Axe-Fx II XL "mobile" approach

PiotrWPL

New Member
Hello Fractal Users !

I have recently bought used Fractal Axe II Xl. I am really enjoying it as home recording device. However i'd like to make it more mobile, so I could safetely take it with me on band rehersal or to play live. What i'd like to archive with the setup is to make it as lightweight and mobile as possible, I also dont want to spend fortune on rack construction, as mentioned my Fractal was bought from B Stock and did cost less than 50% new one . I do not have previous experiance in buying those Rack system and some products / producers recommendations are warm welcomed !

I am wondering about below options :

Option one 1

Rack ( Gator G-Shock / Gator GRR-4L )
Conditioner ( Furman M-10Lx E )
Power Apm ( Power Stage 700 vs Palmer Macht 402 vs other? )
Passive Column ( Recommendations need )

Option 2

Rack ( Gator G-Shock / Gator GRR-4L )
Conditioner ( Furman M-10Lx E )
Drawer for "stuff" ( Any recommendations ? )
FRFR Column ( Recommendations needed )


So here are things I am considering :

G-shock vs Rack on wheels : Protection vs Mobility ? Any Experiances guys ? Is G-shock work not getting wheels for the rack ?

Conditioner : So far from what i Read Furman works decent for its price.

Power Apm : What are the things to consider here ? Some of power apms i looked at weight alot and are much chepaer than the options i listed here, why is that ? What is the difference between tube and transistor power amps ?

Passive vs Active Columnt : Here I am also opened for suggestions , we are looking for something lightweight that would provide enught loundess for rehersal or small gig.

Power apm + passive column vs FRFR Column : Pros and cons, any experiances ?

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions !

Best Regards,
Piotr
 
Just for the sake of knowing the Power Stage 700 take up a space and a half in the rack and the inputs are on the front and the power switch is on the back. I think SD screwed the pouch on the design of that amp. Think they were leaning more towards guys that use pedals and mount everything on a pedal board. The design sucks for a rack. Great amp tho.
 
The G-Shock looks nice however and shock mount rack will be bulky. Will other people be moving your rack? Will the rack be sliding around in the back of a pickup? Does it really need to be shock mounted?
 
I have a corner stacked full of racks LOL. 3 space, 6 space, 8 space, 10 space. Always changing things up. Lately I been using an old 5' tall cabinet that has a couple rack spaces in the top and I used to put 4 guitars in the bottom. its now houses AFXIII, Patch bay, IEM receiver and Behringer XR18 mixer for my personal IEM mix. it works out real well with the AFXIII almost at eye level.

58160702057__DD8E0EFD-602B-49B0-896C-DF0A43FB9D5A.jpg
 
The G-Shock looks nice however and shock mount rack will be bulky. Will other people be moving your rack? Will the rack be sliding around in the back of a pickup? Does it really need to be shock mounted?

Well no, I just plan to get it into passanger car on a back seat and get to rehersal place or to a gig. Ill be carrying it myself. So if You think that G Sock one will be too much for that purpose ill consider that.

Thanks for the tip regarding SD 700. As i lack of experiance in buying single power apm thats really usefull. I started to wonder now are there any other options work recmeding than Matrix. I mean also tube power apms ( althought they are really heavy )

Your setup seems amazing, however its really big and bulky :) Dosent look like You could carry it in Your hands.

Best Regards,
Piotr
 
If its not going to get beat up I don't really see a need for a shock mount rack. Matrix Amps are killer and fit one rack space, GT1000FX or GT800FX and sound great with FRFR cabinets and regular guitar speaker cabinets. You also have the option of playing through powered cabinets as well, one less thing to house in a rack. My monolith as I like to call it hast casters on the front and stationary wheels on the back with a handle on top, Just tilt it back and drag it like an AMPEG 8x10 cabinet. Just tilt it into the mini van on its back and shove it in.
 
If its not going to get beat up I don't really see a need for a shock mount rack. Matrix Amps are killer and fit one rack space, GT1000FX or GT800FX and sound great with FRFR cabinets and regular guitar speaker cabinets. You also have the option of playing through powered cabinets as well, one less thing to house in a rack. My monolith as I like to call it hast casters on the front and stationary wheels on the back with a handle on top, Just tilt it back and drag it like an AMPEG 8x10 cabinet. Just tilt it into the mini van on its back and shove it in.

Tom Morris

Thanks for all the replies. With Your help I made up my mind

8U Rack - with wheels
Furman M-10Lx E - 1U
GT1000FX-1U
Fractal Axe II Xl - 2U
Drawer ( didnt pick any yet 2U )

And ill have still 2U to add something later on, if needed ill just get some speaker later on.

Big Thanks !
 
Tom Morris

Thanks for all the replies. With Your help I made up my mind

8U Rack - with wheels
Furman M-10Lx E - 1U
GT1000FX-1U
Fractal Axe II Xl - 2U
Drawer ( didnt pick any yet 2U )

And ill have still 2U to add something later on, if needed ill just get some speaker later on.

Big Thanks !
how much is that gonna weigh?
 
Rack - Weight 16.97 (lbs 7.7 kg)
Fractal - Weight: 14.75 lbs (6.7 kg)
Furman - Weight 5 lbs (2.3 Kg )
Drawer - Weight: 15.12 lbs (6.9 kg )

Total of 52.02 lbs (23.6kg)

vs my old setup

peavey Valve king head mkii 21 lbs (10kg)
harley Benton G122 55 lbs (25 kg)
Pedalboard around 40 lbs (20 kg)

Total of 116 lbs ( 55 kg )

plus ill have wheels !

I think thats proffitable exchange :)
 
I'm not sure if others have done this/recomend it but with the rack(s) i've been planning you could do something more modular:

Have the Axe Fx in its own 2U case (for super portabale gigs when you just go direct)

and for other shows where you want to use a cab and(or) DI a seperate 3U/4U case for:
Power conditioner
Power amp
anything else (eg wireless, in ears, fx draw)
 
I'm not sure if others have done this/recomend it but with the rack(s) i've been planning you could do something more modular:

Have the Axe Fx in its own 2U case (for super portabale gigs when you just go direct)

and for other shows where you want to use a cab and(or) DI a seperate 3U/4U case for:
Power conditioner
Power amp
anything else (eg wireless, in ears, fx draw)
Hi Ben,

Thank You for contributing, however for now i decided to get one big rack for all the stuff. Its not a problem to get a modular setup later on, and another small rack just for Fractal.

:)

BR,
Piotr
 
Minimally you only need 2U for an Axe FX only. You want to add a poweramp as well the Matrix GT1000 will serve you very well, and its fairly lightweight. In which case go for a 4U rack and use the additional 1U space for a patch bay. Patch pays are a must have and god sent in my book as nothing sucks more then having to fumble in the back of a rack to hook things up in a dark rehearsal room or god forbid on a darkened stage. All my outputs and even USB are connected via a patchbay. You also want a power conditioner you're getting into 5U or 6U territory. In which case add a powercon connector to that patchbay as well. As I have. I'm not a big fan of racks with tiny wheels, like on suitcases, as floors tend to be uneven, so too much tendency for the case to vibrate. And when things vibrate things have a tendency to get lose. The best shockmount system is still to carry it yourself, although I have gotten a separate wheeled plate in my local hardware store that I've fitted with a piece of a foam gym mat as a sort of shockmount. Because I'm getting a little older and lazier.
 
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