Switching from Mark IV to Axe-Fx III

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ConnorColton

New Member
Thinking about selling my Mesa Boogie Mark IV combo and buying Axe-Fx III. The amp is amazing, no complaints there, just want something more, something less troublesome, that doesn't require regular maintenance, repairs, tubes but that still sounds just as amazing. Have no strong feelings towards tube amps. Tubes or digital, doesn't matter as long as it sounds good. I'm a bedroom player, no gigs or anything. I know, even Mark IV is a huge overkill but I love that sound and had the money so why not.

The problem is I'm not sure it will be worth it and sound just as good. I'm thinking about Axe-Fx III with some good FRFR active speaker. I know you can tone match Mark IV to the point of it being practically indistinguishable on the record but would it feel just as powerful as my Mark IV when I play it myself? Like it really is something when you crank it just a little bit - the tightness and the tone of it is just... I read some people saying that compared to real guitar cab FRFR setup wouldn't have that "room" effect, whatever that is. I could run it through guitar cab but then everything would basically sound like that cab. Kinda defeats the purpose. I would try it myself but shops in my area don't have it in stock and the only way to try it would be to actually buy it from official dealer. Pretty expensive for a blind buy.
 
ConnorColton said:
Thinking about selling my Mesa Boogie Mark IV combo and buying Axe-Fx III. The amp is amazing, no complaints there, just want something more, something less troublesome, that doesn't require regular maintenance, repairs, tubes but that still sounds just as amazing. Have no strong feelings towards tube amps. Tubes or digital, doesn't matter as long as it sounds good. I'm a bedroom player, no gigs or anything. I know, even Mark IV is a huge overkill but I love that sound and had the money so why not.

The problem is I'm not sure it will be worth it and sound just as good. I'm thinking about Axe-Fx III with some good FRFR active speaker. I know you can tone match Mark IV to the point of it being practically indistinguishable on the record but would it feel just as powerful as my Mark IV when I play it myself? Like it really is something when you crank it just a little bit - the tightness and the tone of it is just... I read some people saying that compared to real guitar cab FRFR setup wouldn't have that "room" effect, whatever that is. I could run it through guitar cab but then everything would basically sound like that cab. Kinda defeats the purpose. I would try it myself but shops in my area don't have it in stock and the only way to try it would be to actually buy it from official dealer. Pretty expensive for a blind buy.
Click to expand...
The “dealer” is fractal audio unless you’re not in the US. It’s not sold in normal music retail stores.

Try it. There is a return period.
 
I'm a Boogie owner, I have a Mark V 35 which I still keep but I've owned various others like the Mark V 90w head, JP2C, Tremoverb. I recently sold my RKII as it's been sitting gathering dust for the last 9 months. I just haven't turned it on or any amp to be honest. I get where you are coming from it's hard to go from a tube amp to the Axe III. Especially when you have to sell something to afford the next piece of gear.

The way I did it was. I used the Axe with my amp at first via the 4CM and then I just gradually changed over. Started using the amp models and was using my Boogie cab so I wasn't using any cab sims except to FOH. And then from there I bought the Matrix GT1000 power amp and have been using it with my boogie cab still bypassing the cab sims so I get the feel of my cab I'm used to.

From there I bought a couple of Headrush FRFR's and now I'm totally converted and it sounds great especially with the JP2C amp model included in the firmware. I now would like to get a Matrix passive cab to use with my GT1000 and I'm tempted to try the Seymour Duncan power stage as well.

As Chris says there is a return period so if you don't like it you can return it but to be honest I don't think it's something you can decide straight away without owning the Axe for a few weeks. You won't be disappointed, you'll be pleasantly surprised I know I was lol.
 
I have several Boogies including a Mark II, Mark IV and a Triaxis/2:90 rig with a Mesa 4 12 cab, and hardly ever play them anymore. I got tired of lugging them to gigs and don’t like playing too loud at home.

Most importantly, the Axe FX versions have become really outstanding, particularly with the AF3. In fact I was tweaking a new Mark IV preset last night for live use.

Good luck!
 
I still have my mark V and will likely never give it up :)

I am going to attempt a tone match to it on several of the amp models for clean, crunch and nasty. Should the AXE work out well with that effort, I may change my mind. I still have all my pedals and Board if I ever change my mind, but that doesn't seem likely.

I use 2 NL12 speakers in stereo with a Matrix GT1000FX 1U amp. That is the best combo I have found for what I like. I have tried the friedman wedge, the ME GM2 and other combos of speaker cabs with the matrix. The NL12s are light and very portable without any effort. The GM2 is a heavy pig to lug around me to various gigs. We are going IEMs on stage and the need for a speaker is diminishing. I will likely always carry one for feedback purposes, but other than that the NL12s work really good for me in my nasty patches.

