On choosing an amp

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CrossHairSB

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:confused: I want an amp that has a low noise floor if you will. One that provides a meaty girth... like it kicks you in the gut when playing power chords. So the Marsha or any of the other amps Dave makes caught my attention... but I gotta ask why should I pay $3000 or more when I can pay $2000 for the Axe Fx which has the Marsha in it & gives soooo much more?
CH
 
Thats on you big guy... but to come in another builders forum and ask a question like this is considered by some to be insulting! Maybe if you wanted to know the difference then you could have kept this same posting over in the Rig Talk section where you originally posted it, or gone over to the Fractal websites forum and ask if they have ever had the pleasure to play a Marsha compared to the Axe sim, as that would have gotten you a better result. Not busting your ballz but just making you aware as politely as I can about how others could be offended by the nature of this question, especially Dave. There is a Moderator on here that demo'd the sim, and has probably played both the marsha and the axe sim, maybe he can throw in his 2 cents about if the real amp is worth it or if you should just buy the axe. Good luck in your search for the right rig.
 
Yea I'm searching real hard for the right amp and am not really worrying about who's toes I step on in the process. I mean no harm and I apologies if I come off as politically incorrect but before I spend thousands more of my hard earned coin, I'd just like help in understanding what differences there are between the two units. I mean if the marsha provides the punch and girth I'm looking for whereas the Axe Fx doesn't then its a no brainer to go with the Marsha.
CH
 
I saw a video of Pete Thorn touring in Europe just playing the Axe FX unit only. This is the guy who plays Marshas and Suhr PT100 so I think it depends on the application. We don't have the choice to use different amplifiers like the artists do. I think it's OK to ask before you spend your precious money.
 
It's not just about sound and amp-guitar feel connection about the hands-on approach you prefer and how much diversification of tones you desired.

Do you want to scroll through presets and menus and tweak to your hearts desire or plug in and play? And tweakability during a song at a gig? Direct recording needed?.....I think it's more of an Axe Fx vs amp thing than Ax vs Marsha IMHO.

Of course I'm just rambling.
 
I'll be honest with you guys I use to own an Axe Fx Ultra and had an ok time with it but eventually sold it. I enjoyed all the effects inside but no matter how many there are I always pretty much ended up sticking to a good distortion chain. So that's why I'm thinking that an amp is really all I need but can't say whether or not I'm a "Marshall" kinda guy cuz i've never owned one. I'd love to be that guy who simply plugs into an amp with some luscious reverb, delay and Phase shifter and never looks back. I want to be a poster child of some amp company, wear shirts of theirs and have a bumper sticker on my car saying "Marsha RULES" or "Egnaters Rule" etc... etc.... So far I've given the Axe Fx a chance and a Dual Rectifer but didn't quite deliver. Now, I have a pair of skumbacks on their way and those amps could've been perfectly fine but my speakers might not have been delivering idk.
Hope to do the right thing and don't want to rub anyone the wrong way.
CH gnight
 
CrossHairSB":10a28fur said:
:confused: I want an amp that has a low noise floor if you will. One that provides a meaty girth... like it kicks you in the gut when playing power chords. So the Marsha or any of the other amps Dave makes caught my attention... but I gotta ask why should I pay $3000 or more when I can pay $2000 for the Axe Fx which has the Marsha in it & gives soooo much more?
CH
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If you got to ask the question, you should probably just buy an Axe FX. None of your friends will know the difference and its like a gazillion amps built into one. You can save a lot of money on tubes and neat pedals and stuff too.

Steve
 
You have to really think about what tone you are chasing and what you want out of an amp. Most people that have ordered a Friedman mod or amp, hear a certain tone in their head and will only be happy with that tone.

I have found that the modded Marshall tone is my tone. I heard Doug Aldrich's tone on the DIO Live in NYC DVD and it was over for me. Years ago I wanted a Cameron modded Marshall because that is what Doug uses but I was unable to convince any friends to sell me theirs. :) Additionally, the bottom dropped out of the Cameron amp line so I just gave up.

Fast forward to a few years later. I start seeing posts about Friedman mods, the Marsha, the Naked, etc. I was listening to clips every night and really doing my homework on what Dave could do. I finally sent my amp out for Dave to mod and will have it back soon.

Bottom line is you should do your homework and completely exhaust your options, etc. It is just like going to a grocery store when you are hungry. You just start throwing everything into your cart. You need to pinpoint what you like and don't like about amps and decide if a Friedman amp is going to make you happy. As I get older, I'm getting away from having a ton of tones at my disposal. I'd rather have one solid rock tone from a single amp.
 
