How many amps of the dozens of amp models do you use?

R

rosskoss

Member
Here's (one of) my issues while I'm still considering whether to get the Axe Fx or not.

Over the years....I've really become a one amp kinda guy. I really need only one great and one clean dirty sound and I'm pretty much set for almost everything that I want to do. Right now....a good /13 or Bogner Duende would take care of my needs.

However, I'm stuck with volume control issues - both at church and at home for recording which is what is repeatedly drawing me to the Axe Fx.

My question is - how many of the 50+ modelled amps in the Axe Fx do you use regularly?

Are people frequently switching amps or are they sticking to 2-3 basic amp models? If it's the latter, do you still find the Axe FX to be a worthwhile investment?
 
rosskoss said:
Here's (one of) my issues while I'm still considering whether to get the Axe Fx or not.

Over the years....I've really become a one amp kinda guy. I really need only one great and one clean dirty sound and I'm pretty much set for almost everything that I want to do. Right now....a good /13 or Bogner Duende would take care of my needs.

However, I'm stuck with volume control issues - both at church and at home for recording. How many of the 50+ modelled amps in the Axe Fx do you use regularly?

Are people frequently switching amps or are they sticking to 2-3 amp models? In which case, do you still find the Axe FX to be a worthwhile investment?
Click to expand...
If you want or need (for gig-related purposes) to produce the sonic character of two or more amp/cab combinations, the Axe-Fx is easily less expensive and lighter than the required physical rigs. If you need to produce authentic tube amp sounds at a wide variety of volumes, no practical physical amp rig will ever be successful at that. No single tube amp can do clean/loud and dirty/quiet equally well. With the right amplification, the Axe-Fx can.

FWIW, I presently use six different amp models in my presets. I could probably get the range of sounds I need to get with just two of them. Even if I only used one, however, the Axe-Fx would represent the best equipment deal I've gotten in my life.
 
I have 7 main presets, each one with a different amp. And it's growing as I'm liking more and more to be able to get a different sound when I want. Former 1 sound for all user inside.
 
rosskoss said:
... Over the years....I've really become a one amp kinda guy. I really need only one great and one clean dirty sound and I'm pretty much set for almost everything that I want to do. Right now....a good /13 or Bogner Duende would take care of my needs.

However, I'm stuck with volume control issues - both at church and at home for recording which is what is repeatedly drawing me to the Axe Fx.

My question is - how many of the 50+ modelled amps in the Axe Fx do you use regularly?

Are people frequently switching amps or are they sticking to 2-3 basic amp models? If it's the first case, do you still find the Axe FX to be a worthwhile investment?
Click to expand...

I have a similar preference to yours. I'd like to use just one dirty and one clean. Especially because I'd rather focus on the performance than on tap dancing at my pedalboard on stage. The Axe-Fx does that perfectly for me. Especially because I can tweak each to perfection. Also, you can get great tones at both loud and soft settings.

That being said, because I play in a cover band, I mainly use 3 models: USA Lead 2 (high gain), Plexi (dirty that can roll off to clean), and Brownface (clean), but will also flirt with the Recto when a song allows me to get in touch with my metal self.

Yes, I found the Axe-Fx a worthwhile investment. Especially because it allows you to get great tones in both a live and a bedroom environment. Whether you would find the Axe-Fx a worthwhile investment is up to you.
 
I'm still just getting around on the axe, but I would imagine I'll settle on 3-5 amps for most everything I do on stage. Just need to test them all out and find what works and what gives me "my tone".

In studio, it'll be a much more extended palette, though. I love mixing it up with tons of different tones and the Axe-FX wil bbe wicked at delivering the goods.
 
I probably use 3 amps at a time: 1 for rhythm, 1 for leads and 1 for all the cleans. Those three are constantly changing. Sometimes the lead/rhythm amp is the same amp etc. The real strength here is that although I'm a Mesa guy I've been switching from mark series to recto and back since I can't afford having both. So one day I might have a Recto rig or a Mark IV rig... I also dig the Diezel and Überschall amps and I got those in the mix too. Actually did the last recording with the Diezel.

Ofcourse there is the ease of not having a 100 stomp pedals but your own presets with as many options you want... and no tap dancing.

Look at it like this: if I had a recto, mark v, diezel, über, fender for cleans = 15000€. And that doesn't even include the effects. Now... an Axe-Fx only costs 1600€.
 
I use probably a half dozen or so primarily: Top Boost, Mr Z 38 SR, Double Verb, Plexi 2, Brown, Citrus RV50. I also use others like Buttery, Solo 99 LD, but use them less frequently.

I think you often find that if you have one amp, then you'll make everything fit. With the Axe-Fx you have the flexibility to really get the exact tone you're after. It's worth every penny and then a whole bunch more.
 
I wrote this in another thread recently:

Let me add this opinion about the Axe-Fx amp sims.

Wonderful thing about the Axe is of course that you can try so many amps.
At the same time that's a pitfall. The agony of choice.

At one point I was using too many different amp sims for live purposes. As a consequence I was tweaking all the time and I wasn't satisfied with a lot of them. Keeping a consistent level was a problem too.