Been on it a year in 2 weeks and still learning about things I never dived in to learn on the AXE. There is a steep learning curve for me, but all seasons pass...
 
I currently own several Boogies (MkIIB combo, MkIIC+ combo, MkIV head, MkV Head, TA15 head).
I previously also owned a Roadster head, MkIII Red Stripe combo, Stilletto head and 5:25 combo.

I started with the Ultra, then the II, now the III (still have all 3). The last time I used an amp
live was 2011, other than as a backup. Most amps have several good sounds you can dial in,
but the Axe III sounds so good and has so much flexibility, you can pretty much match any rig on the planet.
That doesn't mean you won't have to spend time dialing in your sounds, but they're all in the box.

I love my Boogies and can't bring myself to sell them. But they have been collecting dust for years.
There's a ton of good info on YT if you want to dive in.

Live, I use Out2 to a Matrix GT800 Power amp / 2x12 stereo cab for stage, Out1 direct to FOH,
and either the FC-6 or FC-12 Footswitch and a few EV2 pedals.
 
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Before the axe III I exclusively used a Mark 5 90w head since 2009. I can't bring myself to sell it for sentimental reasons, but the axe III can cop the tones easily.
 
Before I got the AxeIII I was using a mark IV short head into a 4x12 Trad Slant cab live, and into a rockcrusher at home. The Mark IV models sound just as good (if not better) than my head does. And way more consistent. I'll never sell the Mark IV because its my baby but I haven't even plugged it in since I got the Axe in April, if that tells you anything.
 
I had a Mark IV for years. Great amp but I found the amp does not like rooms where the power is fluctuating, under-powered, etc. Some nights it just sounded like crap. It also hated beer lights and neon. It's also 80 friggin pounds! I'm willing to bet if you play in a band situation that gigs frequently and try an Ax III, your tube amp days are over. This black box does it all and sounds awesome every night no matter what. They made a fan out of me.
 
You can see my mk iv in the lower right corner.
I haven’t taken the cover off since the III arrived.
 

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I have had several Mark Series like the members above. If you do not play out I would say that you will not miss it. If you played out you might miss the real guitar Cab experience. Of course you can always use a pwer amp and real guitar cab with the AXE FX3 if you wish.

The only thing I miss on my Mark V 90 is the Mark I mode with Thick switch. (If anybody has any suggestions or presets for a good thick MARK I tone- let me know).
Otherwise I can get everything else pretty easily.
 
Mark V in Mark IV mode on channel 3 is one of my all time favorite real amp tones. As a former Mark owner, I can say that Fractal has the Mark tones nailed. They're not just good, they're great. And the BEST thing is that they SOUND THE SAME EVERY TIME YOU TURN THE AXE ON.

That's the one thing that plagued me with Marks was the tonal inconsistency from day to day or venue to venue. Also, you won't spend a fortune on retubing the Axe. LOL! There's a heck of a lot of glass in one of those amps.
 
Originally I thought I was going to use the Axe FX III in 4CM with my Mark IV, but pretty quickly discovered that it is capable of everything the Boogie does, and soooo much more. It’s a guitar recording studio in a box.

I’m not selling my Mark IV but I haven’t used it in quite a while.

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Already a lot of great responses here so won't just repeat what has already been said.

As a previous Mark V and Roadster owner and a strictly at home hobbyist myself, you will not be disappointed in the tones out of the Axe irrespective of volume levels and should greatly prefer the Axe with a decent FRFR setup at more respectable volume levels. Then there is the option to swap over to headphones and play silently which seals the deal in my opinion. The Axe not only nails the Mark IV tones, it also models every switch option that the real amp provides as well, so there is nothing you will miss on that front. And then all of the other exhaustive features of the Axe pile on from there.

If you have the opportunity to regularly crank the volume level up at home and are worried about missing the cab in the room dynamics, then you still have the option to do that using your existing cab along with either a neutral power amp or using the power amp section from your Mark IV (i.e. if you can swing it financially, you don't need to sell your current rig to try the Axe out and can forego buying into the FRFR route for the time being). The Seymour Duncan PowerStage 170 at $399 is an interesting option for this route if you wind up needing to sell your Mark IV but want to stick with your traditional cab. I think the real cab vs. FRFR is the most interesting debate with the Axe and it a total personal thing that is dependent on each individuals usage scenarios and preferences.

