kelstervonshredster
Member
Hi all, I just received my brand spanking new Axe FX II yesterday. Unboxed it, turned it on, plugged it into my Atomic 50W Reactor and started dialing through the tones. Firmware v12. Gotta say, first impressions were lackluster to say the least. Plugged in some high end headphones and had the same reaction. I was expecting way more tone wise out of the box than what I was hearing. Keep in mind I've been playing with a Kemper for the past few months (don't hate me) and before that a Boss GT-100; it wasn't until I loaded Glenn DeLaune's patches (for the GT-100) that the thing came to life. Same thing for Kemper; it wasn't until I loaded the third party TAF & Soundside profiles that the Kemper really started to shine and blow me away. I have researched this unit for about 2 years and knew the learning curve was steep so I'm not really surprised that I'm not blown away straight out the gate. I had a similar reaction to my Boss GT-100; but to be quite honest I found the tones straight out of the box better on the GT-100 than the Axe which I find very strange. I would have expected a unit of this caliber & reputation to blow my socks off right out of the gate. We are talking $2500 vs a GT-100 that cost me $350 used. Obviously they are apples and oranges so let's not go there...I'm just trying to illustrate the "out of the box goodness" if you know what I mean. I was impressed with the clean tones from the Fender/Vox amps however; but I couldn't find one searing blistering high gain tone which is just bizarre.
So, this is why I'm here. I just dropped almost 2K on a Kemper a few months ago and have been enjoying it immensely. But the tones I have been chasing I often find in the Axe FX videos...so I got the Axe II. I would really appreciate any comments and suggestions that would quickly get me up to speed on the Axe and to start coaxing the killer tones that this piece of gear is known for. Where should I start other than the obvious which is to read the manual? Any great tutorials anywhere? I only joined this forum a few weeks ago; like some other buyers, I did not entrench myself in the forums for years listening to people's issues with the unit, I just went out and got it after watching numerous videos and reading numerous reviews on the Axe.
I generally am not a patient person so I'm willing to tame my initial reaction to the unit in hopes that you guys can help me out and make me bring this unit to life and give it the raving review that I'm sure it deserves. I can tell that it's a ridiculously powerful unit; extremely pro-level and might even be too much for me....time will tell.
Thanks in advance!
So, this is why I'm here. I just dropped almost 2K on a Kemper a few months ago and have been enjoying it immensely. But the tones I have been chasing I often find in the Axe FX videos...so I got the Axe II. I would really appreciate any comments and suggestions that would quickly get me up to speed on the Axe and to start coaxing the killer tones that this piece of gear is known for. Where should I start other than the obvious which is to read the manual? Any great tutorials anywhere? I only joined this forum a few weeks ago; like some other buyers, I did not entrench myself in the forums for years listening to people's issues with the unit, I just went out and got it after watching numerous videos and reading numerous reviews on the Axe.
I generally am not a patient person so I'm willing to tame my initial reaction to the unit in hopes that you guys can help me out and make me bring this unit to life and give it the raving review that I'm sure it deserves. I can tell that it's a ridiculously powerful unit; extremely pro-level and might even be too much for me....time will tell.
Thanks in advance!
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