Rediscovered my tube amps

planetal

Member
As I reach the end of my gigging career (Ive been gigging for over 20 years. We essentially only do parties anymore, I'm so tired of bars), I've decided to go back to using my old Rivera tube amps through a great 2x12 with well broken in G12M's in it. The Axe II is currently used only for recording and practice time. For the gigs and jams I do, it simply is much easier and simply sounds great (two channels with a few pedals are enough for me). Ive found having many fewer options forces me to focus on playing much more. More work on chops and songs, less fussing with stuff at the amp level. I actually thought about getting a III when it first came out, but realized that spending money on anything that is not essential in terms of making money is simply foolish. The Axe II paid for itself while a III will not. Thankfully I kept my tube amps (which paid for themselves as well as the original AxeFx) as I'm rediscovering them. What sounds I need (or want) to cover are handled quite effectively with the amps. Back to simplicity for me. My Rivera's do the Marshall and Fender things quite well, that and a few pedals are all I need for gigs. I can do my own power tube bias and maintenance so that saves a bit of worry. Easy to fix stuff.

I think the AXE (I've had the first two generations) is a wonderful tool. I'm sure the III is great, but something about the immediacy of a tube amp makes me smile. Not needing a monitor in my face other than for vocals (which I can now hear better) makes me happy. Only needing to adjust a few simple knobs on an amp and Im good to go and very easily adjusting eq at a gig for the room is cool. I can bring two amp heads and always have backup. I can control beaming (the audience killer) with plexiglass and no one gets hurt. It's easy to drop an SM57 in front of a cab and run it into the pa if needed. I have Mullards and now I get to use them. lol

I may change my mind and go back to using the AXE II, but at this point I've re-fallen in love with my amps.

Anyone else have that experience? (as this is a AXE FX forum, probably not many) :)
 
I can bring two amp heads and always have backup. I can control beaming (the audience killer) with plexiglass and no one gets hurt. It's easy to drop an SM57 in front of a cab and run it into the pa if needed. I have Mullards and now I get to use them.
interesting that these are the things many do NOT want to do and why they've gone to the Axe :) different situations need different gear.

the whole point is to enjoy playing, no matter what gear it is, and that will change over time and for what you're doing.
 
Lots of us still own and enjoy tube (and I’m sure some non-tube) amps! As Chris said, it’s all about enjoying your tone so more power to you. I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the reunion.
 
Anyone else have that experience? (as this is a AXE FX forum, probably not many) :)

Nope. I have no desire whatsoever to go back to hauling heavy tube amps and pedal boards around anymore. Or to tapdancing on pedals again. Been there, done that, gotten the t-shirt many times over.

But then again I was never a simple amp with a few pedals kind of guy. Multiple amps and shitloads of pedals was more my thing.
 
End of your gigging career? 20 years? I have been "gigging" for 54 years and thanks to FAS, I'm still at it. Happier with my gear now than I have ever been. I have great and inspiring tone, in a small box. If I had to drag a tube amp, I think I'd be done. It is such a great time to be a guitarist. Who ever would have guessed that a small box could generate such awesome guitar tone? Don't get me wrong here friend. I'm not knocking tube amps. I'm just saying that I am thankful for my Fractal gear.
 
Perhaps I can help you. This is a forum. People start threads for the purpose of discussion.
perhaps i can help you. i wasnt confused over why he made a thread on a forum. i was confused over why he made that thread on this forum. thx tho.
 
He's saying he liked the II but now is liking his old tube amps better. Seems like the right place for it. Although I doubt his back likes it better, lol.
 
There's always going to be the appeal of going back to your roots.

When I first started gigging it was just a LP, a 2 channel MV tube amp, a chorus, a delay and a wah. 'Variation' was achieved by playing with the guitar volume and tone knobs and hitting hard or soft with the pick (and also picking position). Certainly some of it is nostalgia, some of it is just getting too old to be bothered about dialling in presets and foot controllers but a lot of it is because you've learned a craft.

If your roots were thrash/death metal then maybe the digital realm is probably wise to stay with - but those of us that go a little further back than that and are still playing the same style of music that isn't particularly hard on valves in tube amps then we have the choice to use either ..... which is all good as far as I'm concerned.
 
