Johan Allard
Power User
Last week I received my new Xitone custom Axe FX II combo. Here's a couple of pictures.
Overview. The top rack compartment is 3U in size, enough for the Axe FX II and the RAC12 from Fxunits.com.
Inspected (and approved) by one of our cat's (Rufus):
Back:
Detailed view of amp and configuration in the low middle. The top button is a 3dB pad for the FRFR. The second button disables FRFR (disables the tweeter in the FRFR coaxial speaker) making it sound much closer to a regular cab. The green speakon connector runs a parallel output to another speaker if needed and at the very bottom is master power with a master power switch for the unit.
Builtin powerboard:
It feels like I'm constantly searching for the easiest and my convenient way to setup my Axe FX. The latest in my quest has been to get a custom build from Xitone that is effectively an Axe FX II combo.
Looks
I think it looks awesome. To the untrained eye it could almost pass for a regular guitar combo, a big difference from my previous Yamaha DXR10 setup.
Sound
It sounds great. In comparison to my previous Yamaha DXR10, it is definitely clearer and sounds flatter to me. Where's the DXR10 has a bit of midrange hump, I don't hear that at all with the Emminence Beta Coaxial speaker and the Xitone cab. Another thing that is much, much better is the dispertion. This is probably due to the coaxial speaker but regardless, it is much better. Almost anywhere I stand it sounds the same. Very cool.
Setup and teardown
With this setup, only 3 cables are required. Master power, connection from the Axe Fx to the MFC and guitar cable. That's it. First time I used it was on a gig on Saturday and it's just much easier to roll it on stage, hook up power, connect the MFC, connect the guitar and rock out. Same thing afterwards, a couple of cables and I was out of there. Clearly much easier than my previous setup.
The build
Mick from Xitone has been just awesome to deal with throughout the build. We had lengthy discussions on features and he added the cable runs and power board you see in the pictures. All features I wanted in my quest for the ultimate in convenience. He also sent lots of pictures all the way through. Just a 100% awesome top guy. I would not hesitate the slightest using Xitone again, and I'd recommend them to anyone looking for a speaker solution. Just awesome!
Convenience
That is the important question in the end. Is it more convenient. And for me, sadly, it isn't. And it isn't for one very stupid reason. It doesn't easily fit in my car. Now, I drive a fairly small car – a VW Golf, and I can fit the Yamaha DXR10, the Axe Fx 2 in a gator case, the MFC101 on a pedaltrain 2 and 2 guitars in a mono dual guitar bag, all in my trunk. It's a tight fit but it fits. But with the Xitone combo, it takes just that little bit more room that I had to fold my back seats just to get everything to the gig. This is just one of these things that never crossed my mind to check before ordering, and we did discuss dimensions and I just didn't check. So if I just had a little bit bigger car, like I did before going down the Axe Fx route, it wouldn't have been a problem and it would definitely have been more convenient. So if you're driving something that's just a little bit bigger than a Golf and want the ultimate in Axe Fx rehearsing/gigging convenience (at least if you're currently carrying your own monitor solution), just tell Mick that you want something like this one, or PM me and I'm sure we can make a deal .
Thanks for looking!
Overview. The top rack compartment is 3U in size, enough for the Axe FX II and the RAC12 from Fxunits.com.
Inspected (and approved) by one of our cat's (Rufus):
Back:
Detailed view of amp and configuration in the low middle. The top button is a 3dB pad for the FRFR. The second button disables FRFR (disables the tweeter in the FRFR coaxial speaker) making it sound much closer to a regular cab. The green speakon connector runs a parallel output to another speaker if needed and at the very bottom is master power with a master power switch for the unit.
Builtin powerboard:
It feels like I'm constantly searching for the easiest and my convenient way to setup my Axe FX. The latest in my quest has been to get a custom build from Xitone that is effectively an Axe FX II combo.
Looks
I think it looks awesome. To the untrained eye it could almost pass for a regular guitar combo, a big difference from my previous Yamaha DXR10 setup.
Sound
It sounds great. In comparison to my previous Yamaha DXR10, it is definitely clearer and sounds flatter to me. Where's the DXR10 has a bit of midrange hump, I don't hear that at all with the Emminence Beta Coaxial speaker and the Xitone cab. Another thing that is much, much better is the dispertion. This is probably due to the coaxial speaker but regardless, it is much better. Almost anywhere I stand it sounds the same. Very cool.
Setup and teardown
With this setup, only 3 cables are required. Master power, connection from the Axe Fx to the MFC and guitar cable. That's it. First time I used it was on a gig on Saturday and it's just much easier to roll it on stage, hook up power, connect the MFC, connect the guitar and rock out. Same thing afterwards, a couple of cables and I was out of there. Clearly much easier than my previous setup.
The build
Mick from Xitone has been just awesome to deal with throughout the build. We had lengthy discussions on features and he added the cable runs and power board you see in the pictures. All features I wanted in my quest for the ultimate in convenience. He also sent lots of pictures all the way through. Just a 100% awesome top guy. I would not hesitate the slightest using Xitone again, and I'd recommend them to anyone looking for a speaker solution. Just awesome!
Convenience
That is the important question in the end. Is it more convenient. And for me, sadly, it isn't. And it isn't for one very stupid reason. It doesn't easily fit in my car. Now, I drive a fairly small car – a VW Golf, and I can fit the Yamaha DXR10, the Axe Fx 2 in a gator case, the MFC101 on a pedaltrain 2 and 2 guitars in a mono dual guitar bag, all in my trunk. It's a tight fit but it fits. But with the Xitone combo, it takes just that little bit more room that I had to fold my back seats just to get everything to the gig. This is just one of these things that never crossed my mind to check before ordering, and we did discuss dimensions and I just didn't check. So if I just had a little bit bigger car, like I did before going down the Axe Fx route, it wouldn't have been a problem and it would definitely have been more convenient. So if you're driving something that's just a little bit bigger than a Golf and want the ultimate in Axe Fx rehearsing/gigging convenience (at least if you're currently carrying your own monitor solution), just tell Mick that you want something like this one, or PM me and I'm sure we can make a deal .
Thanks for looking!
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