Axe Fx just for home: who else does it?

I'm older and still play shows but I try to be picky about shows I play, look for good weather and short transport gigs. All my electric guitar live work is the Fractal these days.

Tracking in my studio is mostly with real amps and sometimes the Fractal. I still have some real amps and just love messing with them. The reality is, real amps are a labor of love, time and money. There is always something to be repaired in a real tube amp collection.

All my demos and quick stuff are with the Fractal. The amp tones are easy to get and glorious. The reverbs are stunning too. The Fractal is the quickest way to get a pro guitar track into your DAW.
 
Another home player here for the most part, I drag it to church about once a month. No regrets here, I sold $2500 in tube amps to get my XL+. Is it overkill, maybe but I have the best tone I've ever had, ever!!! So I don't think so. Compared to some of my other hobbies (drag racing, sailboats, Harley's) this one is cheap lol.
I just wish I had more time to play, I haven't turned it on for about a week:(, it's not going anywhere though, there's always retirement;)
 
I'm 48 and a home only player. Here's my little corner of happiness:


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If you really want to talk about overkill, here's my old home rig which consisted of an Axe-Fx Standard, Carvin DCM600 power amp, & 2 Avatar 4x12 cabs:

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I mostly only play at home anymore too. I haven't played a gig other than church every week since before I got my Axe over a year ago. I expect I will eventually get back into it a bit, but for now I am satisfied to have the best sounds I have ever had, even if I only use it mostly for practice. Back when I was gigging I used an old GNX4 with a tube power amp and 4x12 for about 10 years. It wasn't the best sound but it did a lot of things passably well with patient adjustment. Now I get all the sounds I ever wanted at top notch quality!
 
While I also had occasional jam sessions, open mic's, and possible gigging if my health improved to allow for it, I bought my first AxeFX (Ultra / 1st gen) primarily for playing and recording at home. I have used it at open mic's and jams but the vast majority of it's use has been at home. I upgraded to the AxeFX II a couple of years later (mid 2012). Both purchases were completely worth the money spent. This will stand true even if I never again leave the house with it

I started out playing the AxeFX through a pair KRK nearfield monitors (used as PC speakers at that time), then added a JBL powered monitor that I picked up for playing out. Both of these monitoring solutions were lacking from my perspective. I upgraded my nearfields to a pair of Equator D5's and sold the JBL to help pay for an Atomic amps CLR powered wedge monitor, and later purchased a second CLR for a stereo pair. The CLR's see more use than the Equator's, and for more than the AxeFX II. It may be my favorite music playback system ever (non-headphone anyway).

IMO the AxeFX II is definitely worth the coin, even for just playing at home. Those tube amps that I stopped using after the AxeFX arrived were sold and the proceeds covered the cost of the AxeFX, a MFC controller, and the better part of my first CLR (that would red out nicely :) ).

If/when an AxeFX III is brought to market I'll upgrade. ....and, as a hobbyist who uses his AxeFX II most of the time). It'll be worth the price then as well. :)
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A LOT of the players I work with are "home enthusiasts" only. They often tell me that love how the quality of the tones our products produce is "an inspiration" and takes "enjoyment" to a new level. I think they'd tell you that it is totally justifiable to take one's favorite pastime to the highest level.

When you compare the huge amounts of money that people spend on less active "hobbies" like watching sports, collecting, or home theater, an Axe-Fx seems pretty modest in comparison, and also supports musicianship, which progressively develops your brain and provides a sense of accomplishment and discipline.
You should be in Marketing ;)

From:
A more then satisfied (lately) home player
 
You should be in Marketing ;)

From:
A more then satisfied (lately) home player

Agreed! This is great sell.

Thanks for all the input. After joining this forum with my FX8, the best part has been utilizing these threads, because everyone knows their s*#t and has something useful to say.

It's with a heavy heart that I listed my FX8 today on my local craigslist. Really stings but I'm confident what lays ahead with the Axe is going to be a good thing.

Might hang on to my Mark V mini for the time being though :p
 
Another Madison Square Basement player here. If something happened to it, I'd get another in a heartbeat!
Although I hope the Axe III comes out before that happens!
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Same as others, home studio, jam out now and then (with a small combo tube amp)..........I have owned an axe fx of one kind or another since Apr 2009....ATM I own the Ax8, just fit better in my home studio...None of them have ever left my house either...The AX8 may.....we'll see.
 
I play guitar as a hobby and occasionally jam with some friends. I have gone full circle from Modelers (Guitar Rig 5, Amplitube, Jamup) to Tube amps and now I am back to the ultimate modeler with an Axe Fx XL. I have sold my tube amp and pedals. I play through Monitor Speakers and have a QSC K10 when I go to a jam. The Axe Fx sounds good EVERY time you turn it on and at any volume. Key selling feature to Guitarists with families and neighbors.
 
Axe FX / AX8 saved my relationship. My girlfriend got MS and with it, serious fatigue issues and has to sleep some times during the day, and go to bed early pretty much every night. So therefore loud amps would be a no-go, at least in my apartment. The Axe FX made my SO happy (no loud amps) and cured my GAS for amps at the same time, so i'd say it's killing two birds with one stone! :D
 
I play & record mostly at home. I may jam with friends once in a while when all the planets align.

I liken the Fractal to a classic muscle car but without the maintenance. When I am alone I can take the unit for a nice friendly spin around the block with my guitar or bass, try to red line the tachometer in terms of gain and effects figuratively (without any harm coming to myself, the unit, or anyone else), or tinker with it in the advance settings to get more performance out of it (like new otherwise impossible sounds out of some amp/cab combinations).

Be warned, Fractal products are the audio version of the best altered state you ever had, and are highly addictive, yet legal in most parts of the world.
 
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Home only for me. I find other people bothersome when it comes to music. Not a lot of people like what i do and I can't be bothered with shitty covers of songs I have no interest in. The drummer never turns up either lol

(Oh by the way, it looks slightly different now I moved my speakers to a correct position and have them on stands behind my desk :) )
 
Hmm... worth it? This becomes a value judgement. If you have other commitments like, Family, wife and kids. The money may not be yours to spend right now. I can respect that. I love my axe fx II but rarely take it out of my home studio. If you cannot justify the 1500 plus cost for a Ax Fx II or AX-8, consider the Atomic Amplifier(AA). It has a Shark chipset and has user IR's slots, plus effects for $600. With the right IR's results can be very satisfying. At a later time when you can afford a Fractal, it will still have a use as a solid backup. And to be honest, I won't take my Fractal out of my studio rack just to jam at club. That's where the AA shines. In a live setting, without a Ax FX to compare to, it holds its' own, very well. Add a FCB 1010 (my pedalboard for my Af Fx 2) and the AA can do a lot. If I don't want to carry the FCB 1010 (I am lazy), I Take 3 HOTONE PEDALS, 2 mini Swell pedals. One wah/volume and one expression AND 1 WALLY looper. ALL FOUR pedals fit in my soft gig bag. That's ONE item to carry and have great tone + effects + 15 minute looper. A no brainer for a backup on real paying gigs, but also a consideration for someone on a budget. As I said earlier, the only consideration is having the right IR's. BUT if you have the funds. Get a AxFx 2. Reamping and digital recording give it a edge over the AX-8 , for home use. With the release of the AX FX XL and XL +, the price of the 2 has dropped to make it very affordable with a Behringer FCB 1010($150). Either way you are in for a great audio adventure my friend... Since I bought the Ax fx and the Atomic, my neighbors and the police think I've retired!
 
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Home enthusiast here, it never leaves the music room. If I had to eliminate 90% of my equipment the Axe would stay along with one guitar and a set of headphones. I'm not a metal guy more into ambient (all the effects cover my shortcomings as a player!) but after having the unit for a while I have quickly become an amp guy. It is not overkill for home use but a full bag of tools to use as needed, it can do it all in one unit.
 
I use mine strictly at home. I think lots of people use it that way because it's pretty much the ultimate home rig. You can get great sounds at low volumes which is perfect if you're like me and the only time that you can crank up an amp is if the family is not home. Plus, if you get bored with an amp, all you have to do is turn a few knobs (or click a mouse a few times) and you've got a completely new setup.
 
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