Buying presets or going with original AX8 presets?

I purchased a used AX8 from Guitar Center - that came with the Austin Buddy preset pack pre-installed. I think this preset pack is a good starting point, as the amps/cabs have been properly leveled (volume wise) in comparison to one another. However and was the same when I had a Line6 Helix...buying someone else's presets or preset packs will still require that you to configure them for the type of guitar you're using, the speakers/monitors/power amp you have basically...for your specific playing environment that your AX8 is played through. Most I've bought sound flat/dull or just the opposite...extremely bright. Basically what I've noticed when buying great sounding user presets from a number preset companies is that they don't necessarily sound great through my gear and I still need to modify the preset to work for my needs, with my equipment before it sounds the way presets designer intended it sound. You really have to factor in all the different gear you're using and from what the designer used when he/she created the preset. The nice thing is that when you get more comfortable designing your own presets via Axe Edit, you'll realize you don't need to really purchase others presets...it's a powerful tone creating tool that will allow you to sculpt the sounds you're after;) Please don't consider my comments a discredit to those that work so hard to build great sounding presets...these designers simply can't take into account the different guitars, pickups, speakers, amps etc... that we use and how they interact with ouor personnel gear.
 
That's what I really appreciated with the @austinbuddy pack--an amp dialed in with the right cab, and a drive that's a good match. I used those to figure out which amps I liked and then built patches specific to my needs. I also bought some of Moke's presets and then plugged in the AB amps and cabs into those. I will also say that Moke's presets have taught me a few tricks that have led to some nice patches of my own. @Moke has some great stuff: https://www.custompresets.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

In the end as a couple have said, this stuff will save you time. For some of us (me) the learning curve was STEEP and I needed this thing gig-ready in a hurry, so I did anything I could to get that done. I was using the AX8 on gigs within a couple of weeks. That is not to say that I was a pro and everything sounded spot on, but I had useable presets and got compliments the first night. I focused on one amp/cab/drive for the first couple of months, and have now branched out, especially as I prepare to do a sub gig in a different genre this week.

If you can afford AB and Moke, I highly recommend both.
 
I've bought preset packs from Fremen, Moke and Glenn DeLaune... I like and use all three regularly, but of the three I think Moke's have been the most "useable" - tones right out of the gate that sound great... including some incredible acoustic guitar simulations. I've ditched my acoustics entirely at gigs and just use his presets now when I need acoustic with no guitar switching. Glenn DeLaune's pedal platform patches are underrated IMO - I use them for most of my classic rock tones, but I've modded them so much to my own taste now that they barely resemble the originals. Still they showed me what can be done with well-organized presets and scene switching, such that I use his format for my own presets that I make from scratch.
 
You know, let me amend my thoughts.

I think if you are just starting out a set of well dialed presets can be very helpful. Especially if you don't have a lot of experience with modelers, a good reference point against a tube amp rig, or don't have a solid monitoring.

I sometimes fall down the rabbit hole of dialing in amps and tones and what not...I can end up chasing my tail. Even though I have a few years of working with modelers under my belt and a lot of great impulse options, I can still lose sight of what I'm after.

So I reloaded my Dream Rig patches and have been just playing those and it's really nice to kind of have this starting point that is so well liked almost universally. There's a ton of options in there and it's not too crazy with effects. It literally only takes about 5-10 minutes to flip through the first bank and mark down your favorite patches.

From there, depending on how you want to run the unit, you may have to branch out and learn to program. You can either do like Austin Buddy recommends which is flip through a handful of presets, or find one or two sounds you like and learn to make different scenes to cover your tones. That's my preferred method, and there's a lot of great videos out on the web showing you how to do that.

As much time and money as I've spent on impulses, I sometimes wonder if I had started out with a set of patches like these how I'd end up over the last couple years. Once you start to combine factory cabinets, it really can open up the sound options. Unfortunately, it might not be as clear as say on the Axe III where you can mix different mics on the same cab. Instead, you're going off a little more cryptic impulses (often mixes) from different producers. But the end result is the same.
 
Find a factory preset that has the effects you want and swap the amp and cab for the tone you're after. I have yet to find an amp in the AX8 that isn't "ready to go" with the default settings and its similarly named cab. The eq may need to be tweaked to your preference but no more tweaking is "necessary" than a physical amp.
 
Don’t get caught up in the endless loop of finding the ultimate tone. You’ll find that hours have past and you haven’t played a thing.
 
Yep...never felt the need to buy presets or cabs...AX8 has tons of stock goodness.
 
It can get quite confusing trying to make your own presets if you are new to the fractal world. Highly recommend austinbuddys dream rigs. Every amp paired with the right cab along with a bunch of well dialed in effects. It always serves as my home base when I get lost in turning knobs, messing with IRs, adding effects and then making sure it translates into a live / band situation.
 
