In this livestream I’m talking about a question I hear a lot now that plugins, modelers, and headphone amps are everywhere: do you actually need a guitar amp in 2023? Personally, no. I’ve got one amp at home and I almost never use it—mainly just to quickly test pickups after a swap. For practicing, recording, and getting tones for my R&B lesson content, I’m usually on my Line 6 Helix (which is still emulation), and on this trip I built a simple mobile rig that’s literally just my guitar, a MacBook, an audio interface, and a plugin inside GarageBand. I walk you through the Archetype: Cory Wong plugin from Neural DSP and show how convincing amp tones and effects can be without any physical pedals or an amp in the room. I demo compression, stacked overdrives (lighter “Tube Screamer” style plus a heavier drive), chorus, dual delay, reverb with shimmer, and an envelope filter for that auto-wah vibe. I also point out how deep the customization goes now—EQ, cab/mic choices, mic placement, and more—stuff you used to only get with real recording setups. The big takeaway is value and convenience: once you add up the cost of an amp plus a compressor, chorus, delay, reverb, drives, and a filter, a solid plugin can be the cheaper and easier route—especially if you’re producing and just want to lay guitar on beats, or if you need a travel-friendly setup.