Help me choose the right Guitar Preamp setup please!!!

[paintballnsk]

OK..

So I've been a tube head geek since the day I plugged into a Mesa Boogie, and I've never looked back. However, my effects rig with a Roadster has become a rather heavy annoyance, and since we mic everything up at our shows anyway, I don't think the crowd is gonna be able to hear a difference between the real rectifier vs the Eleven Rack.

Given that, I want the best bang for my buck. I already bought a Mesa 2:50 for a power amp. And I can't decide what I want to do.

Options 1 - Modeling preamp:
I'm narrowing down to the 11R, Pod HD500, AxeFX Ultra, and maybe even a Kemper Profiler. What other options are out there that handle all the guitar models AND effects really well? The advantages are you can setup your rig profiles on your PC, everything is in one consolidated unit, and it's pretty light compared to other setups. Another advantage of 11R is it comes with a full version of PT10 right now. Even though I'm a Cubase guy, I'd take a PT rig for the hell of it. It almost pays itself off if you consider PT10 is $700. The Kemper and the AxeFX2 do some profiling or tone matching. But I don't really care about that. I just want a system that sounds awesome. I think Kemper will slay the whole market when they make a rack unit. So having a good library of presets I can find online is beneficial, and I think all 4 of them have pretty big user shared libraries out there anyway. The Kemper and the AxeFX will probably hold their value better than anything else as well.

Options 2 - Preamp with a multi-effects unit:
I am absolutely IN LOVE with the ENGL e530, the Marshall JMP-1, and the Mesa Triaxis. I could get any two of these, and a G-Major for about the same price as the AxeFX, if not a little cheaper if I shop right. But I lose the ability to direct out to the mixer during live shows with the emulated speaker outputs, and it will be a heavier rig, and it won't be quite as versatile. The ENGL would need a midi amp switcher. I have an RJM RG16, but again, it's more weight to add.

So ya... I haven't heard a lot of samples of the 11R or the Pod that really blew me away. However, this will be primarily a live rig. And I really don't think it will make or break the tone out front if it's done right. I do run a recording studio, and I think the ENGL or JMP-1 would be more beneficial in my opinion for that as well, because they sound so much more organic than any of the modeling preamps I've heard, even from the AxeFX. The 11R is a pain because it has to go through ProTools because it's AVID and they like to strangle everything they create by trying to keep it in their stupid product lines.

Help me choose. I'm leaning towards the AxeFX Ultra, which I can get on ebay under $1500. I think the ENGL/Triaxis/GMajor would be the best sounding of them all but the heaviest, and the 11R is probably the best bang for the buck, I think I'm probably ruling out the POD until someone can show me some samples that dont sound like digital doodoo. Also I'm not 100% sure if the Pod HD500 is midi controllable or if it has to use one of their stupid floorboards to control it. But I can't make a decision haha, help me out.

Thanks

 

[daveg62]

Another option to consider , and the one I ended up with would be a gsp1101 with Control2 footcontroller and then adding a preamp of choice. I ended up with a triaxis after trying out a jmp-1. The gsp1101 can load custom IR's so you would have a great direct out's for recording or live use. The Control2 works seamlessly also so if you're like me and hate a lot of programming with midi controllers it's a great foot controller.

 

[Steinmetzify]

I own a POD HD500, and it works for what I want it to do......sounds a lot better thru a tube poweramp than it does any other way, imo.....cheapest one out there too; even WAY cheaper used.

Tried the 11R and really wasn't that impressed as far as metal sounds go, but that's completely subjective. The Axe is a tweaker's dream, and I stayed as far away from it as I could once I tried a friend's; I would be tempted to tweak all day instead of playing.

There are a lot of guys on here that love the KPA, and one of em is a guy that's run thru every amp I've ever seen......Diezels, modded Marshalls, SS amps, the works. He loves the crap out of that thing.....heard nothing but great things about how it sounds and the way it takes effects as well.

P.S. The POD is MIDI controllable......snag one on the cheap and use a Ground Control and you're good. Cazares from Fear Factory tours with that rig and has for years, but the patches need some tweaking. Good luck, sir!

 

[rocknrolla]

I've lost a lot of sleep pondering the same questions my friend.

I've played live with the following rigs;
un-mic'd halfstack with a 100 watt head
same rig mic'd
Mesa mark IV into a 2x12 running the record out direct to the board
Axe-Fx standard through a SS power amp to a 4x12 with a seperate sets of outputs direct to the board
Axe-Fx standard by itself direct to the board
Boss GT8 direct to the board

The halfstacks look the coolest but are also heavy and temperamental (mic placement, volume wars, tube issues, etc)
The Mesa and Axe-Fx w/poweramp sounded great and it was nice to have great stage tone and a superb mix in the FOH sound.
The modeler to FOH without any stage volume except what was coming from the monitors was a little scary at first. I didn't like relinquishing all my control to the sound guy but I ended up sounding pretty good. It sure is nice to show up for a gig with a guitar case and a duffel bag instead of 5 trips to and from the van to bring in your monster rig.
I still use a halfstack for shows but the allure of the POD HD500 as my all in one gig-rig is strong.

 

[paintballnsk]

Haha thanks.

Well there will still be a 4x12. I can't live without it. Never know what the sound guy has for monitoring, and we always wanna sound good on stage. It's very important to capture the feel of your live sound, and you can't do that with a 1x12 wedge in my opinion. It's my head rig that is a problem. I have a Mesa Roadster, RG-16, about 7 pedals, a wireless, etc, etc.. all in one rack road case. And it's just a bulky and unbarably heavy. However, if you have the room for it and don't mind hauling it around, it's the best sounding can be a pure analog signal chain that you can toggle with a midi controller, including the 4 channels, reverb, fx loop, solo boost, etc on the Roadster.

I've thought about just making an effects rack, and buying a shell for the Roadster. And that's an option if I can't find the right setup this way. With an AxeFX and a Mesa 2:50, the whole thing should weight just a little more than a Roadster alone.

 

[glassjaw7]

Wait for the Diezel pre, maybe? Fish, Mako, Soldano...so many good pres out there!

I'm currently playing live with my HD500 into the fx return of a tube head ( no power amp atm) and I get compliments on my tone every night. It's great! It's by no means an end-all, but it works and is very portable and convenient. A rackmounted Kemper would really get serious consideration from me...

 

[paintballnsk]

So I got to really play with the AxeFX Ultra tonight. He let me make a few presets with the PC interface, and go through a bunch of presets and stuff.

For what it is, it's excellent. I made the mistake of taking a 6505 with me. Unfortunately my real 6505 absolutely BLEW IT AWAY. However, tonally it was very good. But nowhere near captured the essence of what a 6505 or any real tube head is. And that was using the 6505's power amp with the AxeFX as the preamp. Since I'm focusing on live, that's probably little nuances you really only notice when you're playing it back to back with the real thing.

So.. it is what it is. From what I remember of the 11R, the AxeFX is much better. And it is just loaded with great features, pedals, acoustic sims, lots of amp models that all sounded decent. etc. And it's really easy to use, and everything on it sounded decent. Even the recto tones really sounded a lot like my Roadster, without the annoyance of the usual digital preamp fizz and noise.