Is the Honeymoon Period wearing off for any AxeFX users yet.

[chobley]

Thanks Kage

 

[Gainzilla]

Thanks Kage

 

[FixXxer]

I never settled down....

Still a tube whore and proud of it. Looking at a new sexy Mark V.

 

[messenger]

OK, I think I'm sold. How hard are they for programming? Are they pretty user friendly? Whats the best way to run it live (powered monitor, power amp and guitar cab, or power amp/passive monitor)?

 

[rsm]

Messenger,

I had an Ultra for about 4 months, sold it (biggest dumbarse move I made in a while). Here is my experience:

Start by running it into your current power amp / cab set-up, so you can use the amp sims. Be sure to turn off the global cab sims or you will get muddy / muffled tones. The presets are dialed in for FRFR use, so don't go by them for the tones the Axe-Fx can do.

Programming: sticking to the basic settings is easy, straightforward and will give you a wide array of great tones from all the amp models. For me, the advanced programming was overkill and could get complex in a hurry. What I did was get a preset dialed in for what I wanted using the basic controls, just amp/cab blocks in the preset, and then I experimented to see what the advanced feature parameters would do to the tone.

After I ran the Ultra into my guitar rig (ADA B200S solid state power amp, 4 ADA splitstack 2x12 cabs, two per side), getting the "amp in the room" experience, I started to think I was not getting the full experience since I couldn't use the cab sims, so I went to FRFR (using a Bose L1 Model II). The sound this way is "live rig / recorded" rig, i.e., full signal chain as if you were being miked or direct to FOH or like a guitar on a finished recording. Took some time for me to get used to this, but it was worth it. I did find myself tweaking and experimenting more than practicing since the Ultra can do so much. The other issue I had was that even when I had a great preset, I always felt / knew I could make it better if only I had the right tweaking skills, so I kept tweaking. Huge time sink for me. Some users can dial great tones in minutes, me it was hours and days, alas I did not have the abiloity to get out of perma-NOOB status.

FWIW, you can get the amp in the room and the finished complete live/recorded sound from the Axe-Fx, which you prefer and under what circumstances are subjective. It is a great piece of gear, wish I still had the Ultra, even if its overkill. So what? My finances tell me otherwise, as I'm paying off what I have now.

Just my experience. I could do with just the amp/cab sims, maybe a good reverb in a 1U. Ultra was overkill for my needs. As Cliff posted, it sounds like the Ultra's are about out of stock, so time to act is now. I'm GASing for an Ultra, but I think a Standard is better for my needs, still overkill but not as much as the Ultra would be.

My $0.02 worth.

 

[Gainiac]

I'm still in the @#@k I'm in LOVE stage, 4 sure, Like anything else, the AMOUNT of different tones at your fingertips is TOTALLY INSPIRING, quite diverse, the standard patches are making it easy, you get soooo many tones in there that sound really spot on to the original albums theyre trying to cop, but you MAY get ear fatigue after 7 hours straight of playing it.... By the same token I havent played that long on my Mark IV in a long, lonnnnng time....
FWIW, one of the first pitch shifters I've owned that will track like a champ when your alternate picking your brains out.... Thats a good thing...

I love it. For a versatile, small live rig and inspiring recording tool to get you out of a rut when ur sukin', this does everything I wanted an then some....

so, in conclusion, IMO, it sux....

 

[krid]

The Ultra is also almost sold out and will soon be out of stock. We have plenty of standards.

CC

You should do a little promotion to offload all these standards

 

[messenger]

I couldnt be happier, The more I play it, the more I love it... For me, its absolutely perfect...

Kage , how do you run yours live ? I can't remember..I'm so used to hearing a 4x12 in back of me , when I tried the axe-fx with the qsc powered monitor it was soooo different I was'nt sure it was for me . I returned both , but you guys are making me want to try it again .
JB

Really simple Bro...Guitar>Dunlop Rack Wah>AxeFx>Carvin SS Power Amp> Boogie 4x12

Why do you use the Rack Wah? Doesn't the Axe have wah?

 

[Gainzilla]

Why do you use the Rack Wah? Doesn't the Axe have wah?

I does but I just havent found a setting that I like anywhere close to as much as I love from the Rack wah..

 

[messenger]

Kage how do you like the Hex pedals. Do they feel like a regular wah?

 

[rsm]

The Ultra is also almost sold out and will soon be out of stock. We have plenty of standards.

