Steve Vai going with the Axe-Fx

[Rogue]

It does chocolate better than Hershey.

 

[Mailman1971]

WOW! This is awesome! I wonder if he will be able to do "Little Green Men" live now?

He will!! And with the right upgrades....it will sound ALMOST REAL!

Sorry......couldnt resist.
I am really not a Axefx hater.....I just like to rip on everything.

 

[rsm]

IMO, as more gigging / pro guitarists learn about, hear and try the Axe-Fx, more will adopt it. AFAIK, unless something has changed, Cliff / FAS does not pay endorsements...so Vai is using this w/o being compensated. Even if he is under contract with others as an endorser, I doubt he signed anything that would limit his choice of gear beyond direct competitors? dunno, I will never have this problem - being good enough to be asked to endorse any gear It's not like he's endorsing amp brand X and using amp brand y live...maybe indirectly using the models in the AFX.

I dig my tube amps and my mass market modelers, but I'm not into shopping for NOS tubes and paying more for them than the price of the amp new. I hate testing and swapping tubes, FWIW...major PITA with Vox combos IMO...so I see an Axe-Fx in my distant future, again. Had the Ultra, sold it, missed it, moved on, will return someday.

Just wait 'til Robben Ford uses one live, TGP will have a melt down the likes we haven't seen since HC 2.0. If I was Cliff, I'd schedule a meeting with RF where he could try an Ultra and just see what happens. RF with an AFX would be priceless, IMO.

 

[Ventura]

I think anytime a top league famed star does a job like this, they basically just have to rub up against the product for a few public displays of affection and then move on with their real business. I mean jaaaaayzeeeus - all these cats who endorse Tone Bone, or Eleven, or BOSS, or Fractal - I love the fact that when I get the opportunity to see their live rigs, most of their endorsement products are never there - or, at best - often there in combination with their direct competition.

Atta Boy Stevie, ya made a good lot of cake on being the yes-boy for Fractal, now you and the Missus can buy some more bees and move forward. I'm stoked for ya. But I ain't sold on Axe FX or any other do-all rack system. I love my feet on my tone, not some mystery robot behind me sitting beside my amp.

Call me oldschool, I'm just straight up.

V.

 

[rsm]

FAS doesn't pay for endorsements. Cliff has stated this many times. Not sure how Vai made any cake on this, but he did have to fork over about 2000 clams for an Ultra though.



straight up = tellling the truth. IMO.

I'd be interested in seeing what if anything Vai received for digging the Axe-Fx. There's no proof that any artist on the FAS site has been compensated in any way AFAIK. If there was, you'd see a line of artists looking for freebees from FAS, IMO.

 

[Digital Jams]

Man.............

I gots the top down, too far to drive back home tonight baby.

You bitches can't hang with Vai

 

[rsm]

FAS doesn't pay for endorsements. Cliff has stated this many times.

Maybe not free but I'd be willing to bet that some men are given hefty discounts for internet publicity though.

Great point...Quite possible, though we may never know for sure. As long as he paid a $1 (or less), it's still not free; and AFAIK, he isn't being paid to use one based on Cliff's public statements on endorsements. I was commmenting on endorsements, and the comment about actually using products an artist endorses. Even with a discount, Vai isn't making anything else AFAIK. Remains to be seen if SV actually uses it or adds it to his toy collection?

Does Cliff stop by here anymore?

 

[ttosh]

This is what I find amazing.

Steve Vai, Andy Wood, Marty Friedman, Steve Stevens, John Pettruci and the list goes on. They are all on the artist list and are using, will use the Axe FX based on this. What is the big hype over a musician like any of these guys using a specific piece of gear?

I know we all have influences and I also know that in a cover band that some people like to cover songs as accurately as possible while others like to add their own flair to it. I play only originals except for fun so no biggie here for me.

I guess my point is does it matter that one such person uses a certain piece of equipment. I guess if you want to flat out imitate somebody then the answer is yes. I have heard a lot of guys imitate Eddie Van Halen and search for years for all the keys to the tone. Some have come close like Rockstah, etc.. but IMHO in the end a lot of that is they got a great knack for Eddies feel just as much if not more than his tone.

I think the Axe FX is great but I am just so amazed at how much each side goes crazy when (place person here) now is using one, or no longer uses one. For me equipment like guitars, amps, effects are all there to inspire us as musicians. Ask Scott how inspiring the Eventide H3000 is, I bet he has come up with some new stuff already with it. In the end why worry about who is playing what and start worrying about what inspires you and helps you make your music heard by others or more enjoyable to yourself.

My apologies if this offended anybody but I really wanted to say this.....

 

[ejecta]

FAS doesn't pay for endorsements. Cliff has stated this many times.

Maybe not free but I'd be willing to bet that some men are given hefty discounts for internet publicity though.

I'd be willing to bet that too. At least sold to them at his cost.

 

[griffiti]

WOW! This is awesome! I wonder if he will be able to do "Little Green Men" live now?

I believe the H3000 covers that, just need to figure out how to turn the damn thing on.

LOL Scott, don't lie to us, I got an email from Vai.com that the presets he programmed for that unit has been overused and overloaded in the last 3 days, seems they have not stopped and the outer edges of space are getting anxious to overtake our planet from the tonal signals you are sending out.

As far as Vai goes he is a guitarist and a professional. I have said this before and I will say it again endorsements are cool but the bottom line is the news is this (place your artist that endorses anything here), they are the story. Their abilities to write, record, shred, solo with soul/emotion, whatever may be is in them, not a black box or a tube head. Sure each artist finds a signature sound, but I look at some of my favorites and over the years they have changed a lot about their gear, and guess what they still sound like them.... The Axe FX will not change Steve Vai, he will use it as a tool and be Steve Vai.

Hope that made some sense, it is too early for me to be posting anyway.

Getting ready to write a little diddy about the magic box as I am back home and spent about 2 hours with it last night, I now hear what some have said and that is the way that eventide colors the core tone and how it is really good on how it is colored. There is that eventide color that is magic. I was in tears last night I was laughing so hard how good it sounds with high gain, the swells and decays are stupid good.

Can't wait to make a small high gain demo of this box and not going near anything U2

This is why I sold my Axe FX Standard and Ultra, for FX the AXE is great, but the Eventide coloring is something I favor very much, and even though the FX of the Axe is great, it never made the sound special to my ears like an Eventide does. That is not a good thing for everyone, as some would prefer more transparent effects which then the Axe is second to none IMHO.

I am glad you are digging the Eventide, post up the video, don't forget the candy stripe spandex boxers for barzini and get this show going.

Now back to the original Axe FX Topic at hand......

I hear pain medication can do wonders for your playing as well. In fact, enough pain medication can make any piece of gear sound great and add color to your tone!!

 

[Ethn Hayabusa]

Vai has good and bad tones. His tone on Alien Love Secrets is wonderful, and Passion And Warfare has some great sounds.

Modern Vai (Post Fire Garden) is not my idea of good tone.

 

[tnourse]

Vai has never been one of my favorites. Good tone or bad tone. His talent is undeniable and he is super fun to watch live. His playing just doesn't do it for me.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

Vai's tones have always been pretty processed sounding to me, not suprised.

 

[Digital Jams]

This is what I find amazing.

Steve Vai, Andy Wood, Marty Friedman, Steve Stevens, John Pettruci and the list goes on. They are all on the artist list and are using, will use the Axe FX based on this. What is the big hype over a musician like any of these guys using a specific piece of gear?

I know we all have influences and I also know that in a cover band that some people like to cover songs as accurately as possible while others like to add their own flair to it. I play only originals except for fun so no biggie here for me.

I guess my point is does it matter that one such person uses a certain piece of equipment. I guess if you want to flat out imitate somebody then the answer is yes. I have heard a lot of guys imitate Eddie Van Halen and search for years for all the keys to the tone. Some have come close like Rockstah, etc.. but IMHO in the end a lot of that is they got a great knack for Eddies feel just as much if not more than his tone.

I think the Axe FX is great but I am just so amazed at how much each side goes crazy when (place person here) now is using one, or no longer uses one. For me equipment like guitars, amps, effects are all there to inspire us as musicians. Ask Scott how inspiring the Eventide H3000 is, I bet he has come up with some new stuff already with it. In the end why worry about who is playing what and start worrying about what inspires you and helps you make your music heard by others or more enjoyable to yourself.

