Anyone using fuzzes or drive pedals with Axe II?

Stringtheorist

Stringtheorist

Fractal Fanatic
I've been one of those waiting a long time to see improvements in the Axe's drive pedal sims, but since this doesn't seem to be forthcoming I'm thinking of getting a pedal or two to use in front of my signal chain. Who else is using stand-alone fuzzes or overdrives, and how well do you find they work with the Axe's amp models vs. real amps? Also, which amp models do you find yourself using most with pedals?
 
Ive thought about it. I dont know if im just not listening hard enough, or have found it, but I kinda wish there were a DS-1 like sound. I used to use a DS-1 unmodded and a Satchurator but went for a MFC only pedalboard instead. I kinda miss getting that deep compressed grit, but not enough thatd id start putting power on my board again.


I also miss my Ibanez Airplane Flanger, but I primarily used it during little breaths in high energy songs. It was probably annoying. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
Stringtheorist said:
I've been one of those waiting a long time to see improvements in the Axe's drive pedal sims, but since this doesn't seem to be forthcoming I'm thinking of getting a pedal or two to use in front of my signal chain. Who else is using stand-alone fuzzes or overdrives, and how well do you find they work with the Axe's amp models vs. real amps? Also, which amp models do you find yourself using most with pedals?
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I have one BB Plus (which is modeled in the Axe 2) in front of my Axe. It is a dual pedal, but since I keep it rack mounted, I just keep the overdrive side engaged, and I bring it in and out with an audio loop switcher. I hope to send it out to Xotic soon to be modded so I can also use the Distortion side and have the audio of each half of the pedal remain separated and going to it's own audio loop in my GCX.

I prefer stacked effects - such as overdrives and delays, as opposed to one effect with the mix turned up louder or the gain turned up higher. So sometimes I will create an effects chain with only one drive block or perhaps 2 drive blocks, and there will be certain situations where I will literally have both drive blocks and my outboard BB plus engaged! Each stage is very low gain by itself.

Believe it or not, scenes and my discovery of using 2 amps in parallel, decreased the frequency where I've needed to stack so many overdrives, since I can do more gain with the amp model itself, and keep separate amp gains at the ready, for recall with a scene.

My BB Plus costs about $225 by itself. All it does is gain. And it does it very well. Is the Axe FX good enough? YES!!! But I already owned this BB Plus, wanted one for a long time, and finally got it, only about 18 months before I got the Axe 2. The BB plus is a religious experience if you put it before a tube preamp, and it does an awesome job before the Axe 2 also. I will probably never get rid of it. In fact, when I think to myself of other areas I might want to improve my rig, it would be to add different overdrives. Some of them might or might not be modeled inside the Axe2, but the real ones sound fuller to me, and again, if I do handle gain from outside the box, I don't need to use a drive block, and I can use the CPU for something else.
 
I started using a Dod YJM 308 overdrive to boost my YJM strat's low output pickups so it matches my other guitars output
 
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With the input impedance set to 1M or 1M + cap, I use drives and fuzzes in front.

Vintage EH Big Muff, Keeley modded Rat, vintage Rat, Keeley modded Boss SD-1, Carl Martin Quattro (the Drive).
 
I had tried various drives in front with great success. With the "boost" in the amp block and have always used the, "Fet Boost", (as I always prefer a transparent drive/boost) there's no need anymore for me... other than my old CryBaby's (true bypass modded). And they sound great out in front.
 
Fuzz is a different deal but consider using an amp pre-amp as a dirt pedal. Just turn sag to zero and the power amp sim shuts off. I get great OD tones with ALOT of versatility that way. You can use X-Y with scenes, too.
 
I use fuzz type pedals into the front.. and occasionally my Lovepedal COT 50.. not much else though since the Axe has some pretty descent overdrive type pedals and I can switch amp blocks instead of using a Marshall type pedal into a Fender or VOX, etc. (like my analog rigs). I'd love to see Cliff model some of the magic of the more popular fuzz pedals.
 
I also use a lot of fuzz boxes out in front of the unit: Jordan Bosstone, Scrambler+, a triangle Muff. And when I was doing testing for empress effects I was testing all of their pedals in front of it and in the loop.
 
as you can tell from my signature... tons of Fuzz goodness in front of the Axe. I really do like the Axe's Hard Fuzz for it's tweakability and use it as much as my outboard ones which aren't going anywhere (quite the opposite actually).
 
Yeah, the only thing things I'm really missing is a variety of pre-cooked Fuzzes (def the most obviously lean selection) and raw SS distortions (like the DS-1)... Maybe when the "blocks" feature is legitimately supported in AE, we can set this up ourselves. A lot of models you can get very different flavors of by messing with the advanced params. Tweaked versions of Drives could be saved as a block to cover things that are missing in the default palette.
 
rodzimguitar68 said:
I have one BB Plus (which is modeled in the Axe 2) in front of my Axe. It is a dual pedal, but since I keep it rack mounted, I just keep the overdrive side engaged, and I bring it in and out with an audio loop switcher. I hope to send it out to Xotic soon to be modded so I can also use the Distortion side and have the audio of each half of the pedal remain separated and going to it's own audio loop in my GCX.

I prefer stacked effects - such as overdrives and delays, as opposed to one effect with the mix turned up louder or the gain turned up higher. So sometimes I will create an effects chain with only one drive block or perhaps 2 drive blocks, and there will be certain situations where I will literally have both drive blocks and my outboard BB plus engaged! Each stage is very low gain by itself.

