Load Box Suggestions

Shredder3386

Shredder3386

Inspired
Hey guys,

Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy out there. I just recently bought an original Peavey 5150 block letter (my dream amp) and was hoping to connect it to my Axefx III. Essentially I’m hoping to use the real amp in place of the Amp block and run it in to the Axe for the cab sim and effects. Ideally I would have loved to use the Fractal LB2 but they are all soldout currently and I’m not sure how long the wait time will be. Any good load box alternatives anyone can recommend that would do an equal (or I dare say even better) job?
 
marshall2553 said:
I’ve been waiting for the LB-2 for a while and recently decided to just go with the Suhr Reactive Load. It sounds fantastic. It’s $100 more than the LB-2 though and doesn’t have the switchable impedance curves.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply man! I’ve been looking at the Shur the most currently. The impedance curve thing would be cool, but I guess I’m happy as long as it still makes the amp sound incredible. You’ve had no issues thus far with it?
 
Shredder3386 said:
Thanks for the reply man! I’ve been looking at the Shur the most currently. The impedance curve thing would be cool, but I guess I’m happy as long as it still makes the amp sound incredible. You’ve had no issues thus far with it?
Click to expand...
No issues and the tone/feel is great. I've been running it into the Axe Fx for IRs and effects and then into a QSC K10. Honestly though, if I want to play FRFR I usually just use the amp block in the Axe, it's so close that it isn't worth the trouble of firing up an amp. I do like having a load box around to occasionally A/B against the Axe to remind me how good the amp models are though.
 
Awesome, ya the models are world class for sure. For me it’s less about FRFR and more just for recording. I want to run a bunch of pedals by different manufacturers (plus I’ve always wanted a 5150) so I just need a way to bring the amp to line level and use the cab sims,EQ, and time based effects. Thanks for the info man!
 
Used a bunch of load boxes thus far. Boss TAE works well,but the scheme of it differs to others.
Please note that load boxes are essentially nothing but copper coils transform electric energy into
heat dissipation, that means almost same functions no matter how expensive they are,but coloring tone.
Maybe Bugera PS1 power soak will do same,less than hundred bucks, as much as those expensive brands.
 
honeypat said:
Used a bunch of load boxes thus far. Boss TAE works well,but the scheme of it differs to others.
Please note that load boxes are essentially nothing but copper coils transform electric energy into
heat dissipation, that means almost same functions no matter how expensive they are,but coloring tone.
Maybe Bugera PS1 power soak will do same,less than hundred bucks, as much as those expensive brands.
Click to expand...
They may perform the same basic function, but after trying a few I can say they sound very different. The impedance curve used and whether it's a resistive vs reactive load will make a huge difference. The Suhr is a reactive load (as are LB2, Boss TAE and Fryette PS2) and it uses an impedance curve modeled after a Greenback loaded 4x12. And unless you plan on taking advantage of the built in power amp (and IR/effects in the Boss), there's probably no need to spend the extra dough on the TAE or PS2.
 
thud_peterson said:
The LB-2 is really excellent if you can find one used while it's sold out.
Click to expand...
Ya I’ve been looking online like crazy haha. The sad part is I was gonna buy one over Xmas when it was on sale but I was like “nah I can wait, I’m sure they won’t go out of stock” :( haha
 
Another vote for the Suhr Reactive Load. I bought one last week after getting impatient waiting for a LB-2. Bought a B-stock for $300. Nothing but great things to say about it, it sounds a feels great. I previously had a Rivera Rockcrusher but never liked how it affected the tone and feel, easiest way to describe it was "messy".
 
Shredder3386 said:
Ya I’ve been looking online like crazy haha. The sad part is I was gonna buy one over Xmas when it was on sale but I was like “nah I can wait, I’m sure they won’t go out of stock” :( haha
Click to expand...

Same. I was going to buy the Fractal LB-2 then as well but there were none left when I finally decided to pull the trigger. I'm going for a Suhr Reactive Load eventually. The Suhr RL and Fractal LB-2 are the two reactive load boxes in their price range with actually realistic impedance curves. I've watched a few youtube videos comparing different reactive load boxes and these two seem to consistently sound the clearest and most detailed of whatever bunch they're in.
 
Can you use the Suhr Reactive Load to make IRs with the AxeFx? The manual says when you connect a speaker the Reactive Load is defeated. Does the DI out still work?
 
GreatGreen said:
Same. I was going to buy the Fractal LB-2 then as well but there were none left when I finally decided to pull the trigger. I'm going for a Suhr Reactive Load eventually. The Suhr RL and Fractal LB-2 are the two reactive load boxes in their price range with actually realistic impedance curves. I've watched a few youtube videos comparing different reactive load boxes and these two seem to consistently sound the clearest and most detailed of whatever bunch they're in.
Click to expand...
Ya those two seem to be the two best bang for the buck. Thinking I’m gonna grab the Suhr right away too.
 
Denny99 said:
Suhr Reactive Load is great. It would be interesting to A/B test the real amp and the Amp Block 😉
Click to expand...
Haha that’s my plan. It has different 6L6 tubes in it (Rubys I believe) so it may sound different. Probably nothing that couldn’t be changed with some EQ adjustment though.
 
pharmd07 said:
Can you use the Suhr Reactive Load to make IRs with the AxeFx? The manual says when you connect a speaker the Reactive Load is defeated. Does the DI out still work?
Click to expand...

If you want to be able to also run a guitar cab with a reactive load, remember that the Fractal LB-2 and the Suhr Reactive Load both operate at 8 ohms, so:

1. make sure your real cab is 8 ohms as well.
2. setup your amp for 4 ohms, either by using the amp's 4 ohm dedicated output jacks or by selecting the "4 ohm" option for the output jacks if there is one.
3. on the tube amp, plug one speaker output into the reactive load's 8 ohm input, and the other speaker output into the 8 ohm cab.


Your tube amp will effectively "see" two 8 ohm guitar cabs, which means it needs to operate at 4 ohms to match.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom