Speculum Speculorum
Power User
Well folks. Today I said goodbye to my Axe-fx 2. I have had the thing size roughly fw 2, have seen the system grow and change, and have learned a great deal along the way. I think the Axe-fx has taught me more about tube amps than I ever could have jammed playing through tube amps alone, and it's routing and many configurations have made me a bit of a techno guru now in my area of Idaho.
To make a long story short: I have, for some time now, struggled with satisfaction of my user experience with the axe fx. It was extremely convenient, sounded good in mixes, and also operated as a fantastically simple and compact live setup.
But at the same time, I always felt like the axe fx had a certain sound that I just couldn't escape. Now I know there are plenty of people who are ecstatic about the tone, feel, etc. But I just never got there.
I recently was fortunate enough to find a 5150 iii 50 watt factory prototype that emulates it's bigger brother, the 5150 Stealth. It's my understanding that there are a handful of these floating around. The amp was in perfect condition and the guy was selling it for a price I couldn't pass on.
I got it the other day, and I plugged it in and played through my mesa cab. It sounded immediately fantastic. I put it in standby, hooked up my Fryette power station to work as a load (I'd been using it to power my axe live), and routed it into my interface. I picked an ir, did some basic eq, and double tracked a short riff.
What came out made me immediately smile. It was what I felt like I've been missing. Saturation, no fizziness, punch and clarity even with way too much gain. It was all there. I compared it to a 5150 preset I had made up using the same routing as the amp, going back and forth between the two. But there was just no comparing. The amp had more meat, thickness, and the whole frequency spectrum just sat "right", whereas the axe sounded thin, did not sound thick, and the amp fizz stuck out considerably more. I also felt like I had to pick harder and over play to get The axe to respond the same way the amp did.
So I decided to sell and move on with my life. If I needed a bunch of different tones and amps, I guess the axe would have had more utility for me. But the fact of the matter is that I guess I'd rather have a few tones, sounds, and responsiveness that make me smile and laugh when I play than too many models to choose from constantly keeping me scratching my head wondering why I couldn't get the same sound I achieved today.
The good news is i have an fx8 on the way, so I'll be able to route my effects the way I want, control the amp through midi, and take full advantage of scenes. I'm really looking forward to running an integrated setup like this.
It's been an interesting journey, and who knows? Maybe one day I'll be back. Thanks to everybody that helped me and listened. This website can be a fantastic reference with really helpful people. Stay positive and follow your musical bliss. Cheers, guys and gals.
To make a long story short: I have, for some time now, struggled with satisfaction of my user experience with the axe fx. It was extremely convenient, sounded good in mixes, and also operated as a fantastically simple and compact live setup.
But at the same time, I always felt like the axe fx had a certain sound that I just couldn't escape. Now I know there are plenty of people who are ecstatic about the tone, feel, etc. But I just never got there.
I recently was fortunate enough to find a 5150 iii 50 watt factory prototype that emulates it's bigger brother, the 5150 Stealth. It's my understanding that there are a handful of these floating around. The amp was in perfect condition and the guy was selling it for a price I couldn't pass on.
I got it the other day, and I plugged it in and played through my mesa cab. It sounded immediately fantastic. I put it in standby, hooked up my Fryette power station to work as a load (I'd been using it to power my axe live), and routed it into my interface. I picked an ir, did some basic eq, and double tracked a short riff.
What came out made me immediately smile. It was what I felt like I've been missing. Saturation, no fizziness, punch and clarity even with way too much gain. It was all there. I compared it to a 5150 preset I had made up using the same routing as the amp, going back and forth between the two. But there was just no comparing. The amp had more meat, thickness, and the whole frequency spectrum just sat "right", whereas the axe sounded thin, did not sound thick, and the amp fizz stuck out considerably more. I also felt like I had to pick harder and over play to get The axe to respond the same way the amp did.
So I decided to sell and move on with my life. If I needed a bunch of different tones and amps, I guess the axe would have had more utility for me. But the fact of the matter is that I guess I'd rather have a few tones, sounds, and responsiveness that make me smile and laugh when I play than too many models to choose from constantly keeping me scratching my head wondering why I couldn't get the same sound I achieved today.
The good news is i have an fx8 on the way, so I'll be able to route my effects the way I want, control the amp through midi, and take full advantage of scenes. I'm really looking forward to running an integrated setup like this.
It's been an interesting journey, and who knows? Maybe one day I'll be back. Thanks to everybody that helped me and listened. This website can be a fantastic reference with really helpful people. Stay positive and follow your musical bliss. Cheers, guys and gals.