Hating my Axe FX, any last words before I sell?

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Hell of it is, he probably figures that Axe Fx is giving him the best tone ever. As if he could tell.
 
I would take Scott up on his offer to help and get together withere's ther local AxeFX II owner to see if there's anything either can do to move you toward success with your AFX. It may just be that this delays the inevitable but you already own it so couldn"t hurt to give it a go. If neither of these efforts help I would agree with other that the AxeFX II just might not be for you.
 
My perception is that the majority of people who (initially anyway) can't seem to gel with the Axe are those who are used to playing almost exclusively in the same space as a traditional rig, hearing (and feeling) an "unproduced" sound (that is, one raw from the amp & cab). By contrast, those players who are used to recording or reinforcing guitar tones seem to have their expectations fulfilled with little difficulty.

The Axe can replicate both experiences; however, the first will take more effort, and be extremely difficult (if not impossible) through an FRFR setup. If you are accustomed to and striving for a tone that sits perfectly in a mix (e.g. going to a DAW for recording or FOH playing live), IMO the Axe is pretty much perfect as-is: pick an amp and a cab/IR, and you're good to go. If you are an "amp in the room" person, you might consider using the Axe as a pre-amp and running it through a tube power amp and traditional cab; this will likely bring the "feel" you're used to. The downside there is that those will color your tone, and you will lose quite a bit of the versatility of the different models (unless you have different power amp + cab combos).
 
4 pages in and I've only responded one time because I started the thread last night....I only have a limited amount of time to test my rig at high volumes when my roommate happens to be gone. (he works from home and never leaves). Furthermore, I only have a limited amount of time to check this forum.

I tried the 4x12 and it sounded closer to my JCM, but still lacked a tactile feel and sounded like a blanket or something in the mids that i couldn't get rid of. Furthermore, the 4x12 is pretty irrevelevent because I bought the rig to gig with, and I don't have a car that can lug a 4x12 around. If the NL212 is to blame, I don't know why they were so highly recommended around these parts. Everyone moving from a 4x12 to a NL212 was loving it with the axe....

I've found a rig in my deluxe verb + pedalboard that I gig with that sounds pretty great and meets my needs. I was curious about the axe's versatility because I've never tried a lot of the amps it models. But, whether i'm FRFR or using a poweramp+cab, it lacks body and dynamic feel. IMO everyone gets in their own axe bubble- a firmware release makes the axe sound/feel better, but compared to actual stuff, it's vastly inferior.

I wanted the Axe so I could check out/try different flavors of amps and be entertained. But if the Axe can only get me 70% of the way there....IDK if it's worth it. I know it's not a tube amp, but I thought it could get a lot closer.

Furthermore, if I ever want to do any serious playing with other amp models, I would need like reference tones to dial it in. With my 4x12, it is still so easy to make it sound bad. I'm not making drastic twists of knobs
 
The Matrix Amp/Cab is supposed to be FRFR. Shouldn't you try it with the Cab Sims ON?
I've been reading up a lot in these forums while on my way toward purchasing the AxeFX, and a lot of guys seems to like the "Ownhammer IR's".

I would at least try switching the Cab Sims ON and trying the "Ownhammer IR's " before selling.
 
I also bought the Axe because i played a few outdoor gigs with my open back fender and it sounded way differently. Sometimes I play small gigs, sometimes bigger ones, and I wanted something that would be consistent in gain structure night in and night out, no matter what I set the volume at.
 
The Matrix Amp/Cab is supposed to be FRFR. Shouldn't you try it with the Cab Sims ON?
I've been reading up a lot in these forums while on my way toward purchasing the AxeFX, and a lot of guys seems to like the "Ownhammer IR's".

I would at least try switching the Cab Sims ON and trying the "Ownhammer IR's " before selling.

It's not FRFR, and roadrunner is like the first person I've read about using cab sims on that sounds good
 
I've only gigged the rig 4 times. two times, I used output 1 with cab emulation to FOH output 2 to my Q12a, so I did FRFR exclusively. I hated that, so the last 2 I've just miced up my NL212 in mono because i didn't want to mess with IR's for FOH. This obviously sounded terrible, given my thread.

