What are your recommendations for amplifying a classical guitar, and an acoustic?
When it comes to amplifying an acoustic instrument, I've always leaned toward miking rather than using a pickup or piezo system. However, unfortunately, in working conditions you have to take the whole feedback problem into account more than the sound you actually want. In live situations, with a loud pop or rock band or a big orchestra, you often have to sacrifice sound in order to avoid feedback problems.
In my experience with the range of “piezo” systems, I haven't found a sound with the necessary naturalness that captures all the frequencies an acoustic instrument can have. What these systems do have going for them is that they're a lot more convenient than using a mic and, in principle, they can avoid the whole feedback issue quite effectively when playing live.
Personally, my preference here is to use a good cardioid or hypercardioid mic. At that point there are two options: working with a mini mic that clips onto the guitar, or using a regular mic on a stand. As for “mini mics”, in many circumstances they can be convenient, but live they've always tended to feed back more for me than stand-mounted ones. I've had very good results with many different brands, AKG 414, C3000, C535, or the DPA 4011, but mics always come down to personal taste. From there, with good compression, decent EQ and a little reverb you can get a very good sound.
With the Orquesta Nacional de Jazz I've generally been using the AKG 414, although when all 22 musicians are playing at once I admit I can't hear myself at all, which is probably more the result of one-hour sound checks for an entire orchestra than of the amplification system chosen.
What's better for someone buying a new amp, tubes or modeling?
That depends on whether they're very clear about their sound and where to look for it.
For my part, I think modeling is just that, an imitation. I've sometimes done the test of putting the original amp next to the modeler and the difference is huge. The sound of the tube amp is much more organic and expressive; it has more presence and warmth. They're two different worlds; it's the difference between film and video, between oil and acrylic, between the real and the virtual.
For certain periods of time or for certain kinds of work, you sometimes have to weigh things like practicality for moving around or versatility of sounds against a purer sound, and so on.
Going back to your question, for someone buying a new amp or buying one for the first time, it may be worth having the wide range of sounds modelers offer, and as they get clearer about the sound they're after, they can go straight to tubes. For people who travel a lot and use a wide range of sounds, I recommend modelers because they're really very practical in that respect. And for those who are very clear about their sound, I imagine I have nothing to recommend; they'll probably have their sound, even if it comes out of a shoebox.
What amplification gear are you currently using and why did you choose it?
I've played through tube amps all my life, specifically Mesa Boogie until '97, and despite being very happy with the sound, I switched to a modeling amp, the Line 6 AX2. The main reason is that I could get a pretty good sound through modeling. I should also say it's not as rewarding as the Mesa Boogie, although it has other virtues, such as the convenience of carrying everything from effects to tuner in a single combo amp, just one cable from the guitar to the amp and nothing else. It's currently the one I use for both the Ibanez and the Godin and the synth fo[r] many years as the band's drummer, he had also recorded with Brand X. He left the drum kit in 1975 to take over as singer, the position Peter Gabriel had held before leaving the band. Face Value included memorable songs such as the melancholy "If Leaving Me Is Easy", the song "You Know What I Mean", pure but tremendously beautiful with piano accompaniment, and the sentimental "It Must Be Love". The centerpiece of the album was "In The Air Tonight", an intense song that keeps building until it reaches a climax that bursts with such a thunder of drums that it can't help but move the listener.
