hrm i think there is a couple of things to note here
the first point of call is the guitar, and the genre your trying to get out of it
I use it with a Strat loaded with EMG's (usually on neck pickup for rhythm, and bridge for lead along with a built in mid boost)
What you trying to do that poor fender, EMGs? and i think i read somewhere your trying to get high gain tones, however each to their own
Secondly, when listening to other peoples guitar tracks and perceived setup (i.e amp cab and gain) things might not be as they seem
Sometimes if you isolate a guitar, its not quite as you'd expect, i.e there is a certain something that happens in a mix
Additionally cabs in my opinion absolutely destroy a guitar signal, they scoop it poop it, excite frequencies and destroy others, this is what your hearing id say
Sometimes the guitar tone you have in your head just cant be obtained, real amps real cabs are unforgiving beasts, you have to learn how to tame your tone, not the other way around
Finally, if its not your guitar (which i seriously think it is), genre or playing, and you understand all the above, you need to find someone else with an axeFx, to compare, it just maybe faulty (doubt it), or some deep setting like guitar input volume, or a mirad of other things that is causing you grief
ride: I actually used it to record a track on a song before it quickly returned to normal - not sure if I re-installed the FW or just cycled the power, or performed a 'reset all parameters', but it's all back to normal now and better than ever.
