mediocrechris
Member
I'm certain this is a familiar story to you all, so I'll make it as brief as I can. I recently purchased a very nice ESP Horizon and purchasing the guitar has made me want to purchase a nice amp to go with it. I'm willing to spend up to about $2500 on the amp and I was considering getting a Mesa Mark V or maybe a Dual Rectifier. Of course, for about $2500 I could buy an Axe Fx. I've been reading these forums and I've been listening to samples on YouTube and I've come to the following conclusions.
1. The Axe Fx is the best modeler in the world right now.
2. The Axe Fx will sound amazing if I use it for recording, (which I won't because I'm not a recording musician.)
3. The Axe Fx will require a lot of tinkering to get the sound I want from it.
The one thing that is really stopping me from ordering it is I still don't fully understand how it sounds if you play it through speakers. The way I understand it, the Axe Fx works as a preamp so I will need to purchase a power amp to actually amplify the thing. I can't really plug it into the guitar input of a regular guitar amp because the guitar amp will color the sound. I can't really plug it into a 4x12 cabinet because the 4x12 could color the sound. I have to plug it into speakers with a flat response such as studio/stage monitors or those new Atomic speakers.
I guess what I'm really curious about is how the thing sounds when you do amplify it. I mean, if I want to sound like a Fender Twin and I dial in a Fender Twin sound through headphones/computer and then I plug into a PA and it no longer sounds like a Fender Twin, I'm going to be upset. That was my chief complaint with the POD HD500X. You dialed in one sound and the moment you plugged into the PA, it sounded like something totally different. Does the Axe FX have that problem?
Is there a 4x12 cab that I can plug the thing into and still get a good sound? Am I misinformed about how 4x12 cabs can color the sound?
Edit: And what about tube warmth? Does a tube power amp and a solid state power amp sound the same?
1. The Axe Fx is the best modeler in the world right now.
2. The Axe Fx will sound amazing if I use it for recording, (which I won't because I'm not a recording musician.)
3. The Axe Fx will require a lot of tinkering to get the sound I want from it.
The one thing that is really stopping me from ordering it is I still don't fully understand how it sounds if you play it through speakers. The way I understand it, the Axe Fx works as a preamp so I will need to purchase a power amp to actually amplify the thing. I can't really plug it into the guitar input of a regular guitar amp because the guitar amp will color the sound. I can't really plug it into a 4x12 cabinet because the 4x12 could color the sound. I have to plug it into speakers with a flat response such as studio/stage monitors or those new Atomic speakers.
I guess what I'm really curious about is how the thing sounds when you do amplify it. I mean, if I want to sound like a Fender Twin and I dial in a Fender Twin sound through headphones/computer and then I plug into a PA and it no longer sounds like a Fender Twin, I'm going to be upset. That was my chief complaint with the POD HD500X. You dialed in one sound and the moment you plugged into the PA, it sounded like something totally different. Does the Axe FX have that problem?
Is there a 4x12 cab that I can plug the thing into and still get a good sound? Am I misinformed about how 4x12 cabs can color the sound?
Edit: And what about tube warmth? Does a tube power amp and a solid state power amp sound the same?
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