Best power amp for axe-fx ? Metal content

[steve_k]

Here a quote of another, recently former, long time serious deep dialing axe-fx user.

nikki-k » Tue Nov 13, 2012 1:36 am
90% there? I suppose somebody could come up with some objective manner of determining that. For me, it comes down to a very simple question: does it work for me? I could play percentage games I suppose. But, IME, if something is not "it" for me.. not "the it," but rather "an it"... it can be worth spending time figuring out why (not), and trying to resolve those issues. In fact, I have done so with the Axe II, and after nearly a year, it is getting sold.

If someone wants a moon rock, a copy of one.. even one that is 99% compositionally similar (identical for "believers").. is still not a moon rock. A kit car Ferrari on a Volkswagen frame is not an actual Ferrari. However, in the process of building a Ferrari-like vehicle oneself, they could produce something they love as much, if not more. I can absolutely see using something like the Axe to create "amps" that do not exist in "real form." For me, even that is (90%) improbable, as the Axe has inherent flaws that I am unable to ignore enough to even use the unit for more than an hour or so without wanting to smash it.

The Axe, like any modeler/profiler, is a compromise. There is one circumstance in which it is not, and that is when the user lets go of trying to emulate and instead innovates. Then there is no comparison of percentages; then the gear stands on its own. When an artist opts for an Axe over a rack (or two) full of hand-picked gear, it is typically compromise. And most of the time, it is what someone determines to be their best choice of compromise. There are a few owning the idea of eschewing amps, but the bulk of purchasers/users still appears to be (to me at least) those making a compromise. I do not, for instance, see people touring with an Orville, 1210, 2290, a drawer of pedals, and an Axe.

The Axe has parameters that allow sculpting, but some questions as to the actual analog of those functions... well, IME questions in those areas end in vague, semantics laden run-arounds, claims of "proprietary information," and/or derision. In person, I can pick the Axe 100% of the time. Not 90%, nor even 99.9%. On actual tape... no digital recording.. I can also pick it, sans effects.

Oh- plus, with a tube amp I can do something fun; I can swap tubes. The Axe has no tubes to swap, virtual or otherwise. Cloud that with claims of one tube being a simple filter away from being another, or that such swaps can be equaled if not bested through manipulation of "parameters," and I am unable to do much more than chuckle just a tad anymore. And Tone Matching, IME, is different than Kemper profiling, and with both, it is STILL... not a real moon rock. Even dead, Neil Armstrong can tell too. (RIP).

He is spot on in paragraph 3. It's all about compromise and trade-offs. If anyone thinks they are going to unbox an A2 and pick a preset, expecting it to sound identical to a real tube amp, you are going to be kicking yourself, especially if you sold all your legacy gear to get one. For me though, its the stereo quality output that comes to the FOH that most impresses me and I would challenge anyone to argue that vs. a mic'd amp with stage ambient issues. I have barely scratched the surface and don't intend to going too deep in the programming. Setting up presets, EQ'ing and leveling the outputs is about far enough for me. I was skeptical at first, but I am sold now. But, I am keeping a few of the irreplaceable and must have amps around....just in case.

 

[squank]

I've got a 2/90/2 - ridiculous headroom.

Seems the fact that cats go digital on the front end, they go full hog with the digital SS back end. Natural progression. But since I bought the 2/90/2 to run my Ultra, I wasn't going to buy into the fad of SS/all digital. I get it - you can if you want a 20 pound rig you can haul anywhere you want; but since I had the mackdaddy of poweramps already, and it offers GOBS of headroom (c'mon, 100W a side!?!?!?), it does me fine.

YMMV.

THIS.

I gigged an Axe-FX for 3 years, and went through several power amps until I found the best one. The 2:90 is a perfect match for the Axe-FX, in my experience. You can get the big, punchy low end with your high gain patches that really thump - something that many other power amps lack.

The truth is that if you are playing clean, jazz, blues, country, etc, there are many power amps that will get you there with an Axe. It's the high gain patches that demand the most out of a modeler and power amp. And it's here that the 2:90 shines.

 

[IceMan]

Carvin TS-100!! The thing rocks with the Axe-Fx because it has the transparency of a solid-state amp (which might not be great when you want an amp that colors your tone), but gives you the bloom and feel of tubes. You can even use the amp models and actually hear the difference between them without having to disable them as you would with some other amps. And they are fairly cheap to pick up used.

 

[mindseye]

2/50/2 did it for me!!

Here's a funny about the AxeFxII and what people hear..... For a while I had my Recto I'm my road case for a back up, after our set that I went direct to FOH with the Axe some guys from another band came up after the set to ask me about my Mesa because it was one of the best Recto's they had ever hear....they could hardly believe that my sound was coming from a piece of rack rear direct to the PA.

The people in the crowd could care less if your whatever amp patch is 100% exact to the original as long as you put out good tunes and have fun on stage.....once heads are wrapped around that then using modelers becomes easy and rewarding.

 

[steve_k]

2/50/2 did it for me!!

Here's a funny about the AxeFxII and what people hear..... For a while I had my Recto I'm my road case for a back up, after our set that I went direct to FOH with the Axe some guys from another band came up after the set to ask me about my Mesa because it was one of the best Recto's they had ever hear....they could hardly believe that my sound was coming from a piece of rack rear direct to the PA.

