Do you turn the AxeFx off when it's thunderstorming out?

Not a bad idea but odds are generally in your favor for not getting struck
Yeah, they really are. But if you took that attitude and never varied your routine during a thunderstorm, then did get struck (and btw, you don't need anywhere even near a direct hit to experience effects, either to yourself, or something electrical), you'd have really wished you'd have done things differently.
 
Living in the lightening capital of the US, I’d probably not be able to play for a few months at a time if I unplugged every time there was a storm lol. We get like 3 crazy storms full of nonstop lightening and basically all red/orange on the radar about every day in the summer here in Tampa lol

most places you get some green on the radar, over my house it’s pretty much always red and the lightening counter is in the hundreds of strikes nearby
COOL! I LOVE thunderstorms!!
 
I think lightning rods on your roof are the only protection. And there's debate as to whether they actually increase the chances of a strike.
 
Title says it all. I always feel sketchy as hell when it's nasty and thunderstorming outside even though my entire rig, before hitting the 110, goes into a surge protected power strip. Thing is, ya just never know with power dips, surges/spikes. Especially when it's the black, green-eyed cyclops (yeah I'm still on the AxeFx 2 XL+) lol. Anyone else ever just shut down your solitude's precious jam time for the sake of protecting your gear?
Is that a word?
 
Living in the lightening capital of the US, I’d probably not be able to play for a few months at a time if I unplugged every time there was a storm lol. We get like 3 crazy storms full of nonstop lightening and basically all red/orange on the radar about every day in the summer here in Tampa lol

most places you get some green on the radar, over my house it’s pretty much always red and the lightening counter is in the hundreds of strikes nearby
https://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/lightening_lightning.htm
 
During Hurricane Wilma, my ex-fiance and I made an attempt to walk 1 mile to a 7-11, we made it about 30 feet, decided we didn't feel like getting hit in the face by a tree or a car and went back inside.

But I have had some wonderful experiences in large, open fields or in the woods when it's been 95 degrees outside and just dumping buckets. Some of those occasions may have involved some white blotter, which made it all the better.
 
During Hurricane Wilma, my ex-fiance and I made an attempt to walk 1 mile to a 7-11, we made it about 30 feet, decided we didn't feel like getting hit in the face by a tree or a car and went back inside.

But I have had some wonderful experiences in large, open fields or in the woods when it's been 95 degrees outside and just dumping buckets. Some of those occasions may have involved some white blotter, which made it all the better.
 
Wow!

It boggles my mind that a piece of plastic and metal weighing 5lbs... or 20 if it has some kind
of iron in it.... is sold as protection for your devices during an electrical storm. It is NOT! Maybe
a slight line surge when your wall voltage jumps up to 130 or something. But none of that crap
is gonna get in the way of the 1 billion joules contained in a single lightning strike.
I worked at a metallurgical site one summer, on the electrical crew. There was a copper smelter on-site, which used an oil furnace, natural gas furnace and an electric furnace, to melt the ore, so there was some big voltage gear on-site. I remember one time, they were testing some high voltage insulators, using 80,000 volts! Aside from being almost struck by lightning one time (more on that in a minute), it's the closest I've come to seeing a 'lightning' bolt. The arc, jumped at least a foot or more and it had to be about 6 inches in diameter, give or take. Even with ear plugs, the sound was loud!

Almost being struck...long story short. Driving with a friend one day, heading over to his house. The skies were getting really dark...big storm rolling in. All of a sudden, I looked at my friend and said, 'uh-oh! He looked at me and said, 'what?' I said 'do you smell that?' He said, 'yes, what is it?' I said, 'ozone!' He said, 'what the hell is that and what does it men?' I looked at him and said, 'well, it means we're about to get hit by lightning or it's going to be really, really close, so hold on!'. Turned to pull into his driveway and there was an instantaneous flash of light and sound, that was absolutely deafening! The lightning struck the ground near the base of the neighbours tree, not more than 30 feet away!

Here's another one for you...not sure what it is with me an lightning! I was using a digital camera to shoot a video of a storm rolling in. Later when I played it back, frame-by-frame, saw this in the last frame. It happened so fast, I didn't see it when I was shooting the video. Notice, that the ring of the pool, is behind the 'bolt'! It's not actually lightning, it's called a leader. They shoot up from the ground around an area that is charged, then the bolt of lightning will pick one to complete the circuit. Thankfully, for the pool and me, it didn't pick that one!

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If you're ever outside near or in a thunderstorm and you start to feel static charge and your hair stand on end like those old Van De Graaff Generators in science class, lay down flat on the ground immediately. Bad news could be coming your way quick. Just like in the photo above, leaders start from the ground and move up. That static charge cloud you feel is one forming on you. Not good.

If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. If conditions are right, it can leap miles outside of a thundercloud. Weather folks call it the bolt from the blue.

Most surge protectors don't stand a chance against a direct lightning strike. It's like trying to stop a fire hose with a paper towel. They can help with strikes further away that might cause non-catastrophic surges on power lines though. Safest bet is to unplug. Just remember if your Axe is connected via USB or SPDIF, etc. and your computer is still plugged in, that's a potential point of damage as well. I have a habit of unplugging my surge protector and USB anytime it's stormy just to be safe.
 
I worked at a metallurgical site one summer, on the electrical crew. There was a copper smelter on-site, which used an oil furnace, natural gas furnace and an electric furnace, to melt the ore, so there was some big voltage gear on-site. I remember one time, they were testing some high voltage insulators, using 80,000 volts! Aside from being almost struck by lightning one time (more on that in a minute), it's the closest I've come to seeing a 'lightning' bolt. The arc, jumped at least a foot or more and it had to be about 6 inches in diameter, give or take. Even with ear plugs, the sound was loud!

Almost being struck...long story short. Driving with a friend one day, heading over to his house. The skies were getting really dark...big storm rolling in. All of a sudden, I looked at my friend and said, 'uh-oh! He looked at me and said, 'what?' I said 'do you smell that?' He said, 'yes, what is it?' I said, 'ozone!' He said, 'what the hell is that and what does it men?' I looked at him and said, 'well, it means we're about to get hit by lightning or it's going to be really, really close, so hold on!'. Turned to pull into his driveway and there was an instantaneous flash of light and sound, that was absolutely deafening! The lightning struck the ground near the base of the neighbours tree, not more than 30 feet away!

Here's another one for you...not sure what it is with me an lightning! I was using a digital camera to shoot a video of a storm rolling in. Later when I played it back, frame-by-frame, saw this in the last frame. It happened so fast, I didn't see it when I was shooting the video. Notice, that the ring of the pool, is behind the 'bolt'! It's not actually lightning, it's called a leader. They shoot up from the ground around an area that is charged, then the bolt of lightning will pick one to complete the circuit. Thankfully, for the pool and me, it didn't pick that one!

View attachment 87044
Holy shit!
So from your quick conversation, it sounds like you have at least a few seconds once you smell ozone, before the lightning hits?
And that pic of the leader you caught... Just, WOW!
 
If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. If conditions are right, it can leap miles outside of a thundercloud. Weather folks call it the bolt from the blue.
Yeah, that's extremely rare, but it does happen. I like watching videos of close lightning strikes, and one of them was a "bolt from the blue." It was CRAZY! Clear skies, and then BAM!!
 
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