Axe FX II - Ease of Use

Sidivan

Fractal Fanatic
My 2nd guitarist of my band is interested in getting an Axe FX, but my Ultra scares the living daylights out of him. He's a straight tube amp "Give me a few knobs to turn" guy. I've read that the Axe FX 2 is easier to dial in tones, but how much easier is it? Is it finally to the point of dropping an amp, a cab, and dialing the basic parameters without having to use an envelope filter to tighten up palm mutes or setting the low/high cut frequencies? I have faith that he COULD figure that stuff out if he wanted to take the time, but I know him pretty well and he's just not going to sit down and futz with advanced stuff.
 
So he wants a ferrari but doesn't know how to drive manual?

Basing off all the videos I've seen and what people have said I think it's easier than the ultra.... Worst case scenario is you could set some tones up with him to use and after a while I'm sure he'll start fiddling with it.
 
Well, he doesn't want it for all the bells and whistles. He wants it because it sucks to lug tubes around. I think he's jealous that I can carry my entire rig + guitar in 1 trip. And then set it all up in less than 5 minutes! I've already told him that I'd help him dial stuff in. Originally, he wanted to buy my ultra and then I could upgrade to the 2, which would be amazing for me, but I really think the 2 would be a better fit for him.

A better analogy is that he's got a big ol' manual truck (tube amp), but is sick of climbing into it every time he wants to go to the store. If he could jump into a compact that gives him the same feeling without making him learn how to fly a space shuttle, that'd be great.
 
Definitely easier. I've only had my II plugged in for an hour and some of my presets (recreating from scratch) already sound better than their Ultra counterparts. The inclusion of IRs from RedWire and OwnHammer simplifies things too, since you don't need to hook anything up to a computer to have those options.
 
Definitely easier. I've only had my II plugged in for an hour and some of my presets (recreating from scratch) already sound better than their Ultra counterparts. The inclusion of IRs from RedWire and OwnHammer simplifies things too, since you don't need to hook anything up to a computer to have those options.
though computer hook up is now easier ;)
 
I would say way easier but still can be a bit daunting for some users. If they are willing to put in a bit of work and ask some questions. A basic level of understanding can come quickly. The new manual is outstanding. If he can read through that he will be golden.
 
I had my Axe 2 for 4 days now! I had a Standard for 2 years. I can't say the 2 is more easy to operate, it's about the same!! Whenever you get a new multi effects box, you need to read the manual obviously! A magic box like the Axe fx that does it all needs some practive before being confortable with it. It has nothing to do with a tube amp with 7 or 8 buttons you know!!
 
Awesome, thank you Sean! That's exactly the info for which I was looking. He can definitely handle a good manual, but he's not a forum guy. That puts my mind at ease.
 
I would say way easier but still can be a bit daunting for some users. If they are willing to put in a bit of work and ask some questions. A basic level of understanding can come quickly. The new manual is outstanding. If he can read through that he will be golden.
i like the new manual too!

if patience is invested, frustration will be averted! (man, i sound like a fortune cookie...)
 
I also find it easier once you get rolling it moves quick and dialing in sounds is a snap. That said because many of us are previous owners of an Axe-fx that helps a great deal where a first time user will have a bit of a learning curve.
 
I would say way easier but still can be a bit daunting for some users. If they are willing to put in a bit of work and ask some questions. A basic level of understanding can come quickly. The new manual is outstanding. If he can read through that he will be golden.

Love you Sean, but you are absolutely no indicator of the 'casual user'. I've read technical things that you've said on this board that made be crossed-eyed.

On the other hand, I think his point is that he, a few of the other Beta testers, and new users have reported that the default conditions for most of the box is more 'plug and play'. Let me say as someone who learned quite a bit over the first few months of owning a Standard that your other guitarist would do well to be somewhat intimidated...there's alot of things in there. So I would say unequivocally 'NO' to ease of use. You have to LEARN about what's under your hands. Everyone who gigs knows that you need to make fast changes on stage (half the time in the middle of a song), and if you're unsure of where to go and what to do, you're lost. Its' not HARD, but it does take dedication and desire to take it in small steps and learn about each part of your chain.

Sure, he can tweak a few knobs, but in the end, it's like buying a huge webserver use it for nothing else but playing Solitaire.

IMO.

Ron
 
Love you Sean, but you are absolutely no indicator of the 'casual user'. I've read technical things that you've said on this board that made be crossed-eyed.

On the other hand, I think his point is that he, a few of the other Beta testers, and new users have reported that the default conditions for most of the box is more 'plug and play'. Let me say as someone who learned quite a bit over the first few months of owning a Standard that your other guitarist would do well to be somewhat intimidated...there's alot of things in there. So I would say unequivocally 'NO' to ease of use. You have to LEARN about what's under your hands. Everyone who gigs knows that you need to make fast changes on stage (half the time in the middle of a song), and if you're unsure of where to go and what to do, you're lost. Its' not HARD, but it does take dedication and desire to take it in small steps and learn about each part of your chain.

Sure, he can tweak a few knobs, but in the end, it's like buying a huge webserver use it for nothing else but playing Solitaire.

IMO.

Ron

Fully agree. Clearly it's not about Ultra and II. It's about willing to look at menus, configuring a foot controller etc. versus a couple of knobs on an amp's front panel.
If that guy backs away from menus and a grid, it's no use talking him into an Axe-Fx (whatever version) + controller + amplification.
Most of us here are enthousiasts, willing to invest time and to enjoy some tweaking. That makes us a minority, because the majority turn their amp's power on, turn up the volume and just play. I've never understood why some people say using the Axe-Fx is easy, because simply it isn't.
 
+1 to electronpirate and yek. A guy who just wants to adjust six knobs may not be happy with an Axe. I know several guitarists (good ones) who would want to throw it out the window after 15 minutes of attempted editing. If they can't find presets that suit them, they aren't interested in a grid full of thousands of parameters. Some people are into it, some aren't.
 
I received my Ultra back in January. As a guy who like the simplicity of a tube amp with a few knobs...it's not quite that. However, I find it extremely intuitive and I'm able to take a high gain patch and make it "very acceptable" in under five minutes. I also have a Digitech GSP2101 and always found usage to be very tiring, to the point where I don't even want to use it. I don't find the Axe or Axe II intimidating at all. Now that I have the Axe II, it's much faster with the extra knobs. The extra knobs alone are easily worth $200 to me. I always find it surprising when people say it can be intimidating and I only have a limited to moderate understanding of EQ. Plus I think you can get any sound out of it you want with some effort. I'm using studio monitors exclusively.
 
From what I've seen of the unit and the manual, if you are afraid of the Axe I, you should be afraid of the Axe II. The II makes some advanced tasks easier and streamlines some things such as EQing reverb tails and delays within a block, but it doesn't change the overall interface of the unit and the extensive nature of it's options.

If you like simple amps with a few knobs, the extensive menu system and almost limitless options are bound to scare or frustrate you. Sure, you could just not use a lot of the advanced stuff, but there are still a bunch of common tasks you are going to have to figure out. I would never recommend it to someone who isn't comfortable with this kind of a system.

D
 
Love you Sean, but you are absolutely no indicator of the 'casual user'. I've read technical things that you've said on this board that made be crossed-eyed.

On the other hand, I think his point is that he, a few of the other Beta testers, and new users have reported that the default conditions for most of the box is more 'plug and play'. Let me say as someone who learned quite a bit over the first few months of owning a Standard that your other guitarist would do well to be somewhat intimidated...there's alot of things in there. So I would say unequivocally 'NO' to ease of use. You have to LEARN about what's under your hands. Everyone who gigs knows that you need to make fast changes on stage (half the time in the middle of a song), and if you're unsure of where to go and what to do, you're lost. Its' not HARD, but it does take dedication and desire to take it in small steps and learn about each part of your chain.

Sure, he can tweak a few knobs, but in the end, it's like buying a huge webserver use it for nothing else but playing Solitaire.

IMO.

Ron
Which is why I said it could be a bit daunting. I didnt say it was easy. Issue it was easier than the ultra. The types make it easier and added parameters to effects eliminates the need for some complex routings.
 
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