Do the ends justify the means...

When I first moved to this area, I put out every feeler I could to get something serious going with other musicians. They either 1. completely and utterly sucked and/or 2. were far more interested in partying than actually playing/writing/recording.

In the end, I finally said "fuck it", and decided I'd have to do everything myself. And given that I live in an apartment and have the budget of a simple peon, technology like the Axe-Fx is completely indispensable and irreplaceable for what I’m trying to accomplish
 
I'm new to the Axe, just got the Axe-FX II a few weeks ago...also fairly new to the forum. I'm in the process of learning how to get the sounds I want out of it & I've definitely been using the forum for help with that..I've got 3 records to record this winter and I'm hoping the use the Axe on all of em. I plan on ultimately using the Axe live & in the studio. I'm a prolific writer & gigger, been around the the block, play all original music & haven't had a day job in 10 years...and I'm hoping for a few more spins around the block with my Axe..haha! I definitely appreciate the help I've gotten from the members of this forum, no matter where level their playing is at.
 
I'm a bedroom player now but gigged previously in bands doing punk, metal, and classic stuff. Like someone mentioned above, I too am a tone chaser. The Axe-FX is a dream to someone like me because I go thru different "moods" and my wallet can't afford all of them. :) Some days I want to strum clean chords on a Fender and other days I want to play metal on an ENGL.

I used to do recordings, and would love to eventually get back into something like that. I enjoyed creating music and the Axe-FX would be great for that.
 
Some of the best local working players I know personally, older guys who can REALLY play and sound incredible, gig several nights a week with the same old amp they've been using for the past 20 + years. They don't obsess over tone the way 'internet' guitarists do. They just do what they do, night after night using their same old gear. These guys gig so much they don't really ever play guitar outside of working situations. The last thing they want to do with their free time at home is test firmware, edit patches or even play guitar. Most are not techy types to begin with, and they already have proven, comfortable gigging rigs.

Besides, even if they wanted an Axe-Fx, most of these guys simply can't afford one. This is because they are real, professional working musicians (local\regional). They don't have day jobs. They gig every weekend, weeknights whenever possible, maybe some supplementary teaching or studio income. At the end of the day this amounts to far less than average working person's income.

My point is, IMO it's for these reasons we won't see a large percentage of working players adopting the Axe-Fx anytime soon. It's got nothing to do with whether the Axe is good enough. Clearly it's better than good, it's amazing! But it's only for those who can afford it and have time to commit to it. The MI absolutely thrives on 'bedroom tone chasers', many of whom have lots of money and time.

In contrast, we are seeing a high adoption rate amongst top-tier all-star guitar players. If you are Vai or Edge or Petrucci, money is a non-issue and Matt will fly out to meet you personally and teach you the techy stuff.
 
Giggin probably once a montha and small tours once a year. Add a poll if you can I'm curious what the percentages are.
 
I am a guitar player now for 45+ years. Did my time (70's) touring, recording, teaching, etc. Now I play for my own enjoyment. That being said I play in a home studio, not a bedroom, and play at medium-sized club levels. My sound systems include a backing track (most multi-tracks) system at 2,000 watts with sub-woofers. Guitar and keyboard systems are equivalent.

I've put nearly all my tube amps in storage (space issues with playing 10-12 amps just for fun) and gone with digital modeling. Been through the Line 6 gear and have several going into the same storage warehouse as the amps. Now my "rack" has an Axe-II and an Eleven Rack. The 11R hasn't been turned on in over a month, and honestly will probably be removed within a month. THe Axe-II just sounds so "real" and more importantly it feels "real!"

I don't chase tone. Experience teaches that 80% of a guitarist's tone is in the mind and fingers of the player. Verified this with many recording tests of various guitars with dozens of amps and pedals. Also learned a long time ago that recording engineers and producers can make sounds that a gigging guitarist can't approach. BUt now, that gap is narrowed and one a practically step over it and have those record sounds.

I've seen the future of guitar soundscapes, and now I have it in house. It is the Axe-II. :D
 
I forgot to mention.. I gig far less than I used to, but I must have 500+ shows under my belt over the many years. Almost all with combo amps and pedals. All as a 'weekend warrior'. I'm more like a once month guy nowadays. I got into Axe-Fx because I love the tech, the low-volume playability at home and the vast flexibility for recording. Also, I could afford the thing. :) I could easily get by with my old rig for gigging if I had to. But the Axe II\MFC is easily the best live rig I've ever used.
 
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Might as well mention myself then-well over a thousand gigs, with all different types of equipment - I'm always trying stuff......buying, selling, borrowing, demo-ing, etc. Most gigs were actually as a bassist, that's where the demand is here. I have done a lot of session work as well, but it's mostly live gigs for me.
I'm pretty much a weekend warrior now tho, things have slowed down a lot since
 
I bought an Ultra several years ago...loved it and now have an Axe II and MFC. I've been doing music for a living for the last 20 years...I perform around 200 shows a year nationally and write commercial music extensively for corporate clients. Have always gravitated toward rack gear...LOVE the Axe...does exactly what I need it to.
 
Thanks everyone for the comments. I really do value your thoughts.

