So to all the Axe-FX owners, what's...

[Trippled]

FWIW, I got to play through 2 different axe fx units, both sounded better than any other digital unit I heard, non sounded like a real amp, dynamic wise, and the whole "in the room" feel just wasnt there, both owners tried to tweak it to my liking, non succeeded, it didn't have the attack and "breath" of a real tube amp and I doubt that turnning some parameter there will suddenly change the whole thing.

I also always thought that if reinhold bogner and john suhr stated a preamp + power amp combo wont get the mojo of a head it's kinda pointless to try to get this with a modeling unit - obviously there's something that's going there physically that is impossible to emulate.

I'd get one for fx and direct recording though.

 

[mentoneman]

FWIW, I got to play through 2 different axe fx units, both sounded better than any other digital unit I heard, non sounded like a real amp, dynamic wise, and the whole "in the room" feel just wasnt there, both owners tried to tweak it to my liking, non succeeded, it didn't have the attack and "breath" of a real tube amp and I doubt that turnning some parameter there will suddenly change the whole thing.

I also always thought that if reinhold bogner and john suhr stated a preamp + power amp combo wont get the mojo of a head it's kinda pointless to try to get this with a modeling unit - obviously there's something that's going there physically that is impossible to emulate.

I'd get one for fx and direct recording though.

i tried and fought for 7 years to make my triaxis rack rig sound like a fat cohesive head type tone. it was great tone but not as immediate response.

then i bought the egnater tol 100 and bam we had a winner. bye bye rack.

which is why it was hard for me to delve back into that rack mentality with the axe-fx, but the appeal of not having to suss through the mire of connecting multiple units together but having multi fx sounds won me over.

it's a great device but i still struggled with achieving amp sounds i am used to with it, therefore for me not an all in one solution.

ps my two rock onyx is a happy machine!

 

[tweed]

FWIW, I got to play through 2 different axe fx units, both sounded better than any other digital unit I heard, non sounded like a real amp, dynamic wise, and the whole "in the room" feel just wasnt there, both owners tried to tweak it to my liking, non succeeded, it didn't have the attack and "breath" of a real tube amp and I doubt that turnning some parameter there will suddenly change the whole thing.

I also always thought that if reinhold bogner and john suhr stated a preamp + power amp combo wont get the mojo of a head it's kinda pointless to try to get this with a modeling unit - obviously there's something that's going there physically that is impossible to emulate.

I'd get one for fx and direct recording though.

i tried and fought for 7 years to make my triaxis rack rig sound like a fat cohesive head type tone. it was great tone but not as immediate response.

then i bought the egnater tol 100 and bam we had a winner. bye bye rack.

which is why it was hard for me to delve back into that rack mentality with the axe-fx, but the appeal of not having to suss through the mire of connecting multiple units together but having multi fx sounds won me over.

it's a great device but i still struggled with achieving amp sounds i am used to with it, therefore for me not an all in one solution.

ps my two rock onyx is a happy machine!

So you now have a Carol Ann, a Peacemaker, and a Two Rock with a Gforce for effects? Let me be the first to say YOU SUCK!

 

[mixohoytian]

I want one just for live playing
all in one, for the sole purpose of getting a decent sound without lugging everything around

I doubt it will satisfy the same way as a favored amp
but I think most gigs....I really don't care about the tone...not when I don't have a roadie

my rig was

Axe fx and rack power supply to power axe and phantom wall wart for midi footcontroller in 4 sp soft shoulder carry rack

7 pin midi cable/DMC ground control--cable phantom powered board-nice and neat

2 xlr cables to connect one EV frfr SA100x powered wedge and one tech 21 power engine 60 with replacement scumback speaker

Occasional BB preamp, teese Wah, Ernie ball volume, Zendrive out front...

sounds nice
I am hoping to go direct with it
and if that doesn't work out, then a 2x12 w/ power block
or maybe powered wedges
but do not want the rack to get bigger than 4 spaces

speaking of which, was the 4space bag easy to carry on your shoulder or would it be better to have 2space and 2 space racks then connect them?

 

[mentoneman]

FWIW, I got to play through 2 different axe fx units, both sounded better than any other digital unit I heard, non sounded like a real amp, dynamic wise, and the whole "in the room" feel just wasnt there, both owners tried to tweak it to my liking, non succeeded, it didn't have the attack and "breath" of a real tube amp and I doubt that turnning some parameter there will suddenly change the whole thing.

I also always thought that if reinhold bogner and john suhr stated a preamp + power amp combo wont get the mojo of a head it's kinda pointless to try to get this with a modeling unit - obviously there's something that's going there physically that is impossible to emulate.

