Real Friedman BE-50 or Axe-Fx 3?

Why not wait on the FM3 and then bank the remaining funds and save up for a head, etc.

I had a III and sold it to buy back my Mark V from the guy I originally sold it to. I use the Mark V with a Two Notes Captor into Reaper and Helix Native for effects and impulse response. The real amp sounds great like that but I much preferred the simplicity and flexibility of the III so I got on the wait list for the FM3.

I also had money left over from the sale of the III and some money saved and got a Kemper rack and remote for $1320 in a deal I couldn't pass up. I had the Kemper originally and sold it to buy the III. I absolutely hated the Kemper the first time I had it but now I really appreciate and love what it can do, it truly is remarkable through a good solid state power amp and real cabs, totally incredible.

Now I'm just waiting on and saving for the FM3.

For one thing the FM3 is much easier to use, and maintain and has way more flexibility than a head, reactive load, pedals, etc. and it will be in stereo right out of the gate. No noise from pedal power adapters. No way to save the settings on the amp and pedals without writing them down or taking pictures and you can't call them back instantly. Front of head and effects loop cable management nightmare. That BE is a kick ass amp but so are the amps in the FM3. I have a Mark V and the Boogies in the III are the best Boogie models on the market, period and the BE models are just as good.

Unless you need two amps and all the routing and extras of the III the FM3 may be the right fit. Then just save your money and pick up a nice used head if you still want one.


setup.JPG
 
Jarick said:
If you run your $3,000 Axe III into $250 monitors, you're not getting nearly out of it what you can. Believe me, I have $250 monitors and they aren't all that fun to play through and I'm trying to pay off my Axe so I can upgrade!
Click to expand...
Sorry for going OT, but do you have any suggestions for a pair of powered wedges? I’ll be running my AF3 in stereo straight into the PA, and I can run stereo for monitors as well. Besides guitar there would be vocals, bass and some drums being pumped into them. I’ve got a pair of Behringer B212As right now, it’s time to upgrade.
 
Imo the axe has a great form factor.... meaning you don’t have to have a bunch of pedals, cables between them all, a power supply for them, ect... all of which add up cost wise. Ive owned 2 BE100 heads, and they are great, but I’m never carrying one up stairs again.
Gator 3u rack bag is basically a purse full of tone lol.

min the end they are both good. Get what makes you happy.
 
londonireland777 said:
Is it worth it buying a Friedman BE50 Deluxe, or should I buy another Axe Fx 3? I sold my axe 3 a few months ago, but the only amps I really ever use in the axe were the Friedmans
Click to expand...

Why did you sell your axe fx 3?

And if anything, don't buy a friedman. if you ever buy real amps again, just go with the synergy modules. They have a couple friedman ones and you can use that with the axe fx 3 and with the synergy 50/50 or some other power amp.

But the days of the big heads are over. Synergy can get power tubes into a 1U rack now.

Although personally I may opt for a Crown power amp. Havent decided yet between that or a Synergy 50/50
 
londonireland777 said:
Is it worth it buying a Friedman BE50 Deluxe, or should I buy another Axe Fx 3? I sold my axe 3 a few months ago, but the only amps I really ever use in the axe were the Friedmans
Click to expand...
Honestly they sound the SAME
Just get a sick Cab (Xitone 12” powered wedge) or great monitors,something like Adam A7 for metal! Perfecto
Look at my sig brA
 
Well you mentioned that if you buy the Freidman for $3500 and the other thing for $800 and that you would loose a lot if you sold them then why not get a new AXE III and a used Friedman for probably the same price? Then if you sell the used Friedman you wont loose much if any.
 
I think if you don't mind outboard FX (expensive if good) and the tones you need are basically all in the Friedman go for it as it is a fantastic amp.
You could however use both four cable then you have options.
 
I'd go for digital for a few reasons:
Weight/ portability.
Reliability (no tubes failing, no maintenance) I think it's kind of a bs argument, but it's an argument undeniably) Also: I found maintaining a pedalboard, setting settings, wanting different settings on the same pedal, etc annoying. Cables, adapters, etc. (I had a 14 unit rack too....)
Strong argument: A great sound even at low volumes. No need to blast your ears. No tube that has to go bananas to get " that" sound.
the complete content of a good music store within reach.

Counter argument: A great amp is a great amp. The price drop in the future will be much, much less than with digital gear. I sold a lot of my analog stuf for the same or more money than I paid for it myself. That will not happen with my fractal stuff. Also: You will get that " amp in the room" sound we all crave..

Harm
 
I think if you only ever use a couple tones, minimal effects, and play at higher volumes in a band a tube amp makes sense. Remember, the primary function of a tube amp is to AMPLIFY sound.

Doing a quick pricing of a tube rig vs Axe FX rig:

Friedman Runt 50 head + 2x12 cab, Wampler Tumnus, EVH chorus, Carbon Copy deluxe, Polytune ~ $3300
Fractal Axe FX 3 + FC6 + Atomic CLR ~ $3400

Now when you get into needing attenuation and adding in mics and pres for recording and what not, the Fractal gets to be more of a bargain. Or if you need another amp tone or want a new pedal, etc.

Money no issue, I'd be curious to try something like a Synergy + Fractal setup. There's a lot of cool preamps available in the Synergy world including the Morgan AC and the Friedman Dirty Shirley/BE. You could combine tubes and digital and really open things up.

But I suspect if you did that through the same speakers you probably wouldn't have a world of difference between the Fractal and tubes anyway.
 
I have an Axefx 3 as well as a friedman smallbox/2x12 cab, a Mesa Mark V combo and Mesa Lonestar Classic with a matching 1x12 cab. I’m also owned nearly a dozen boutique amps in the past 5 years. I am concluding that the Axefx 3 with my Matrix GT1000fx through the Mesa cab and another output to a Xitone FRFR wedge (via Austin Buddy naked amp pack) covers all my basis for tone and feel. I think I’m getting close to finally ditching tube amps (though they do look more cool 😊). BTW, I’ve also owned a torpedo live and studio in the past.
 
I would suggest the Boss Tube Amp Expander (instead of the torpido) to go with any real amps if you go that route....

That route gets more expensive than the Axe though.

In the end if you don't want to Explore new amps, it can make sense. You may be able to snag a used Friedman for a decent price.

But in the end, I personally really enjoy the discoveries that the Axe provide. I'm enjoying a bunch of amp that I would of never tried with a ten foot pole in normal circumstances.
 
Real amp by at least a mile.

Try a BE-50 Dlx, if possible. At least play one of them as you would want it to sound and then compare to the Axe. Axe is great at recorded tones, but nothing ....... nothing hits your guts, and heart like a real cranked, fire-breathing, screaming tube amp.
 
It’s nice to have both if you can swing it.
I love my JP-2c that I recently got. It is small enough to not be nuisance to carry to gigs or rehearsals, is loaded with features and most importantly sounds fantastic.

I love my Axe III as well. It does so much and sounds amazing. I use either one of them live with great results.
 
For myself personally I like the axe better. I am a dual rec nut and I feel like the dual rec in the axe sounds better than the rectos I have had. The only amp I kept is my 5150iii just in case the axe fx ever breaks. YMMV
 
Rex said:
Or an Axe-Fx into a power amp/cab combination.
Click to expand...
Have compared Axe to tube power amp to 4x12 against amp to same 4x12. At least four times, maybe more and with friends/family.

Something is missing as the real amp always wins. Its ok, the Axe and Kemper are more convenient. My tubes can rest and last longer ....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom