AXE FX or Pedals?...opinions please

s0c9 said:
Meaning.. (my intepretation).. "You had to ask??" ;)


But.. to answer ur question.
Not only do you replace all your pedals (I gave them up yrs ago) but you also get 223 amp models, and 179 cab models to "play" with.. the Axe will replace ur whole rig!! It did mine!
Click to expand...


I'm beginning to see the light....LOL...the amp and cab models is what I CAN'T simulate......I can't start piling up cabinets and amps......

Which brings on another question......most of my time will be in my music room with computer speakers or headphones.....but what do most use live to give the best un-colored sound of the cab sims?
 
I used an FRFR monitor, RCF NX12SMA, great speaker... durable and dependably great sound. Many here favor the CLR, and there are several others out there. There are alo a lot of amp/standard guitar cab users as well.
 
I would keep the pedals. I still use some pedals with the Fractal. Fuzz is one case where real pedals can have a slight edge.

Also, you can A/B and dial in the Fractal replacements before you dump the pedals.
 
I replaced a 48" x 16" double-tier pedalboard with an Axe-FX. The board was heavy on delay and reverb (something like half of the total FX, IIRC) and had the full Boomerang III setup (all three pedals).

The AFX rig that replaced the pedalboard is just an AFX II XL+ in a 2U rack case plus a LF+ Pro+ controller.

I made the change mid-March, so I can tell you with some clarity what are the tradeoffs.

1) Cost: AFX/LF+ is less expensive.

2) Weight: That pedalboard is a bitch to carry. The AFX rig is not.

3) Random Contol: Every pedal has its own knobs. If I want to change something on-the-fly, it's an immediate action. Reach for knob and turn it... With the AFX/LF+ rig I can program anything I can anticipate, but extemporaneous changes are pretty much off-limits.

4) Programmed Control: Advantage to the AFX/LF+ rig, for obvious reasons. Yeah, I suppose I could've added a programmable loop pedal to the pedal board, but that would have made cost, weight and random reprogramming even less advantageous.

5) Sound: both rigs sound great.

6) "Special" pedals: This is where there's no contest. There are certain pedals that I simply can't duplicate with the AFX. (The guy at EHX who designed and programmed the SuperEgo and the B9 deserves an award.) I have what I consider to be a pretty good-sounding Hammond patch for the AFX II, but I can't get it to track anywhere near as well as the B9. And while I've learned to adapt a hold-delay on the AFX to replace some of what I did with the Superego, it's just not the same... Likewise, the AFX looper is no competition for the Boomerang III. (I've learned to deal with the limitations.)

7) Stacked effects: While I *usually* exercise restraint in enabling a bunch of effects all at once, there are times when it *might* make sense to -- for example -- kick in all the ambience pedals at once. :) There are limitations (this was mentioned earlier in the thread) to how far you can take that with the AFX. I've learned to adapt. ;)

In the end, I see the AFX rig as a net win over the monster pedalboard. Yes, there are some things the AFX can't do. (OK, to be fair: lets say that there are some things for which I haven't been able to create an AFX patch to my satisfaction.) But it does more than enough to be useful to me.
 
RickTN said:
I currently use a Mastermind GT22 with a rack mounted preamp, amp, and (2) rack shelves of actual pedals all going into a midi looper/switcher.

I am considering buying a new AXE FX in place of all the pedals.
Click to expand...
Keep yer pedals until u get the Axe FX, then decide on which pedals u want to keep.
 
Although collecting pedals is like an obsession to me and I still do it to this day, I can say Axe FX can easily replace them. No regrets here as well.
 
iaresee said:
The Axe-Fx II is better all around. You'll love it. Sell that stuff and revel in not having to lug that crap around any more.
Click to expand...

Still love some of my pedals and the Axe hasn't been able to replace them for me. You can come close but some blocks miss that special magic that some specific pedals have. I agree with you that the Axe fx is better for all round. Less trouble with patch cables and buffers or tone sucking problems that many pedal or pedal combinations suffer from. Plus the Axe gives you all the routings you want. Especially for complex routings it is great. Pedals are better for instant tweaking and changing your sound on the fly or adjusting to the acoustics of the venue on the fly.

So for me I like to keep and use certain pedals along with my Axe. Best of both worlds. So until you have managed to fully capture the sound of a specific pedal I suggest that you keep that pedal. You can always sell it later.
 
Got my Ultra 10 years ago. Had 3 racks of gear including 3 preamps I toggled between or layered. I liked my sound and knew the Axe was worthy but no way was it going to replace all that gear. Yet one by one the Axe replicated or exceeded the sound of those components and they became dead weight. Sold them over time which essentially paid for my Axe with money left over. Kept my Big Sky for Axe verbs and a Kurzweil Rumour for vocal verbs.

I wouldn't worry much about it. It will happen naturally.
 
IMO, the question is, do you love the characteristics and quirks of your pedals so much that you'd truly miss them? The Axe produces stellar effects that are highly adjustable. But each and every pedal has its own set of idiosyncrasies that could only be captured by a model dedicated to reproducing them.

