victim5150":2viieahz said:
What it came down to for me was the sound of my guitar coming out of the PA. Which is all that really matters anyway. What your audience and fans are going to hear. I used to be all about what it sounded like to me on stage. But most of the time I could barely hear myself anyway cause the soundman or singer was whining for me to turn it down so I was depending more on my front stage monitors anyway. When I was finally able to get the same sound as my amp mic'ed through the PA out of my AX8 running direct to the PA that did it for me. Things had changed. I had my Axe and Kemper for 3 years before that happened though. Took a lot of firmware updates and tweaking to reach that point but now is has for me anyway. I can't tell the difference between the two. When I AB my AX8 rig running direct to the PA with my EVH halfstack mic'ed and going through the PA I can't tell the difference. Granted I have 44 year old ears and 25 of those have been spent with cranked halstacks and drumkits blasting in my ears. But if I can't tell the difference then no way some average person that comes to our shows will be able to tell the difference. Plus we use stage scrims so you can't tell if there's an amp behind it or not. Bottom line is do what makes you happy. What makes me happy is getting my sound without having to lug around 4x12 cab's anymore. I had back surgery 2 years ago so going this digital route will allow me to keep gigging many more years. And I have a Kemper and a Axe-FX XL too but just prefer the convenience of the all in one AX8 so it's what gets gigged. At home I use all of them hear and there. And I still have my amps too.
^^^THIS^^^
I still have my amps and they stay at home. No reason to bring my babies out to gigs, even bigger shows. I recently got a Friedman head and there's no way my $3600 head is going to gigs where it might get damaged or stolen. I'll profile it, record with it, and happily match the tone in my Axe FX.
I agree with this for many of the reasons stated, specifically the sound through the PA. That's what everyone in the crowd hears, not your amp onstage. If you can get a great tone, consistently, I can't imagine why anyone with the possibility wouldn't choose this. On top of that, the ease and convenience of some these fantastic machines is HUGE. AND there is much less to worry about...no tubes, separate pedals, long strings of cables, etc...I have been gigging Fractal stuff for a few years now, in a variety of configurations, with nothing but EXCELLENT results. I just got my AX8 and am so excited to be able to take it with me when I fly out to a show in late July. Doesn't get much better for guys that are gigging regularly and also those that need a variety of tonal possibilities.
What is totally sweet is I know that whatever back line is there when I arrive, I will still have "MY" tone. No worries, no depending on sound companies or hearing "sorry, this was all that was available." I simply ask for a couple of XLR's and run direct to the board...maybe I will even run a power amp and some cabs for fun too. That's ROCK!!!
Of course, YMMV as always.
However if you haven't tried some of these killer pieces of gear, I will simply suggest you give them a whirl. Truly revolutionary. It's a great time to be a guitar player
