decades, and this continues the tradition.
“It’s meant to democratize the gear,” Mayer believes.
And he’s become a sucker for its reliability too. No more “dying delay pedals” because you forgot to unplug them during a break, and the 9V had the life sucked out of it; no more temperamental amps.
“I’ve looked forward to the year I would be able to simply have one cable, a laptop, and two speakers, and have that be the rig,” he notes. “It’s an authentic emulation of amps, but it’s already chained in [to your DAW] and has all the flexibility. It’s what I use at home.”
Mayer has been teasing a new T-style guitar on the road recently and is on the star-studded guest list for Buddy Guy’s 90th birthday party in October. It’ll be quite the party.
