Anyone else with this problem?

P

paulmapp8306

Fractal Fanatic
Despite the Axe having unlimited tones available (and a main reason why many go the modelling route - axe or otherwise), I find Im using only 3 patches, with FX being switched in/out in a pedalboard way.

All 3 sounds have the same sonic tone - mine.

A clean, Crunch and lead. Its like having a 3 channel amp.

The difference is the tones are the ones Ive searched for for ever ;)

I know im not using the unit to its full potential - and many will say (well none Axe owners anyway) if you only want the one tone - get a nice amp that does it. BUT despite having Bogners, VHTs, Deizels amongst others ive never found a tone as good as the axe !!

I really think the axe is a good solution for users that just need a couple of good tones but cant find them in real amps.

So - is this just me? and is it really a problem? :D certainly not with the axe, but maybe with my mind set?
 
I agree with much of your point - I tend to stay on 3 or 4 patches most of the time. For many reasons, I could never replicate those sounds with amps that I could afford to purchase. One of my fav amp sims is the Trainwreck, so that would end that, as far as duplicating it with a real amp goes.

I think you have to enjoy whichever paradigm of use floats your boat, while appreciating that you have the option to choose.
 
I don't see that as a problem. You've got 3-4 sounds you absolutely dig...great for you ! As far as unused options go...you never know when you might need them ;)
 
I don't see a problem with it either. Gear is a tool to achieve an end result. If you are achieving the end result you want, doesn't really matter how you're using the tool.

Personally, I love the chimey clean of a Fender (6L6) and the gain tone of a Plexi (EL34). For years I struggled with trying to force a Fender to sound like a Plexi (and vice versa) which just lead to frustration, and eventually a two-amp rig that was a pain. I'm probably not even scratching the surface of what the axe can do, but it gets me the clean, middle and high gain tones I want with no fuss. I've never been happier with a piece of gear :cool:
 
Is use 4 patches.
Fender clean, Dumble clean, trainw. crunch, CAE lead. I add block as pedalboard. That's all. :mrgreen:
 
Yep, and the real beauty of this is when you get another tone in your head the tools are there for you to find it.....instead of hitting the gear classifieds. :cool:

This thing is saving me money like crazy!! :shock:
 
I dont use many patches and Im not a big tap dancer on pedalboards either.But, my patches have morphed a fair amount since starting with the axefx.
I switch alot between acoustic and electric, so one rig does it all.
 
I'm in the same boat using only a few presets. The most overlooked benefit of the Axe is the routing of effects. When I had my previous rig, I had my time based effects in the loop and since I like poweramp distortion, my effects would get distorted and so I had to compromise. I could have built an elaborate w/d/w system (which I almost did!) or I could just switch to the Axe.

The other overlooked benefit of the Axe is its consistency. I sound the same night after night. Doesn't matter if the bar has terrible electricity, I still sound the same. I can also change spl's on the go without affecting my tone. To me, it is the best way to acheive "Pro" sound with the least money. I don't ever GAS about new amps (or old ones). My previous rigs sit in the garage. I kept them in case I changed my mind after the honeymoon phase but I'm happy to say, I'm never going back!

I've had this argument with a certain poster that as the Axe gains mainstream that most users won't care about the deep editing abilities and be quite content using tweaked stock presets or other user's presets.
 
I bought the Axe-FX to replace my MP-1s so that the was sound I was the most concerned about reproducing. If it only did that, I would have been happy. I have (2) basic MP-1 patches - a solo patch with delay and a rhythm patch with enhancer and a little less gain.

I've expanded beyond that and created patches using the Dumble model (med gain and low gain), Marshall Plexi (medium gain and low gain), swirly clean patches (4 using various combinations of chorus, delay, detuning and crystals) a couple of synth patches (single voice and harmonized), a couple of Brian May patches (different effects) and nice clean Twin.

Now I'm starting to create versions of these patches to work with different guitars so each one sounds as good as it can.
 
I totally agree Mitch. I was about to say the same thing above, but got distracted :oops: . With my tube amps, I could sound great one day and just so-so the next with the exact same settings. With the Axe, it sounds amazing and consistent every time I turn it on. And the routing features of the fx are second to none. My analog rig was turning into a nightmare, and now I get exactly what I want with plug and go ease. Even if you only end up using one amp/cab model on the axe, the other features still outweigh the hassle of an analog rig.
 
I'm running with 4-5 tones and the coolest thing I can think of about the Axe is when you get board with thoes tones you can re-shape them to sound like somthing totaly different. This more than anything is what I suffered from with the many tube ampsI have gone through over the years... well except maybe the Ultralead 120 but even then it was somewhat limmited.
 
Remember the time when people used multiple amps on stage and switched among them? Twin for clean, marshall for rhythm, soldano for lead.... oh wait people still do that! :cool:

Well, they are only getting ONE sound out of that twin, and one sound out of that marshall etc... that's no difference in getting ONE sound out of the axefx. if that's all you use, great! if you use more, great too!

just because you can do a million things with the axe doesn't mean you are under-utilizing it if you don't. generally, i use 4 patches on any gig (clean, chorus, rhythm dist, lead dist), and i have a few others that stand out with fx (violin sound, crazy reverbs that wah, etc).

I'm sure one day you'll toy around with something and make a crazy sound, but it's really all about what the music needs.

on some gigs, i play my clean patch 99% of the gig! others i have the space to use that rotary effect or crazy distortion etc. just depends.
 
I was using the "different tone, different patch" method, but recently switched to 2 patches with pedals. It simplifies things for me and keeps me a little more organized in my head. I don't feel like I'm underutilizing the unit, just enjoying a couple of killer tones. When I want to change my sound, it's in the box somewhere, I just have to find it.
 
The "problem" is not new one that came with the Axe-Fx and it's virtually endless possibilites. I have a Marshall 30th Anniversary 6100 head, that has 3 fully independent and different sounding channels where one of them has 3 completely different sounding modes. I ended up using one channel in one setting over years (even for lead and rhythm).

Currently I am hopping between the Axe's different models and tweak every parameter but my goal is to have the one sound that I am searching for. But I guess it will take more time to get there as it took with my Marshall... ;-), because I found some real gems that are worth checking out... I am a high-gain dude and went straight to the Rectos, but after fiddling with the other non-Recto Boogie models and the CA3+, I prefer these. Maybe next week, my favorite is the Trainwreck, who knows... And here IS the problem: Usually I want to make music (like in "composing and recording a song") but I find myself trying all those beautiful amp types. It's like going into a studio for recording and you find 30+ decent amps to choose from... Could take a while to get settled ;-) You see, I need to care not to get lost in my quest for THE TONE.
 
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