Our Favorite Realistic Guitar VST Options by UK producer Basil Simon

My personal experience of working with realistic guitar VST options to creat an acceptable guitar emulation in my DAW.

In this article:

If you can use a real guitarist – do it!
Advantages of opting for a VST guitarist
My go to realist guitar VST choices

You cant beat a real guitarist

After spending many years recording my own songs using both real players and also using realistic guitar vst options, I have to state that hands down a good guitar player going direct into my chain is absolutely the best possible approach. After all, the real thing is the real thing! The slides, the little human touches, the subtle timing variations & the personal style of the guitarist, based on years of genuine guitar legend influence, wins every time for me. If you can’t get a good real world guitarist into your recording situation, then another option is to use real guitarist samples. My personal favorite go to sampled guitarist (blues) is an excellent player by the name of Paul Black. Years ago I bought a CD released by Sony music and still find myself gaining inspiration from that library even today! Sample of a track I created using Paul Black samples.

If you are a guitarist and want to know what your best plugin options are for home recording in a DAW then check out our friends at: Guitar Beginner HQ

Advantages of opting for a realistic guitar VST

The guitarist turns up on time.
No broken strings
Guitar doesn’t go out of tune
You get to control every note

So the sound can never truly be the real thing due to the missing human player with human guitar brain! But the above does demonstrate some advantages. Additionally there is a lot of control to be excited about. With a good realistic guitar VST option it is possible to adjust Sustain, Hammer On & Pull Off, Legato Slide, Slide in & out,
Palm Mute, Popping, Natural Harmonic, Strum, and Slide articulations. With a little effort and study it is possible to create a very impressive guitar sound. The trick is in the study. If you can think like a guitarist without being able to play then a realist guitar VST can yield fantastic results when handled correctly.

My go to realistic guitar VST choices.

My personal favorites are:

Ample Guitar M Lite II
Scarbee Funk Guitarist

Ample Guitar M Lite II is a fantastic realistic guitar VST. I have been using this for a good couple of years now and it never disappoints .

Download size is nearly 6 gigs and it delivers quality of 24bit at 44hz. It caters for both Windows and Mac and is available as VST2, VST3, AU, AAX and Standalone host.

The software uses carefully crafted samples of a real acoustic guitar and allows a wide variation of tweaking ability including many interesting and realistic articulations. I particularly like the strumming feature of this VST. When using this VST in conjunction with additional guitar plug in effects such as guitar rig it really does start to come alive! The main thing that matters to me with any instrument is; “does it inspire me?”. The answer in this case is : “Yes it does!” And the best part; It is completely free! You have to love a genuinely good free guitar VST!

Scarbee Funk Guitarist from Native instruments is an incredible realistic guitar VST.

Scarbee Funk Guitarist

This VST does have a learning curve involved but is well worth the study. It requires Kontakt player for installation but once setup it really does deliver. This VST is all about the funk! It has a fantastic guitar chord sequencer built in that allows you to build complex authentic guitar chord phrases. Funk Guitarist also has a huge choice of styles ready made for instant use. Additionally; It is great for anything requiring funk, soul, hip hop or R’n’B style guitar. It is also great for adding that organic feel to a house or pop beat. This realistic guitar VST is very addictive and truly delivers the funk!

Building your own chord maps with this software is a breeze!

The chord finder feature includes a compendium of funk guitar chords and voicings. Just can just select any chord you need – regardless of not actually having any playing knowledge! Fantastic!.

Scarbee funk guitarist also has an automatic chord detection system that allows you to build your own chord progressions. No matter what chord you play it is instantly added to a chord list, including the voicing, any top notes and any alterations. Playing a series of chords in a normal keyboard manner creates a progression super quick!

I can not recommend this realistic guitar VST enough. I love using this and yes; It inspires! This one isn’t free, but at $89 you truly get value for your money. Once you experience Scarbee funk guitarist you will go back again and again!