Free Guitar VST Plugins This VST has 4 guitar types. It includes an amp, envelope, fine-tuning, stereo spread, and portamento. Spicy Guitar is a free plugin by Keolab which is a physical model of an acoustic guitar synthesizer. The great things about Spicy Guitar is that it has 2 different positions for each chord, chord inversions, one-hand up and down strumming, adjustable strumming speed, assignable switch key to trigger controls and much more. How to choose the best guitar VST for you. When it comes to plugins, there are thousands upon thousands of options open to you. These range from basic, free plugs that perhaps lack a little finesse, through to pro-grade tools that elevate sounds to new levels. With so much choice on offer, it can be hard to know where to begin. Allow us to help. The way that this distortion VST works is a little bit different than most. Phase Distortion lets the signal modulate the phase of itself. Bitter vst plugin. This results in some fat and dirty sounding basses and it can also result in a nice 80s crunch. The interface is quite simple to navigate and you can get your desired effects quite quickly.

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2. Free Crunch Guitar Vst Download
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4. Free Crunch Guitar Vst Plugins

Last Updated on December 15, 2020 by

Here’s a list of the best 16 distortion/saturation/fuzzplugins available to download for free!

Boogex is a guitar amplifier effect AAX, AudioUnit and VST plugin with a variety of sound shaping features for professional sound and music production applications. Boogex produces a nice “minimalist” sound which may be a bit noisy at higher drive settings, higher frequencies can be easily suppressed with its built-in Emphasis EQ. Deep Crunch is a free overdrive and saturation VST plugin developed by Heptode. Compatible OS(s): Windows, macOS. Deep Crunch is the official emulation of the analog boutique guitar pedal manufactured by Heptode. Inspired by the Soldano SLO-100 amp crunch channel, Virtual Deep Crunch produces very realistic tubish crunchy sounds. Explore & download the best free Crunch distortion plugins available (VST, AU, RTAS, AAX). Visit and discover thousands of pro audio and music freewares!

Let’s get straight into it…

FuzzPlus 3 by Audio Damage (Windows, Mac)

FuzzPlus 3 is an updated version of the original FuzzPluspedal emulation which is a straight up fuzz-sounding effect and not so much ofa distortion- or saturation one.

The interface is super intuitive and it offers five simplecontrol parameters.

It also features a spectrum analyzer that shows you theamount of clipping going on.

All in all, I think FuzzPlus 3 might be a great addition toyour plugin arsenal.

You can download it here.

Related: Here’s a huge list of the Best Free VST Plugins ever.

Krush by Tritik (Windows, Mac)

Krush combines the crispy taste of the digital realm withthe warmth of its drive stage and analog modeled resonant filters.

A modulation section allows you to quickly add extra life tothe sound by modulating any parameter.

The range of sounds you can achieve with this plugin go allthe way from extremely dirty signals to crunchy and warm ones.

Features

• Crunchy drive stage
• Bit depth reduction
• Sample rate reduction
• Analog modeled resonant filters (low-pass andhigh-pass)

You can download it here.

Interested in free Synth vst plugins? Here’s an entire post on that topic.

Temper Distortion by Creative Intent (Windows, Mac)

Temper is a modern digital distortion plugin featuring arich saturation stage and a unique phase distortion.

Use the variable saturation curve to add warmth and edge toyour sound, and let the phase distortion bring character and clarity throughyour mix.

Temper also features a simple resonant lowpass filter and afeedback path to drive the intensity of the tone.

This is by far one of the best distortion plugins available,even when compared to premium ones.

You can download it here.

Related: Here’s a list of the best free Arpeggiator Plugins.

SGA1566 by Shattered Glass Audio (Windows, Mac)

SGA1566 brings the authentic tone of a single channelvintage all tube mic preamplifier.

The whole circuit is simulated in real time using the highperformance circuit simulator to recreate every nuance of the preamp circuit,from subtle coloration to overdrive and distortion. Free sub bass vst reddit.

Use SGA1566 to add warmth to a track, as a saturationcompressor, or to add “dirt” with tube overdrive.

Features

• Authentic analog sound through real-timehigh-performance circuit simulation.
• Two-band active Baxandall EQ that can be placedeither before or after the preamp.
• Up to 4x oversampling.
• Mono or stereo processing mode.

You can download it here.