I'd get one for fx and direct recording though.

i tried and fought for 7 years to make my triaxis rack rig sound like a fat cohesive head type tone. it was great tone but not as immediate response.

then i bought the egnater tol 100 and bam we had a winner. bye bye rack.

which is why it was hard for me to delve back into that rack mentality with the axe-fx, but the appeal of not having to suss through the mire of connecting multiple units together but having multi fx sounds won me over.

it's a great device but i still struggled with achieving amp sounds i am used to with it, therefore for me not an all in one solution.

ps my two rock onyx is a happy machine!

So you now have a Carol Ann, a Peacemaker, and a Two Rock with a Gforce for effects? Let me be the first to say YOU SUCK!

why thank you kindly!

man if the axe-fx could capture these amps exactly how they sound and feel to ME
it would certainly be game over!

 

[mentoneman]

I want one just for live playing
all in one, for the sole purpose of getting a decent sound without lugging everything around

I doubt it will satisfy the same way as a favored amp
but I think most gigs....I really don't care about the tone...not when I don't have a roadie

my rig was

Axe fx and rack power supply to power axe and phantom wall wart for midi footcontroller in 4 sp soft shoulder carry rack

7 pin midi cable/DMC ground control--cable phantom powered board-nice and neat

2 xlr cables to connect one EV frfr SA100x powered wedge and one tech 21 power engine 60 with replacement scumback speaker

Occasional BB preamp, teese Wah, Ernie ball volume, Zendrive out front...

sounds nice
I am hoping to go direct with it
and if that doesn't work out, then a 2x12 w/ power block
or maybe powered wedges
but do not want the rack to get bigger than 4 spaces

speaking of which, was the 4space bag easy to carry on your shoulder or would it be better to have 2space and 2 space racks then connect them?

i still had to use a cart to get everything in one trip
EV, tech21, 4 space rack, guitar, accessory bag for cables, pedals, strings, tools...

 

[Ventura]

Two Rock.... Nice!!!!!

V.

yes , it is.

you have the right setup though, tube pre, axe, tube power.....you and pete thorn have the right approach with the axe rigs...the tube factor for me has to be part of it to satisfy my needs.

Well, after fussing to the point of OCD with my Mak's preamp glass (FWIW, all Gold Lion ECC83/B759 except the CLEAN, JanPhilips 5751, and the V6 output buffer tube, TungSol reissue), I can't see NOT wanting that as my headfirst voicing. I remarked last night or so that I was jonesing to get into the Axe this week. Today I had a couple hours, I just played through the Mak4, thing's sizzlin' now with the new glass. Didn't need to "augment" it with the Axe.

As for having my and Pete Thorn's name in the same sentence, wow, never thought I'd see the day

Tonight though? Ya man, I'll be getting bizzy with the Marsha BE patch, and the "Corksniffer" preset. Tasty tones, readily available, perfect through the cans or on a mouse's mic size volume.

V.

 

[robertkoa]

One thing that's very impressive to me about the Axe Fx ( ( I don't have one ) that very few people have mentioned is you can take it on the road and to gigs and it's very reliable and road worthy- even with all the Efx and Sims, and Cab Sims, and multiple routings , etc.

Imagine using a Computer for ANY of that at a gig- as soon as somebody sneezed in the third row, or the Power went down .2 volts- you'd need a reboot- so the RELIABILITY must be amazing on the Axe Fx- 'cause nobody seems to have problems with that- and I personally love the idea of having studio quality sound "Live" or recording and not needing ( high)volume for great tones.

 

[lespaul3013]

One thing that's very impressive to me about the Axe Fx ( ( I don't have one ) that very few people have mentioned is you can take it on the road and to gigs and it's very reliable and road worthy- even with all the Efx and Sims, and Cab Sims, and multiple routings , etc.

Imagine using a Computer for ANY of that at a gig- as soon as somebody sneezed in the third row, or the Power went down .2 volts- you'd need a reboot- so the RELIABILITY must be amazing on the Axe Fx- 'cause nobody seems to have problems with that- and I personally love the idea of having studio quality sound "Live" or recording and not needing ( high)volume for great tones.

+1

 

[richedie]

I have to admit, as much as I love my tube amps, my Bogner and Mesa, I really can see myself getting an AxeFX rig in the next year or so with a tube power amp and guitar cab to get more in the room feel to it.......I just want to end my madness. I am always on the peowl for the next great amp and it is getting expensive, LOL. Even though digital rigs reaqire more tweaking, they can also be freeing at the same time.

