Axe FX or Real amp?

S

ShadowK

Member
I'm new to the forum and on a quest to replace a Kemper I had, good product but wasn't for me.

I'm either looking at an Axe FX 2 or an Engl Savage, there are only three things that kinda put me off the Axe FX 2. One is the price (Trying to convice the misses is going to be hard :)) and the amount of tweaking, I have a studio and don't have the time to mess around with it for a long period of time. Finally I have heard some amazing and bad sounds / mixes from the AXE FX, but that could be the users more than anything.

The Savage has it's limitations too, I can't do overdub sessions later at night without getting a knock on the door.. Also Mic'ing amps can be very time consuming.

I know this forum will be pro AXE, but I think we all realise it's a lot of money and has to be 100% worth it with no doubt in your mind. Any help appreciated.
 
as long as you run the axe through an poweramp its the same as with a real amp .. adjust gain and eq and you re ready to go.

other thing is: chosing the "right" IR isnt as time consuming as micing up a real cab (for me)

the cool thing on the axe is: you CAN tweak but u r getting really nice sounds straight out of the box
 
luke said:
If time is a concern don't buy the Axe.
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I gotta disagree with that (sorry Luke). In a studio situation, if time is a concern, ABSOLUTELY buy the axe. A small investment in time learning it saves a huge amount of time dialling tomes, trying different amp combinations and micing cabs. At the very least you can set up an Engl channel and a clean channel and you have the baseline you would with the real head.
 
Just my 2 cents but since the last firmware (7.0) i think it's now very easy to dial and get a huge tone with only the amp basic setting tab.
 
I never tried Kemper so can't compare...
But this is the single best piece of music gear I've ever bought, had it for 4 months and I actually smile like a fool when playing it.
I always say that if you can afford it without living on water and bread for a year, it's a no-brainer... If not, well, some people get good tones out of cheaper stuff, so go for that...

You're deciding between two choices which cost roughly the same, but with one of them you have one amp and a very limited tone. With the other you have nearly every tone available. I would say it's a no-brainer, the only question is if you feel the Axe is close enough to the real thing? In my ears it is.
But I understand you're hesitant, you should really try to test drive one. There should be some forum member close by who might be kind enough to let you visit and rip it for a while!
 
Metlupass2 said:
An Engl Savage 120 is a few hundred more than an Axe Fx II brand new.
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Not here, The Axe FX2 here is £1931.00 or $3090.95. The Savage is £1450.00.. The axe is only $2199.00 dollars in the US, I don't see why the EU prices are so ridiculous?
 
Rook said:
I gotta disagree with that (sorry Luke). In a studio situation, if time is a concern, ABSOLUTELY buy the axe. A small investment in time learning it saves a huge amount of time dialling tomes, trying different amp combinations and micing cabs. At the very least you can set up an Engl channel and a clean channel and you have the baseline you would with the real head.
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That's great to know Rook.. Thanks for that..
 
echos said:
What was it about the kemper that you didn't like?
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I'll just regurgitate this from Gear Slutz.. Taking into account I havn't used the AXE FX2.

We profiled an ENGL Savage, I invited 10 people round three of them far better engineers than most people I have ever heard (Much better than me). Others have no clue about making music and some have a bit of experience using Axe FX, pod's etc. Not one of them proffered the Kemper to the AMP when recorded.

My conclusion is the same, it's close but no Cigar when it comes to high gain guitars (It is nice on cleans). It is a great unit and takes the hassle and noise of a real amp out of the equation, but it depends if you want to stay in the crowd or find ways to be above it.
 
I had a Savage and when it arrived I had to tweak all the knobs to get a good sound, I was tweaking those knobs the whole time I had it! With the Axe I can use most of the amps as-is, maybe minor tweaks to drive and TMB.

When people discuss the Axe they talk about tweaking, but you do that with a real amp too, just with the Axe you have 80+ amps to tweak.

The Savage is a great amp, would love to see it in the Axe.

The Kemper and the Axe sound and feel different. I find the initial attack on the Axe to be 'jucier', thicker and more responsive. The way the Kemper is voiced I can understand the instant gratification a lot of people get, the Axe seems eq'd flatter in the mids with extended highs and lows in comparison (using the same monitors, headphones, FRFR amp/cab). Of course perception depends on the volume you're playing at and turning up the mids is pretty easy on the Axe.
 
MaxTwang said:
I had a Savage and when it arrived I had to tweak all the knobs to get a good sound, I was tweaking those knobs the whole time I had it! With the Axe I can use most of the amps as-is, maybe minor tweaks to drive and TMB.

When people discuss the Axe they talk about tweaking, but you do that with a real amp too, just with the Axe you have 80+ amps to tweak.

The Savage is a great amp, would love to see it in the Axe.