Interested in free compression VST plugins? Here’s a post about the 12 best ones.

Tube Saturator Vintage by Wave Arts (Windows, Mac)

Tube Saturator Vintage uses circuit simulation technology tofaithfully reproduce the sound of a dual triode preamp.

While it sounds great, the circuit simulation technology isvery CPU intensive…

That’s why they released the Tube Saturator 2, which sadlyisn’t free but it goes much easier on the CPU.

The reason it uses so much of your CPU’s power is becauseTube Saturator uses state of the art circuit simulation technology to captureevery nuance of an analog circuit.

Basically, it sounds fantastic… at the expense of using moreof your CPU’s resources than other Saturators.

You can download it here.

Related: Here’s a list of the best free Delay VST Plugins.

Saturation Knob by Softube (Windows, Mac)

The saturation knob is literally one knob that allows you toadd some warmth and shimmer to the vocals, guitar, and any other track you’dlike…

Basically, it just adds volume and warmth.

Just don’t go overboard with the saturation, if it startssounding distorted, dial it back down a bit… unless that’s what you’re goingfor.

One huge issue I have with this plugin is not the pluginitself, but all the hoops they make you jump through to be able to use it.

You have to register with them, also register with ilok.comand then link those accounts…

AFTER that, I know… super annoying, you download the gobblerapp and install the plugin, now you can finally use it!

I have to say though, it’s worth the trouble!

You can download it here.

Looking for free guitar VST plugins? Here are the 15 best ones.

Metal Area mt-a by Mercuriall (Windows, Mac)

The Mercuriall Metal Area mt-a is based on the Boss MT-2,which is a super popular distortion pedal.

The funny thing is that most people think that it doesn’treally sound all that great…

However, in the right hands, some pretty cool tones can beachieved.

This just means that some tweaking is required in order toget a good sound out of the pedal, and this is also the case with this plugin.

It comes with controls for Level, Dist, High, Low,Middle, MidFreq, Input Gain, Mono/Stereo, Quality switch andan On/Off knob.

If you’re in need of a distortion plugin that will allow youto create some cool metal tones, then by all means check this one out.

You can download it here.

Related: Here’s a list of the best Guitar amp sims.

Greed Smasher by Mercuriall (Windows, Mac)

Greed Smasher is based on the Mesa/Boogie GridSlammer overdrive guitar pedal.

Being a virtual overdrive pedal, the plugin is aimed mainlyat guitar players and music producers who use distorted guitars in their music…

However, effects like this one can work equally well onvirtual instruments and even hardware synthesizers.

Some users reported that this plugin would crash sometimes,but it definitely sounds great and I didn’t have that issue.

Free Crunch Guitar Vst Pedal

Features

• The modeled circuit is based on a Mesa/BoogieGrid Slammer Overdrive.
• Low CPU usage.
• Stereo and Mono modes.
• Low (2x oversampling) and High (4x oversampling)Quality switch.

You can download it here.

Marauder by AudioParlour (Windows Only)

Marauder is an interesting free dynamic distortioneffect which sounds absolutely phenomenal.

It is based on a network of four gain stages which worktogether to create a superb organic distortion effect.

It can be used as a subtle saturation tool that can add somewarmth to you mix, as well as to create some cool distorted sounds.

The truth is that you will need to tweak- and fiddle aroundwith the controls a bit in order to get a great sound…

However, once you get the hang of it, you will be able tocreate some great sounds!

Features

• Analog inspired distortion.
• Four unique gain stages.
• Goes from subtle to extreme.
• Organic, syrupy sounds.
• Contour your overdrive with afeedback-compressor styled envelope.

You can download it here.

Looking for free Drum VST plugins? Here are the best ones.

808 Tube Screamer by TSE Audio (Windows, Mac)

This is an emulation of the Infamous Ibanez TS-808 TubeScreamer pedal and man is it great!

It sounds great, you can use it for all kinds of music, toget a blues tone, to make those rock sounds have that little extra bite tothem.

I absolutely recommend this one since it’s just fantasticplugin!

You can download it here.

Tubes Creamer 808 by Mercuriall (Windows, Mac)

Mercuriall Audio Software’s Tubes Creamer 808 Core is a freevirtual Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer pedal emulation.

The Ibanez TS-808 was used by artists such as Stevie RayVaughan which was, in a way, how he got such an amazing tone.