My apologies if this offended anybody but I really wanted to say this.....

The thing is that the H3000 makes me want to try different things, learn proper settings for delays, listen to verbs really hard and focus on alternate ways to play and express myself. I will also concede that yes there is that "mojo" thing in the back of my mind hence not writing any honeymoon threads yet. The greatest studios and players all used it.

Now creating my own patch so far? Not quite

The Axefx can also bring that same thing into one's playing and I think it is very cool so many people have picked it up.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

This is what I find amazing.

Steve Vai, Andy Wood, Marty Friedman, Steve Stevens, John Pettruci and the list goes on. They are all on the artist list and are using, will use the Axe FX based on this. What is the big hype over a musician like any of these guys using a specific piece of gear?

I know we all have influences and I also know that in a cover band that some people like to cover songs as accurately as possible while others like to add their own flair to it. I play only originals except for fun so no biggie here for me.

I guess my point is does it matter that one such person uses a certain piece of equipment. I guess if you want to flat out imitate somebody then the answer is yes. I have heard a lot of guys imitate Eddie Van Halen and search for years for all the keys to the tone. Some have come close like Rockstah, etc.. but IMHO in the end a lot of that is they got a great knack for Eddies feel just as much if not more than his tone.

I think the Axe FX is great but I am just so amazed at how much each side goes crazy when (place person here) now is using one, or no longer uses one. For me equipment like guitars, amps, effects are all there to inspire us as musicians. Ask Scott how inspiring the Eventide H3000 is, I bet he has come up with some new stuff already with it. In the end why worry about who is playing what and start worrying about what inspires you and helps you make your music heard by others or more enjoyable to yourself.

My apologies if this offended anybody but I really wanted to say this.....

Follow the money.

It's like the 1000lb gorilla version of endorsement ads in guitar mags back in the day. Except now you have tons of people running around internet gear forums in an epic online marketing battle.

 

[JakeAC5253]

The Axe FX will not change Steve Vai, he will use it as a tool and be Steve Vai.

It's ironic how you mention 'a tool' and Steve Vai in the same sentence.

I've heard a few guys on the Line 6 forum nail, and i mean NIAL, Vai's tone with a PODXT. Too bad Vai just doesn't plug a Tube Screamer into a Marshall so he'd actually have great tone for once.

I've heard pretty good results with a POD. Hell, if you've listened to any Meshuggah from Catch 33 on, you've heard a Line 6 POD. It works really well for some people and certain styles. I'm just one of those guys that sets up a mic in front of a great cab with a tube head on top and presses record. I'll most likely never go the route of a POD or even an AXE FX. It has nothing to do with how they sound either. I suppose that makes me stubborn.

 

[Hacksaw]

I hear pain medication can do wonders for your playing as well. In fact, enough pain medication can make any piece of gear sound great and add color to your tone!!

It's amazing how well those work for him! When I did them... uh.. never mind
~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~



+1 eventide sound.

What I like about any gear is you usually always set the stuff to sound the same as you want it to sound.. Call it your signature sound, rather tubes or AF. I've heard clips from some AF players that sound close to their daily amps.. so I haven't found a reason to change and makes me wonder why some have changed. They still sound the same.. Sometimes I don't "get it" I guess!

Regarding Vai, he has horded gear for decades. He's a Horder!! What happened to that funky fretted guitar he said he was going to start using? I haven't seen it. ??

 

[tekbow]

Right i was meaning to post a "axefx, educate me" type thread, but i just went off and read the manual.. no thanks, seems like way too much time will be spent messing about.. for those that are good with this kind of kit, it's prbably a breeze, but i don' even like 3 channel heads.

i used to, just have got simpler in taste as i've gotten older

 

[EWSEthan]

Vai's tone on "Alien Love Secrets" was amazing. That was also easily his best album IMO. That was the first time I heard an XTC and I didnt even know what a Bogner was but my ears immediately recognized that it was something really special. The rest of his tone has always been pretty much craptastic. Im pretty sure the AxeFX will do little to change that. In the right hands, the AxeFX can be a great tool, but when it puts so much at your disposal, most people will over do it. I have no doubt Vai will be one of those people given his track record for excess.