The people in the crowd could care less if your whatever amp patch is 100% exact to the original as long as you put out good tunes and have fun on stage.....once heads are wrapped around that then using modelers becomes easy and rewarding.

Yeah, the Recto Red Modern has got some balls. I use it as one of my presets. A little small tweak on the GEQ and it is explosive.

 

[thiswaythatway]

The Mesa 2:90 is a great poweramp. I tried the Axe Ultra and Axe 2 when Fractal was demoed them at the NY ampshow and they had the whole FRFR setup and I didn't like it. I MUCH prefered the Axe with a tube poweramp into an amp cab.

 

[Mark Day]

For heavier stuff I love the Mesa 2:100 with the AxeFx. It was my favorite power amp. I've had or tried them all.

I happen to have a very slightly used one of these at Tone Merchants. If I could afford it right now I would buy it, unfortunately I can not. $700 takes it away.


Mark

 

[zentman]

Here's one guys take on power amps:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... 916&type=1

 

[Vede]

Was deeply involved in the GT800FX project. This was after using the ART SLA/ which I found sounding to harsh. My opinion on the axe-fx is after using it for more then two years is that it live will never sound as the real deal. I repeat never! The sound is different and it behaves more hifies. From that perspective there is for me no use for a tube amp in the chain. But if you like it then use it, simple.

So live: use the real stuff and for effects the axe-fx
Recordings: axe-fx or Kemper

DADA, for a couple years now I've been reading this forum and others, very occasionally posting, and I notice that just about any time there's an AxeFX thread or conversation, you jump in and trash the device, regardless of what everyone else is talking about. It's as if you can't control yourself. And I don't get the sense that you're intentionally trolling. It just seems like you're deeply hurt for some reason and you feel the need to express that pain over and over again.

The thing is, the OP asked a question about power amps. The rest of the folks in this thread responded with our feedback regarding power amps. This isn't the place to express your AxeFX frustrations yet again. You don't have to get over it if you don't want to get over it, but at least discuss it in threads where it's appropriate. If you do, you'll be doing yourself and those around you a real favor.

 

[Ventura]

I've got a 2/90/2 - ridiculous headroom.

Seems the fact that cats go digital on the front end, they go full hog with the digital SS back end. Natural progression. But since I bought the 2/90/2 to run my Ultra, I wasn't going to buy into the fad of SS/all digital. I get it - you can if you want a 20 pound rig you can haul anywhere you want; but since I had the mackdaddy of poweramps already, and it offers GOBS of headroom (c'mon, 100W a side!?!?!?), it does me fine.

YMMV.

Simul 2:90 here - similarly, ridiculous amount of headroom. Arena loud. Can sterilize woodland creatures at 50 paces.

My rig is ghetto, though. I run an Eleven Rack instead of the Axe

 

[jlbaxe]

I preferred the RT 2/50 amp for me over the VHT 2/90/2 and Art SLA2. The nice thing about the RT is you can bias any quad of tubes you want or 2 different pairs like 6l6/EL34 and use the switching and pair the tube with the amp, like 6l6 for a fender and el34 for a Marshall etc.

I use my Mk III Mk V or Bogner 20th X effects loop return now but might get a Matrix GT1500, when they start popping up used, for a light weight setup.

 

[wizardy]

I'm leaning toward a Mesa 2:90 seriously

Do they still build them or they're discontinued like the 2:100 ?

I'm afraid the 2:100 will be loud as hell
No in-between level for home playing like the 2:90

I wish I could try all those suggested power amp and make a decision lol

Is there a youtube demo with good audio somewhere comparing some poweramp with the Axe ?

 

[Mark Day]

I'm leaning toward a Mesa 2:90 seriously

Do they still build them or they're discontinued like the 2:100 ?

I'm afraid the 2:100 will be loud as hell
No in-between level for home playing like the 2:90

I wish I could try all those suggested power amp and make a decision lol

Is there a youtube demo with good audio somewhere comparing some poweramp with the Axe ?

Dude the 2:100 has volume controls just like the 2:90. I have a/b'd them when I had my CAE preamp rig. That's why I went with the 2:100 back then. The 2:100 just sounded way better to me. I had it for a few years. I could easily turn it way down for bedroom type volumes.

I regretted selling that amp. It got sold with my entire rig at the time. If I had the bucks at the moment I would snag it in a heartbeat.

 

[mentoneman]

I'm leaning toward a Mesa 2:90 seriously

Do they still build them or they're discontinued like the 2:100 ?

I'm afraid the 2:100 will be loud as hell
No in-between level for home playing like the 2:90

I wish I could try all those suggested power amp and make a decision lol

Is there a youtube demo with good audio somewhere comparing some poweramp with the Axe ?

Dude the 2:100 has volume controls just like the 2:90. I have a/b'd them when I had my CAE preamp rig. That's why I went with the 2:100 back then. The 2:100 just sounded way better to me. I had it for a few years. I could easily turn it way down for bedroom type volumes.

I regretted selling that amp. It got sold with my entire rig at the time. If I had the bucks at the moment I would snag it in a heartbeat.

sounds like a great opportunity for a MD/tone merchants demo