Decisions decisions FRFR vs amp/cabinet

S

shaddow

Member
Reading all the posts in here just keeps me from making up my mind! I mostly play at home as a hobby these days, maybe with others every once in a while. I haven't had anything but a 1x12 (most recently a Flextone) in years, and while it's ok and I would have loved to have something like this in the 80s when I was a teenager, I miss the post-teenage days of my ADA MP1 based rack into a 4x12. Even in a smaller room at home it was still pretty satisfying.

I had almost decided upon a ART SLA1/2 into a 2x12 closed back with an Axe Standard. Then I started reading about FRFR setups and QSC/FBT monitors and thought, maybe it's been long enough since I've been in front of a 4x12 that I could make the transition pretty easily. I haven't ever been much of a tweaker so having to deal with Cab and mic simulations is one more thing to tweak (although I will have to for recording anything anyhow)

It sounds like a Verve 12ma (or even 8ma) would have all the volume and fullness I am looking for, but I see a number of posts where people just arent feeling the FRFR like they do with a guitar cabinet.

Any pushes in either direction?
 
Each reply will give you a different opinion, you can only try and find out for yourself.

I've tried the FRFR route with a Verve 12MA and am back to amp/cab. Indeed it's one more thing to tweak and I just couldn't get it right there where I wanted it, so now I am back to guitar cab and happy.

Other people though swear by going FRFR.
 
Cliff already says in the old forum that IRs are the weaked part of the Axe.
So i'm agree with Hunter, you get the most accurate modelisation of amps and the best feeling with a real cab and a good PA.
FRFR is always useful for direct recording. I can get a really close copy of my plexy replica with a cab and PA but the same preset with FRFR doesn't sound close.
 
bmi said:
Cliff already says in the old forum that IRs are the weaked part of the Axe.
Click to expand...
I think the language barrier altered your comprehension of what Cliff actually said. Care to post a link to the post from which you draw your conclusion?
 
Because personal preferences play so much into this, I don't have an absolute opinion on which might be better for you.

BUT . . . you might consider how large a space you have available to play in at home, and how loud you can turn it up. Unless you have a larger room, and freedom with volume, you might find advantages with FRFR. (There are numerous advantages, of course, but in this case I refer to the ability of FRFR to dial in many different "tones" and do so at any reasonable volume.)

The IR thing seems to be improving as time goes on, and Jay has been a leader in bringing alternative perspectives to IR creation, particularly in getting away from close-miced IR's. (By the way, in my experience, only the very best FRFR solutions will bring out the best in IR's that are not close-mic'd.)

If you own a high-quality pair of monitors or even hifi speakers, you might test drive the Axe thru these before you lash out cash. If they're hifi speakers, be careful of volume so you don't risk driver damage.

If you decide to go with FRFR, buy the very highest quality that you can afford. Mediocre options, in my view, are in no way satisfying, you're better off with a cab/speaker of your preference, particularly if you already have a leaning in that direction.
 
IMHO, it has more to do with the feel of things.
If you've ever played with a PA that insisted that you keep the volume of your cabs low and sent everything through a monitor, you'll know it feels different.
You may be confident that it'll sound good FOH but you don't get the same feel as having one ore more cabs blaring behind you.
But once you get used to playing with FRFR, you'll have a whole lot of sonic possibilities opening up.
Everyone knows that certain amps need a certain cab.
Only with FRFR can you benefit from this.
If you're happy with the sound of one cab, you can stick with that.
It's all up to what you want.
 
bmi said:
I can get a really close copy of my plexy replica with a cab and PA but the same preset with FRFR doesn't sound close.
Click to expand...

Obviously it wouldn't. Nor should one expect it to... :lol:
 
+1 for amp (SLA-2) and cab for playing loud, live in a room with a band. Low volume at home alone is IRs into studio monitors.

My first couple of rehearsals with a QSC HPR112 in the full band context left me feeling weak in the tone dept, which sucked because I really wanted to impress my bandmates with the Ultra. It was really cool that I could switch cabs along with the presets to go from Blues to V30s or anything in between, but none of them quite satisfied like the amp I was trying to replace at the time. It was always too fizzy, too thin, too bassy.. always too something. Could I have eventually tweaked my way to perfection? Maybe.. I don't know, but it turned out that I really don't need that much cab flexibility. I actually like the consistency and it was SO much easier to get what I want to hear from a real cab.
 
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