My AxeFx is having me consider selling my amps

[gybe!]

I have two very amazing amps (a cameron overhauled Bogner XTC and a Friedman Kitchen Sink Marshall), but I have to say that my axefx ultra is making me wonder if I will even have use for them any longer. Simply saying I am impressed with this little box would be a massive understatement. I am running the latest firmware with some added cab impulses through my Mackie studio monitors and this thing just flat out kills. It really has me wondering if I will bother going through the pain in the ass of setting everything up properly to record my 'actual' amps again. I don`t really judge its ability to model particular amps, just its ability to sound like a good amp, which it most definitely does. I am especially a fan of combining two amps together in stereo (current faves: Brown (or 800) and Recto Orange, Solo 100 and Euro Uber, Euro 1 and Corncob 100, plexi 2 and Das Metal)...

I don`t know, I have had a plethora of top flight amps (current amps mentioned above and my past amps include a few makos, ubers, standard xtcs, herbert, quickrod, Wizard MC, cameron modded marshalls, bad cat lynx, etc...) and this can hang with them. I know its been stated before, but the dynamics and response of this box are so tube like you don`t even realize you're using a 'modeler'. Not only that but it is super easy to get great tone out of it with the same amount of work you would put into setting up a typical amp, and then you have all the added layers you can tweak if you so desire. Combine that with the amount of tonal variety you can achieve and then throw in all the effects you can play with and it just blows my mind. Truly an awesome piece of gear in my book and has essentially killed any gas I had for other amps.

Makes me wonder where the haters are coming from (or if they have ever even played one)!

 

[SkyhighRocks]

Just sold my final amp (DSL100) and as soon as my last 2 cabinets sell, I'll be picking up a standard. To be fair, I had an ultra a year ago and really liked it but couldn't keep it for financial reasons. Now that I'm using IEMs all the time, I'm going to run direct at all my gigs. Doesn't make sense to be blowing 100 watts of amp behind me all the time when I don't really hear the tone that way in my IEMs. Rack case, pedalboard and 2 guitars and I'm done!

 

[gybe!]

Just sold my final amp (DSL100) and as soon as my last 2 cabinets sell, I'll be picking up a standard. To be fair, I had an ultra a year ago and really liked it but couldn't keep it for financial reasons. Now that I'm using IEMs all the time, I'm going to run direct at all my gigs. Doesn't make sense to be blowing 100 watts of amp behind me all the time when I don't really hear the tone that way in my IEMs. Rack case, pedalboard and 2 guitars and I'm done!

See, and that is the beauty of it to me, it is equally at home playing out or recording. I admittedly have yet to try it through a guitar cab, but right now I don`t really see the need to as it works so well in my studio setup. I just need to get a new recording pc so I can actually start doing more than building awesome patches

 

[gbsmusic]

This is just music to my ears!! I just ordered mine, it will be here Friday, I cant wait!!!!

 

[polaris20]

I'm fairly certain my DC-5 is the last amp I'll ever buy. Eventually I'll chip away and get an Ultra, and then either the Atomic FR, or a rackmount tube power amp of some sort and a 2x12.

I was going to save for a Stiletto Ace which is like $1600, but at this rate it seems it would make more sense to save for the Ultra/power amp/cab and then just sell the DC.

 

[glpg80]

i am a avid hater of the axe fx for many reasons, and yes i have played one.

i hate tweaking a single unit to get all of your tones. its a simple knob person's fucking nightmare.
it has no balls. it has bass, and records like bass, but has no balls/man junk that make your hair move.
what is recorded and what is perceived live are two different needs in my books.
the volume you play your tube amplifiers at also divides players as well.
any unit in my books that has a cost of over $800 and needs constant updates that also do not allow for multiple tasks ala a PC is not worth it.
its still a modeler in my books, and will increase effeciency for guys in the studio paying $$$$ for studio time, or live where they play direct to the FOH.
and lastly, there are dynamics in tubes and tube amplifiers that cannot be replicated with solid state. i dont care how well it is designed, i picked out the modelers in a blind test on the forum before i even played one.

if it fits your needs, go for it. is it a substitute? depends on your ears, age, and needs once again. to me it is nothing but a tool, just like eventides. but i will say at least herberts, bogners, engls, marshalls, and all other amplifiers are tubed and have the dynamics (albeit some lacking more than others) that any modeler algorithm will have a bitch replicating.

 

[gybe!]

This is just music to my ears!! I just ordered mine, it will be here Friday, I cant wait!!!!

http://www.voes.be/temp/IRs.zip
Download these cab impulses for an improvement over the stock ones. You can always go to redwirez later, but these are free and there are some damn good ones in here. That is probably my only complaint, there are only 10 slots for user cabs. I need to check out the redwirez ones to see if I can`t find a better greenback style cab.

 

[gybe!]

i am a avid hater of the axe fx for many reasons, and yes i have played one.

i hate tweaking a single unit to get all of your tones. its a simple knob person's fucking nightmare.
it has no balls. it has bass, and records like bass, but has no balls/man junk that make your hair move.
what is recorded and what is perceived live are two different needs in my books.
the volume you play your tube amplifiers at also divides players as well.
any unit in my books that has a cost of over $800 and needs constant updates that also do not allow for multiple tasks ala a PC is not worth it.
its still a modeler in my books, and will increase effeciency for guys in the studio paying $$$$ for studio time, or live where they play direct to the FOH.
and lastly, there are dynamics in tubes and tube amplifiers that cannot be replicated with solid state. i dont care how well it is designed, i picked out the modelers in a blind test on the forum before i even played one.

if it fits your needs, go for it. is it a substitute? depends on your ears, age, and needs once again. to me it is nothing but a tool, just like eventides. but i will say at least herberts, bogners, engls, marshalls, and all other amplifiers are tubed and have the dynamics (albeit some lacking more than others) that any modeler algorithm will have a bitch replicating.

I have to wonder when the last time or version you played was? I can`t speak for anything before v9.0 (got mine at v9.0 and updated to 9.3 almost immediately), but sitting right next to my Friedman Marshall and my Cameron Bogner, but this thing is every bit as dynamic and ballsy in my current setup. It feels just as good to play as any other amp I have owned and dynamics and sensitivity are the two most fundamental aspects of my playing style. I will also add that tweaking is infinitely easier with Axe Edit. All I know is that for me it is truly an amazing tool (and I have played through a number of other modelers, from all the line 6 gear through the different software based modelers and hated them all) that I am more than happy to have taken the plunge on.

I also don`t understand the complaining on the constant updates thing....I personally like the commitment to continuous improvement and the addition of new models and functions. I suppose that could be a bad thing somehow...nope, still not seeing it

It may not be the best thing for everybody, the same way that my cameron or friedman aren`t the best thing for all players, but for me it is every bit as good as my other high dollar amps I have had and I couldn`t be happier with it Of course, YMMV

 

[Mailman1971]

I would still like to check one out for a jam session....

 

[fickle]

I need to give the Axe another shot... I def. didn't stick with it long enough to give it a chance. I played a friend of mine's Axe-Fx the other day and it sounded killer! I also own some nice amps including an Uberschall , Friedman Marsha , and a Splawn.. The singing lead tone my buddy had dialed in reminded me of playing one of my amps. It made me pissed I sold mine a while back

Sure there are a lot of bad clips of it out there, but look at most Bogner Uberschall vids on youtube.. Not all of them but most sound horrible in my opinion.. Im sure it is the same game with the Axe, but I HAVE heard a lot of great clips of it

 

[glpg80]

to HAVE to constantly update is the problem. you are not understanding what i am talking about. since when has any tube amplifier needed a patch update that you have no idea what changes in order to sound better?

as for the version? it was 3.8? and you're on what patch now? 9.3?

at what level of volume do you play? TV volumes? because i PLAY at levels some consider too loud even for band practices. i play where my amplifier sounds great, not what is convienient to the land lords orders of time/date.

with that being said though, if it sounds like it covers those areas great then its an avid tool for those living in recording studios or live gigs who need the tonal versatility/library.

for me though, i dont need many tones to do one job. i want MY tone that defines MY ambitions that cannot be met within one box. its impossible. im looking at the whole picture here, from front to back. guitar fretboard to speakers in your ears. does that mean alot of gear? yes. versatile? depends. but even the amplifier i want to play through does not exist, and no patch exists for it.

like i mentioned before, a great tool on the level of eventide effects, but not for me and never will be. the day i pay that much cash for a modeling anything is the day im too old to carry my own guitar.

 

[fickle]

to HAVE to constantly update is the problem. you are not understanding what i am talking about. since when has any tube amplifier needed a patch update that you have no idea what changes in order to sound better?

I don't see the big deal in having to update it I mean you don't have to... Also amp builders are constantly tweaking their amps for different sounds, mods, (updates) ect. ect. Look at the new PT100 that is coming out.. Isn't that an updated version of the old one? At least with the Axe you can get it done free on your computer instead of having to spend another 3k on the new amp

I understand though , different strokes for different folks.

 

[gybe!]

to HAVE to constantly update is the problem. you are not understanding what i am talking about. since when has any tube amplifier needed a patch update that you have no idea what changes in order to sound better?

as for the version? it was 3.8? and you're on what patch now? 9.3?

Obviously haven`t followed the Bogner XTC much, we're on what, revision 5 or 6 now? How many different revisions has the Recto gone through? Probably on revision 10 of the Splawn Quickrod...The difference being that you would have to pay for each of those different revisions Not the fairest comparison, but then again I will never be convinced that a commitment to continuous improvement is a bad thing. Plus, you don`t HAVE to update if you don`t want to. It sounded great as is when I bought it, but hey, why not go ahead and pickup an extra amp model for free and move to the latest revision. It was really rough too...I think it took like 3 minutes.

at what level of volume do you play? TV volumes? because i PLAY at levels some consider too loud even for band practices. i play where my amplifier sounds great, not what is convienient to the land lords orders of time/date.