Believe it or not, scenes and my discovery of using 2 amps in parallel, decreased the frequency where I've needed to stack so many overdrives, since I can do more gain with the amp model itself, and keep separate amp gains at the ready, for recall with a scene.

My BB Plus costs about $225 by itself. All it does is gain. And it does it very well. Is the Axe FX good enough? YES!!! But I already owned this BB Plus, wanted one for a long time, and finally got it, only about 18 months before I got the Axe 2. The BB plus is a religious experience if you put it before a tube preamp, and it does an awesome job before the Axe 2 also. I will probably never get rid of it. In fact, when I think to myself of other areas I might want to improve my rig, it would be to add different overdrives. Some of them might or might not be modeled inside the Axe2, but the real ones sound fuller to me, and again, if I do handle gain from outside the box, I don't need to use a drive block, and I can use the CPU for something else.
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Wow - I like the way you think Rod and I'll bet I would enjoy your presets too. The BB sim in the Axe is a favorite of mine and I often run two drives in series (one or both being the BB) to get that staging-of-tone-fattening effect (as opposed to throwing on another blanket of fuzz tone).

I need to get more into the amps-in-parallel for tone fattening too. Some factory presets have that but I would choose different amps and cabs I think.

Before getting the Axe at Dweezilla 2013, I used two (err, three?) Xotic pedals (the RC pedal and the Dual AC-RC blended pedal) and used them in series with the new Wampler Tom Quayle Fusion pedal (another great dual blending - the Wampler Paisley Drive and the Wampler Euphoria Overdrive). I think I will pick up a BB Plus too after reading this post.

I have been very hesitant (but tempted) to see what these pedals would sound like integrated with the Axe (scared it will somehow stress the Axe circuits I guess - $$$). But, I would love to experiment with mixing in some of these pedals with the Axe if it doesn't stress the Axe circuits - are the Axe circuits tough enough to handle all these external effects in series? Pros and cons?
 
Although I like some (not all) of the overdrives and fuzzes in the Drive block I still use a Brunetti Mercury box in front of the Axe. I just want to have more real time control over my sound. I can change the volume, drive, treble or bass in a second with the pedal. Something that is not possible with the Axe (or any other multi fx for that matter) because you have to go through menus to achieve this.

When using a drive block in the Axe I always combine it with a slightly overdriven amp block. Then for example the TS-9 drive block or some fuzz sounds quit good.
 
I use a lot of fuzz and OD/Distortion pedals with the Axe 2, mostly 5 different Pete Cornish pedals. Works just like using amps which for my pedalboard means clean amp. Most of the Axe 2's Fender amps are great particularly a tweaked Prince Tone setting I have, Bandmaster and the Hiwatt obviously with the Cornish pedals. I like a lot of the internal drive pedals, but until they get a model of Pete's pedals in their I'm still using my pedalboard.
 
SpecialKM said:
I use a lot of fuzz and OD/Distortion pedals with the Axe 2, mostly 5 different Pete Cornish pedals. Works just like using amps which for my pedalboard means clean amp. Most of the Axe 2's Fender amps are great particularly a tweaked Prince Tone setting I have, Bandmaster and the Hiwatt obviously with the Cornish pedals. I like a lot of the internal drive pedals, but until they get a model of Pete's pedals in their I'm still using my pedalboard.
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I've got an older SS-2 that I haven't tried with the Axe yet. I'll have to do that. It's been one of the best pedals I've ever used into my various Fender BF amps for a fat overdrive tone. Never had the chance to use any other Cornish pedals though. I bet they're fantastic..
 
Haven't really found a need for external pedals. Went and A/B'd the external pedals with what I could tweak the Axe to achieve before selling anything and was able to match (at least 95%) my various fuzzes such as the MJM London I/II, Skreddy P19, W&C Box of War, Fulltone 69 mkII, Dunlop Si Hendrix and others.

Between the tone/eq controls, drive, bias, clip type and hi/lo cut filters you can dial is something quite close to most any given fuzz. Might not always have quite the same dynamics as a good Ge, but still pretty close, or at least close enough to me I didn't see the point in keeping hundreds to a thousand+ dollars worth of pedals around for that last percentage.

It came down to asking, does this given pedal sound better/different enough than what I can get out of the axe that I'd rather have it than, say, $150 back in my bank account. Answer was always "no" for me

Only one I've still got is my op-amp Big Muff and maybe if I tried hard enough I could match that too
 
Hotplate said:
I've got an older SS-2 that I haven't tried with the Axe yet. I'll have to do that. It's been one of the best pedals I've ever used into my various Fender BF amps for a fat overdrive tone. Never had the chance to use any other Cornish pedals though. I bet they're fantastic..
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They work and sound pretty much the same with the Axe as they do with a nice clean Fender amp. I think some of the Drive block models sound great, I just like Pete's pedals better than the pedals that have been modeled. If they could model Pete's pedals as well as a Nobels ODR-1 and PE Experience I'd be more than happy to use just the on board Drive.

You may want to try your SS-2 with the Axe. One of the greatest benefit to Pete's pedals is the buffer design. Sounds crazy, but I like the sound and more importantly the feel of playing through the pedal better than straight into the amp. I find this to be the case with the AxeII also.
 
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