IMO sometimes people get in their Axe bubble and forget what good amps actually sound like. Yeah FW 14 sounds better etc etc, but any of my tube amps would absolutely murder it. I thought it'd be cool to be able to easily AB between a fender twin and a JCM800 without actually lugging them to gigs. I just expected the axe to AT THE VERY LEAST respond to pedals/gain staging like my normal amp would. that couldn't be further from the truth. I have to tickle these amps and do all kinds of tweaking to the pedal sims when i just want it to behave like an amp
 
I've only gigged the rig 4 times. two times, I used output 1 with cab emulation to FOH output 2 to my Q12a, so I did FRFR exclusively. I hated that, so the last 2 I've just miced up my NL212 in mono because i didn't want to mess with IR's for FOH. This obviously sounded terrible, given my thread.

IMO sometimes people get in their Axe bubble and forget what good amps actually sound like. Yeah FW 14 sounds better etc etc, but any of my tube amps would absolutely murder it. I thought it'd be cool to be able to easily AB between a fender twin and a JCM800 without actually lugging them to gigs. I just expected the axe to AT THE VERY LEAST respond to pedals/gain staging like my normal amp would. that couldn't be further from the truth. I have to tickle these amps and do all kinds of tweaking to the pedal sims when i just want it to behave like an amp

Considering how many happy users there are, including professional artists (that actually pay for their Axes), have you considered user error? Your rantings are falling on deaf ears. The units work for us and we are happy, if you aren't, sell it and go away.
 
My .02 is that the NL cabs are something "in between" FRFR and a guitar cab. Setting aside the marketing/sales aspects for a second, to my ears, with cab sims off at low to mid volume levels they sound harsh. I understand there's a break-in period, etc but that's just my opinion. Yes the harshness can be dialed out. At low/mid volume levels with cab sims on, they sound fantastic. At high volume you either need to really dial in the cab sims carefully *or* take them out and still dial your EQ a bit. I think that's where the OP's problems are coming in. And it seems like everyone that's tried the NL cabs likes them, most will recommend cab sims off. I'd recommend cab sims ON for a bit and go from there. Remember, there's no rules or right/wrong way with this stuff, trust your ears and don't give up! I'm using 2 NL12's at the moment with a XT800 (old) matrix power amp and the Axe-II FWIW.
 
Considering how many happy users there are, including professional artists (that actually pay for their Axes), have you considered user error? Your rantings are falling on deaf ears. The units work for us and we are happy, if you aren't, sell it and go away.
Agree.

Where the AXFX is with FW 14, the only conclusion (IMO) to people not getting along with the unit is user error.

If I cannot handle a race car with a stick, I should sell it and go back to driving the 1974 Ford LTD POS.
 
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IMO sometimes people get in their Axe bubble and forget what good amps actually sound like. Yeah FW 14 sounds better etc etc, but any of my tube amps would absolutely murder it. ....
I just expected the axe to AT THE VERY LEAST respond to pedals/gain staging like my normal amp would. that couldn't be further from the truth.

Neat.

Sell it.
 
I've only gigged the rig 4 times. two times, I used output 1 with cab emulation to FOH output 2 to my Q12a, so I did FRFR exclusively. I hated that, so the last 2 I've just miced up my NL212 in mono because i didn't want to mess with IR's for FOH. This obviously sounded terrible, given my thread.

IMO sometimes people get in their Axe bubble and forget what good amps actually sound like. Yeah FW 14 sounds better etc etc, but any of my tube amps would absolutely murder it. I thought it'd be cool to be able to easily AB between a fender twin and a JCM800 without actually lugging them to gigs. I just expected the axe to AT THE VERY LEAST respond to pedals/gain staging like my normal amp would. that couldn't be further from the truth. I have to tickle these amps and do all kinds of tweaking to the pedal sims when i just want it to behave like an amp

I hate when threads turn this corner. I believe OP is honestly looking for help, to give the Axe another chance to work for him. Then a few posts throw jabs, and the OP's tone changes too.

To the OP:
There is a difference in the sound of an amp in the room vs. a mic'd amp. I'm sure you've experienced this recording or listening to FOH.
That took me a while to sort out. Comparing your Deluxe sitting in the room with it, to the Axe Deluxe model isn't apples to apples. You'd have to mic your deluxe and listen to that source for a more direct comparison.

That said, if you don't like that sound, or for some reason haven't set up Axe to show the strengths of that model, it really doesn't matter. End result is you don't like the sound.
I run an RCF NX12-SMA wedge in front of me on stage, and run a copy of that output to FOH.
I find that I get great dynamics, organic feedback, tactile feel etc. using this set up. Especially the way guitar reacts to wedge facing me on stage.
I play mostly clean, overdriven blues, jam, classic rock etc. no metal. I use an old Strat exclusively. Over the years I've owned MANY tube amps, so I'm not caught in an Axe Fx bubble. But getting here did take considerably more work than plugging into an amp and playing.
Recent firmwares have really improved the ability to pull up a patch, do some minor tweaking for tone and playing.
I have a set of go to advanced parameters that I tweak a little on almost every patch I create, but find less and less need for it.
Like you said, the NL212 is not an FRFR speaker, but some have used the cab sims with good results. No rules, just find your tone.

Get in touch with Gamedojo and Scott Peterson. If anybody can help, it's these guys.
Then at the end of the day at least you gave it a good shot.
For all the reasons you list, small car, multiple amps to haul etc., if you can figure a way to use the Axe, it's really a great, versatile way to get fantastic tone.

Good luck!!


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My .02 is that the NL cabs are something "in between" FRFR and a guitar cab. Setting aside the marketing/sales aspects for a second, to my ears, with cab sims off at low to mid volume levels they sound harsh. I understand there's a break-in period, etc but that's just my opinion. Yes the harshness can be dialed out. At low/mid volume levels with cab sims on, they sound fantastic. At high volume you either need to really dial in the cab sims carefully *or* take them out and still dial your EQ a bit. I think that's where the OP's problems are coming in. And it seems like everyone that's tried the NL cabs likes them, most will recommend cab sims off. I'd recommend cab sims ON for a bit and go from there. Remember, there's no rules or right/wrong way with this stuff, trust your ears and don't give up! I'm using 2 NL12's at the moment with a XT800 (old) matrix power amp and the Axe-II FWIW.

I have NL12 and this is a (tuned, for better bass response) guitar cab with guitar speaker in it (Celestion Vintage Century). So it is no way FRFR. But it has a lot of treble/presence so a lot of modells can sound harsch. I usually turn down the treble/presence freqencies a bit (1-2 dB). I love the cab because everything sounds very clear and sort of "wider frequencies range" (eg in comparison to my beloved Mesa V30).

I tried it with Engl Ironball too, it does not sound harsch at all.
 
6 threads later Bill? I think the forum has been very patient. :roll

Have to agree, lol. A lot of patience here compared to some other threads I've read! Always seems to be a tipping point though, but people get tired of beating a dead horse too. Poor horse :)


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Meh, yeah this forum's been very patient and helpful with me- I apologize for the 3 or so threads I've started that left me frustrated. When you spend this much $$ on a device and keep investing, it can get frustrating. Still, that's no reason for me to take it out on other forum members (if I have) and I really appreciate everyone throwing their two cents in and helping me with fresh ideas.

I'm going to start a dialogue with Scott via e-mail (just PM'd him) and and am messaging Thomas to see if I can meet up with him. Really trying to give the Axe a proper go before I completely liquidate it.

I've got a duo gig tomorrow, but the next time my roommate's gone, I'll try taming the NL212 with a global EQ, rolling off highs above 8k, rather than having to do it individually with dirt boxes and the treble on the amp.
Perhaps Scott can direct me toward some tone shaping tips that will help with the 'fullness' and amp-ness of the models. It can just get annoying to lug in & set up my entire two rigs in my tiny house, then get no results! Maybe you guys have been there

Ben
 
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