I came across a great article by Rich Tozzoli on Ask Audio Magazine called "Making the Most Out of Guitar Effects In The Box". Rich shares different ways you can achieve a good guitar sound using various plugins. I'm familiar with all the plugins mentioned in the article and there are some insightful gems; so I decided to do a post on using plugins to get a great guitar sound.
For instance Rich wrote:
Altiverb - "Adding a touch of Magnatone 480 or BX22E spring reverb will give it added depth and reality, almost like you were tracking through a real amp with a good verb on it. One trick that I do is pan the stereo reverb directly on top of the mono guitar, so that it sounds like a miked up amp."
I now use the UA AKG BX 20 Spring Reverb plugin which wasn't available when the article was written.
Here's a video by UA with some great tips on using the AKG BX 20 plugin:
He also mentions the UAD Dimension D which is one of my favorites. I used the hardware on many mixes over the years and now use the plugin on almost every mix. The Dimension D is a very simple but effective spatial chorus effect. (Tip: Hold down shift to combine modes e.g. 1+3 etc.)
Note: Sadly UA is no longer selling the Dimension D but will still support it on the UAD-2 platform. They recommend the MXR Flanger/Doubler which is another exceptional spatial effects plugin.
Another chorus plugin that I like to use on guitars (it also works great on keys, pads etc.) is the BOSS® CE-1 Chorus Ensemble Plug-In. It is also discontinued but still supported.
Check out this quick demo video of the CE-1(via CowCarMusic):
UA also has some great Guitar Amp plugins such as the Chandler Limited GAV19T
Here's a great video with Pete Thorn showing how he was able to get sounds for his guitar using the UA Apollo and UAD plugins such as the Chandler Limited GAV19T and one of my favorite delays the EP-34 Tape Echo Plug-In.
I've used both on mixes to bring guitar, synths and organ tracks to life:
