lol on the dictionary-esque jabs/refs/fun :lol I truly wish I could express myself better.
Onward!!! First up today..
BASS!!!
Ah, yes. The oft neglected but oh-so-needed bassists. I have played bass in bands, from garages to stages to drunken circuit tours of the US. And still, I am horribly (technically, technique-wise) incompetent. I cringe and weep inside when I encounter bassists who are perfectly content to, "Just DI me." Doug (dUg) (most notably) of King's X turns those tears of sorrow to ones of joy. One bassist that caught my attention early on was Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick). His use of a 12-string bass (arguably, he created it, or at the very least was a primary contributor to its development) was an ear and mind opener. I love textural players, and though this was not someone painting vast soundscapes, his was one that spoke of power, harmony, and.. beauty. What is my point? The Axe FX II allows me to build a virtual, multi-amp soundstage. I can split, effect, etc and run each split to a different amp. For bass.. especially a 12-string bass.. this is HUGE. To be able to throw, say, a drive or fuzz on the upper frequency content, and then compress the low end a bit.. or even do some parallel compression fun.. is amazing and inspiring. Having a tonal palette to freely experiment with is so freeing. And, once again (here it comes), Axe-Edit!!! To sit here playing my fretless bass and use a well thought out and implemented GUI to arrange the colors on my palette is so.. incredible! Yes, I know other effect/gear manufacturers have provided similar tools for their gear, but this is hands-down my favorite. As nice as the Axe's screen is.. and it IS beautiful.. Axe-Edit is a whole new ballgame for me. Being in a wheelchair as a high-level paraplegic, movement once I have an instrument in hand is difficult at best. To hold it and peck-peck-scroll-spinwheel etc is just time consuming and an inspiration killer for me. To simply click about several times and have instant results allows inspiration to continue unheeded.
THIS makes me smile and WANT to create music.
Okay.. but how is the sound? So far, I love it! The variety is still a bit limited for bass-specific amps, cabs, and effects, but of what is there, I do not have much to complain about, and much to be quite happy.. perhaps even rave positively.. about. I think my favorite amp + cab would be (big shocker) the SVT + Bassguy 4x10 (RW). I do have some bass cab IRs to try (10's, 12's and 15's), and need to spend a lot more time digging into other amps, cabs, and effects, along with creating Pinnick-inspired 12-string mondo rigs :mrgreen . I am also considering a nice bass comp/limiter pedal to front-end the Axe. Why? Two reasons primarily. First, I am far from being that dependable studio player that has their technique down to a near infallible science. As such, and due to the digital nature of the beast, I would prefer to preempt any nastiness brought about by my plucking/slapping just that wee bit too enthusiastically, thereby producing that all-too-ugly -OVERLOAD- on an otherwise *perfect* take. I would not be concerned with the compressor aspect, per se. And, number Two (tee-heee!), I am lazy. "Huh?" you respond?
Yes, if I can find an easier way to do something, I will.. so long as quality is not adversely affected. In this case, my laziness is not wanting to change the Input trim for each instrument. I almost wish the Axe had a second input up front, like one would find on many (guitar) amps. The second input could be set differently, say for active bass. With the Input trim now set for a few of my passive, humbucker equipped guitars, my passive pick-up'd basses have done fine, but the actives tickled the red a bit too much. I will likely be trying my MXR 10-band EQ pedal in front of the Axe soon, maybe tomorrow. I am simply curious of what, if anything, it would alter with my tone, if left neutral, and then with the trim varied for different instruments such as an active bass. Experimentation!!!
Now, the negatives. Well, I do not actually consider them negatives, per se. The Synth block was a bit wonky with notes below about 55Hz (A, standard tuning). Response with my fretless 5 was actually quite nice!!! I could do slides galore, and even do plucked harmonic slides and the synth kept up! Granted I have not spent nearly enough time with it to condemn or praise it, but my first impression is a decent one. I do not think it will replace a decent bass synth pedal (ala Boss Syb-5, etc), but I could be wrong. The only other immediate frown for me was in the compressor department. Once again, please do not lynch me (yet); I may likely be missing some hidden nugget of gold. I love variety in compressor character; from a classic DBX 160(A) to a Boss LMB to an Aguilar to ???, this is one piece in a bassist's arsenal that can be a lot of fun (IMO, of course; I realize some/many bassists dislike/despise compression :mrgreen ), and coloration, as well as "action," are vital.
I love a solid foundation for any rig. I will always end up back at my roots, and my roots include clean amplification, including the speaker (cab). At least slightly overrated so I do not get unexpected nastiness. With a clean amplification system, now I can begin painting with sound.. some nice pedals, maybe some OD or a sweet fuzz.. a nice crossover/splitter, and maybe a second "dirty rig." While the Axe does not have a couple dozen boo-tique/unique pedals inside, what it does have makes up for every single other aspect of what I could ever want as a bassist. I can do crazy "black hole flange" if I want. I can do some oddball simple synthy stuff. And I can do my mondo Pinnick 12-string bass (mine is a Dean, btw) rig if I want. And half of those pedals? Probably do not need them anymore.
If you want to be rock solid at every gig, in every studio, and have YOUR sound, an Axe FX II is not overkill IMO. Very far from it. If all you want is that "plug straight into an SVT + 4x10 + 1x15" gig, then yes, the Axe is massive overkill for you. If you think a DI is acceptable for any situation, and you do not understand why that is horrible to settle for, then go elsewhere as well. I would bring a nice DI for backup, but otherwise, I would go Axe every time. As for the bassist in me, the Axe FX II is a 9.3 out of 10. That last little bit would be history if I had a "synth pedal replacement" and more compressor tonal variety, and, as the score reflects, that is being damn picky on my part. Oh, and the fact that I have not dUg into the Axe deeply enough to truly proclaim, "10 out of 10!" without fear of error. YMWV, of course