 

[jlbaxe]

I have to admit, as much as I love my tube amps, my Bogner and Mesa, I really can see myself getting an AxeFX rig in the next year or so with a tube power amp and guitar cab to get more in the room feel to it.......I just want to end my madness. I am always on the peowl for the next great amp and it is getting expensive, LOL. Even though digital rigs reaqire more tweaking, they can also be freeing at the same time.

Honestly I do not spend much time tweaking. You can dial an amp in just as easy as a real one. You do have more control of sag, brightness caps, tube biasing and more. That's not even getting into cabs, air, freq, open/closed IRs.

I might adjust the sag a little to tighten an amp up but really I rarely even mess with effects that much. I have a few presets for Pink Floyd and stuff like that.

You can by an Axe-fx and see how deep the rabbit hole goes..... Or you can keep your amp and wake up tomorrow and gas for every other amp out there.....

 

[jlbaxe]

Oh I have probably, most likely, ok I have, tweaked my Mesa mK III more than the AFX

 

[Valtiel]

Had my AxeFX for about a year and a half now, still love it as much as I always have. Came from playing an Egnater MOD50 (killer amp of course) and a boutique-y hand wired Two-Rockish amp. I was super happy with those, always got great tones, always sounded like me. Tried out the AxeFX with a SS power amp through the same cabs and guess what? Always got great tones, always sounded like me. But now I had everything together under one roof in terms of effects along with a ridiculous array of awesome amps that I would probably never have owned otherwise.

I don't play live anymore due to work and I use the AxeFX for direct recording and I am even happier with it in that capacity. The tones so far have always been what I needed them to be and I have not even touched 70% of the amp models in the thing. Redwirez are great, Ownhammers are great, and plenty of the stock IR's are great too. The things responds flawlessly to any guitar I put into it (I do not share mentoneman's issue of rolling the guitar volume down and having difficulties, always worked brilliantly for me) and its been a dream to record with. Definitely an exciting time to be a guitar player.

 

[richedie]

My new 2011 Dual Rectifier and 20th Anniversary EL34 Shiva are not going anywhere....but I would be interested in lookin at the Axe FX.
I was looking at a Marshall type amp like a Splawn or Baron, then thought it would be nice to have a Mark series amp, maybe a Mark V? You see where this is going. Maybe the Axe FX could help quench this thirst.

 

[Valtiel]

If it were me I would ditch the Recto and pick up an Axe because IMO there is nothing a Recto can do that the Axe can't, it nails Recto tones.

 

[richedie]

If it were me I would ditch the Recto and pick up an Axe because IMO there is nothing a Recto can do that the Axe can't, it nails Recto tones.

Bro, I hear ya man......I just have a hard time letting go of that in the room fell and punch of a realy amp. Anything I run with the Axe FX will be colored by my tube power amp to some degree......but I would hope using a nice VHT tube power amp or any 6L6 power amp would help give some transparency. I have to get used to having to tweak patches again! Yikes. LOL.

Right now I have been a tube amp and a few pedals guy! I still need that rig too!

 

[Ventura]

If it were me I would ditch the Recto and pick up an Axe because IMO there is nothing a Recto can do that the Axe can't, it nails Recto tones.

Bro, I hear ya man......I just have a hard time letting go of that in the room fell and punch of a realy amp. Anything I run with the Axe FX will be colored by my tube power amp to some degree......but I would hope using a nice VHT tube power amp or any 6L6 power amp would help give some transparency. I have to get used to having to tweak patches again! Yikes. LOL.

Right now I have been a tube amp and a few pedals guy! I still need that rig too!

With the right power section, the Axe gettin' colored ain't a bad thing WHATsoever. Hell, I'm digging some of the amp emus more than the real thing!! Sad but true. Instant tonal success - imagine. I'm over it now, no more remorse for the lack of glass... I've got my big rigs too, wasn't a "them or us" kinda thing, but the Axe-Ultra?? I'm on it 75% of the time now, the other 25% using it solely as an fx module for my Mak4. Once ya get over the "need for glass" mentality, it becomes very obvious, very quickly this thing does it all - and does it very, very well.

Can't believe I'm saying it. But in my opinion, it's 100% true.
V.

 

[jlbaxe]

...You take the TUBE, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the AXE, you stay in wonderland, and i show you how deep the input hole goes…

 

[Rogue]

You take the AXE, you stay in wonderland, and i show you how deep the input hole goes…

Soooo, the AxeFX is like a fantasy?

 

[hellaboogie]

...You take the TUBE, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the AXE, you stay in wonderland, and i show you how deep the input hole goes…