how should i power my new axe ultra for home use

[DonPetersen]

Not to slightly hijack this thread, but remain on-topic sort of...

I'd probably be happy with quality studio monitors at home, but I worry about them getting damaged in the cone, etc. because the better monitors have their cones exposed to the listener. Which is why I was focusing on buying floor wedges instead. Is there any way to protect nice studio monitors so that they are more durable?

cats or kids?

 

[Rex]

well today i brought all my gear in from the garage and cleaned it up to sell on ebay. and after playing for an hour i cant sell. it just sounds too beautiful to part with and i am skeptical that digital modeling can give me the sustain and controllable feedback of my mesa mark 4

so i am building a very well insulated sound room in the basement so i wont wake the family at night hehe

Before you sell off all your gear, before you invest time and money making a soundproof room, get the Axe-FX and play it. Then you'll know what will work and what won't. You won't have to wonder, and you'll know whether to give up your gear or devote your time to soundproofing.

 

[redbud]

i cant do that because in order to get the axe i have to sell my gear.

i am not a rich man.........well i guess i am richer that most people in the world if i spent 4000 dollars on gear.

some people are very hungry right now.

guess i should be thankful just to have a guitar.

 

[Rex]

I hear you. It takes a good chunk of change to go with the Axe-FX. I think you'd be thrilled with it, but I can understand why you're hesitant to sell what you know and take the jump.

 

[redbud]

I hear you. It takes a good chunk of change to go with the Axe-FX. I think you'd be thrilled with it, but I can understand why you're hesitant to sell what you know and take the jump.

so if u were me and took the jump to the axe fx what would u power it with?

 

[DC23]

You could always buy a 1U power amp like the Art SLA-2 andrun the axe through the power amp and into a guitar cab. That way you'd only have to buy the SLA-2 which can be had relatively cheap. I'm sure you already have a guitar cab, so you wouldn't have to buy that?

 

[Rex]

I prefer the full-range amplification route, because it lets me make full use of the Axe's cab sims. Others prefer to use power amps with guitar cabs, and this method could save you some money. If you already own an amp with an effects loop, you can use that to feed the Axe-FX directly into the amp's power amp, and out its speaker(s).

If you decide to go full range, you can either use powered monitors or a power amp into full-range speakers. If you need gig volumes, you'll need stage monitors, not studio monitors. Otherwise, either will do. Some folks prefer the sound of studio monitors, if they don't need the volume.

For high-volume use, I use powered wedges. I like to keep unnecessary weight out of the rack. For low-volume noodling, I connect the Axe-FX to a stereo receiver, then into a pair of Epi 100V speakers. You have to bit a bit gentle with home-stereo speakers, because they don't have the same resistance to power peaks that pro or semi-pro gear has.

 

[zslane]

For low-volume noodling, I connect the Axe-FX to a stereo receiver, then into a pair of Epi 100V speakers.

Is that just a convenience thing? I would think a high-quality powered FR wedge would be great for noodling at any volume, no?

 

[claxor]

cats or kids?

Neither. I just like that most music equipment guitarists buy is designed to usually be pretty durable. I imagine "what if I have to move to a new apartment or city, etc." Like knowing that I don't have to worry too much about a piece of equipment.

 

[redbud]

You could always buy a 1U power amp like the Art SLA-2 andrun the axe through the power amp and into a guitar cab. That way you'd only have to buy the SLA-2 which can be had relatively cheap. I'm sure you already have a guitar cab, so you wouldn't have to buy that?

i have a mosvalve mv-962 running my stereo side with my gsystem into a homebrew theole cab and it sounds pretty good i could just run that with the axe but..........

then would all my patches sound like a 2 12 recto cab and a 1 12 theole?

not that that is a bad sound but........... if im gona always sound like a booge should i just keep the real thing?

sorry to sound like a dip s#@& but i spent so much time and effort into building the rig i have now and am reluctant. that includes a custom built pedal board made out of 3/4 baltic birch just like my recto cab covered with some nice mesa tolex.

however my pedal board weights in at 64 lbs. wow thats heavy! one reason i want to downsize.

anyways thank for all the help guys and any more info that can help me make up my mind is greatly appreciated

 

[Rex]

Is that just a convenience thing (connect the Axe-FX to a stereo receiver, then into a pair of Epi 100V speakers)? I would think a high-quality powered FR wedge would be great for noodling at any volume, no?

It's very much a convenience thing. The wedges only fit in the basement, and the basement gets pretty chilly this time of year. You're right, though: the wedges are great at any volume.

 

[Rex]

i could just run that with the axe but...then would all my patches sound like a 2 12 recto cab and a 1 12 theole?

Yes. You'd lose the option of choosing cabs in the axe-FX. You'd still have all the amp, effects and control options.

i spent so much time and effort into building the rig i have now and am reluctant.

Part of me is screaming to tell you to go ahead and sell off your gear, buy the Axe-FX, and know that you'll love it. But the truth is, for every 100 people who bought the Axe-FX and were so pleased they sold off all their tube gear, there's one who tried the Axe and switched back to tube gear. If you are that one-in-a-hundred person, I convince you to sell off your beloved gear, and it turns out to be a mistake, neither of us would be happy.

Maybe someone in your area has an Axe-FX you can try out. If not, see if you can put away $20 a week. If you can, you'll have the price of an Ultra in a couple of years. And if the market continues as it has been, you'll be able to sell off your Ultra, should you choose to, for very nearly list price.

