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Five fuzz pedals feature

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For over 40 years, anyone with a guitar has been trying to emulate Jimi Hendrix to some degree. IK Multimedia has just made it a whole lot easier, in software form.

AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix, a cooperative effort between IK Multimedia and Authentic Hendrix, is a specialised version of the AmpliTube 2 software. It features a selection of modelled vintage stompboxes, amp heads and cabinets as used by Jimi, most of them not found in the current version of AmpliTube 2. Owners of AmpliTube 2 can purchase AJH for a crossgrade price but will not be able to incorporate the JH models into their main AmpliTube rig until a forthcoming software update appears.

AJH features one Marshall and three Fender amps, wah, Univibe, Octavia and tremolo effects plus five fuzzboxes. Seven cabinets can be mic’d with one of five virtual mics and there are four studio effects to complete the sound. As with all software amp emulation programs there are a bunch of presets available but these ones are very different from most. As well as a bunch of generic presets based around particular gear combinations, you can not only call up the sound for a specific track on a Hendrix album but in most cases you have choices of sounds for particular track sections (intro, solo, verse rhythm etc) and all the songs from the first three Experience albums are included here. At present there are no plans to create any presets from posthumous releases or live recordings. One ‘live’ preset is included, however, and that’s The Star Spangled Banner from Jimi’s infamous Woodstock performance.

Like AmpliTube 2, AJH can be used as a plug-in or in standalone mode where you can take advantage of the built-in SpeedTrainer phrase training facility – import some Jimi tracks and you can play along.

Sounds

There may be a smaller number of models available here than in AmpliTube 2 but what there is hits the spot with excellent attention to detail. There are some nicely authentic and very playable tones here with that selection of four amps providing in particular many shades of clean tone between them but breaking up nicely when driven.

The different character of each of the fuzzboxes has been accurately captured and the Univibe sounds great, with the same characteristic phasey throb as the original and an authentically graduated set of controls to dial in the sound. Likewise the wah is one of the best modelled examples we have heard – although trying to manipulate it with the mouse while playing is impossible! With the program working as a plug-in it can be controlled via MIDI, but in standalone mode you’d need IK’s Stomp IO pedalboard (not yet available!).

Okay, it might be stamped with the Hendrix name but in reality it is a versatile rig where you can dial in plenty of other sounds, not least those of grungy rockers who thrive on having a bunch of fuzzboxes in series – you can have five different models in a line here for some serious mayhem.