In my very early days of playing guitar, like everyone else I was trying to get 'that elusive perfect sound', trying different guitars, different strings, different pedals, different amps and cabs, and never quite getting what I wanted. One day in a rehearsal room next door to the one I was rehearsing in, there was guy playing and he had a sound that was really close to what I wanted. I couldn't miss the opportunity, I had to check out every bit of gear he was using and of course I asked if I could 'have a go' with his guitar, pedals, amp, cab. No problem, I had a go and suddenly his amazing sound disappeared and it just sounded like my gear instead. Then he had a go with my guitar, pedals, amp and cab, and it sounded amazing. It was a long time ago, but it was a breakthrough lesson that I can never forget. Today, I'm still obsessed with different kinds of guitar tech, but I know what really matters and it ain't the equipment. So, given that most modern plugins have a fairly similar range of sound colouring capability, what I use to prefer one over another is "which one is most responsive to what my fingers are doing".

 

This is so true that is a shame so many people still don't believe it. I had one of "those moments" recently. The other guitar player on my band asked me to borrow a multi-Fx unit that has great reviews (I won't say names). So I took it to the rehearsal place and he hooked into the thing.

Guess what? It sounded like him. Didn't notice anything different from his usual rig. Real ear opener.

 

same here. know couple people who spent 1000's on equip thinking that will help them "be" better

 

Well... I should follow up with I really dig my sound so much more on my Marshall DSL40CR (all tube) than I did on a Peavey Vyper VIP-3 (no tube), lol.
I was looking for a combo for small gigs and thought the Peavey would really fit the bill as it had built in effects, and MIDI switching. But the MIDI (Rocktron controller) was absolutely inconsistent. And when compared to our other guitarists Line 6, that amp sounded thin and unimpressive.
So I got the Marshall and gave up on built in effects. Afterwards, our other guitarist had to upgrade his rig because the Line 6 couldn't hang with the Marshall's tone.
But yes, so much of the sound is in your playing that it is not to be discounted.

 

yes, always prefer the one...