Back in the land of the living. I want to try some commercial custom presets.

D

Dixiethedog

Experienced
I would normally and usually be found right down at the bottom section of the forum in amongst the Legacy Products forum. A place that chances are you have never been to if you are purely an FM3 owner. A place forgotten in time where there are no new firmware updates and a dwindling number of posts as the lovely folk of "Legacy Products" like myself move up the forum pages to something newer and perhaps more exciting.

My USB (to connect to AXE-EDIT)(AX8) broke so I became unable to try out other people's excellent presets and found myself tweaking and generally messing around with presets that I had already loaded into my (still sounding excellent) AX8. But I was not being inspired by my own tones and my guitar playing turned a bit stagnant.

One of the deciding factors for my purchase of an FM3 is the selection of commercially available that are out there and sound great. Last night I sat and watched video after video of one preset seller demonstration videos where to my ears he sounded like the artist/song being played and it made me want to be able to join in and play. Some of the seller's presets are of bands that I have had no real interest in but now have me wanting to sit down and learn completely new songs. And fingers crossed once the songs have been figured out I will actually sound like the real guitarist playing the real songs!

So, can I politely ask, if you have bought and tried any commercial presets have they improved your playing, have they helped to give you rock star status in your own home and do members of the opposite sex now throw their underwear at you and ask for your autograph? I think for me that ready-made presets will definitely make me the best guitarist in my house and make me feel good again about my guitar playing (even if it is not that good).

If you have spent some cash on some presets have they put a big grin on your face or have they left you feeling a bit flat? Have they helped improve your playing and your well-being and made you the best that you can be?
 
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I have spent more than $1,000 on presets (I've been collecting since the Axe-FX Standard). Honestly, I am not using any of them. They never made me feel like the "real guitarist playing real songs" or helped me improving my playing. On the contrary, I had to spend a lot of time to make them sound like I want. And with the current firmware I just select my favorite amp and cab or DynaCab, a couple of FX, and voila!
 
Piing said:
I have spent more than $1,000 on presets (I've been collecting since the Axe-FX Standard). Honestly, I am not using any of them. They never made me feel like the "real guitarist playing real songs" or helped me improving my playing. On the contrary, I had to spend a lot of time to make them sound like I want. And with the current firmware I just select my favorite amp and cab or DynaCab, a couple of FX, and voila!
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Thank you for your comment @Piing , it is always good to hear other people's opinions drawn from their personal knowledge.
In the past, one of my bought presets (@Moke The Boys are Back in Town) allowed me an insight into how settings are made up. In the boys are back I would have never worked out how to do a 3 part harmony without studying Moke's preset, so as well as sounding great to my ears it allowed me to learn about controllers and modifiers etc.

I had a list of patch/presets that I fancied buying but I might tread carefully and rather than spend spend spend I think I will just buy a couple to try out and see how it goes.

I loved my time with my AX8 but if it was a car it would be a 1970 Ford Cortina whereas the FM3 will be to me a 2020 Ford Mustang. Both cars would get you on your journey and get you there but a Mustang would be more fun in pretty much every way.

So thank you Piing, you may have saved me a lot of money.
 
Having purchased a few of the 3rd party presets and used for gigs, I have also used stock presets as well.

The stock presets are very good and some are gig ready. I think that you can take any of the stock presets, tweak by adding, deleting, or changing to your liking, and be ready for your next gig.

Everything you need is already inside the FM3.
 
I bought Austin buddy’s live gold pack, I knew I would certainly not use them live but I bought the knowledge. As if I were buying a masterclass course.

Everybody got différents ears, différents pickups, différents guitars, differents styles so it’s impossible for me to just buy a preset and use it.

But the knowledge behind the creation of those presets is awesome.
 
Joshua_L said:
I bought Austin buddy’s live gold pack, I knew I would certainly not use them live but I bought the knowledge. As if I were buying a masterclass course.

Everybody got différents ears, différents pickups, différents guitars, differents styles so it’s impossible for me to just buy a preset and use it.

But the knowledge behind the creation of those presets is awesome.
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I have Austin Buddy presets on my AX8 and you are completely right. Or correct if you prefer. Checking out how Austin sets up the amps, cabs etc is like a masterclass. But as I have already mentioned it is the same for me with Moke's too. Buying a preset that gets me in the right direction sound-wise will always be a great starting point for tweaking. Even if I really just fancy playing at the moment. I know that I will be back to tweaking before long as it is a habit that is hard to break free from.
 
Not a single preset that I have bought is currently in my FM3. I did learn a thing or two from them, so I guess they weren't a complete loss of money.
 
Congrats on the FM3!

I can't offer any insight on paid presets. Some may find them useful though.

Before you start buying presets, consider a few things:

1. The factory presets are excellent and there is more than likely something at least close to a sound in your head that can be easily modified to what you want.
2. There are a ton of free presets out there. Make sure to peruse the Preset Exchange thread as well as Axechange.
3. You might consider investing $ in Cooper Carter's class. That could save you money in the long run and give you a deeper knowledge of many aspects of the system.
4. People on this board will take your preset and help you tweak it, if you just ask. I've seen this multiple times. Lots of helpful people are here.

Good luck!
 
I wasted a few quid on some 'Commercial' presets when i first got the axe. None of them were acceptable or of any use to me. The only presets i have had any luck with are the ones created by @Burgs.
 
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Ten years, next month, with the Axe-Fx II which I now use with an AC4C1-12 that has power scaling (I also have an AC30CC2, with power scaling) and a Headrush FRFR-108. Couldn't be any happier.

I have most of @edo's presets, which in my opinion are excellent. I haven't tweaked a preset in years and I don't care to. I just flip the power on, pickup a guitar, pick a preset and play. I focus on learning new songs and getting better. I've spent countless hours with various gear, tweaking, experimenting and virtually no time learning new songs or practicing so I could become better. Did I learn a lot...sure I did but, I started this journey at 41 (first time I picked a guitar) and next year I turn 60, so I'd rather focus on playing. But that's just me. :)
 
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Toopy14 said:
Ten years, next month, with the Axe-Fx II which I now use with an AC4C1-12 that has power scaling (I also have an AC30CC2, with power scaling) and a Headrush FRFR-108. Couldn't be any happier.

I have most of @edo's presets, which in my opinion are excellent and I haven't tweaked a preset in years and I don't care to. I just flip the power on, pickup a guitar, pick a preset and play. I focus on learning new songs and getting better. I've spent countless hours with various gear, tweaking, experimenting and virtually no time learning new songs or practicing so I could become better. Did I learn a lot...sure I did but, I started this journey at 41 (first time I picked a guitar) and next year I turn 60, so I'd rather focus on playing. But that's just me. :)
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I don't think that I have learned anything new in years! My problem is trying to achieve a tone that sounds like a player and then tweaking a bit more and then a bit more and before I know it my guitar time is wasted. Tweaking not playing.

Like you, I turn 60 next year. I seem to have spent 45 years chasing tone. :) Sound is a constant dream, ambition, and desire.
Yesterday I was out and about (being dragged around big stores) Christmas shopping with my wife and she would pick an item up and tell me how nice it was and that it would make a lovely present for somebody, and all I could think about was, "why can't I get a Brit 800 to sound like Joe B.?"

I hope that when my FM3 arrives the sounds will be at my fingertips and feet!
 
Geordielad said:
I wasted a few quid on some 'Commercial' presets when i first got the axe. None of them were acceptable or of any use to me. The only presets i have had any luck with are the ones created by Burgs.
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I love to watch @Burgs videos and will sit down and watch a whole load more of them in the next few days for some sound inspiration. He is a great player with excellent sounds.
 
Dixiethedog said:
I don't think that I have learned anything new in years! My problem is trying to achieve a tone that sounds like a player and then tweaking a bit more and then a bit more and before I know it my guitar time is wasted. Tweaking not playing.

Like you, I turn 60 next year. I seem to have spent 45 years chasing tone. :) Sound is a constant dream, ambition, and desire.
Yesterday I was out and about (being dragged around big stores) Christmas shopping with my wife and she would pick an item up and tell me how nice it was and that it would make a lovely present for somebody, and all I could think about was, "why can't I get a Brit 800 to sound like Joe B.?"

I hope that when my FM3 arrives the sounds will be at my fingertips and feet!
Click to expand...

The only advice I have is to stop chasing other peoples tones. Get it in the ball park and then play because the other 20%, some would say 90%, is in the players hands and you are never going to obtain that through gear. It sounds like you know this already.

Yesterday I found a video on youtube that was 2 hours of showcasing gain pedals that go well with a Vox AC15.. I have never used that amp on my FM3.. but this guys tone was amazing so I said, why not.. let me see if I can match the video.. So.. While not all of the pedals he used in the video are on the FM3 enough of them were and some were close enough that I had the AC15 model on my FM3 sounding better than I could have imagined in the first 45 minutes of the video. I learned how to dial in a few gain pedals I did not understand too well, how to gain stage them on the FM3 and spent 2 hours after playing my guitar, not the FM3 because it sounded so good I stopped watching the video.

The point is that these modelers are so good you can spend an hour dialing them in based on a good youtube tutorial on a real amp and pedal board and get really close to what you hear on the video. Whats harder is trying to match a guitar in a mix so do not bother... get close enough and have fun.. The presets are pretty good in the FM3, some are fantastic and all will teach you something.. But once you learn how to dial in a specific amp and understand what you want out of an IR you will love the tones you set up for yourself a lot more, even if you did start out tryin to sound just like someone else.
 
Dixiethedog said:
I would normally and usually be found right down at the bottom section of the forum in amongst the Legacy Products forum. A place that chances are you have never been to if you are purely an FM3 owner. A place forgotten in time where there are no new firmware updates and a dwindling number of posts as the lovely folk of "Legacy Products" like myself move up the forum pages to something newer and perhaps more exciting.

My USB (to connect to AXE-EDIT)(AX8) broke so I became unable to try out other people's excellent presets and found myself tweaking and generally messing around with presets that I had already loaded into my (still sounding excellent) AX8. But I was not being inspired by my own tones and my guitar playing turned a bit stagnant.

One of the deciding factors for my purchase of an FM3 is the selection of commercially available that are out there and sound great. Last night I sat and watched video after video of one preset seller demonstration videos where to my ears he sounded like the artist/song being played and it made me want to be able to join in and play. Some of the seller's presets are of bands that I have had no real interest in but now have me wanting to sit down and learn completely new songs. And fingers crossed once the songs have been figured out I will actually sound like the real guitarist playing the real songs!

So, can I politely ask, if you have bought and tried any commercial presets have they improved your playing, have they helped to give you rock star status in your own home and do members of the opposite sex now throw their underwear at you and ask for your autograph? I think for me that ready-made presets will definitely make me the best guitarist in my house and make me feel good again about my guitar playing (even if it is not that good).

If you have spent some cash on some presets have they put a big grin on your face or have they left you feeling a bit flat? Have they helped improve your playing and your well-being and made you the best that you can be?
Click to expand...
I use Fremen’s presets mainly. They translate great to my gear. They are stuffed with effects too and I copy paste them all the time between the presets. Extremely useful out of the box.
Just my humble experience of course.

Harm
 
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