CC

You should do a little promotion to offload all these standards

+1

We can dream, can't we? Wishing here too! Axe-Fx Standard new at $1K? Cliff, you would eat fast food a few days a week for us, no?


Just kidding, Cliff!

 

[Bantam Menace]

It took me 6 months...but I love mine! The difference for me was a solid state power amp instead of the 2:90 that I was using. Made all the difference for me.

It still has some control issues that I wish Fractal would correct...but it sounds great!

 

[Gainfreak]

On another note, I had a NYC guitar teacher approach me at my last gig. he shook my hand and asked me what the hell I was using since he couldn't tell what it was and he loved the sounds that I was getting. If I had a camera I would have taken a picture of his face after I told him it was a modelor His face was priceless!! I also wrote down what it was so that he could look it up.

I can't believe this is a modeler either. Plugged into the FX return of a rented Marshall 1/2 stack. Skip to about 1:30 in :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skvj_Pd-PYI

WOW!!!

Line 6 Pod 2.0. Now this makes me want to buy a modeler

sup Bro!! I posted a clip of Howie using the modeler through a marshall a few years ago. There was also an interview with him a few years back where he said that he used to worry about playing fly out gigs becuse he could never get a good sound out of the rented backline. he said it was a God-send when the pod came out because now all he had to do is pipe it through a tube amp and he was good to go! I believe it was Ken Tamplin that showed him that trick and Ive used it ever since Ken mentioned it on his site!

hope all is well!

~R~

 

[messenger]

It took me 6 months...but I love mine! The difference for me was a solid state power amp instead of the 2:90 that I was using. Made all the difference for me.

It still has some control issues that I wish Fractal would correct...but it sounds great!

So you switched TO a SS power amp?

 

[J.B.]

It took me 6 months...but I love mine! The difference for me was a solid state power amp instead of the 2:90 that I was using. Made all the difference for me.

It still has some control issues that I wish Fractal would correct...but it sounds great!

Wow, no kidding? What SS power amp do you have?

 

[Bantam Menace]

It took me 6 months...but I love mine! The difference for me was a solid state power amp instead of the 2:90 that I was using. Made all the difference for me.

It still has some control issues that I wish Fractal would correct...but it sounds great!

So you switched TO a SS power amp?

Yes! Sounds crazy right? I got a Rocktron Velocity 150 and like it way more than the 2:90 for the AF. It's right on the edge of running out of headroom in a couple rooms we play so I just got an ART SLA-2 which seems to get good reviews as well.

I just took all the backup tubes out of my gig case...

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

It took me 6 months...but I love mine! The difference for me was a solid state power amp instead of the 2:90 that I was using. Made all the difference for me.

It still has some control issues that I wish Fractal would correct...but it sounds great!

So you switched TO a SS power amp?

Yes! Sounds crazy right? I got a Rocktron Velocity 150 and like it way more than the 2:90 for the AF. It's right on the edge of running out of headroom in a couple rooms we play so I just got an ART SLA-2 which seems to get good reviews as well.

I just took all the backup tubes out of my gig case...

Tell me you still have the PT-100?

 

[cliffc8488]

I switched TO solid-state power amp as well. To my ears it sounds as good. I simply got sick of all the issues with tubes nowadays. It's also much lighter.

 

[aeroic]

I really liked the AxeFX Ultra I had, but I still love my Egnater M4 for live situations. So I ended up selling the AxeFX.

Cliff:

Any idea of when the AxePC is coming out? Will you still be able to use it like the AxeFX for amp / cab sims and using external preamps to drive them?

I do a lot of recording, and I know the AxePC will be a very useful tool for that.

Eric

 

[Bantam Menace]

It took me 6 months...but I love mine! The difference for me was a solid state power amp instead of the 2:90 that I was using. Made all the difference for me.

It still has some control issues that I wish Fractal would correct...but it sounds great!

So you switched TO a SS power amp?

Yes! Sounds crazy right? I got a Rocktron Velocity 150 and like it way more than the 2:90 for the AF. It's right on the edge of running out of headroom in a couple rooms we play so I just got an ART SLA-2 which seems to get good reviews as well.

I just took all the backup tubes out of my gig case...

Tell me you still have the PT-100?

Yep...PT-100, Mesa MKIII, Triaxis/2:90, Cameron Marshall, 2210, 2203, 2 Metalhead Marshalls, Bedrock BC-75, '63 Fender Bassman....

But all I'm playing is the AF....wanna buy an amp?