Is there any point in buying a traditional amp after owning a II.

No so I sold off my entire amp collection which numbered at nearly 30.
 
I guess we could start the same kind of topic with this title; 'Is there any use on buying rack gear effects or effect pedals after owning a II?'. Still have GAS for effect pedals after owning my Axe for almost two years now. It is a disease.
 
The next Axe III will have a six-position knob to the right:

1. Worn preamp tube with getter-noice.
2. Dried-out capacitor in power-supply
3. Three bad solderings and a overbent wire.
4. One power-tube with leaking vacuum
5. Output-tranny partially cramped
6. Carbon potentiometers with dirty wipers.
 
would be nice to have amp like knobs on the Axe fx though. I mean simple drive, bass, mid, treble en volume knobs. So you have more real time control over the Amp block. I really miss that. You can of course program that in the ABCD knobs but that doesn't work for me because you can not see at which position the knobs are. I never use the ABCD knobs.
 
pdup said:
The next Axe III will have a six-position knob to the right:

1. Worn preamp tube with getter-noice.
2. Dried-out capacitor in power-supply
3. Three bad solderings and a overbent wire.
4. One power-tube with leaking vacuum
5. Output-tranny partially cramped
6. Carbon potentiometers with dirty wipers.
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We can call it the Bugera knob :lol
 
I've played through AC30's that don't sound as good as the AC30 model in the Axe-Fx II. I guess the same would ring true for many other real amps too. I only own one valve amp now, a Marshall TSL, and it never gets used nowadays. I keep it as a backup. It has to be said, if you can't get a good sound out of a TSL and a couple of pedals, then there's something wrong. But I can't imagine going through an entire gig with just one amp sound anymore. I love the variety of different sounds for different songs. It's so inspiring. And knowing that those sounds are so accurate just makes it more fun.
 
I still have some amps I should probably sell, but they're vintage and just too cool.. hopefully still increasing in value anyway, so no rush to sell.

I have zero 'need' for tube amps now, and no major emotional attachment, but there's at least one practical application. If you're in a small-time live band whose music requires a limited variety of guitar tones, the Axe II \ MFC \ cab rig is simply overkill IMO. In cost and complexity.

I'm sort of between bands right now.. last gig was a corporate party cover band so I needed to cover lots of ground in terms of tones. Axe is a godsend for that. But I'm thinking the next project I land up in might be more originals.. blues, soul, rootsy 'Americana' kinda stuff where you really only need one great amp tone, a pedal or two and the volume knob on your guitar. Sometimes simple is better. A nice small combo is consistent, easy to lug around, and great for jams or weekend gigs in sketchy pubs where it would be unwise to leave 5 grand worth of gear onstage overnight.

I would never want anything beyond the Axe for recording, in ANY genre. For me, the Axe II is a keeper even if I only ever used it for noodling at home for fun. It's the most joyful guitar toy box ever created by far.
 
The more I play with the Carol Ann TripTik models in the Axe, the more I think that would be the one amp I would own if didn't have an Axe. It can cover every bit of ground I use.
 
Phostenix said:
The more I play with the Carol Ann TripTik models in the Axe, the more I think that would be the one amp I would own if didn't have an Axe. It can cover every bit of ground I use.
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Since I've started using the Axe Standard and Ultra in early 2007, now the Axe II, once in a while I buy whatever is the hottest amp of the week, I've bought so many and after a few months i end up selling it and have always toured with the Axe, I find that by the time you add a speaker, effects unit etc and mic it to the PA, the end result in sound specially in a band mix isn't really worth all that trouble, having said that, there is nothing wrong with a good tube amp and a nice 4 x 12 cab, very hard to beat..
My latest amp was the Carol Ann Triptik, which I just sold recently to a friend, very nice amp, but I wasn't using it much, and he really wanted it.. I guess some kind of a Friedman amp will be next.. :)
 
I don't think I'll ever use another tube amp for recording or gigging. But I'm keeping a lunchbox-type Vox head (Night Train 15 watt) for when I want to see and smell some glowing tubes. The smell of a tube amp takes me back to some very early memories of laying on the carpet at my grandmother's house, listening to Beatle records on her old tube turntable. I find it very comforting. It's amazing how emotionally powerful certain odors can be.
 
I've been waiting for 45 years to not need a tube amp. I mean, I love 'em, but they're expensive, heavy, limited, erratic and require ongoing maintenance of consumables such as tubes and capacitors. Up until now, nothing really took their place. But, since the Axe Fx, there's really no need for them any more.

I still keep a little Fender Super Champ XD laying around for testing purposes as I build and repair guitars, but past that? I don't see me ever owning another tube amp.
 
I haven't ever owned anything that would be considered a 'really nice amp'. Heck, I haven't even used a traditional guitar amp of any kind for almost two decades, BUT, even though I don't use them and probably never will, I do sincerely hope that amps such as those being discussed here don't ever disappear :)
 
Cover'd said:
... even though I don't use them and probably never will, I do sincerely hope that amps such as those being discussed here don't ever disappear :)
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Right. I doubt anybody wants that. But, just like classic cars and such, you want them around for their beauty and unique qualities, not to use on a regular basis.
 
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