I picked up an EVH 5150iii 6L6 50 watt a few months back and last week a couple G12EVH speakers, which I put in a Budda superdrive 212 cab.

Yea I can dial in a model, and its sooo close but not the same because it's not that amp in the the Axe-fx II.. that's cliffs model and also depends greatly on the quality of the IR used. Yeah tone match, eq this, compress that, the average person cant tell a diff. This isn't about telling a difference, it's like driving a car vs driving a simulation. The real thing is unique, has its imperfections, and own little quirks etc.

Playing this amp through that cab, it's very intimate. I'm 'playing' that amp, 'driving that cab' and the interaction and response is very unique. I love the Axe-fx II, I gigged it FRFR for a few years and no one ever had a negative thing to say except for volume discrepancy between patches.

I'm waiting for the Axe-fx III to mature a bit, and I'm really enjoying the II in a 4CM setup atm
:cool:
 
perhaps i can help you. i wasnt confused over why he made a thread on a forum. i was confused over why he made that thread on this forum. thx tho.

I wouldn't call it an attempt to troll, but some people do like to throw up a little controversy. And since this is a forum full of people who LOVE all things Fractal, saying you like an amp and pedals more is kinda the FAS forum equivalent of heresy. So its bound to cause a little stir.

Somebody not liking the Axe? Harumpf! We must all post to show this poor fellow the error of his ways!
 
As I reach the end of my gigging career (Ive been gigging for over 20 years. We essentially only do parties anymore, I'm so tired of bars), I've decided to go back to using my old Rivera tube amps through a great 2x12 with well broken in G12M's in it. The Axe II is currently used only for recording and practice time. For the gigs and jams I do, it simply is much easier and simply sounds great (two channels with a few pedals are enough for me). Ive found having many fewer options forces me to focus on playing much more. More work on chops and songs, less fussing with stuff at the amp level. I actually thought about getting a III when it first came out, but realized that spending money on anything that is not essential in terms of making money is simply foolish. The Axe II paid for itself while a III will not. Thankfully I kept my tube amps (which paid for themselves as well as the original AxeFx) as I'm rediscovering them. What sounds I need (or want) to cover are handled quite effectively with the amps. Back to simplicity for me. My Rivera's do the Marshall and Fender things quite well, that and a few pedals are all I need for gigs. I can do my own power tube bias and maintenance so that saves a bit of worry. Easy to fix stuff.

I think the AXE (I've had the first two generations) is a wonderful tool. I'm sure the III is great, but something about the immediacy of a tube amp makes me smile. Not needing a monitor in my face other than for vocals (which I can now hear better) makes me happy. Only needing to adjust a few simple knobs on an amp and Im good to go and very easily adjusting eq at a gig for the room is cool. I can bring two amp heads and always have backup. I can control beaming (the audience killer) with plexiglass and no one gets hurt. It's easy to drop an SM57 in front of a cab and run it into the pa if needed. I have Mullards and now I get to use them. lol

I may change my mind and go back to using the AXE II, but at this point I've re-fallen in love with my amps.

Anyone else have that experience? (as this is a AXE FX forum, probably not many) :)

Have you tried running the Axe through your cabs with a power amp?
 
I've been thinking about this. I've wanted a small tube amp just to 'have around'. I still do love them.

It is ironic tho. Tugging around a tube amp/head/cab/combo played a big factor in going to the Axe, but I still have 2 CLR's that feel just as heavy. I'd search around for lighter ones...but not that ambitious...and I think my gigging days are over.

I get the simplicity angle too. Thing is I do basically the same deal in the Axe...I can spend a night on the Plexi 50 and cover any tonal ground I need.

Congrats!
 
Somebody not liking the Axe? Harumpf! We must all post to show this poor fellow the error of his ways!

You get bonus points, for working “harrumph” into a post. Well done.

I love the AF3. I love my amps. My amps can’t do what the AF3 does. The AF3 can’t sound exactly like a live amp in the room. But it sure can sound like an amp in a studio. Regardless, having it all is fantastic. Well, almost all. I need a foot controller.
 
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