 

[redbud]

Part of me is screaming to tell you to go ahead and sell off your gear, buy the Axe-FX, and know that you'll love it

its not the beloved gear. i can replace a g system and a mark 4 if i don't like the axe.
its the pedal board.....although i can keep the board itself........it is just so beautiful with the g system and works so well. the g system may have a lot of limitations but for what it does it does really good. like amp channel switching, placing reverb and delay within a patch and it is sooooooo easy to program. in and out of parameters in a matter of seconds. but...............ITS 64 FREAKIN POUNDS JUST MY BOARD ALONE!

But the truth is, for every 100 people who bought the Axe-FX and were so pleased they sold off all their tube gear, there's one who tried the Axe and switched back to tube gear. If you are that one-in-a-hundred person, I convince you to sell off your beloved gear, and it turns out to be a mistake, neither of us would be happy.

i wont hold it against you plus i highly doubt that i would regret it. after all what really got me to thinking about the axe believe it or not is pod farm 2. at night i play with headphones and pod farm really does sound good for what it is.

my mark 4 is a great amp and is one of the most versatile amps i have ever played but it does'nt sound like a fender, it can get kind of close to vox with a little tweaking, i can get very close to a Marshall with el34s(better IMHO). what it is is all boogie and thats my favorite

However i like the versatility of pod farm and the axe should be alot better.

i will probably sell eventually just for convenience. im sure i can get a good boogie tone out of the axe. plus tc electronics suck at updates they are HORRIBLE and i would never buy another piece of gear from tc just because of that. no matter how hard you try they just dont get it.

does the axe have some controllable feedback?

and lastly i still dont have the answer to this one. how do i power the axe? i am leaning torwards either the powered reactors or the verve 12ma or 8ma becouse i am skeptical that studio monitors would give me enough power even though i don't play out i like to turn it up once in a while

 

[redbud]

The wedges only fit in the basement, and the basement gets pretty chilly this time of year

get yourself an edenpure heater. we love ours it heats the room evenly. would be great for a basement but u will have to raise it up off the concrete a bit to be more efficient

 

[Rex]

its not the beloved gear. i can replace a g system and a mark 4 if i don't like the axe...i wont hold it against you plus i highly doubt that i would regret it. after all what really got me to thinking about the axe believe it or not is pod farm 2.

In that case, let me get on my soapbox. If you like the Pod, you'll positively flip over the Axe-FX. It equals, and in most cases exceeds, anything the TC Electronic can do, with a flexibility that's off the map. It can do a convincing Mark IV, along with a slew of other amps.

its the pedal board.....although i can keep the board itself........it is just so beautiful with the g system and works so well...ITS 64 FREAKIN POUNDS JUST MY BOARD ALONE!

That is a beautiful board setup. I can see why you like it. But, man, 64 lbs.? When I go with my Ultra and a single powered wedge, my whole rig weighs less than that. A MIDI pedalboard and a couple of expression pedals would cut down that 64 lbs. considerably.

does the axe have some controllable feedback?

Yes, as much as a real amp. Extra-sustain feedback, squealing feedback, whatever you want. What you get depends on room volume and proximity to the speaker, just like a real amp.

and lastly i still dont have the answer to this one. how do i power the axe?

If you need gig volume, studio monitors won't cut it (they will be fine, however, for anything quieter). I'm not the best person to ask for comparisons, because I've only ever used a pair of Electro-Voice SxA-100 powered wedges, which I love. Either of the options you've listed will work fine. I've heard that a single powered Atomic may give insufficient volume, but two will be enough. I have no direct experience with that, though.

Another option you might consider is a pair of Atomic passive speakers, or another brand of passive full-range speaker. You might be quite happy with how they sound with your MosValve.

 

[redbud]

yeah 64 lbs is no exaggeration. i just weighted it yesterday just to see.

i have to tell you from what u say rex i may just sell it all.

i dig the g system but phaser after gain.......come of tc u can do better than that. and there customer support is piss poor

 

[Lightningboy]

+1 on powering with the Mosvalve. Their are a few guys on the board who power their rigs with them and IIRC all sing their praises. Shame they don't build 'em like that anymore...sigh. As far as speakers go, have a think about using your existing cabs and just replace the speakers with 12" Co-Axials with a crossover. Eminence do a crossover with an adjustable "volume" for the highs. Also the Beyma 12GA50 is a great speaker. A few guys, myself included use them. Also gives you the flexibility of swapping the speakers back out if you need a change or don't get on with FRFR. Plenty of other FRFR options though such as the passive Atomics.
I also had the G system before getting the Axe. It's nice to have a useable flanger and a good chorus again as well as ditching the hum eliminator and balanced cables malarky! I share your pain!

 

[redbud]

well i did it!

most of my gear is on ebay right now.

im going axe fx!

all i am keeping is my mos-valve and a theole cab and my homebrew pedals and expression pedals.

thanks alot guys for the help i will let you know how it goes with my new rig.

 

[Rex]

Drop us a line after you get your Axe-FX and tell us how big your grin is.

 

[redbud]

Another option you might consider is a pair of Atomic passive speakers, or another brand of passive full-range speaker. You might be quite happy with how they sound with your MosValve.

If i power 2 atomic passive speakers with my mosvalve will it still be frfr?