I have two Atomic CLR FRFR powered speakers in stereo on PA speaker stands, and it sounds awesome. I did kept my 2x12 horizontal Rectifier cabinet and Roadster out of nostalgia but never touch them, which is a common theme around here. I do fantasize about blasting the Axe through the real cabinet every once in a while for some deafening fun, but my life situation with 3 young kids makes that a pipe dream. I don't need to crank the CLRs to get a great tone at home, but they can easily blow me away if I have the opportunity.

Finally, if money is tight and you don't need all of the routing flexibility in the Axe III, don't care about all of the latest and greatest firmware updates and advancements, and don't have GAS for the JP 2C amp model, then you should definitely look into a used Axe II, which can be had for a nice discount now and will have a negligible difference in tone compared to the Axe III. I only made the upgrade myself for the routing flexibility. For what it's worth, if you are interested in this route instead, I am about to list my Axe II XL for sale and would be willing to offer you a return option so you don't have to worry about too much. I'd also might consider a trade for your Mark IV up front or after the fact as it is my favorite amp ever and I always wanted a real one simply for nostalgia (totally impractical on my end, you should not take me up on this for my own well being, but you know, problems).
 
I have my Mark IV combo set up with a few pedals (before the amp and in the loop). There's something special about it, that's for sure. That said, for gigging, I'd NEVER consider lugging that heavy-ass amp around and fuss with mic'ing it up etc. Nope. Direct out from my Axe III and I'm in heaven.

So, the moral is, don't sell it: just get the Axe Fx III as well - or save money until you can if that's not an option currently.
 
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I went from the roadster with 2x12 cab, rack of stuff with the g-System and channel switching, and an EON15 for my acoustic sound to an axe ultra and a single speaker. So much better. Some “need” the raw sound of an amp, but if you can learn how to use the axe to get what you need on stage, it’s generally much better and more versatile.
 
ConnorColton said:
Thinking about selling my Mesa Boogie Mark IV combo and buying Axe-Fx III. The amp is amazing, no complaints there, just want something more, something less troublesome, that doesn't require regular maintenance, repairs, tubes but that still sounds just as amazing. Have no strong feelings towards tube amps. Tubes or digital, doesn't matter as long as it sounds good. I'm a bedroom player, no gigs or anything. I know, even Mark IV is a huge overkill but I love that sound and had the money so why not.

The problem is I'm not sure it will be worth it and sound just as good. I'm thinking about Axe-Fx III with some good FRFR active speaker.
Click to expand...

I still have one of my Mark IV's. Right next to several other amps I also don't use anymore. and 2 boxes of pedals & some rack effects 😮 Its not just getting the Same sound. Its getting alternative sounds the amp can't easily supply. Even for bedroom players at some point tubes need to be replaced at minimum where none of my Axe FX's over the years has had any real issue. One big benefit no one mentions that I know of, The Axe FX doesn't heat your house or room in the summer that the AC never quits! Some sounds with the Mesa, (not sure why) people crank the amp volume, while with the Axe FX, you can get the same sound at low or high volume. You can set scenes & channels that make switching sounds even easier & more deverse than the Mesa with the pedalboard.
I'm not sure what benefit the actual Mesa has over the Axe FX.

i only stopped to comment because it reminded me to finally put the dust cover back on my amp. Its very dusty 😬
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I started with an FX8 for my Rectoverb, upgraded to a JP2C, and then went crazy and sold the FX8 for a III, intended mostly for effects and very occasional silent practice. I found that the models sound so good through headphones that I started playing that way most of the time. I’m going to buy a FRFR cab and play them side by side before ultimately deciding what to do, but I suspect FRFR is where I’ll land.

The amp sounds from the AxeFX are absolutely phenomenal and I’ve gotten my presets to sound damn close to my amp. I love my JP2C and wouldn’t want any other amp to replace it, the the AxeFX offers so much more. The only negative I foresee is how I’ll feel looking at that head sitting in a closet or selling it.
 
I am schizophrenic with gear...some days I really love my Fractal gear (AxeFx III Turbo and FM3) and then love my Mark IV and V 90 through cabs....I can't settle on a single solution..
 
We are at a situation that our local currency versus usd is constantly lowering. In this situation, tube and amp maintenance is something that 'could' be neglected.

Since FW18 (ultrares room ir a little bit higher), and after FW19 (room ir's much lower, the thump is and the fizz is not still there), I again was happy with my choice. Tube magic is happening also in digital world now! With no maintenance, and some fantasies like changing the cab or the tubes on-the-fly :D
 
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