How long after you received your FM9 did you decide to sell your amps and cabs…

I’ve never viewed amps and modelers as an “either/or” type of thing. Been using Fractal Audio gear over a decade, and I still have and use tube amps and pedals too. I don’t gig the amps very often any longer, but I still like playing on them. Fractal has been my main live rig for a long time.
 
Kept all of it. I liken it to having your muscle cars and your EVs. Are you going to use your tube amps everyday? No, but you’ll start ‘em up and thank yourself for having them.
 
I have two really nice boutique amps and my Fractals, and alternate between them at a local blues jam out of my own curiosity because I want to see what other people think about the modelers. I'm to the point where I can be happy with the Fractals.

Why do I still have my amps? Sentimentality, it's purely emotional and every time I take one of my Fractals out it's another notch in the gun. I'm already talking to one of my friends to sell him one of my amps, and I'm sure one of the other people at the jams will want the other amp.

Does that bother me? Uh… hell yes! Sentimentality again! But, honestly, I really like working with the modelers and how they sound through the EVs.

For another event, outside of the jams? I'd have to talk to the band and the FOH people, because my inclination would be to take a modeler and EV and let FOH sort it out.
 
Once the FM9 is set and I'm comfortable with it on stage everything will go. The whole point (at my age) is to not be lugging amps around any more. I will admit that since getting on the wait list for the FM9 I've spent a lot more time tweaking my MKII's and they're sounding pretty good now but my back will thank me when I sell them all. They're invisible on stage since we always set them up either off-stage or behind a banner so it was never a visual thing anyway.
 
I kept my Mesa Mark V 35 and (2) 2 x 12 cabs for running 4CM. Sold everything else. I alternate between the 4CM, running the 2 x 12's thru my Matrix power amp, and lastly FRFR. It depends on my mood and what I am playing. I can't settle on just one.
 
sparkle said:
How long after you received your FM9 did you decide to sell your amps and cabs…


I keep staring t the not used cabs 2 1x12s and 1 4x12 and my amp head….and going hmmm….
Click to expand...
What do you use to listen to your FM9?
 
GuitarEC said:
I'm thinking of getting a pair of those when I'm closer to gigging - how are they working for you?
Click to expand...
So far so good. I got the 8" for the weight savings. Two would be preferable so you don't lose the stereo effects. I haven't tried summing both channels since I will mainly use the FM9 to record.
 
After it sat untouched for about 4 years... I donated all of my analog gear (effects pedals, tube amps, multiple speaker cabs 1x12, 2x12, 4x12....as well as a couple of rack-mounted digital delays and a "dumb" harmonizer) to the local University Jazz program. They put all my stuff in the "history" section.
:cool:
 
For me, it's really pedals that are the problem. I have a bookshelf loaded with about 19 bazillion pedals that I'm preparing to list. I'm such a procrastinator, so they will probably still be here in a year, lololol.
 
GMGM said:
For me, it's really pedals that are the problem. I have a bookshelf loaded with about 19 bazillion pedals that I'm preparing to list. I'm such a procrastinator, so they will probably still be here in a year, lololol.
Click to expand...
I started clearing mine out a few at a time a few years ago. I have a dozen or so left, and I still use some at home with my real amps. Now that I'm using the FM9 plexi models a lot, I'm looking at my Carl Martin PlexiTone pedal...
 
GuitarEC said:
I'm thinking of getting a pair of those when I'm closer to gigging - how are they working for you?
Click to expand...
Not to jack your question but I recently bought a pair of the Headrush 108's and they sound amazing running music and keyboards thru them ( My FM9 isn't born yet). A lot of people dog them but for the $ they're very good. My reasoning for them is once I get my sound set and I start using the FM9 on stage I'll have IEM's in and the only one listening to the FRFR's will be my guitar for the most part. I likely will only run 1 for most shows. You can spend a lot of money on better gear but that's a worm hole that I didn't want to step into.
 
Rick said:
I’ve never viewed amps and modelers as an “either/or” type of thing. Been using Fractal Audio gear over a decade, and I still have and use tube amps and pedals too. I don’t gig the amps very often any longer, but I still like playing on them. Fractal has been my main live rig for a long time.
Click to expand...
It's weird. In the same way that Joe Luddite goes "I TRIED A LINE 6 VETTA AND MODELING SUCKS" and be flat out wrong; you can have and use both and love what they each bring to the table.
 
I had a huge pedalboard with lots of goodies... GigRig G2 switcher, Strymons, Eventide, overdrives, etc etc. and a few different tube heads and 412 cabs. I parted out the board, but kept the H9 (when I got a Helix years ago (Helix was weak on verbs & pitch back then) I gigged that into a tube amp and cab, for a few months until I realized that the tube head wasn't doing much (was running into fx return, so it was only supplying power anyway). So I sold the amp, and got a SD PS170 to use with the Marshall 412 (mainly for outdoor gigs). Also added a Friedman ASM12 for a standalone FRFR solution. Then I migrated over to Fractal with the FM3 a few years ago, and now also own an FM9 now for over a year. Happily tube amp & pedal free for about 5 years now. No regrets... no GAS.
 
Last edited:
I’ll always have a small combo amp and small pedal board of like 6-8 pedals because a lot of bar/party gigs don’t have good PA’s or engineers… also I don’t want drunk people or dirt and debris screwing up the FM9 so I only take it out if I’m on a good stage with a real engineer and Sound system. The traditional combo amp and pedals will always be quick and easy to dial in and if something happens it’s much easier to replace. If I had an axe 3 as a studio tool that never leaves the pad then maybe I’d be less careful with the fm9 but for now it’s my trophy board
 
How
jetdriver1775 said:
I had a huge pedalboard with lots of goodies... GigRig G2 switcher, Strymons, Eventide, overdrives, etc etc. and a few different tube heads and 412 cabs. I parted out the board, but kept the H9 (when I got a Helix years ago (Helix was weak on verbs & pitch back then) I gigged that into a tube amp and cab, for a few months until I realized that the tube head wasn't doing much (was running into fx return, so it was only supplying power anyway). So I sold the amp, and got a SD PS170 to use with the Marshall 412 (mainly for outdoor gigs). Also added a Friedman ASM12 for a standalone FRFR solution. Then I migrated over to Fractal with the FM3 a few years ago, and now also own an FM9 now for over a year. Happily tube amp & pedal free for about 5 years now. No regrets... no GAS.
Click to expand...
do you like the Friedman ASM12? I’ve heard better things about the 10, any experience? Any time with a power cab + to compare it against?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom