Yes! Let me know how you make out! I’m going to try as well. I’d also be interested to hear if you’re able to clean it up well. Right now I have a control switch switching between the brit 800 and big hair because I can’t seem to clean up the big hair and idk if it’s me or just the nature of that amp model
Clean up is a tricky thing. I think you've got to be working with power amp distortion. And I think you've got to work with an amp that starts out thin at low volumes but gets beefy (in a good way) as the MV goes up. Like, when I first got the Axe-FX III, I was stuck on the Dirty Shirley for a long time. I would dime the MV, and, if I remember correctly, I would run the gain lower, but with a big boost in the preamp section. I messed with the BMT controls until I got something that sounded awesome with the guitar volume dimed and rolled back. I've gotten some good 800 presets before that worked fine for cleanup, but still I prefer Plexis.
Here's the other thing I do when I set up my guitar for best cleanup (how come I just heard Casey Affleck say, "I only used it for cleanup"?), I always set it so when my bridge volume is dimed, I have the tone rolled back to avoid a single-coil-like pick attack that just doesn't work. Then I make sure that with the volume really really low on the neck, that I can get a good mild breakup tone that I can use for clean-style arpeggios, even classical style playing. Once those extremes are met, I can get anything else easily. I can ramp up the neck volume for blues, rock, or metal, just being very careful with where I set my tone knob for each. I've learned I want the tone knob as low as possible, and it keeps everything sounding natural.
And this works for me because I have individual tone and volume controls per pickup, like a Les Paul. Without that kind of control panel layout, I think using a footswitch is the only way to go.
The caveats to my single channel approach are the potential for signal to noise ratio problems if you are playing in a place with shitty power and you just can't fight the noise level (and I don't mean 60 cycle hum, but just general other electrical noise), maybe the inability to hear the nuance of your own tone if the live mix you're hearing isn't helpful in your monitor or IEMs, and a lack of diversity in the character of your tones. But these are not necessarily going to happen of course; it's just my prepare-for-the-worst thought process.
I looked through my presets just now, and the only one I have with any kind of 800 is with Cliff's 800 Mod. I haven't tried it any time recently, I created it with FW 20.03, and I don't even remember what it sounded like, but I know it was meant to clean up well. Maybe it would sound okay on your axe, so I've attached it here, if it might help at all.
But I do find it to be the case for me! No problem on the info. This is stuff I've been completely and totally obsessing over for years, ever since I read this Paul Gilbert interview talking about using just a single channel on an amp live, and using his volume knob for everything. I thought, hell you could probably take that even further if you really focus on your wiring. With this setup and these types of tones the way I dial them in, I can get cool country / rock type tones with the bridge in parallel with the volume and tone really really low. There are all sorts of ways you can go with it. I don't play anything really country, but I love getting those tones for my own weirdness.
