New guy here I own a Epiphone LP Trad Pro, Epiphone Special II, Homemade strat copy Bentley guitar with Mighty Mite electronics HSS configuration. My question is with tube amps like VHT combos can you use pedals with them? Are modeling amps good for beginners or are they skipping learning how to dial in sound?

Welcome aboard Gitar65! I almost bought the Fender Mustang III amp but at the last minute someone on the forum mentioned the Mustang Floor pedal which worked out much better for me as I like going direct to the PA and can use it with my other SS and Tube amps. Anytime you have an Amp question, another good place to post it is on the Feel Free To Ask Myles section in addition to this one, as he can give some good tech advice...a lot of our guys (like Caevan and others) are very good at giving good amp advice as well...I've never had a problem running pedals with a tube or SS amp. Have fun!

Welcome.

Most amps of any sort I've come across take pedals well, so I 2nd Larryz('s) comment.

Modeling amps let you get a variety of amp sounds in one amp... different tubes and circuits give different characteristic sounds, and most amp makers try to come up with their own distinctive sounds these days (otherwise why would anyone buy THEIR amp?). In the beginning of the electric guitar craze there was just the radio repairman in some remote places who could also fix amps and if there was demand and no supply he went to page whatever of the RCA repair catalog and used that schematic to build an amp for somebody. As brands became more famous and sought after certain sounds and circuits became their hallmarks... the 6L6-tube Fender sound (with variations in the preamp of its several models like the Deluxe Reverb, the Bassman, the Twin, etc., that gives them each a distinctive sound even within that category) or the EL34/EL84 Vox amps, or the EL34/EL84 Marshall amps...

Modeling amps just mimic the signals (through EQ parameters) that result from these different amps and different speaker cabinets. You still have to "dial in" things as far as making them sound good in a room and good with the different guitars you plug into them and getting the amount of gain or whatever you want to hear, you just get 12 amps in an amp instead of one.

If you're asking if they are detrimental in developing a discriminating musical ear?

I don't think they would be... lord knows I've heard some people with top notch tube amps who should've had their hands amputated for the good of mankind.

My $.02 is that when you are beginning, if you're like I was, you're "wood shedding" for several hours a day.

Maybe some would call it compulsive or obsessive or disorderly. But, if you want to get what everyone loves from a tube amp, you need to play it LOUD. You push the output section hard to get the sag and warmth.

That's not so good for "wood shedding" when you have neighbors, or moms, or wives, or babies or any living thing within ear shot. Especially, if you're playing 9 hours a night...

Also the type(s) of music you play will have a huge impact on what you want to play through. If you like a style of music that mixes styles, one amp might not be enough.

If I could, I'd live in sound proof studio with every tube amp, pedal and rack unit possible. My body would be cool and my hands permanently warm. If there is a heaven, that would be it for me...

As far as learning to dial in an amp, I've never had two that dialed in exactly the same way. Every time I've gotten a new amp, I've had to learn how to dial it in to get what I wanted out of it. So, don't worry too much about what you learn on one amp carrying over to other amps. There are simliarities in operating all amps, tube and/or solid state, but the specifics change.

What I'd advise is find an amp that you like the sound of generally, and learn how to work it. Read the manual and any other info you can get on it. Talk to other people who have the same amp and see what they do with it. To paraphrase Ray Charles, learn how to make it do what it do.

Pedals are not often a problem, not with any amp I've ever used. Frankly, amps of every sort are designed to work with pedals, or vice versa. And, there are so many different sorts of every kind of pedal that's ever been invented that if you don't like what one does with your amp, try another one. I'd just about guarantee you'll eventually find ones you like.

Finding out what you like by trial and error is all part of the fun of playing. Read the available info to learn what the rules are, because you need to know them in order to figure out how to break them. That's when it get's really fun...