A depressing realization (and unpopular opinion): most of the amps sound very similar.

Trying hard to talk about this subject and not discussing why everyone's so hyped up about IR's these days. This is exactly why. IR's have more control over your sound than the amp.

IMO the amp has a lot to do with feel and how it works with your playing and all that. However I think it's more like the muscle or lungs of your guitar sound and the mouth/throat/vocal cords that actually produce the sound will be the speaker = IR's.

On topic: If you're honestly thinking about going back to tube amps (which is something I've done twice and always come back to Fractal) just think about this for a while: how much did you understand about guitar tone prior to owning an Axe-Fx? Did you appreciate cabs much? Did you appreciate mic choice and placement much?

Sure we all have different use cases for the Axe-Fx. I personally record a lot of stuff at my home studio room and it would be completely impossible without the Axe-Fx.
 
IR's will make the biggest difference in tone.
When it comes to amps and similar sound, I'd agree to some extent, but they certainly don't feel the same dynamically.

And the really cool thing is with the XLII+, you can mix two of them together along with 4 IR's in stereo!
There's A LOT of tonal variation within that along with feel.
On top of that, if you use X/Y you can add even more within one preset. So, what's that, 4 amps making 8 different combos, and then X/Y cabs too.
 
What I notice about this thread is that the idea of amp response is dependent on playing technique. The Axe FX amp models respond (sometimes this is especially if you know your SAG knob) So....

Maybe if given 2 dozen amps, Gary Moore and Eddie Van Halen, will find some that do things for their particular techniques that are just astonishing. And others will be more or less bland, for their specific techniques.

So really, picking a string to hear the amp is going to expose very little. When we play a particular style or technique, sometimes we have little regard for the variety. But to appreciate what the amp models offer, its more about them being a sound as a canvas dependent on a million factors of fingers, guitar hardware, you name it.

So if you're one guitarist, playing only a couple of techniques or styles, its just more likely that you'll be disappointed with the possibilities.

But if you stop and think about it, what MAKES THE AXE FX a must-have for some (like me :) its the love for the pursuit of the emotional possibilities inherent in what makes the guitar singular as an instrument. Its practically on par with the vocalist and the drummer at the same time because of so many ways to approach playing it.
 
Lionheart said:
Well, you can buy a tube amp and cabinet with some of the money you get for selling the Axe-Fx. Nothing wrong with that option.
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This. If you have found an amp, cab and effects that you like that you can consistently mic and get it to sound great and it doesn't weigh a ton to cart around then go for it!
 
no, they really don't. It's the speakers that make the amps sound different. You need to pair the amp up with it's accompanying speaker. That will bring out the differences in the amps.

If you ever did the same test with real tube amps running through the same cab you would find the same thing is true.
 
I tend to stick with just a few amp models and have found switching out ir's to be what really changes the flavor most.

Then again, I wasn't really able to dial in the sound I was hearing in my head until I booked a slot at a local studio and sampled the Mesa cab I've been playing through for the last 10 years.
 
iaresee said:
Exactly like wine, right? You have to learn to listen for what's unique about each model. Much like you learn to taste what's unique about each wine.
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and you'll also find that some amps are a little easier than others for you personally to dial into 'your sound' that's in your head..
 
I actually am increasingly learning and hearing the differences between amps in the AXE FX II more and more.
A lot has to do with Yek's work and then listening and watching the videos of the actual amps themselves in his overviews.

Yes- you can get a lot of amps in the AXE FX II to sound similar to each other, but my own experience with tube amps with trying to get a Mesa to sound like a Marshall, or a Fender with a pedal to sound like a Marshall, or even a Splawn to sound like a Marshall- led me to just getting a Marshall and to quit screwing around.

It is similar to when I was trying to get a Les Paul sound out of my various PRS guitars. Could come close, but not quite there.
Or trying to get a Fender single coil sound out of a coil tapped humbucker guitar.
Passable, but not a Strat or a Tele.
 
I just checked the price of a new Marshall Plexi 100. $2100, plus a grand for two cabs. A JCM reissue is $2600. Friedman Dirty Shirley: $2800. I have the option of auditioning a variety of different tube amps and picking the one I want on a daily, hourly, or minute by minute basis without having to drive to multiple dealers. By any large *or* subtle variation. Along with a full range of effects and programming options. And the option of third party cab IR's. Even with foot controller and a decent power amp that's still not much different than a decent head price-wise. And that's not even going into the space multiples would take up, the expense of having multiple amps, or the expense of trading something in if it wasn't quite "it".

I am so depressed that I may cry myself to sleep tonight.
 
Another thing I've been noticing lately is that I tend to dime the master volume on every amp block as to me that seems to wake the amp up. I find that the lower the master volume, the more sterile sounding the tone. However from reading the forum, I seem to be alone with this opinion.
 
rich2k4 said:
Another thing I've been noticing lately is that I tend to dime the master volume on every amp block as to me that seems to wake the amp up. I find that the lower the master volume, the more sterile sounding the tone. However from reading the forum, I seem to be alone with this opinion.
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Depends on the amp. A lot of amps just flub out. But others come alive after 5, so to speak. ;)
 
rich2k4 said:
Another thing I've been noticing lately is that I tend to dime the master volume on every amp block as to me that seems to wake the amp up. I find that the lower the master volume, the more sterile sounding the tone. However from reading the forum, I seem to be alone with this opinion.
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That's definitely a weird thing to do for some amp models, but perfectly legit for others (especially models that don't have a master volume). I wouldn't dime the MV on the Mark models, for example, it ends up sounding pretty awful. Flubby and woofy.
 
rich2k4 said:
Another thing I've been noticing lately is that I tend to dime the master volume on every amp block as to me that seems to wake the amp up.
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That's an artifact of low-volume playing. If you're playing at volume and dime the MV on most high-gain amps, the flub will be immediately obvious.
 
Another key point is this even if you actually only used one amp model and one cab ir in the axe along with say a delay. It is still worth it to me. No tube maintance and having it sound constant every single day and after many hours of continuous use is a huge deal to me.
 
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