John Ganske said:
I purchased a used AX8 from Guitar Center - that came with the Austin Buddy preset pack pre-installed. I think this preset pack is a good starting point, as the amps/cabs have been properly leveled (volume wise) in comparison to one another. However and was the same when I had a Line6 Helix...buying someone else's presets or preset packs will still require that you to configure them for the type of guitar you're using, the speakers/monitors/power amp you have basically...for your specific playing environment that your AX8 is played through. Most I've bought sound flat/dull or just the opposite...extremely bright. Basically what I've noticed when buying great sounding user presets from a number preset companies is that they don't necessarily sound great through my gear and I still need to modify the preset to work for my needs, with my equipment before it sounds the way presets designer intended it sound. You really have to factor in all the different gear you're using and from what the designer used when he/she created the preset. The nice thing is that when you get more comfortable designing your own presets via Axe Edit, you'll realize you don't need to really purchase others presets...it's a powerful tone creating tool that will allow you to sculpt the sounds you're after;) Please don't consider my comments a discredit to those that work so hard to build great sounding presets...these designers simply can't take into account the different guitars, pickups, speakers, amps etc... that we use and how they interact with ouor personnel gear.
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I totally agree with you but I could not be happier with the AustinBuddy TonePack. There are close to 500 presets that I'll never get to but I've grabbed about 50 of my favorite, tweaked a bit (still do) and feel I have a huge head start and time saver. He is AWESOME with how closely he has things dialed in that would take me HOURS.... As I said, I still tweak his Tonepack and it's a blast. Best $99 ever. I have fun with it and set it to my liking but he has so so many that are almost spot on. When we play out, I only need 6 or maybe 10 "go to's" and his Tonepack really helped me save time so I can practice my playing vs tweaking. His pack is set up for humbuckers and single coil of course and identified well. I only play Les Pauls and Strats so it's perfect for me. Thanks for input, have fun. That's all that matters.
 
Stratman68 said:
I agree iwth unix guy for the most part. I also think the factory presets get a bad rap. I wouldn't buy anything until you get used to the Axz8. Axe Exchange and finding some factory presets to tweak is a good approach imho.
I would learn and play and experiment long before I bought a preset.....Ymmv of course.
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I'm with bishop. For me spending the $99 bones on the AustinBuddy pack just made it more simple for me personally, just my opinion. I had more tones/presets than I would ever need laid out and bundled right in front of me, like a big package. I just grab what I like, tweak or don't and rock with it. Huge time saver. Have fun.
 
Another vote for AustinBuddy's newer AX8 offering. It's designed to guide you through finding your sound efficiently and to make the enormous glut of options on the AX8 less daunting. It's not really a set of finished presets. Rather, it gives you the building blocks for them--perfectly laid out, with comprehensive suggestions for use and best practices. I wish this had been around when I started with the AX8. Having picked it up later, I still found enormous value in it.
 
I just got an AX8 and am new to modeling. I bought the AB 1000 pack. One of the best parts of it was his explanation & videos of how to set up the unit properly or at least one way, and it makes it gig ready. It saved me hours. Also as mentioned the presets are not completely done. You can use as is but tailoring to your taste and needs is the way to go. Anyway, in my situation where I have a gig coming up it was well worth the $99.
 
Black Barrell said:
I just got an AX8 and am new to modeling. I bought the AB 1000 pack. One of the best parts of it was his explanation & videos of how to set up the unit properly or at least one way, and it makes it gig ready. It saved me hours. Also as mentioned the presets are not completely done. You can use as is but tailoring to your taste and needs is the way to go. Anyway, in my situation where I have a gig coming up it was well worth the $99.
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I totally agree. I have had his pack for about 6 months now and it's a huge time saver. Love it. Enjoy.
 
After owning and using the Ax8 live now for about 4 years, I have used both approaches - roll your own and commercial presets. Both are great. But, in either case, start the tweaking in a live gig volume situation. There’s no substitute for that. I also totally agree with the comments about finding the right IR as that is a big part of overall tone. Generally, the trick for guitar is to find where guitar sits best in the mix. I find that there are two key parameters that usually require adjustment: gain and mids in basic controls and/or EQ. Those two are where you should focus first as they usually get you closest to where the guitar will stand out in the mix. Then hi and low cut in the Cab block is very important for eliminating high end fizz and booming lows. After that any adjustments are more subtle. The great thing about the Ax8 is you have the basic controls right on the unit so it’s easy to make adjustments to basic parameters on the fly. Even after over 100 gigs and having my presets dialed in pretty well, it still is necessary to tweak EQ and gain for particular venues from time to time.
 
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