Just purchased AX8, will I ever play my tube amp again???

ThrillGrill

ThrillGrill

Member
So after about a month of grueling anticipation, I just received my email link to purchase my AX8. As excited as I am, I instantly felt a pit in my stomach as I hit the "purchase" button, that I'm never going to play my EVH 5153 50w again. Anyone else go through this amazingly anxious feeling?
 
My EVH 50 watt has a layer of dust on it - NOW. lol.

Add a Friedman FRFR speaker cab , and you'll have almost every amp/cab out there , along with all the effects and drives you could ever ask for.

Congrats on the AX8
 
I can completely relate to this post. When I first got my AX8 the plan was to use it on gigs where I knew volume would be an issue or if it was a travel date to cut down on gear to make travel easier. After about 2 weeks I was wondering if I'd ever unpack my amps from their cases ever again.

They are still in their cases.
 
thanks @1poorplayer I'm not sure about the FRFR...I have a pair of QSC K12's that I'm going to give a try first. Thoughts? Also have you used the 4CM with your 5153 ever?

@Phil Scholling that's why I started this crazy month long journey in the first place. I have gigs where my 5153 goes to 1.5 due to small stage/venue volume control. Also, for these gigs we may be on a bill with 4 other bands and get 40 mins each, with 10 minutes to setup/breakdown. Have you ever used your amps with 4CM?
 
I haven’t touched my blues jr since getting the AX8.

The scary part is I haven’t even thought of touching it either.
 
I had 3 EVH 100 watt halfstacks and the 50 watt head and the matching 2x12 cab. Sold them all a year after switching to Fractal. The 5153 amps in the Fractal gear are awesome.
 
ThrillGrill said:
thanks @1poorplayer I'm not sure about the FRFR...I have a pair of QSC K12's that I'm going to give a try first. Thoughts? Also have you used the 4CM with your 5153 ever?

@Phil Scholling that's why I started this crazy month long journey in the first place. I have gigs where my 5153 goes to 1.5 due to small stage/venue volume control. Also, for these gigs we may be on a bill with 4 other bands and get 40 mins each, with 10 minutes to setup/breakdown. Have you ever used your amps with 4CM?
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I haven't tried that due to the reasons I got the AX8 in the first place. That's mostly because I know I would convince myself that it was .0001% better and use that as a reason to end up with even more gear out at a gig.

Speaking of ease of setup, I did a travel date a couple of weeks ago so just had my guitar and the pedalboard case for the AX8.

Walked on stage, popped the top of the case off, plug in power, plug in xlr to FOH and ready to play in under 2 minutes. After the set, unplug, case top, off stage even faster. Hard not to love that. Not missing my old amp/pedal board setup at all.
 
....no. The amps are too good in the AX8 to want to use an actual amp and the 4CM.
I've used the QSC K 12s. That'd be your best bet to start with.
If you move on to some FRFRs in the future , you'll get to experience an even better "amp / cab" sound. IMO.
 
I sold my much loved ENGL Ironball last month.
I plugged in my Marshall JVM last weekend to do a tone comparison.

So let's see... every amp I'll ever need, plus the best Leslie & Univibe recreations all in one box???

Nah, I'll stick with my Fractal AX8.
 
I have kept a couple tube amps - a 6 watt thing and a couple 20w ones. Still use em for simple things, blues jams, basement noodling. Options are always nice.
 
QSC K12s or Friedman ASC or XiTone or Atomic or... it doesn't matter. You are going to plug into the AX8 and find loads of tone with tons of options. Yes, your EVH 5153 will probably get neglected.

Sold all my amps and pedals. The only thing I kept was a BOSS JS-10. No regrets.

Enjoy!!!
 
Sold my Carr Skylark 2 months after getting the AX8, got a Yamaha DXR10 and not regretted it once.

My modelling journey started out by getting a Helix as a grab and go alternative to my massive Gigrig G2 pedalboard.

Didn't get on with it at first, but stuck with it and got enough sounds that it would work in that context.

Thought, well if I'm getting into modelling - why not try the AX8, can always return it.

Within 2 months, sold the Helix, the Skylark and about £3000 worth of pedals.

Couldn't be happier (apart from waiting for the III to arrive in Europe!)



I never meant this to happen, and was a complete cynic - but the amps just sound so good and alive, most importantly - at any volume!
 
So far, I kept my one tube amp, but I just decided to put it up for sale. Since getting the AX8, it has only been turned on once. (when a guy came by to try a guitar I was selling)
 
2112 said:
That's what the X-Load is for :p
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this is no joke. I had never heard my Friedman Runt at cranked truly warm tube levels before, and now that the sounds are so gratifying thru the X-Load, I decided to purchase my bucket list tube amp, a Guytron F/V 100,
getting it's finishing touches on the bench before its shipped to me. I may never gig it, but I know with the X-load I will be able to enjoy it's full range of awesomeness
in the same preset as my Fractal amps..or not...Amp GAS is NOT DEAD .
 
The 5153 50 watt is also collecting dust in my garage. It does sound great in 4cm with the fractal but it’s much easier to play without it. I need to get it back out one of these days for a sanity check.
 
I kept my favorite tube amp for a while, but never played it. Plugged it in one day to see if I was missing anything. Nope. Sold it two weeks ago.
 
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