I don’t think there are really any special secrets any famous artist have, nor do they have any special models we don’t have access to etc (that we know of at least lol)
That is what is kind of cool about the Axe, but also kind of boring.
If a dude had an old blackface and it had all these “secret” mods from over the years and stuff, then that is kind of fun to watch. It’s not an amp you can go buy somewhere and kind of gives a myth to the rock star in question and his special amp.
If a dude is just using the Lux fat model, and he tweaks the transformer drive setting a bit from default and is using a blend of two factory cabs.....well the tone is there, but where is the mystic around the rig ?
“Worse” could be if the artist just uses a stock setting. If a dude says he uses the Friedman, stock patch, and adjusts the volume knob a bit it’s like “okay, well yeah that is a great sound and I see why you like it, but what are we doing to talk about for the remaining 29 minutes?”
Basically anything “they”, being big name artists, can do, so can I. That is cool on one hand, but on the other it means they aren’t playing that old amp worth more than my car. While old amps worth $50k aren’t something I’d ever buy, they are fun to watch videos about. There is something tangible to the hardware, and the fact someone had to do those mods by hand, not just go into advanced settings and turn a knob, know what I mean ?
Don’t get me wrong, I think the III is the best “amp” ever made, and it 100% suits my needs, and I’ll never buy another hardware tube amp, BUT, it’s never going to have the story to it a 60 year old Bassman has. The Axe can show some rack scars, but no one is going to be playing it in 50 years, lovingly restore it etc.
As an analogy, I’d 100% be on board with electric cars once they have a little more range and come down in cost. Just makes sense for my basic transportation. BUT, I’m still going to enjoy going to a car show and seeing old 60’s muscle cars. Never buy one, but fun to look at just like old amps.
I think the best rig rundowns are when guys show off their dusty old pedals and amps, essentially the old hot rods of music gear.
Who’s got more interesting gear to watch ? Eric Johnson and his mess of wires on stage, or the Jimmy Eat World who episode where they use the II ?