Thank you so much for your help and support thus far. I really appreciate it.
can you share a patch you've been having trouble with?
See attachment.
Did you buy it used? If so do a system reset. The global Power Amp Modeling might be turned off.
I bought it brand new from www dot g66 dot eu. Maybe someone else fiddled around with it before they shipped
the unit, but I already did a system reset, flashed the newest firmware and restored the factory preset banks.
The power amp modeling is turned on, though.
did u buy it new? you did the reset system parameters in the Global menu? what are you monitoring thru? have you tried stock presets or making your own? Leon has many excellent presets on AxeChange for free download, try those, you can access AxeChange thru the Axeedit app.
(his user name here is
@2112 ). if you are building your own, try to post one here for our help. you will. get there!
I use Sony MDR-7506 studio headphones and a pretty swanky guitar cable. I don't have access to better studio monitors but I think the
signal path should be sufficient enough to test the amp simulation. I did download some of Leon's presets through AxeChange but none
of them seem to be working for me.
Can you try making a new preset, starting from a blank slot, and just use four blocks: Input 1, Amp, Cab and Output 1. Plug your guitar into the front input. Plug some headphones into the headphone jack on the front of the AxeFX3 (just above the front guitar input), or listen via the monitors you already have connected. Link the four blocks together and you should hears your guitar, which is just the first step. In the Amp block, choose the Atomica High amp, which has gain galore, even without making any adjustments. On the Cab you can use anything, just to see if it has decent gain. You can later change to a different cab of your liking. Is there decent gain?
The preset I attached to this post was made from scratch. I did try the Atomica High model and there is a lot more gain on tap - which is to be expected. However it's no where near the amount of distortion I would expect from a high gain amp.
You're using a Baja Telecaster, so your bridge pickup is going to sound a bit thin and twangy. That's just how those guitars sound. I have one and love it, but I don't think it would be my first choice for a big meaty distortion sound.
If you want a big fat distortion tone, like with real amps, your best bet is going to be to use a guitar with a bridge humbucker. If that's not an option and you want to try to emulate a humbucker type of sound, try going to the Input tab of the Amp block and cutting some high end from the guitar before it hits the amp, and then try boosting the guitar's signal further by turning up the guitar's input signal into the amp block or going with a boost pedal before the amp block.
But... if you're trying to emulate a humbucker, remember that your guitar still physically has a single coil bridge pickup, so one thing you won't be able to emulate with that single coil is the noise reduction characteristic of a humbucker. So you're going to need to be pretty aggressive with noise gating if you want to sculpt the signal of a single coil pickup into a big humbucker and preamp distortion-centric sound and NOT have the background noise and squealing be just as loud as the actual notes you play.
It's not that I want a humbucker sound out of my telecaster. I have a Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster that is loaded with an EMG Het Set and even
that guitar does not seem to be able to drive the amp models the way I would expect it to. Those EMGs should be able to overdrive a real twin
reverb with ease, but the amp model stays crystal clear at any volume. As for the tele, a buddy of mine has a Mesa Boogie Mark V 35 and that thing absolutely screams on every single channel - provided the volume is high enough.
have you tried a different amp model? maybe that one doesn't break up with a tele.
As far as I know tweed champs, when using a tele, should start to break up at noon and deliver a nicely overdriven sound when the amp is wide open. Leon Todd used a tele in his 'fender tweed models' video and he got a nice mid-gain crunch tone out of his axe fx.
Sorry but this is just incorrect. Yes, single coils have lower output and distinct tone but they won't reduce gain to the level the OP is describing. I have a couple of telecasters with Nocasters and Fralins and they do meaty high gain with the Axe-Fx III very well. In some cases they sound better than humbuckers.
There is a setting somewhere that's causing your issue. Trying to replicate it, by turning OFF the Power Amp Modeling in the SETUP > Global Settings menu gives me the same results you're describing with my Axe.
Check the Input 1/Instrument level in the SETUP > I/O menu as well. If this is set to 0 (zero), it has a similar effect.
With the Power Amp Modeling ON, using my Tele with the Nocasters, the 5f1 has a great mid-gain crunch with the Input Drive at 10. Turn the Modeling off, it's just a bold clean.
Tried everything you suggested but the sound remains the same. The model is mildly distorted but nowhere near the amounts of gain one would
expect from a maxed out tweed amp and a 1x8 speaker.