So I took a turn and brought it back to the basics. Just a couple of amps for clean, crunch and hi-gain.

I restrict myself to using and optimizing just these. For example, if I need a ballsier tone than my regular crunch amp, I don't select another sim but I just put a boost or OD in front of it. Just like with the real thing. This approach makes my tones much more consistent and I get to know the amp sim better.
 
I use maybe half a dozen or so for my main sounds. But, I also play around a lot, for example trying to find new sounds for things I'm working on that are outside of my norm (for music that's outside of my norm). This is when I tend to stray from my usual amps and play around with others, rather than try to heavily alter the amp sounds I normally work with.

I can get the sounds I used to get from all my amp and rack gear (which I sold after getting the Axe, and it more than covered the cost), and it's all in one convenient whatever-volume-I-want box. On top of that, I've now also got dozens more amps and cabs at my disposal, plus many FX I didn't have, plus routing options I didn't really have before, plus the ability to use modifiers on a lot of things, etc. etc. Definitely worth it for me. ;)
 
I use 12 amps with no hassle.... (CAE, Über, Solo 99 LD, Orange RV50, Plexi, JCM, Trainwreck, Twin, Brown, Top Boost, Eggie, Recto) Play around with more of them. If i had to drag this around, as a physical rig, i would end up with a microcube.

No problems with volume or weight. And i have all the effects i need in the same box :)

Best investment ever....
 
I only play worship music, in church.

My "go to" amps are AC30 TB, Fender Twin Reverb and a Marshall Plexi.

For me, it was definitely worth the investment. I used to have a tube amp and a 60 pound pedal board.
 
+1 to what others have said so far. I'll add my own 2 cents on top...

One of the other guitar players at my church bought an Orange Rocker (verb?) 30. He wanted the 50 and tried it out, but he would have had to crank it up too loud to get the tubes cookin' hot enough to get the right amount of power amp goodness. If your church is anything like mine, one of the main 'problems' we face is keeping the stage volume low enough. We all want to rock out, but the stage level bleed does bad things to the FOH mix. With the axe-fx, I don't have to sacrifice tone to get low stage volume. I get both. The sound guys love me. And once you have your patches dialed in, sound check is a breeze.

In terms of amp models, there are a ton of threads on this board from guys playing contemporary Christian music. Before I got my pedalboard, I did a couple of services with just the Trainwreck sim. And the Ac30 sim can pretty much do it all too. And you can always roll off your volume pot and things will clean up. But I found myself wanting more. So I made Fender Brownface patches. CAE patches. "Class A" patches. Plexi patches. Even a blues patch. If I want gain staging, I can put an overdrive up front. Or create two patches that exactly the same except that one has the master turned up. Or the preamp gain turned up. You don't have to do this. But it's amazing to know that it's all there if you want it.
 
rosskoss said:
My question is - how many of the 50+ modelled amps in the Axe Fx do you use regularly?
Click to expand...
Off the top of my head:
Fender Vibroverb
Roland Jazz Chorus
Fender Twin Reverb
Fender Deluxe
Fender Bassman
Marshall 1969
JCM 800
AC30
AC30 TB
Matchless
Buttery
Dr Z
ODS 1
TrainWreck
I'm missing two or three, but since I do covers, I try to match the amp to the amp used in the song. I still have three basic sounds: clean, crunch, distortion - but those three sounds come in variety of flavors and textures depending on what flavor/texture the original song had. You can do the same using just one amp, but the axe-fx gives you the luxury of song-specific guitar rigs. Some don't want to dial that hard, but the rewards are awesome. Indulge yourself!!
 
For high gain I'm always switching between the FAS Modern and the Das Metall... for clean it's definitely the Brownface for me.
 
I'm a Mesa guy for the most part, but I've found some awesome tones in several other amps I've not had any prior experience with. The Euro amps, Plexi, Brownface, and Buttery to name a few. The list goes on depending on what mood I am in. My current main presets use Recto Orange, Plexi, Brownface, and Fryette D60M. It changes week to week though as I find different models I dig.
 
The main amp models I like to use regularly are the Matchless, Dumble and Plexi. However, I play in cover bands and when the band wants to nail the original feel, I will nail the tone using the Afx. When I do, it tends to make me play like the original...suprisingly enough, tone has a great influence on guitar style. W/the Afx, you have a full pallete of tones...For example, I would not use a Bogner model when playing Rock-a-Billy. Pull out your Tele/Strat, the Fender Twin w/some verb and slapback Echo and you're playing like James Burton!

Why paint in just black and white, when you can have full-color?
 
Live:
Fender Twin
Plexi
Bogner Ecstasy
Diezel VH4

For recordings:
all of the above +
New Recto
Bogner Überschall
Peavey 5150
Egnator Rebel
Orange
Cornford
Fender Vibroverb
Vox AC30
Matchless

+ more to come
 
Two: one for clean (Twin), one for rhythm (5150), and I boost the rhythm for high-gain/lead. YMMV of course, but for what I currently need it's plenty. I prefer to keep things simple.

Mike
 
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