Case in point: I have an Electro Harmonix Electric Mistress flanger that has a complex noise accompanying the sweep, even if no input is plugged in. It flutters and spits in a very peculiar and specific way as the LFO does its thing. It also has a signature distortion and frequency response. The Axe can get a "better" flange. But I can't recreate an exact replica of the EM.

I don't use the EM. I now use the Axe for flanging. But I can only answer your original question for myself, not for you or anyone else.
 
For me, it is usually the roadie's week off so I like the simplicity and ease of use of the FX. As for how it sounds, you'll have to be the judge of that. For me, the magic box is the way to go. Started using Fractal years ago. No regrets. Best gear I ever purchased.
 
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I believe I'm about ready to take the leap. And will probably keep at least some of my pedals at 1st. I suppose the best way to use them would be into and out of the effects loop of the Axe (unless anyone has better suggestion). But I'll deal with that once I have an Axe. Also looks as if I'll need to, at least eventually, invest in a pair if FRFR speakers instead of using my (2) Mesa's.

Another question (and I thank all of you again for bearing with me).....What is the initial learning curve of the Axe once I have it? I have owned a Line 6 POD HD rack processor so I would assume they would be SOMEWHAT similar. Is the Axe pretty easy to just hook up and at least get some noise out of the 1st day or 2? or is going to be like going back to school before a few sounds will appear?
 
If you do decide to get the axe then download axe-edit its super easy to use from a pc. It links up to your axe fx and you can edit or add presets from a desktop instead of messing with the buttons on the unit itself.
 
RickTN said:
Another question (and I thank all of you again for bearing with me).....What is the initial learning curve of the Axe once I have it? I have owned a Line 6 POD HD rack processor so I would assume they would be SOMEWHAT similar. Is the Axe pretty easy to just hook up and at least get some noise out of the 1st day or 2? or is going to be like going back to school before a few sounds will appear?
Click to expand...
My answer is usually, "it depends" !!!
Connect the main outs to an amp/cab and off you go.
Run thru all the presets - many of which (like most products) are to show capability and usable only in certain situations.
Then, create a blank preset.
Pick and amp.. add a cab. Tweak to taste.
Add in some effects.. comp, delay, verb..
Save the preset to an empty user slot.

Unless you are well versed in "tube amp speak" or are a "deep tweaker", I highly recommend you STAY AWAY from the advanced parameter pages of the amp block. Stick with the basics page - tone, drive, output levels.

And yes, install AxeEdit...
 
soheil said:
Although collecting pedals is like an obsession to me and I still do it to this day, I can say Axe FX can easily replace them. No regrets here as well.
Click to expand...

I wish that I could say that, but to this day I still prefer the Keeley 2 knob compressor and the Fulltone MDV-2 over anything comparable inside the Axe FX. As always YMMV :)
 
aleclee said:
Struck me as similar to asking whether to buy a Ford or Chevy on blueoval.com
Click to expand...
That was not my intent...however I can see I might not have been totally clear in my original question. I'm well aware of the quality reputation of the Axe. My question was more in line with "did anyone have any regrets of dissing their pedals afterward?".....not "A" or "B" only but should I maybe combine "A" and "B".........it's a big decision to ditch the present favorite setup and almost completely revamp it with all new toys......

and I really do appreciate all the advice and opinions........
 
RickTN said:
That was not my intent...however I can see I might not have been totally clear in my original question. I'm well aware of the quality reputation of the Axe. My question was more in line with "did anyone have any regrets of dissing their pedals afterward?".....not "A" or "B" only but should I maybe combine "A" and "B".........it's a big decision to ditch the present favorite setup and almost completely revamp it with all new toys......

and I really do appreciate all the advice and opinions........
Click to expand...

The only real advice i can offer to you is to find someone that already has an axe fx that you can play around with for a while before making a big investment. I already had a digitech gsp2101 with all the mods that was my main workhorse but after i tried the axe fx that a friend of mine got, i was sold. Its a shame the digitech sits all dusty in my closet now but i dont regret it all because frankly, the axe just does it better.
 
bonewax21 said:
The only real advice i can offer to you is to find someone that already has an axe fx that you can play around with for a while before making a big investment. I already had a digitech gsp2101 with all the mods that was my main workhorse but after i tried the axe fx that a friend of mine got, i was sold. Its a shame the digitech sits all dusty in my closet now but i dont regret it all because frankly, the axe just does it better.
Click to expand...
yes....I started off with a GSP....don't remember the model now. Then I went to the Line 6 HD POD. After that I went to pedals, ENGL preamp and Marshall power amp. Now that I have the foot controller I'm happy with (Mastermind GT22) I'm pretty certain now I'm going AXE.
 
Going from lugging 200+ lbs of one good tone to a briefcase of countless perfect tones was pretty neat.

No regrets.

Cheers,
B
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom