I'm on the fence and the reason is amplification

M

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?
 
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you're 3rd assumption is incorrect, you will not have to tinker a lot to get a good sound. it sounds amazing. feels amazing. the deal with "frfr" speakers is you get the most accurate response and get to use all the cab models. if you run through an amps fx return or through a power amp and cab it will still sound amazing but you won't get the benefit of the it's. so all the models will sound like they are coming through the cab you are using....such as an AC30 through a 4x12, or a Champ through a 4x12, or a Twin through a 4x12....won't sound bad, just won't be authentic. you won't be getting the most out of the machine.
 
First question, what do you mean by "benefit of the it's?"

Second question, if I get an FRFR speaker, does the Axe Fx correctly simulate the feel of a 4x12 cab and the way it moves air and thumps in your chest?
 
sorry, "ir's". Safari autocorrect got me.

no, a powered speaker will not feel the same as a 4x12 punching you in the chest. you'll have to understand they are two different things. the Axe is giving you the entire rig mic'd...amp to cab to mic's. what you hear is what your audience is hearing. it will not ever sound the same to you or feel the same to you as standing beside a 4x12. just won't happen. it will sound fantastic, and what you are hearing is what your audience is....as opposed to your "tone" sounding great hitting the back of your knees and sounding like crap everywhere else.

some guys love and embrace the paradigm shift....some never can.
 
Thank you so much for your answers, jlynnb1. Can you give me a link to a forum post that clearly explains what IRs are? I don't really know what they are.
 
I would also add that I would never expect a tone dialed in with headphones to translate very well to PA no matter what unit your using. Get some decent studio monitors to dial in tones and you'll end up with a much better result.
 
sorry, an "IR" is an Impulse Response....a captured speaker cab, or cabinet model, if you will. It's all the various "speaker cabs" in the Axe and the 3rd party libraries that you can purchase from various sources (Ownhammer, The Amp factory, etc)
 
you don't have to buy anything....they are just options if you want to try them. there are plenty of fantastic ir's built in, and many more free samples to add to it.
 
you're welcome, glad i could be helpful!

(fyi, I don't know what style of music you play but I gig my Axe rig 3-4 times a week in Nashville and it's stellar. Always sounds better than anything else in the room. Soundmen love it, other musicians/artists....it's fantastic. if you can accept it for what it does and what its meant for you'll never want anything again. it seems the people that have the most trouble are those that want to set it beside a cranked tube amp going through a 412 in the same room and expect it to be the same...it's not, never will be)
 
Just want to add that you will be so much happier with the Axe as it is extremely versatile as a modeler. You are getting so many more options for tones from clean to dirty. It also has an extremely high end digital effects processor capable of so much.

I run mine through a Yamaha PA speaker 1/2 the time and through a Tech 21 ($300 or so) powered FRFR amp the other 1/2, and I'm very impressed with the tones I get. You could also go the CLR route that many absolutely love. Once you have those two components, that is all you really need. If you are gigging regularly you will then want an MFC-101 as it makes the package complete.
 
If you're coming from a regular amp/cab rig, especially if that's what you use at gigs (mic'd up), then I would HIGHLY suggest you start with a nice MOSFET driven Class AB solid state power amp (Matrix GTFX series, or maybe a Carvin 1540), and a traditional guitar cabinet. Even the best FRFR solutions (XiTone, Matrix, Atomic CLR, etc.) do NOT sound like an "amp in the room". At least not yet. If you're not already familiar with IRs, FRFR, etc., you may be setting yourself up for major disappointment. Using a good solid state power amp will allow you to use the Power Amp sims in the Axe, and using a real guitar cab will give you that "amp in the room" sound. Ease into it that way, then start trying out the whole FRFR thing when you're more comfortable with the Axe.

Just my $0.02.
 
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