Going back to tubes

edawterb said:
I always thought these kinds of threads were sorta weird but having found myself in the very same spot as some, I thought it appropriate to say to fractal and everyone a very BIG heartfelt thank you. I've learned so much about tone shaping from my axe fx AND all of you, going back even to my ultra days. If I could afford both a tube amp and my axe 2 I surely would, but in my ever chasing tone journey I have decided to go back to a tube amp and pedal set up. Again, I think the axe is a FANTASTIC unit and I am so grateful for its existence as well as all of you who I have learned so much from. I will no doubt be lurking on this site to see where my axe brethren (and sisterin to whom it may concern) will go and how far the ever brilliant Cliff and his team will take this most excellent peace of gear. As an aside, I will be listing my mfc and axe 2 on ebay in the next week or so and if anyone is so inclined, please feel free to pm me and I will gladly give all the details. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who have put so much effort into shaping this great unit into what it is today.

Sincerely, Edawterb

Incidentally, for any of who have ever wondered about my screen name, its just Bret Wade backwards, who is my very much loved little man child. :pride:
Click to expand...

Have you considered using the Axe plus a midi-footcontroller with your tube amp instead of a pedal board?
Most of the stomp box type effects you could ever need are already modelled in the Axe and you already own the Axe.
If you're going to use peals w/o any additional rack gear between the preamp and the power amp then all your reverbs and delays and chorusing will be distorted by any gain you dial up via the preamp.
If you used the Axe with the 4 cable method you could use your amp's effects loop with the Axe in it for your reverbs etc. and you could use the Axe's stomp box sims in front of your preamp.
If you don't understand the 4-cable method yet and haven't considered it, you really should read up on it before you make any moves. IMO.
 
It's funny, I haven't gased for an amp in a long time but I did check out the grandmeister and thought that would be a good choice if I wanted to go back to tubes. I'm sticking with the Axe for now, but I understand the desire for simplicity.
 
joegold said:
Have you considered using the Axe plus a midi-footcontroller with your tube amp instead of a pedal board?
Most of the stomp box type effects you could ever need are already modelled in the Axe and you already own the Axe.
If you're going to use peals w/o any additional rack gear between the preamp and the power amp then all your reverbs and delays and chorusing will be distorted by any gain you dial up via the preamp.
If you used the Axe with the 4 cable method you could use your amp's effects loop with the Axe in it for your reverbs etc. and you could use the Axe's stomp box sims in front of your preamp.
If you don't understand the 4-cable method yet and haven't considered it, you really should read up on it before you make any moves. IMO.
Click to expand...

Definitely all good points and well taken and I have considered this option however, it really defeats portability component. My axe fx has served me well, and who knows, I might return to it one day, but the trigger has been pulled.
 
t0aj15 said:
Made the same choice about a year ago, the Ultra just didn't work for me in the end, and I no longer have to worry about 'updating'. I've just decided a kick ass tube amp and a 'very few' pedals get me much further along then the Axe-Fx did in the three or so years I tried to make it work.
Click to expand...

So youve never had a 2? If not then im not surpirsed the ultra doesnt even hold a candle to the 2.
 
Yesterday I tried a Bogner Mephisto that showed up in a store near me. I was thinking it might be perfect with both 6V6 and EL84 channels, separate or blended, plus an attenuator. First thing I was aware of was how freaking loud it was when it started to sound good. Attenuator was ok, but I kept thinking, "I could get 20 different and better flavors of this kind of driven sound out of the Axe at this volume." Cranked, it sounded great, but I couldn't even stand to play it that loud in a big music store. Probably an awesome gigging amp, but I immediately was reminded of why I love my Axe. I can tweak all day if I want to. I can also spend 5-10 minutes and throw together a patch which works great for me.

Best of luck with your chosen route. The fact that I didn't have to sell amps and still have nice ones to use makes it easier to be happy with the Axe 90% of the time. The biggest deciding factor for me with the Axe is that it's an all-in-one solution that sounds great at any volume. I spent years wishing I could have my amp at the volume I wanted for it to sound best all the time. Now I do.
 
I really want to say thanks for all of your gracious comments on this thread. I think its a good case that one can say whats on his or her mind without throwing hand grenades and its nice to see and hear great people thru all the noise made in this world.
 
funny_polymath said:
I have enjoyed your posts and will miss them. I hope you get the setup you're yearning for.

Be well.
Click to expand...

Thank you. This site being what it is however, a treasure trove of knowledge on all things guitar, I can safely say that I'll be hanging around here, even tho it might be a detriment and a thorn in my side for the choice I have made. :lol
 
Totally understand, for me going back to tubes isn't about a fault in the fx , it's about simplicity and spending more time playing and less time updating and learning
Got a friedman brown eye and a few pedals and it's setup sorted, no updates , nothing to learn about , very simple .... I am always amazed in this board with the level of knowledge on the ax and the amount of time
it must take to be so up on it all, respect... I just don't have a lot of time to apply to it
My brain doesn't cope well with too much choice so two channel amp is perfect for me
 
I understand what you are saying Kris but I'll miss you as you are my only official friend on this site :(

Well at least you'll still be dropping by occasionally so I'm not too upset!

I have a little Tone King Falcon and some Strymon pedals for those times when I just fancy a little bit of tube amp simplicity, it's nice to have the choice I suppose. The Grandmeister 38 looks great for what it is so hopefully it will give you what you want. The funny thing is that I've found simplicity with my AxeFX as I only use a couple of patches 99% of the time so it kinda works for me, everything else is just surplus to requirements but fun to have.

Take care my friend, and rock on!!!
 
I always think about maybe going back to the multiple tube amp and pedal route, but that's all it is, is thinking. I fired up my old amp yesterday actually, and I had fun playing it for about an hour, but I had to stop because I had to turn it up to get a good sound and that after and hour had given me a headache, and for the rest of the night my ears were ringing. I have really sensitive ears, and that has always been my issue with amps. I really do hope you find what you're looking for, because I know how the back and forward can be with the FXII and tube amps/pedals etc. GOOD LUCK!
 
If you can swing it, having both is the way to go. IMO, it's human nature to get tired of things after a while and a change is needed (except for maybe wives). I've gone back and forth between modelers and tube amps several times, and having both has cured that urge. I agree with the comments regarding simplicity, and that is what draws me away from tweaking the Axe Fx to just plugging into a tube amp (which BTW, sounds great at low volume). On the flip side, it's the incredible versatility and endless possibilities that draw me back to the Axe Fx. It's the perfect marriage, and they can co-exist very nicely. :)
 
Last edited:
I am Blessed to have both and could not settle on one or the other as for me they are different tools for different applications.

My regular church venues are ideal for the Axe which is what brought me down this path. I appreciate the versatility but more importantly I needed to have a consistent FOH tone across a range of sound people and very quiet sound stage. I also struggled with hearing myself in this venue so the CLR with it's dual input has been a real help (mix from board on one channel and signal from the Axe on the other with separate vol controls). Also being able to increase my stage vol without effecting what hits FOH was critical. I play 2 services like this on 2 different campuses and there was really no other solution.

For other gigs our getting together with friends I grab a tube amp - Allston Overdrive Combo - made by a local builder and tweaked to my specs so that between both channels and tone bypass I don't need pedals. It works works great!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom