“Why am I using this digital monstrosity when it flies in the face of all my principles that I have acquired over decades?”: Guthrie Govan makes the case for the all-digital guitar rig – it’s all about the F-word

Guthrie Govan contemplates his work as he plays a solo on his signature Charvel electric guitar during his performance at the Café Iguana in Monterrey, Mexico. .

Guthrie Govan made recent appearance at a Charvel guitar clinic in Dubai and once more made a persuasive case why he, a lifelong devotee of the tube amp, has fully digital guitar rigs as he tours the world with The Aristocrats.

This is the great 21st-century guitar rig conundrum as amp modellers have got better and a growing range of FRFR (full range, flat response) speakers have been launched to maximise their performance.