Hey,
New to this forum but I am thinking on purchasing the axe fx II and have some questions. I am an old thrash guitarist and my rig is getting old. I absolutely love my 2120 but she needs some serious solder work, pots, and such. I was going to buy the Marshall 410HJS to have as a back up while I fix the 2120. That is when I decided to look to see if there was a newer processor out there. That is when I found the Fractal Axe FX II...Holy Wow Shit Cows!
Let me back up to my current rig. I play though the 2120 to Mesa 2:90 split(A/B switcher) to Mesa rec cab 4x12 (V30's) and Marshall Lead 1960b 4x12. Why? Because I play extreme metal and the Mesa cab can't handle it but the Marshall can. I get some sweet sounds for the clean effects to the V30's, then switch it up to extreme metal through the 1960. This has been my rig for years.
Anyway, I am worried that the Axe FX may be too much for me. Meaning to much processor for what I do. Any thoughts?
The Mesa 2:90 is awesome, will i lose it using the Axe FX?
Can I run the Axe FX in a loop with the Marshall 410HJS?
Should I avoid buying the Marshall 410HJS because the Axe FX can model it?
I am so used to amp head cab so any replies are appreciated.
Thanks,
dk
I come from the 2101 camp so I can sort of relate to what you are asking. That said, the AxeFx will do everything you need it to do. And, if you can manage to keep your 2120 working for a little while longer, you can tone match all your best tones and use them in the AxeFx. That's what I did with my 2101 tones as well as my favorite physical amps here and my favorite VST plugin sounds.
Ditch the tube power amps....you don't need them. Here's why....you have to be so loud for output tubes to make a difference, you'll lose your hearing and kill your audience. If you aren't going for an Angus Young tone or something that has a weak pre-amp sound that is just loud in order for it to sound good and break up nicely, trust me....grab a Rocktron 300 watt, one space rack power amp and call it a day. You'll have your AxeFx, and your power amp....that's all you need unless you want a wireless and a power conditioner. You're doing metal where you have a high gain pre-amp sound...you don't need power amp tubes when the Axe can simulate them so well. I've not used any of my Mesa tube power amps or my Carvin tube power amps in years. The little Rocktron smokes...and no tubes to worry about.
My go to rig was a 25 space flight case loaded with killer stuff. The Axe, my Rocktron a Furman and a Line 6 Relay G 90 is all I need these days and it's every bit as good (and in some cases way better) than anything I have had before. Is the AxeFx user friendly? Yeah....you're biggest problems will be the following...
1. You will have a hard time making up your mind what sounds good. It's over-kill with greatness...seriously.
2. You may lose your wife/girlfriend/significant other due to spending time and tweaking it. It's not hours of fun...we're talking a serious commitment to a piece of gear that will reward you when you get it where it needs to be. Mine cooks, cleans and swallo....oops. :-/
3. The options have options that have options that have options. Meaning, the thing is limitless in what it can do. You're mind/creativity can help you launch into another hemisphere. But this can be time consuming.
4. The updates offered as well as the support from both Fractal and this community are top notch. That said, every once in a while, an update may come along that may not work into your game plan.
5. This is a work in progress by the creator that in my opinion, is a genius. You get a new pre-amp just about every month with the updates etc. You don't have to update if you are happy with the sounds you come up with. Sometimes this makes your sounds 100% better, sometimes it hurts your sounds and you may not feel like tweaking. Other times with a little work, you can make your sounds even better than ever. Pros and cons to this really...mostly pros but it can be a little...hmm what's the word....a little frustrating. It depends on how you look at it and where you are in your music career.
6. You *may* not get an incredible sound in 1 day or even 5 days. Then again, that depends on how good your ear for tone is as well as what you accept as good. The first preset you fire up may rip your face off. Or like me, you may need to create a tone from scratch which took me about 2 weeks before I was totally happy. Add a few months and you start to really get it...a few years go by, nothing I have ever played through compares to this thing live and in the studio.
Using the AxeFxII, the MFC 101, my Line 6 Relay G 90, the Rocktron Velocity 300 and a Marshall 25 watt Greenback Celestion cab, (it really sounds great when I use 4 cabs) I love my tone more than ever and get more compliments and questions regarding my tone than ever before. This may not be the simplest solution, but it is indeed a great one. Good luck in whatever you decide.