The Tubes Creamer is an emulated version of this pedal andit sounds absolutely fantastic, and best of all… it’s free!

Just add it to the chain in your DAW and you’re ready to go!

If you’re looking for an awesome blues or rock tone, thenabsolutely give Tubes Creamer a chance!

You can download it here.

Looking for free Modulation VSTs? Here’s a post I wrote about the best ones.

TNT by Ourafilmes (Windows Only)

TNT is a Distortion/Saturation plugin which wasoriginally created for audio processing on drums, as well as FX and basssounds.

It comes in Multi-band and single-band both with mono andstereo components.

Both share the same saturation/distortion algorithms but thesingle band features a Tone knob that is not present in the multi-band version.

This Tone knob features a transparent 6dB crossover filterthat separates the low and high bands where you can use differentsaturation/distortion algorithms on each band.

There is also a balance knob that helps to level both bandsbefore final output.

Features

• Midi learn (right click on the knobs).
• Zero latency.
• Full automation.
• Modifier keys: Shift (fine tuning) and Control(default value).
• Clear, intuitive, easy to use GUI.

You can download it here.

Plusdistortion by Distorque (Windows Only)

The Plusdistortion plug-in is an emulation of an MXRDistortion+.

It has a wide range of distortion sounds from a little bitof dirt to a giant fuzz/crunch tone.

It emulates the germanium diode clipping used in theDistortion+, as well as the lo-fi op amp and just about every other aspect ofthe circuit.

Many parts of the effect are also tweakable, so you cancraft your own D+ based distortion.

In addition to the normal distortion and output controls,the following controls have been added:

• Input level – This is a volume control on theinput of the effect. You can adjust this to compensate for different pickups,different input levels, etc.
• Oversampling – This turns 2x oversampling on andoff.
• Input Type – ‘Pickup’ adds a resonant low-pass filteron the input to emulate the interaction between the 1nF cap on the input and aguitar pickup. ‘Buffered’ removes this filter.
• Op Amp Clipping – This controls the amount ofdistortion contributed by the emulated op amp.
• Diode Clipping – This controls the hardness ofthe distortion from the emulated diodes.
• High Cut – This reduces high frequencies on theoutput. Many distortions use controls like this to reduce harshness.
• Low Cut – This reduces low frequencies on theinput. Many distortions use controls like this to reduce muddiness and increaseclarity.

You can download it here.

Face Bender by Distorque (Windows Only)

This is an emulation of a Fuzz Face and a Tone Bender MKIIwith added controls for tweaking.

It runs in mono or stereo, and has selectable 2xoversampling.

The Fuzz Face was first made by Arbiter Electronics in 1966.

It had a thick, fuzzy distortion and was made famous byartists like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and David Gilmour.

The Tone Bender MKII was also released in 1966, by SolaSound.

Compared to the Fuzz Face, it has a brighter, more distortedsound.

This plugins sounds pretty damn good and is really easy toset up, so what’s not to like?

Features

• Accurate emulation of the Arbiter Fuzz Face andthe Sola Sound Tonebender MKII.
• Material control allows for a hot silicon tone,or a vintage germanium sound.
• Switchable 2x oversampling.
• 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
• Stereo and Mono operation.
• Tweak controls: Input Level, InputFilter, Gate, Clean Blend, Lo Cut, Hi Cut, Material.

You can download it here.

Buz by Buzzroom (Windows Only)

This is an old sounding distortion/fuzz pedal effect.

There are loads of VST distortion effects out there (sometop ones too -JCM 900, green machine etc), but only a few have a bigmuff soundlike this.

Buz has a nice wide tonal range, and the ‘edge’ controlreally adds some “sleaze” to the sound.

It allows you to get that authentic 60s garage band soundwithout much effort.

You can download it here.

Ouradrive by Ourafilmes (Windows Only)

This is a basic valve overdrive vst effect.

It uses almost no cpu resources and it’s very simple to use:

It only has two knobs and an on/off switch.

Simply apply the desired amount of valve overdrive to thesound using the DRIVE knob and then adjust the OUT gain knob tothe desired output level.

You can also use use the automation feature if you so desire.

This effect works best with sounds that have lots of low –low/mid frequencies.

