I *think* the tonematch feature has helped me get that last percent...

Orvillain

Power User
I've been struggling to get as good a tone from the Axe as I do from my Diezel D-Moll. Made no secret of this, to the point where I considered selling the Axe. Two things I've realised:

1. The Marshall 8008 valvestate unit is not bridged when used in mono mode. So you've got 80-watts to play with. At the volumes we play at, I'm not surprised if I'm saturating the hell out of the unit, adding lots of buzz and nastiness.
2. The tone match block has brought the Das Metall model closer to the tone of the D-Moll with it's mid-cut feature enabled.I used the passive 4 band EQ on the amp, scooped the mids a bit, and then tone-matched Das Metall to the FX send of the D-Moll. I then sent the Axe to the FX return of the D-Moll and A/B'd between the two preamps by using a stereo reverb pedal (off) routed to the amp and the Axe FX, and then turned the loop on and off.. this meant I could switch between the two preamps. Some minor adjustments to the output compression knob, and it's much much closer.

... at bedroom volumes anyway. I don't know what it is going to sound like at gig or rehearsal volumes. Jury is out on that. But feeling quite positive right now.
 
Update after band practice tonight:

Tonight was really good. I loaded up my tonematched preset, and I had to do barely anything to it; just increase the bass slightly. The Axe definitely CAN sound like a full fire breathing monster high-gain tube amp; I did it tonight. Sounded really really good. Back to back, no-one in the band could really tell the difference and neither of them was a clear winner. This was all using my Egnater cab and into the FX return of my Diezel D-Moll with the poweramps disabled.

The downside? A tube preamp is a definite requirement. I had it going through the Marshall 8008, and oh my god it sounded shit. So fucking terrible. I don't know why, but I have a few ideas: when we tested it with Clarky's setup he had two cabs with different speakers. That's the first thing. The second thing is, when we did those tests we were nowhere near as loud as I am with the full band - remember our drummer is a beast, and we've got two guitarists.

So... Axe FX into Diezel D-Moll FX return. My TC reverb in stereo mode, one cable going to a ground lift and then to my amp, the other cable going to the Axe FX. Axe FX noise-gate setup to control for the ground loop. Use the amps footswitch to turn on and off the loop, thus being able to A/B the Diezel preamp and the Axe FX preamp continuously.

It kept up with the other guitarists Laney VH100R very easily, sounded so so so similar to the Diezel's preamp that there was very little in it. I think after tonight, I really would be quite happy to use the Axe instead of a tube amp. There *were* some tonal differences, that is to be expected because the Axe does not model the D-Moll, it models the Diezel VH4. I was using the Das Metall model, which is one of my favourites. The tone match got it closer, but the Axe had a little more bite in the high mid's than the Diezel amp did. But it wasn't enough to make either of them a clear winner.

But now I'm faced with a few notions:

I will need a tube poweramp to make this work.
I am still very wary of drowning in options.
I still know that I'm using only 1-2% of the Axe's features.
I am wondering whether the Blackstar TVP amps would be just as good. Because they're loads cheaper.
I am wondering whether A Pod HD into a tube poweramp would be just as good. Because they're loads cheaper.
I am wondering whether a Kemper into a tube poweramp would be just as good. Because they're... well slightly cheaper!
I am still unsure about the switching of the unit in a live context and how I would set it up for my needs; for the things I want to do, the FCB doesn't have enough switches. The FCB can do everything I can currently do with my Diezel rig (effects and tap tempo)
Still think the wahs sound a bit crap.
Still think that my TC (and Boss and Line 6) delays sound just as good.
Still think that my TC reverbs sound just as good.
Still think tweaking a real amp and real pedals is infinitely quicker and more hands on and feels more like an instrument.

Interesting night though... the tones are definitely there, if you have the right gear. But the right gear seems to be just as heavy and cumbersome as a real amp... given that I don't really care about covering a massive range of sounds in terms of amps, and that my need amounts to essentially replicating a half-stack with effects in front and after the amp preamp... it seems like I wont benefit as much as other people do. But it sounded really good.

*chin stroke*
 
I think you are over thinking it. I use my axe2 and a k12 (deemed the devil by some) and get great results. I get sounds I like out of it. Is it exactly 100% like my old triaxis rig? who's to say, i like the tones I'm getting though. If it's a money thing, sell it and get something cheaper. Not worth loosing sleep over by any means.
 
I think if you use all that equipment to get the Axe to sound like you want it, then you might be better off sticking with the tube amp (especially since it doesn't seem like you need more than one amp.) Otherwise, I hear good things about the Maxtrix power amp, so don't get caught up in 'I need tubes'.

Or take a look at the k12 (like above), or the CLR. I know the CLR is LOUD AS HELL...I see no problems competing with another 4x12 (sound dispersion is much better on the CLR too). That way, you have the Axe II, one (or 2) small cabs, and the option to go directly to the board...no miking!
 
A Marshall 8008 is ridiculous. 80 watts solid state is absolutely nothing. Don't compare this to a 100 watt valve amp.
 
A Marshall 8008 is ridiculous. 80 watts solid state is absolutely nothing. Don't compare this to a 100 watt valve amp.

WELL I DID SO WOT U GONNA DO SHOOT ME GO ON THEN!

But yeah, you're right. They're not equivalent. I *know* that. I was merely trying to save on weight.
 
Lots of players, incl pro players, are using the Axe-Fx without tube power amps.
It can be done. It's probably the Valvestate that causes issues.

When using a real cab and non-tube amp, adjusting the Low Freq Range becomes very important.
The easy way to do this is described in the wiki.
 
Lots of players, incl pro players, are using the Axe-Fx without tube power amps.
It can be done. It's probably the Valvestate that causes issues.

When using a real cab and non-tube amp, adjusting the Low Freq Range becomes very important.
The easy way to do this is described in the wiki.

You're forgetting... I've tried it. I don't think it sounds as good as a tube poweramp. I'm not talking about the Valvestate, talking about the experiments I did with Clarky and his Matrix. It sounded good, but it didn't sound as good as what I had last night. It's probably worth trying again, but I'm not convinced.
 
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