Honestly if you don't see what the advantage of buying a handmade real amp over a box of ones and zeros then you should save your money and buy the Axe FX.
 
CrossHairSB":3ce6d30a said:
Yea I'm searching real hard for the right amp and am not really worrying about who's toes I step on in the process. I mean no harm and I apologies if I come off as politically incorrect but before I spend thousands more of my hard earned coin, I'd just like help in understanding what differences there are between the two units. I mean if the marsha provides the punch and girth I'm looking for whereas the Axe Fx doesn't then its a no brainer to go with the Marsha.
CH
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You're not worrying about who's toes you step on, but then you apologize for it when you're not apologetic at all? I gotta remember this approach to intentional stomping on someone and see if no one catches me at it! Oh wait I just caught you. :lol: :LOL:

I'm pretty sure the Axe FX requires a power amp/monitors/cables/etc. You'll need to figure out what speakers/cabs/etc work best for the Axe FX and your tone needs. Rob @ Tone Merchants probably has a good idea, you might contact him.

When you program a digital unit you need to be diligent in keeping track of settings, which requires either a really good memory or that you write/type it down and print/save it.

And you'll need to do that with each patch (hundreds?) or tone you want. As long as you're prepared to do that, go with the Axe FX.

I've been playing for awhile and have wound up realizing that less is more, and the simpler the setup, the more effective it is with sonic impact and improved tone. My digital fx/boards/presets are history, and I've gone back to regular analog fx and tube amps. Been there, done that, thanks but no thanks.

If you're just playing at home, and want all the tones an Axe FX provides, then you should go with that. But you are stepping on Dave's toes posing a question as you have and you could have formed/worded your inquiry in a way that wasn't so blatant, while still getting an answer. Or in other words, a little tact would have been nice.

Good luck in your tone quest.
 
if you're in a cover band--- go with the axe fx... if your passion is music and you're making a real record in a real studio, get a friedman amp
 
Your missing one obvious option .You can pick up a friedman modded marshall for less than 2k . I would love to have a marsha but I will probably never have one cause I just can't justify 3k . I do however have a friedman modded marshall and it kicks ass . :rock: .
I can get a lot of different tones from it as well .No its not as versital as one of those digital modeling boxes but I don't need all that crap . I personally hate units like the axe fx cause I spend to much time tweeking and not enough time playing . If you already had an fx and sold it then it obviousely wasn't doing it for you so why do you want another one? Just get an old marshall have Dave mod it and be done with it . :thumbsup:
 
splatter":2d78muq7 said:
Your missing one obvious option .You can pick up a friedman modded marshall for less than 2k . I would love to have a marsha but I will probably never have one cause I just can't justify 3k . I do however have a friedman modded marshall and it kicks ass . :rock: .
I can get a lot of different tones from it as well .No its not as versital as one of those digital modeling boxes but I don't need all that crap . I personally hate units like the axe fx cause I spend to much time tweeking and not enough time playing . If you already had an fx and sold it then it obviousely wasn't doing it for you so why do you want another one? Just get an old marshall have Dave mod it and be done with it . :thumbsup:
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I have a 79 JMP 100 he modded. Killer amp :thumbsup: I never played a Marsha but the old Marshalls are built very well. The transformers and mounts are excellent.
 
James Lugo":16semefe said:
Honestly if you don't see what the advantage of buying a handmade real amp over a box of ones and zeros then you should save your money and buy the Axe FX.
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This.

And like it or not, the original post was insulting. You could have easily worded it in a more appropriate fashion. That said...good luck on your search, we all know it takes a lot of thought.
 
Try a POD 500.

Play it for a while and figure out what 'real' amp you like. Time changes many things. If you drop a few bucks on the POD, it is relatively cheap compared to cycling thru a few expensive heads.

If you decide on the Marshallish tone, you know where to go.
 
Heritage Softail":24zelueg said:
Try a POD 500.

Play it for a while and figure out what 'real' amp you like. Time changes many things. If you drop a few bucks on the POD, it is relatively cheap compared to cycling thru a few expensive heads.

If you decide on the Marshallish tone, you know where to go.
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You took the words right out of my mouth. I was thinking the same thing. Get a taste of the modeling world and step up if it moves you in the right direction.
 
Yes, you could have re-worded your post to not sound so rude for sure :gethim:
Anyways I pulled the trigger on a Marsha a while back.. Out of all the amps I have owned this is by far my favorite.. Its one of those less is more things.. Single channel with a few options and sounds incredible! I have been gigging with it every Fri&Sat night for the last couple months and its great.. Playing 50+ songs a night from Beatles to Journey to Metallica and it covers them all . Like lowmantotemple said, from the 1st chord to the last this amp delivers!
 
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