Use it on synths, basses, guitars, leads, lo-fi sounds,voices or any sound that you want to slightly push harder, warm, overdrive oreven distort.

You can download it here.

Conclusion

The one I like the most of all the plugins on this list isdefinitely Temper.

However, all of them sound great and will surely help yougive your mixes more personality.

I hope you found this information useful…

Have a wonderful day!

If you’re a guitarist, you’ve probably had the common problem of wanting to make professional music from the comfort of your home but not having the right setup to do it. Your recording will end up sounding less than stellar if you aren’t able to create a good setup with your amps. This is where an amp simulator could step in to save the day.

There are multiple reasons why an amp simulator might be preferable over a standard guitar amp. One major reason is the neighbors. If you live in close proximity to anyone who doesn’t have a tolerance for loud noises, the guitar amp isn’t going to be ideal. Others aren’t well versed in the fine art of professional recording. Then there are those who don’t have the money right now to buy the equipment that will give them a professional sounding result.

No matter what your reason is for considering an amp simulator, there is a wide variety of options currently available for all styles of guitarists. We’re going to go over some of the best electric guitar VST’s today so that you can narrow down which one will work for you.

Top 13 Electric Guitar VST Instruments

1. Softube Metal Amp Room

The Softube Metal Amp Room is a bit of an upgrade from the Softube Vintage Room. It was developed with Patrick Jensen, better known as the guitarist for the Swedish metal band The Haunted. It features a variety of brutal and aggressive guitar tones right out of your DAW. One unique feature is that it can be run in mono if you want to tighten your sound, or run it in stereo to let it fill up the stereo spectrum.

It comes with the same continuous mic placement as the Vintage Amp Room, and they have added on adjustable stereo panning and twin microphones. To get heavy palm-muting in, you can use the high-quality gate. It has a super fast opening, more so than any hardware gate. You can play as fast or as slow as you want, as the gate is program dependent.

The cabs were measured by Tue Madsen in the Flames Studio. He created a wide variety of presets, each meticulously designed to give you the best metal tones possible.

Pros

• Exciting collection of aggressive guitar tones ideal for metal
• Super user-friendly
• Uses continuous mic placement

Cons

• Lacks versatility

2. Heavyocity Scoring Guitars 2: Gravity Pack 05

Heavyocity has been developing VSTs that are worthy of the big screen for many years now. Scoring Guitars 2 will give you 5GB of high-quality content that can be utilized for a wide range of cinematic productions. You’ll be able to develop some truly atmospheric tracks with tools like driving pulses, complex pads, cinematic phrases, and ambient guitar beds. With this VST Heavyocity strays from its mainstream guitar roots to explore some edgier sounds.

You’ll have the opportunity to experiment with a great selection of guitar tones, including chunky rhythm pedals and a multi-sampled semi-hollow body. There’s also a new set of keys to play with, including D and G, which can take your sound to a different dimension. These sounds come from high-end guitars like the 335, Stratocaster, and others. The sounds are boosted with the help of a collection of American and British amps and cabs and the other pro outboard gear utilized by Heavyocity. You’ll be impressed by the amazing depth and warmth that we’ve come to expect from analog equipment.

If you are at all interested in scoring, this is an absolutely must-have VST. It’s also great for those who want to explore some edgier guitar sounds with some versatile guitar software.

Pros

• An abundance of presets to choose from
• Super detailed samples and effects
• User-friendly keyswitches

Cons

• Melodic phrases are quite ambiguous

3. Audified Audified Live Guitar and Bass Bundle

The Audified Live Guitar and Bass Bundle is a great value for everything that’s included. Audified gives you just about everything you could ask for, including seven power amps, eight microphones, thirty effects, twelve speakers, and nine top-notch guitar preamps. With all these pieces to work with, the possibilities for guitar tones are almost endless. You can easily utilize it in your DAW. You also have the option to use it as a standalone application whenever you are playing live in rehearsal or on stage.

The Gallien-Krueger amps and speaker setups were designed with bass players in mind. Audified faithfully replicates the features that were originally found on the amplifiers like all the filters and the bi-amp design. The bundle includes the InTone 2, which is perfect for adapting your preferred plugins to live performances. It’s essentially a multi-in and multi-out product mixer that has the capability of playing digital instruments.