The Kemper and the Axe sound and feel different. I find the initial attack on the Axe to be 'jucier', thicker and more responsive. The way the Kemper is voiced I can understand the instant gratification a lot of people get, the Axe seems eq'd flatter in the mids with extended highs and lows in comparison (using the same monitors, headphones, FRFR amp/cab). Of course perception depends on the volume you're playing at and turning up the mids is pretty easy on the Axe.
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I noticed the axe FX has a real fidelity to it, it will sound really up front and punchy in a mix and seems to translate well. It's one of the main reasons I'm considering it.

Might be worth getting one shipped from the US as there is £600.00 difference in price.
 
ShadowK said:
there are only three things that kinda put me off the Axe FX 2. One is the price (Trying to convice the misses is going to be hard :))
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Ok - I hear you on this one - but the Axe is quite frankly untouchable as a do it all box. Unfortunately Cliff was born on the wrong side of the pond and it's us EU people that have to bite the import tax bullet. You could keep an eye out for second hand ones from the EU - if you don't like it then you'll lose little in reselling it.
ShadowK said:
and the amount of tweaking, I have a studio and don't have the time to mess around with it for a long period of time.
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I would have thought studio owners are the tweakiest people around? Even at that - the fact that you don't have to worry about physical mic placement and can control the room without needing a room is going to save a lot of time. It's more likely that the live player/owner would have tweaking time concerns - but the latest version is a great place to start your Axe experience IMO - over a years worth of user suggestions and feedback have been addressed along with innovative additions by Cliff.

ShadowK said:
Finally I have heard some amazing and bad sounds / mixes from the AXE FX, but that could be the users more than anything.
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I think you've answered your own question here .... the amazing ones are what the Axe is capable of ...... the bad ones are more than likely just from people who rush out a demo more for the sake of celebration about getting the kit or just don't have a decent ear!

Also factor in that the Axe is getting constant upgrades making it easier and easier to dial in good sounds ..... plus the Savage could well be included in it's amp stable one day .... along with the super store worth of other amps already there.

Think of it in the same way you'd think of buying a real amp for your studio but the hassle of going through all the cab/mic/placement experimentation can be done sitting on your bum with a cup of coffee in front of your monitors - and if you get into reamping ....... well then you don't even need multi takes from the guitarists.
 
maxdown said:
Ok - I hear you on this one - but the Axe is quite frankly untouchable as a do it all box. Unfortunately Cliff was born on the wrong side of the pond and it's us EU people that have to bite the import tax bullet. You could keep an eye out for second hand ones from the EU - if you don't like it then you'll lose little in reselling it.

I would have thought studio owners are the tweakiest people around? Even at that - the fact that you don't have to worry about physical mic placement and can control the room without needing a room is going to save a lot of time. It's more likely that the live player/owner would have tweaking time concerns - but the latest version is a great place to start your Axe experience IMO - over a years worth of user suggestions and feedback have been addressed along with innovative additions by Cliff.


I think you've answered your own question here .... the amazing ones are what the Axe is capable of ...... the bad ones are more than likely just from people who rush out a demo more for the sake of celebration about getting the kit or just don't have a decent ear!

Also factor in that the Axe is getting constant upgrades making it easier and easier to dial in good sounds ..... plus the Savage could well be included in it's amp stable one day .... along with the super store worth of other amps already there.

Think of it in the same way you'd think of buying a real amp for your studio but the hassle of going through all the cab/mic/placement experimentation can be done sitting on your bum with a cup of coffee in front of your monitors - and if you get into reamping ....... well then you don't even need multi takes from the guitarists.
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Don't get me wrong, I like messing around with stuff. But when it starts eating into actual studio time it becomes an issue, although spot on with cab/mic/placement. It's a tone for the mix not for what sounds cool, they are completely separate things which people starting out seem to forget and it can be a hard thing to get.

Although I must admit I am swaying towards the Axe. I'll see how much it cost's to buy in from the US.
 
ShadowK said:
I noticed the axe FX has a real fidelity to it, it will sound really up front and punchy in a mix and seems to translate well. It's one of the main reasons I'm considering it.

Might be worth getting one shipped from the US as there is £600.00 difference in price.
Click to expand...

Fidelity is a word I would use to describe the Axe - it's a high end effects processor that competes with others in it's price range. It also has amp/cab modelling and Tone Matching! I think the flatter voicing/eq'ing goes with the philosophy of being a high-end processor, but if you want raw and aggressive you can get that too.

Something this forum is seeing with Tone Matching recorded clips is how different a guitar part that fits well in a mix sounds from an amp in the room. The Axe has the tools to take a preset that sounds good in the room and make it sound good in the mix (recorded or live) - try that with a real amp or any other processor.
 
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