My AxeFx is having me consider selling my amps

[thiswaythatway]

Im alos putting together a rig built around a Fortin Modded Marshall because A) they sound beastly and B) IMO, its a moral imperative for every Rock guitar player to own a Marshall of some sort LOL

And yes, any piece of gear that is in the middle of a lot of talk will get trashed and praised by guys who own, and don't own that piece. I remember back on HCAF where you'd get burned if you said anything against the Engl Powerball. That amp was the best thing since sliced bread back in 03. Kinda like the ADA MP1 back in 1990. But the Axe seems to have survived that period of initial excitement and has a loyal following now.

 

[spawnofthesith]

Im alos putting together a rig built around a Fortin Modded Marshall because A) they sound beastly and B) IMO, its a moral imperative for every Rock guitar player to own a Marshall of some sort LOL

And yes, any piece of gear that is in the middle of a lot of talk will get trashed and praised by guys who own, and don't own that piece. I remember back on HCAF where you'd get burned if you said anything against the Engl Powerball. That amp was the best thing since sliced bread back in 03. Kinda like the ADA MP1 back in 1990. But the Axe seems to have survived that period of initial excitement and has a loyal following now.

Kinda ironic about the powerball, I think that it is probably one of the most hated amps over at HCAF these days

 

[War Admiral]

I kinda like this guy....

 

[FixXxer]

MY amps are not going anywhere... I'll be on the lookout for all your stuff when it sells

 

[spawnofthesith]

On the topic of the Axe FX holding its value for resale, it is obvious at this point that it does and will do that extremely well, but that is only going to be the case until the Axe FX 2 or whatever comes out, then the value is going to naturally go down the shitter.

In 20-50 years there won't be people drooling over "vintage modelers" as one does with vintage tube amps, they'll just be junk. Someone drew the parallel of this situation to the digital vs. film debate with cameras, and I think that might also hold in this case, photography nuts still seem to get pretty excited around vintage cameras, but no one cares about early digital cameras other than to laugh at them seeing as far as they have come.

 

[rsm]

FWIW, I agree on JM's condescending tone on the TGP threads. The attitude is not necessary and takes away from the knowledge discussions.

Still, fun to read IMO. I don't care what gear people use or their opinions on my gear - your money, buy what you want ditto for me. Thought I like to hear about what a piece of gear does for you (your objectives / goals with the gear) and how the gear is used (set-up, config, chain, settings, etc.). Just because I don't like the gear someone else likes is no reason for me to rain on their parade IMO.

 

[Gainzilla]

On the topic of the Axe FX holding its value for resale, it is obvious at this point that it does and will do that extremely well, but that is only going to be the case until the Axe FX 2 or whatever comes out, then the value is going to naturally go down the shitter.

In 20-50 years there won't be people drooling over "vintage modelers" as one does with vintage tube amps, they'll just be junk.

Speaking for myself, I base my gear purchases soley on usage; not for collecting and/or future resale value. If my fave amp cost 5k but would be worth half of that down the road, it wouldnt be a factor in the initial purchase simply because It did what I wanted it to do.

All that said, I hope that I get a decent amount of life out of my AxeFx. AFAIC, its everything that I could ever want and Im way past the honeymoon phase with it. It fits me to a T but it would suck if I had to replace it every 10 years or so...

Kage

 

[spawnofthesith]

Speaking for myself, I base my gear purchases soley on usage; not for collecting and/or future resale value. If my fave amp cost 5k but would be worth half of that down the road, it wouldnt be a factor in the initial purchase simply because It did what I wanted it to do.

All that said, I hope that I get a decent amount of life out of my AxeFx. AFAIC, its everything that I could ever want and Im way past the honeymoon phase with it. It fits me to a T but it would suck if I had to replace it every 10 years or so...

Kage

I'm with you on that, I just always see that argument come up (not just with the Axe FX, just gear in general) and it was a thought I had.

I am really curious to see where modelling is in 10 years, Cliff has pretty much totally redefined the landscape and meaning of modelling with the Axe FX, and if this is what we have now, I think its very possible that one day I myself will make the shift if things keep progressing as they have and seem to continue to do so.

 

[mortega76]

I've had my Axe-fx since 5.13 (I think) and back then (for me) the tones were very shrill and thinned out fizz. For the longest time my band mates would bitch at me that they missed the sound of my Vetta II (that I had sold to get the Axe-fx). Well, it wasn't until Cliff updated the power amp modeling on version 7.xx and more so on 9.xx that the Axe-fx sounded very good in my setup.

 

[Spaceboy]

Is Tone Merchant in Orange CA a walk-in storefront, or do they operate by appointment? I'm around LA today, and it's not too far to drive out there, but nobody is answering the phone, and I get the feeling they may not be walk-in. I need to try one of these.

What's the return policy if ordered from Fractal Audio?

 

[BrokenRomeo]

I agree, I have an Axe FX and have used it live both direct and with a tube power amp...I agree that it sounds good and you can dig as deep as you want to go, but I do not use mine live anymore...it is a great recording tool though. I went back to my mesa rig for live use...I got tired of balancing presets, having to tweak settings to match the sound of a particular room, etc...I prefer to be able to reach back and adjust a knob if I need to during a gig...it is much easier to deal with than navigating through menu's on a small screen and mess with preset settings.

 

[Ventura]

There's a reason our inspiring gunslinger guitarists out there all have stacks behind 'em...

I love 'em, as mentioned before, they give me mondo wood.

Peace Y'All,
V.

 

[Moshaholic]

Oh Hai!

AxeWAT???

I just bought a sweet SLO w/Depth mod this week...

It shipped out to me toodai!

xgx

 

[polaris20]

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)!

Hey there! I'm the guy you traded your Voodoo V-Rock to for the Bad Cat Lynx...

I wish you luck with your Axe-Fx. I just got rid of mine. I was running it through a Mesa 2:90 power amp.

To be completely honest with you... The constant tweaking is going to drive you insane. Not being able to just grab and turn a knob. Reading letters and numbers on a tiny screen. Updates after updates... New models, new cabs, new impulses... I think it's a great tool for recording. Other than that... I was using mine out at least once a week with the Mesa 2:90 and Wizard 2x12 cab wired for stereo.

I guess the biggest thing I learned from it was that: LESS IS MORE! I was making what I thought were some KILLER presets and running them in stereo... Like combining "this" amp on the left with "that" amp on the right, add some compression, or a boost, a little reverb here and there... BLAH BLAH BLAH... I found myself doing more programming than playing... Then I would get to a gig and turn it up, and I'd have to tweak some more.

Modelers will never accurately emmulate the relationship between electrical currents, vacuum tubes, and output transformers... Especially the whole concept of "vintage"... It just doesn't feel right.

The Axe-Fx was fun for a while, but nothing beats the real thing...

The tweaking aspect is why I moved away from modeling (though I did NOT have a modeler of the caliber that the A-FX is) and went back to tubes. Just simpler to deal with, especially when playing out or with friends.

I do enough fiddle-fucking around with my synth stuff. I don't need more stuff.

That being said, I still want one.

 

[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)!

Hey there! I'm the guy you traded your Voodoo V-Rock to for the Bad Cat Lynx...

I wish you luck with your Axe-Fx. I just got rid of mine. I was running it through a Mesa 2:90 power amp.

To be completely honest with you... The constant tweaking is going to drive you insane. Not being able to just grab and turn a knob. Reading letters and numbers on a tiny screen. Updates after updates... New models, new cabs, new impulses... I think it's a great tool for recording. Other than that... I was using mine out at least once a week with the Mesa 2:90 and Wizard 2x12 cab wired for stereo.

I guess the biggest thing I learned from it was that: LESS IS MORE! I was making what I thought were some KILLER presets and running them in stereo... Like combining "this" amp on the left with "that" amp on the right, add some compression, or a boost, a little reverb here and there... BLAH BLAH BLAH... I found myself doing more programming than playing... Then I would get to a gig and turn it up, and I'd have to tweak some more.

Modelers will never accurately emmulate the relationship between electrical currents, vacuum tubes, and output transformers... Especially the whole concept of "vintage"... It just doesn't feel right.

The Axe-Fx was fun for a while, but nothing beats the real thing...

The tweaking aspect is why I moved away from modeling (though I did NOT have a modeler of the caliber that the A-FX is) and went back to tubes. Just simpler to deal with, especially when playing out or with friends.

I do enough fiddle-fucking around with my synth stuff. I don't need more stuff.

That being said, I still want one.

The tweaking really doesn`t bother me at all really. Using AxEdit makes it super easy and its not really an issue. If I were to go the route of using this live or in band practices or whatever I would probably just bring along a laptop if constant on the fly adjustments were needed. I would use one to record the rehersal or gig anyways, so why not just go ahead and have it setup with the axefx as well.
Bottom line for me is that I think this little box is awesome and is a ton of fun to play through. I like it as much as any of the amps I have owned. I understand how some people may not like it, the same way I couldn`t stand the seemingly artificial responsiveness of my splawn quickrod and think the diezel herbert is a very bland amp that doesn`t cut in a live mix. What I don`t, and never will understand, are the people (of which several have chimed up in this thread) who have never played it and refuse to even give it a chance because 'itz not toobz'. But, then again, I really don`t care because I'm having too much fun playing it and it works for my needs right now. I still sound like me when I play through it, which is not something I could say for any POD I have played through (or the quickrod I had )

 

[GuitarGuyLP]

This thread is fueling my Axe gas big time

As to the concern about EQing on the fly to compensate for a room I would imagine that there is a global EQ, and if that is too difficult to adjust durring sound check couldn't you use an external rack EQ??

I must say some of the sound clips that were linked back on page two sounded killer!!! I mostly play at home, so I think that an axe might be perfect for me to run through my monitors, and for recording. It would let me get rid of a lot of money in gear. I have a Mako pre on order (that I might have to turn around and sell), and I just got a Wizard metal that sounds killer at high volumes, but OK at moderate levels.

 

[Bantam Menace]

10 years ago Harley guys used to have arguments about carburetor vs. fuel injection....this totally reminds of those threads.

That said...I'm a fuel injection guy.

 

[Jack Napalm]

I have been following the AxeFX for a while and many of the discussions. I think I'll have to get one of these when they are at version 11. Of course I would love to have one now. The flexibility is very appealing.

I do think the next hardware change will have to be better hands on controls similar to the Eleven Rack. The other guitarist in my band has the 11R and it works well for changing volume settings on the fly because of the hands on controls. He can quickly dial in a sound and control the volume without having to go through different menus. I am not sure how the AxeFx works but I have seen this 'con' to the AxeFx talked about a few times.

Modeling has come a long way and the AxeFx is still relatively new and has already pushed modeling forward. The future is only going to get brighter and the lines between tubes and digital will be further blurred.

 

[* velcro-fly *]

Is Tone Merchant in Orange CA a walk-in storefront, or do they operate by appointment? I'm around LA today, and it's not too far to drive out there, but nobody is answering the phone, and I get the feeling they may not be walk-in. I need to try one of these.

What's the return policy if ordered from Fractal Audio?

I talked to Rob the day before yesterday and he said they're in the middle of a move to a new shop in North Hollywood - basically shacking up with Rack Systems in the same building (which could be the Mother of All booteek music stores )...send him a pm through here or call him for more info.

You will want to spend more than an hour with this thing. Fractal used to have a pretty open return policy but not sure anymore. If possible I would just buy a used one and try it for a few weeks. If it doesn't work out chances are you won't lose a penny on resale. I actually made money selling mine.

 

[Spaceboy]

I'm no longer around LA, it was a one-day trip. I should be back around in August though, so maybe they'll be moved and settled in around that time.

I'm right on the edge of ordering an Axe FX, but I'm wanting one for stage use and would like to compare it with a poweramp to some real amplifiers in person. I play heavy metal, and I've been shopping around for new amps that can get me a real gut-wrenching tone. I'm just concerned that the Axe FX simulations will seem docile compared to the real deal, such an Uberschall or Fireball. It's so much cheaper than many of the high-quality amps that are popular here on RT, but can do so much more. There has to be a sacrifice somewhere, or everybody would be going Digital, right?

It looks like I'll just have to order one, and resale if it's not for me.