We don’t want to overlook the bundle of pedals that is also included. The selection of pedals is sourced from a release Audified made over 10 years ago. This release just so happened to mark Audified as the first to introduce professional guitar software. If you don’t want any limits when you are exploring guitar sounds, the Audified Bundle is highly recommended.

Pros

• The sound is incredible
• Impressive collection of awesome presets
• Beautiful interface

Cons

• Requires great effort to find the best tone

4. Softube Vintage Amp Room

If retro tones are your thing, you will definitely want to check out the Vintage Amp Room bundle from Softube. The amps you’ll find in this guitar plugin emulate vintage amplifiers from incredible names like Vox, Marshall, and Fender. You can authentically replicate tones that sound like they are straight from hits of the 60s and 70s. Softube has built a strong reputation based on their impressive sound applications, and this VST does not disappoint.

There are three amp emulations included in the Vintage Amp Room. If you like the sound of the Fender Twin, check out the Brown Amp. The Green Amp emulates the Vox AC30. And if you’re a fan of Marshall, the White Amp replicates the famous Marshall JCM800. With these three awesome amps, you can pretty much dial in any classic sound you can think of. With the simulated studio setup, you’ll also get speaker cabinets and a flexible microphone setup.

This VST works great for live performances, and it can be used to re-amp guitars that need a little more power. The Softube Vintage Amp Room gives you all the tools you need to bring authentic vintage sounds to your guitar recordings.

Pros

• Super user-friendly
• Impressive amplifier simulations
• Incredibly authentic mic positioning

Cons

• A lot of money for only three amps

5. Audiority Tube Modulator

You can achieve a completely new vibe simply by adding some vibrato or tremolo to your guitar sounds. If you’re interested in exploring this idea yourself, check out the Audiority Tube Modulator. It offers a great selection of tremolo, vibrato, and spatial position effects circuits. You’ll find everything from 50s-style tube bias tremolo effects to psychedelic vibe pedals from the 60s.

The spatial effects in this VST include a wide stereo “wow and flutter” simulator for fans of tape, a user-friendly panner to create space for your guitar in the mix, and a rotary speaker. The XY scope will help you understand the spatial position, and it will show your current amplitude. It gives your original signal that classic warmth that you can only get from a tube.

The Tube Modulator gives you amazing vintage effects along with an incredibly impressive interface. The GUI looks super realistic. Just a warning, the interface is so distractingly beautiful that you might forget the project at hand.

Pros

• High quality stereo treatments
• Cool leslie-style effects
• Stunning, realistic interface

Cons

• If you’re looking for modern parameters, you might be disappointed

6. vir2 Electri6ity

Maybe you’re not a guitarist but you still have a need for some high-gain, shred-style guitar for your tracks. In this case, you’ll need to enlist the help of a VST like the vir2 Electri6ity. On the Electri6ity you’ll find eight of the most popular guitar tones that have ever been played. Vir2 accomplished this by combining more than 24,000 24-bit samples of each guitar. The guitars are more versatile than you would expect. Each one has three separate pickup options and plays a range of articulations to give you realistic guitar sounds.

A few of the available articulations are pull-offs, hammer-ons, harmonics, upstrokes, downstrokes, releases, ghost notes, slides, and mutes. The interface keeps things simple, but you have the option of crossing over to the more complicated side if you want to go a little further. On the performance page you’ll find the most essential playback settings like vibrato, strum behavior, and overall volume.

If you want to explore the settings page, you’ll discover incredible control capabilities. You can tweak every little detail of the guitar sound if you so desire. You can go even further with the effects page if you truly want to take your sound to a higher plane. You have your choice from a variety of stompboxes, and you also have your standard delay and reverb units. However, if you don’t want to get into the trenches with shaping the sound, this VST will also essentially take care of everything for you.

Pros

• Amazing selection of tones and styles to choose from
• Unbelievably detailed performance capabilities
• Nuances are super authentic

Cons

• Mastering it will take time and effort
• Requires a lot of RAM

7. Line 6 Helix Native

Line 6 has a reputation for creating modeling amps that are among the best in the industry. Line 6 amps are a great starting point for those just starting out because they don’t cost too much and offer an expansive library of sounds to work with. The Helix Native captures all of the great qualities of Line 6 in software form. If power and versatility are high on your list of priorities, the Helix Native has you covered.