I play however loud I want or whatever sounds best for the amp/situation. But I could see how having great tone at lower volumes would be inconvienient....Nope, still not seeing that one either But, I do have to say that either cranking the axefx through my monitors or having them down at the point I can hear my strings over them, the axe sounds great through the entire range. The only landlord I answer to is my wife and shes a pretty cool landlord, so volume is of no consequence to me, but with the axe you get the bonus of it not even needing to be a consideration.

with that being said though, if it sounds like it covers those areas great then its an avid tool for those living in recording studios or live gigs who need the tonal versatility/library.

for me though, i dont need many tones to do one job. i want MY tone that defines MY ambitions that cannot be met within one box. its impossible. im looking at the whole picture here, from front to back. guitar fretboard to speakers in your ears. does that mean alot of gear? yes. versatile? depends. but even the amplifier i want to play through does not exist, and no patch exists for it.

like i mentioned before, a great tool on the level of eventide effects, but not for me and never will be. the day i pay that much cash for a modeling anything is the day im too old to carry my own guitar.

As I said, YMMV. I have zero issues with the amount I paid for my axe, it was less than either of my amps and worth every penny to me.

 

[glpg80]

you have more invested in one amplifier than i do in my whole current rig, or what is left of it anyway.

if i wanted to play at low volumes i wouldnt have bought a 120W tubed amplifier. thats common sense.

as far as amplifier revisions go - they are defining their own tones individually. you said it best, update the new patch and add what to your collection? a few what? exactly. there are leaders and followers, and that is why the axe fx is nothing more than a tool. constant fuck-up fixes and modeling updates to add to a library of tones. its an extremely powerful computer, and that is all the credit i will give it.

 

[Mailman1971]

 

[glpg80]

tubes have a defining context to them that differ from tube to tube of course, but you can at least experiement and get results close to your wants and needs with them. you can even bias the tubes differently, or mix and match. and thats just with the tubes! dont even get me started on resistor types, values, cap's, transformers. posibilities are endless. you cannot fine tune patch updates, as the designers are redefining and fine tuning the entire library usually when they such an update available and doing so to their leisure, not yours. so a change might benefit or neglect a defining character that you might have liked about a setting or channel. you never know.

theres only one way to detest on the axe-fx's dependability and test to time. and thats to live it. reputations arent built with papers, they are built with street credit. (cards? )

 

[Digital Jams]

I know of tons of guys, one that created perhaps the heaviest album of all time, and they have no issues sounding like they do with the axefx in a live situation.

At some point I will get one, imo that unit has no peer in the low volume basement warrior areana.

 

[gybe!]

you have more invested in one amplifier than i do in my whole current rig, or what is left of it anyway.

if i wanted to play at low volumes i wouldnt have bought a 120W tubed amplifier. thats common sense.

as far as amplifier revisions go - they are defining their own tones individually. you said it best, update the new patch and add what to your collection? a few what? exactly. there are leaders and followers, and that is why the axe fx is nothing more than a tool. constant fuck-up fixes and modeling updates to add to a library of tones. its an extremely powerful computer, and that is all the credit i will give it.

The volume argument just isn`t holding much water for me either. I mean, thats like faulting a Herbert for being a 180w amp that happens to sound great at bedroom levels. Probably the best amp I have ever played at low volumes actually. In my experience, the axe sounds great at low volume and at ear splitting volume.

Also not following the leaders and followers thing either. Or faulting it for having a multitude of tones available in it. Its like saying the xtc is a terrible amp because it has a three channels and a plexi mode. Oh gasp! Versatility! Its like saying that because it is versatile it can`t be in the cool club or something. I just don`t get it? I mean, if it sounded bad, or if every available tone in it sounded the same and didn`t respond naturally to changes in EQ/gain/etc I could get on board with faulting it (the same way I think of say line 6 gear), but the fact that there are a number of different bases from which to build your tone from does not seem like a negative. The same way a plexi sounds different in the hands of different people, so does the axe. If you are following when using the axe it sounds more like a case of user error to me.

So, I still don`t get the hate. I understand and agree its just a tool, but the same can be said for everything: guitar, amp, cab, speakers, tubes, pickups, cables, etc...Just tools to help you get the sonic landscapes in your head out into the world. Some tools are better than others and IMO, the axe can hang with the other big boys out there

 

[vchizzle]

you have more invested in one amplifier than i do in my whole current rig, or what is left of it anyway.

if i wanted to play at low volumes i wouldnt have bought a 120W tubed amplifier. thats common sense.

as far as amplifier revisions go - they are defining their own tones individually. you said it best, update the new patch and add what to your collection? a few what? exactly. there are leaders and followers, and that is why the axe fx is nothing more than a tool. constant fuck-up fixes and modeling updates to add to a library of tones. its an extremely powerful computer, and that is all the credit i will give it.

Hate to break it to ya, but every piece of gear you own is a tool...to express your musical creativity - all the way down to what kind of damn picks you use. I like my real amps and I like the Axe.

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

ones and zeros can suck my balls!


if that's your bag, then good on you.


iron and glass for me!