Axe + CLR Versus Vintage Arsenal

[tone pilgrim]

I'm a vintage amp lover. I've owned Fender Twins, Supers, Vibrolux's, Bandmasters and Vox AC's. Although I sold my tube amps to get an Axe II over 2 years ago, I still never felt very confident with it as a 'real' competitor to a fine tuned vintage amp. Two things have changed my opinion and my confidence level:

1. The Atomic CLR- For the first time since owning the Axe, I've felt like I was actually getting realistic Fender and Vox tones.

2. The Vintage Shootout- Today I got together an with old friend who has a number of great sounding old amps. I was pretty uncertain going into our jam session how well my Axe + Matrix GT800 + passive CLR would stake up against his '64 Super, PreCBS Pro Reverb, AC 15, and two Plexi's. I was actually nervous.

But playing a few licks back to back on both, my nervousness immediately went away and I began to smile inside. My rig sounded damn good next his. In some ways bigger and better. The CLR has really closed the gap for me on the amp-in-the-room effect. Although it doesn't throw the sound around the room in the same pleasing way a real guitar cabinet does, it does sound much more real than the other FRFR's I've heard (Mackie, Xitone and my old RCF NS12). At one point, I hooked up a small '64 Vox 2x10 cabinet to run along with my CLR. I didn't turn it up enough to actually hear it but just enough to let the open back splash some sound off the walls. There it was- my rig sounded as good and as amp-in-the-room as his 'real' amps.

Conclusion: With my Axe + Matrix GT800 + passive CLR combination, I can sound every bit as good as these beautiful old amps. And with a small 'guitar' cabinet added in mildly, I can sound every bit as amp-in-the-room.

Post Script: In addition to vintage amps, I've also owned 4 Boogies, and a Dumble Bluesmaster clone. I've felt and still feel confident on how the Axe + Matrix GT800 + passive CLR just rips it up in this department compared to these amps as well.

 

[unFILTERed]

Great test, i got my gt1000fx and q12 from matrix last week. And today for the first time i cranked the volume in studio and
tweaked my presets. Now i know i will never miss the amps i sold(mesa triaxis, mesa 2:90, fender hotrot deluxe)

 

[DL0426]

What other speakers, if any, have you tried with your Axe-Fx?

 

[MrSparkle]

So ... how do the powered versions of the CLR and Q12 compare, to running them thru the Matrix power amp?

 

[tone pilgrim]

What other speakers, if any, have you tried with your Axe-Fx?

Mackie SMR 450's (sucked; almost sold the Axe)
RCF NX12SMA (decent, but no CLR)
Xitone passive 1 x 12 wedge (a great price point but in a different league than the CLR imho)
Avatar large-box 2 x 12 with ?
2 x 10 cab with Eminence Delta 10B's (dark)
Atomic CLR passive

 

[tone pilgrim]

So ... how do the powered versions of the CLR and Q12 compare, to running them thru the Matrix power amp?

I've only heard the passive CLR's with a Matrix Gt800fx so I can't chime in here.

 

[Shadowseve]

Mackie SMR 450's (sucked; almost sold the Axe)
RCF NX12SMA (decent, but no CLR)
Xitone passive 1 x 12 wedge (a great price point but in a different league than the CLR imho)
Avatar large-box 2 x 12 with ?
2 x 10 cab with Eminence Delta 10B's (dark)
Atomic CLR passive

So how does the clr sound vs the xitone?

 

[geetarman]

So how does the clr sound vs the xitone?

+1

 

[tone pilgrim]

So how does the clr sound vs the xitone?

The Xitone passive has a great price point but, like I said above, in my opinion it is in a different league than the CLR. The fact that I plugged the Axe and CLR into a stock patch with no adjustments and it compared favorably to some superb vintage amps makes me feel that it must be pretty darned flat. And that the Axe has gotten pretty darn close. For the first time in a while I don't feel like I made the wrong choice or that I need to run out and buy some new piece of gear. I would be selling any of the other FRFR's I've owned or heard. All of this utterly subjective, un-scientific opinion of course.

 

[cragginshred]

Pilgrim. Thank you for mentioning that you owned th Rcf's I put mine next to a friends Marshal stack it hangs with bigger fuller tone. I am on back order for a powered CLR and your report was helpful. I cannot imagine the tone being better, I bought it for the claim of better sound dispersion, but we shall see. Very high expeditions for certain! By the way what firmware are you using?

 

[OldNo.7]

At one point, I hooked up a small '64 Vox 2x10 cabinet to run along with my CLR. I didn't turn it up enough to actually hear it but just enough to let the open back splash some sound off the walls. There it was- my rig sounded as good and as amp-in-the-room as his 'real' amps.

Are you going to keep doing it this way, or was is just a one time thing?

 

[tone pilgrim]

Pilgrim. Thank you for mentioning that you owned th Rcf's I put mine next to a friends Marshal stack it hangs with bigger fuller tone. I am on back order for a powered CLR and you report I'd helpful. I cannot imagine the tone being better, I bought it for the claim of better sound dispersion, but we shall see. Very high expeditions for certain! By the way what firmware are you using?

No question, the dispersion is wider with the CLR than the RCF I owned. You won't be disappointed there. A very wide sweet spot. I updated to firmware 10.5 just before my get together.

 

[tone pilgrim]

Are you going to keep doing it this way, or was is just a one time thing?

I actually ended up buying that Vox cab from him. He made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Here's a pic for your viewing pleasure.

 

[bigb6611]

tone pilgrim,

Thanks for this review.

Out of curiosity, may I ask which form factor is your CLR? I am definitely going this path too!

 

[tone pilgrim]

tone pilgrim,

Thanks for this review.

Out of curiosity, may I ask which form factor is your CLR? I am definitely going this path too!

I went with the passive wedge.

If you are interested, it actually looks great in the backline position (like a 'real' guitar cabinet) and the Axe in my rack fits very securely on top. I'd trust it there even for a very loud show (i.e. it wouldn't rattle off).

 

[Hotplate]

I ran my old Super Reverb with pedalboard and the Axe FX w/ a pair of CLR's (powered wedges) on either side of it recently... THAT was fun.

 

[tone pilgrim]

I ran my old Super Reverb with pedalboard and the Axe FX w/ a pair of CLR's (powered wedges) on either side of it recently... THAT was fun.

Cool. What was your opinion? Was your experience like what I described above?

 

[Hotplate]

Cool. What was your opinion? Was your experience like what I described above?

I didn't spend any time trying to dial in the Axe to sound just like the amp. In fact, I didn't use the Super Reverb model in the Axe when I did this. But I agree with you that the Axe through the CLRs has been as satisfying for me to play through as the real amps I've owned (have not owned many of the ones in the Axe though, save for vintage Marshall and Fender amps). FW10 has been a great step forward for me, but I honestly didn't feel the Axe was lacking before- what you don't know don't hurt.. etc.

 

[garyrogue]

Guys thanks for your findings. I'm on list to try a CLR and I think I'll go passive wedge. I have Matrix GT1000 that I'm using (cab sims off) with my 1 and 2 x12s. Sounds good, however as one person mentioned that certain amps need their certain speaker for their sound and you need the FRFR to reporduce that.