This VST gives you an overwhelming amount of guitar emulation options, including 37 cabinets, 72 amplifiers, 16 microphones, and 72 amplifiers. You have everything you need to let your creativity run wild. The intuitive interface makes the whole process much more natural and efficient.

The Helix Native also supports third party impulse responses, which gives you some more flexibility when it comes to tone. If you’re already a customer of Helix hardware, you’ll find that the integration is tight. It’s also super easy to transfer your presets from your home to the stage. Line 6 checks all the boxes if you’re looking for a realistic electric guitar VST that comes from meticulous component and behavioral modeling.

Pros

• Amazing selection of effects and presets
• Impressive automation capabilities
• Great live hardware integration

Cons

• Quite expensive
• Adding your own impulse responses can be challenging

8. Native Instruments Guitar Rig Pro 5

The Native Instruments Guitar Rig Pro 5 provides incredible versatility and functionality. The first version of the Guitar Rig software was introduced in 2004 with just three tube amp simulations. That doesn’t compare at all with this impressive VST that gives you control of a range of virtual cabinets, amplifiers, rooms, and effects. Specifically, you’ll have 27 virtual cabinets, 17 amplifiers, and no less than 54 effects pedals.

The Guitar Rig Pro 5 utilizes Dynamic Tube Response technology to offer a legendary collection of guitar tones. Unlike many of its competitors, this VST is set up to look like a virtual rack configuration instead of a pedalboard, cab, and amp configuration. This works well because it makes it easier to view all of the elements at once.

From humble beginnings, the Guitar Rig Pro has become one of the most powerful amp simulators in the game. Any guitarist will benefit from having this comprehensive guitar software in their collection.

Pros

• Thorough list of presets
• Very versatile
• Control Room Pro works well for developing customized tones

Cons

• Can take up too much CPU
• An abundance of amateur-sounding models as well

9. AmpleSounds Plugins

AmpleSounds has a notable selection of playable electric guitars and amps. They also have multiple guitar emulations that could easily be included in this article. But we’re going to look specifically at their Metal and Electric guitar plugins. The Metal Series includes the Stingray Classic Bass emulation and the Metal Eclipse ESP emulation. The Electric Series has the LP Gibson Les Paul, the SC Fender Telecaster, SJ Gibson SJ-200, and others.

Each one of these guitars offers various sounds for diverse playing styles like fingered and picked. The guitars on the plugin were recorded with two adjustable mic positions, and they were also recorded in both stereo and mono playback modes. You have complete control over these sounds with customizable fret noise, resonance, velocity sensitivity, and more.

This VST utilizes automatic doubling with spacing control. There’s also a range of effects for you to play with, including EQ, phaser, reverb, overdrive, chorus, delay, and others. The key switches feature enables you to switch between some different articulations like palm muting, hammer-ons, and popping and sustain, among others. Another feature is the Strummer, which is a sequencer that will allow you to move between chord progressions. AmplSounds Guitars is an awesome option if you want a comprehensive guitar VST with authentic progressions.

Pros

• Customizable interface
• Extensive library of sounds
• Very realistic guitar VST

Cons

• Not very intuitive

10. IK AmpliTube 4

AmpliTube was first introduced in 2002, and it has since evolved to become one of the most comprehensive guitar amp VSTs that money can buy. There are lots of pieces to work with, including 33 stompboxes, 25 amplifiers, 15 rack effect units, 29 cabinets, and more. There’s a good selection of AmpliTube gear designs in addition to emulations from other big names in the amplifier realm like Marshall, Fender, Vox, Mesa/Boogie, and Roland.

Its cab room emulator lets you choose from a variety of cabs, and you can also go further in adjusting the mic positions, speakers, rooms, and other factors. The user even has the option to mix in everything, which simulates a professional recording environment. You will get almost every tool you could hope for to help you shape the best guitar tone for your mix.

IK has outdone themselves with this latest version of AmpliTube with tons of features, expansive control options, and authentic emulations of electric guitar and bass sounds. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Pros

• Stunning sound quality
• Fantastic cabinet and room options
• A great selection of extra models that can be purchased and downloaded

Cons

• Purchasing extra models can add up
• Most presets will need to be adjusted to get a good sound

11. Positive Grid BIAS lineup

Positive Grid BIAS might not be near the top of many people’s guitar VST lists, but it probably should be. As one of the most sophisticated modelers currently available, it’s a seriously underrated piece of software. The BIAS will allow you to build your own amplifier with a number of customization options, including transformers, preamps, power amps, tone stacks, and tubes. There’s also various microphones to choose from and the option of closed or open back cabinets. BIAS makes the amp of your dreams a virtual reality. With all of these possibilities, you could literally spend all day tweaking.

The BIAS utilizes a dynamic tube engine with a touch response that almost perfectly simulates that of a tube amplifier. The reformulated speaker module puts dynamic tone control in your hands. Amazing guitar sounds can be created for any genre—classic rock, metal, blues, acoustic, jazz, and any other.

What BIAS users love is the extensive online community of fellow users on the ToneCloud website. While there you can find, share, and download custom amplifier settings contributed by some of the best guitarists and artists in the industry. Oh, and we can’t forget to mention the BIAS FX plugin, which is included in your purchase. You can use it to add rack and pedal effects to your amp to elevate your sound even higher.

Pros

• Super responsive tones
• Editing options for days
• Top notch Impulse Response software

Cons

• It’s going to cost a lot of money to get the whole experience

12. Overloud TH-U Full

TH-U Full is an innovative product by Overloud that promises to take amps and FX to new realms. This is the most expansive guitar software that you can buy right now with an incredible 239 models to pick from. On this one VST you’ll find 50 guitar cabs, 4 bass amplifiers, 89 guitar amplifiers, 2 bass cabs, and 77 effects in both pedal and rack form. And that’s still not everything. You’ll also have your choice of 1,000 presets in various styles, including metal, rock, blues, jazz, and more. Not to mention the 18 pro microphones you can utilize with as many as four microphones on each cabinet.

Overload gives you some of the best authorized models in this collection like THD, Randall, DVmark, and Brunetti. One of the most notable features is the Amp Tweak technology, which gives you the ultimate control over customizing the power amps, pre amps, and more. The Rig Player feature also allows you to simulate real setups with your choice of 20 factory rigs.

ReSPiRe 2 technology is utilized to ensure all of the emulations from the cab IRS to the advanced cabinets are on point. The sound chain makes it possible to apply effects directly to your signal or use parallel processing to integrate them in the mix. TH3 users have the bonus of their software being compatible with TH-U. This guitar software can help you achieve all your guitar sound goals with a truly impressive library of sounds.

Pros

• Very realistic amp tones
• Incredible versatility
• Expansive selection of presets

Cons

• Can be a bit overwhelming

13. Waves GTR3 Amps

If you love Waves as much as we do, the GTR3 is an essential tool to have in your collection. You will be amazed at how much versatility you get for the cost. You’ll have access to an exciting library of vintage and modern amp tones from names like Fender, Marshall, Vox, Mesa/Boogie, and many others. Their professional sampling technology stands toe to toe with the more advanced modeling methods that are used by many of their competitors.

Free Crunch Guitar Vst Download

Users will love that this VST is ultra-low latency, which makes it ideal for use in live performances. There’s plenty of options to pick from, including 30 cabinets, 25 stompboxes, and 30 guitar amplifiers. Awesome news for rock guitarists—25 of these are focused on high-gain sounds. One feature that we particularly like is that you can play through two separate cabinets at the same time. This gives you even greater freedom to diversify your tone.

You’ll be impressed by the top-notch selection of stompboxes, including phaser, reverb, flanger, chorus, delay, and pretty much any other stompbox that you can think of. The MIDI controller makes it super easy to adjust their settings or bypass them completely. It’s definitely not the best option in terms of authenticity, but it’ll work well for demo projects that require guitar sounds.

Free Crunch Guitar Vst Plugin

Pros

• Huge library of guitar tones to choose from
• Interface is consistent across all amps
• Ideal for use in the live realm

Cons

• MIDI setup is a little confusing
• Lacks floorboard integration

Guitar Tones Go Digital

Free Crunch Guitar Vst Plugins

The electric guitar VSTs that we’ve just mentioned virtually eliminate the need to lug cumbersome rigs around to various gigs or mic up amplifiers in the studio. Now you can create almost any guitar tone imaginable with just your computer and some software. No, it’s not the same as standing in front of actual tubes and speakers, but it’s incredible how close these guitar plugins come to emulating that experience.