The purpose was my friend in Nashville took a picture of Brent Mason's live board, which had 5 or so pedals on it. He posted it to the gear page, to show what 'real' players were using. I see obsessive people with ridiculous amounts of gear.
 
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for me it all comes down to flexibility and getting the same (good) sound everywhere.

practice:
i can practice at home at all time. playing trough my studio monitors or via headphone .. both great sounding

live:
as i went completly to inear this unit gives me the same sound everytime .. no need to mic up a cab. although it gives the FOH guy the same sound .. and we all no those guys who fuck up your sound with micing cabs in a hurry ;)
other thing is weight: just carrieign my small rack plus some cables, guitar and foot controller ist just awesome. back in the days with 412 boxes and always needing some to help u ... you know it ;)

recording:
plug and play :) easy setup, you can "turn up" your fav. tube amps without the need to take care of your neighbours ears ;), having the same sound everytime i fire up the uni. when micing cabs you will always get a little different sound when replacing the mic, real easy all digital reamping: maybe to best point of this unit is the reamp feature.. just play as your take is good and then just tune the sound afterwards .. and if you like it -> save the preset and use it live ;)


i have to admit: i always was fan of modeling but the axe is the first thing without contras in sound, flexibility or CPU power and feeling
 
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In my younger days, I would regularly do any and all of the following (not blowing my own whistle here, seriously):

- gig 3-6 nights per week, covers and originals
- owned and installed club "house" PA systems, and owned a traveling PA system
- mixed sound live and in the studio
- recorded original music in home studios and at well-known area recording studios
- party my ass off and shagged chicks until the wee hours of the morning

Show off. I wish my life were that much fun. :cry
 
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Show off. I wish my life were that much fun. :cry

Me too!!! LOL. Like I said, 25-30 years ago, the music scene in the Boston area was just BONKERS! Ripe fruit for the picking if you had the ambition. Now I'm so, so, so much older, and it's just such a struggle to find clubs that feature live entertainment and can stay open for more than 2 years. Where you from, Dr_Rockso? How's the scene where you are?
 
I took music as a serious profession,studying music and finishing my academics. Currently jotting down stuff for my album as well. Also setting up a studio which shall be done in a year or 2. As for now jotting down ideas and working on things for my own album. Certainly have plans for gigging in the future,but let's see how things go. I want to work on projects with various people,form a proper band where everyone is reliable,release my solo record and also produce different artists that have a nice attitude and good talent. As for the Axe Fx II,being an ultra user for more than a year now yes I do need it. For a ton of things I want to achieve in my recordings/production and also live jams and gigs in the near future. I think it's a great tool to have for any serious musician/guitar player.

Cheers! :)
 
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I myself spent most of the 80's and 90's out in the trenches. I didn't keep count but surely in the 1000's of gigs. But that's everything from small dives playing to 20 people to the large clubs doing openers for band such as Warrant, Quiet Riot, Sabastian Bach, LA Gunns. Those were the fun gigs for sure. I would still love to play a gig now and then as I always loved performing live as well as just playing for enjoyment but I find for me it's either all the way in it or not at all. Once I hit my early 40's I decided it was time to get a haircut and real job. Me and a couple old bandmates have been playing a few gigs of acoustic rock stuff lately and that's been fun just to get out and play. Especially with guys that since we spent so many years playing together in the past, we still click easily.
 
I perform live a few times a year. It's a one man metal show with spooky acting thrown in for good measure. I play whatever I want (originals... except that metalized version of a Dave Brubeck song that one time). I tend to perform each show with all new material... very few have seen me play the same song twice. I have a slight reputation... people will come to shows thinking, "what the f**k is that guy going to do this time." I do this purely for FUN!

Beyond that, I play at home and am just starting to get into recording. Playing guitar and making music is my hobby... nothing more, nothing less.
 
Thanks everyone for the comments. I really do value your thoughts.

The purpose was my friend in Nashville took a picture of Brent Mason's live board, which had 5 or so pedals on it. He posted it to the gear page, to show what 'real' players were using. I see obsessive people with ridiculous amounts of gear.

I also have ridiculous amounts of gear too I must confess :lol: But I play so many different instruments with so many different groups it's almost always in rotation. But +1 for what 'real' players use - usually just a pedal or two an an amp - unless your name is john petrucci! :eek:
 
Guilty as charged! I am a bedroom player for the most part. I have only recently began to play in bands. I really enjoy using the Axe FX II for this purpose, as it is not too hard to transport and it sounds great! I did find, however that I had to rethink my patches for live settings, as they did not sit well in the mix as I had them in my home studio. I think room size and environment combined with the frequencies of the other instruments has a lot to do with it too.

I am totally guilty of having great gear and being a mediocre guitarist! LOL! I really have fun trying to get sounds out of the box, but I am guilty of being under-practiced.

There are a lot of great samples from people on this forum! It's awesome! I would love to see more live stuff posted! I think that we don't see much live stuff because the audience tastes have changed. More people listen to electronic music and similar types of music, such as rap and R&B. It seems that some of the metal crowd has remained popular, which is great but much of the other styles have fallen off. Too bad.

You won't be seeing any music samples from me, because it would be more appropriate to put it in the humor section :).
 
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