Need basic info on doing mods to AXE amps

Heavyplayer

Heavyplayer

Experienced
So I been thinking about doing this just for fun and see how far I can go with it, but I need some info. I know there are all sorts of mods that can be done, I'm just curious what components need to be tweaked, etc. As far as I know, transformer/s, power tube bias, tweak the bright cap, I'm sure there is a lot more but I'm not looking at the AXE so....that's all I can remember. :shock

If possible give an example of higher values=, lower values= .....this way I know which way for the results I'm looking for. This is just fun and to experiment.
Sure I could just randomly start turning this or that, (even though I've done this) not sure of the results, I prefer to know some of the basics.
 
s0c9 has you off to a great start. Just scratching the surface, but I can tell you a few amp "tweaks" that I play with.

The "B+constant" is one of my go-to tweaks in the Axe-FX II, especially for hard rock/metal stuff. I'll normally bump that up to about "45" or so. It adds a definition and clarity that is great for doing "galloping", etc. riffs (think Megadeth) but would be great for all kinds of music, etc.

If you want to add that low end "feel" that is not just turning up the bass knob, then mess with "depth". This control is hard to even put into words but for me, it gives an amp that low end wallop you hear live. When I was previously playing into my Marshall 4x12s and felt I was lacking low end, I could turn that and instantly get a low grind.

"Bright Cap" is a great way to adjust how crisp and trebly your amp sounds. If you want "bright" on, but think it is too overwhelming, this is a great adjustment.

I don't understand a lot about "Triode Plate Frequency" but if I remember correctly, I turned down the triode frequencies on Triode1 and Triode2 to capture an early Van Halen tone. Maybe someone can explain why that is.

"Amp Voicing". The "Modern" setting is great for almost any heavier tone in my opinion. Just instantly gets that hard rock/metal tone.

I never wrote down my settings, etc. but back when I was trying to capture a great early Van Halen tone, I think I brought the power amp tube values up and dropped the preamp tubes a bit.

Whenever I'm messing around with amps (granted I don't know a lot about the insides of a tube amp), I try to think about the time period and player. For example, I know that Randy Rhoads, Tony Iommi, Pete Townsend, etc. had to depend on a pushed amp to get their tone and a lot of volume. I keep that thought in my head while I'm tweaking and will even go online and try to read about exactly what setup they had, etc. I think it is important to read about what these players were using in the studio, especially now that Cliff has these amps so close to emulating the originals.

Again, this is just my opinion and scratching the surface. I never would have figured these things out had I used Axe-Edit all the time. By forcing myself to mess with the front panel, I really started learning more about tube interaction, etc.
 
Yeah wiki is something I read very often, and I appreciate all who contributed, but it needs more detailed info, in some areas.

romanianreaper, thanks. A lot of what you described I've tried, except "B+constant" which I'll mess with. And "Triode Plate Frequency" back in fw9 I randomly started turning these and if I remember correctly it just more less weakened the overall gain stage. I'm sure this does way more then that.

I guess for the most part I'm trying to mod a few amps as Jerry does to the 5150 and other amps. NOT that these amps aren't sounding good.....V10 OWNS!
Just something to play around with when I'm in the mood to tweak.

Any way, Cliff did such an amazing job with V10. Now if he would share more of his tweaking knowledge!
 
romanianreaper said:
s0c9 has you off to a great start. Just scratching the surface, but I can tell you a few amp "tweaks" that I play with.

The "B+constant" is one of my go-to tweaks in the Axe-FX II, especially for hard rock/metal stuff. I'll normally bump that up to about "45" or so. It adds a definition and clarity that is great for doing "galloping", etc. riffs (think Megadeth) but would be great for all kinds of music, etc.

If you want to add that low end "feel" that is not just turning up the bass knob, then mess with "depth". This control is hard to even put into words but for me, it gives an amp that low end wallop you hear live. When I was previously playing into my Marshall 4x12s and felt I was lacking low end, I could turn that and instantly get a low grind.

"Bright Cap" is a great way to adjust how crisp and trebly your amp sounds. If you want "bright" on, but think it is too overwhelming, this is a great adjustment.

I don't understand a lot about "Triode Plate Frequency" but if I remember correctly, I turned down the triode frequencies on Triode1 and Triode2 to capture an early Van Halen tone. Maybe someone can explain why that is.

"Amp Voicing". The "Modern" setting is great for almost any heavier tone in my opinion. Just instantly gets that hard rock/metal tone.

I never wrote down my settings, etc. but back when I was trying to capture a great early Van Halen tone, I think I brought the power amp tube values up and dropped the preamp tubes a bit.

Whenever I'm messing around with amps (granted I don't know a lot about the insides of a tube amp), I try to think about the time period and player. For example, I know that Randy Rhoads, Tony Iommi, Pete Townsend, etc. had to depend on a pushed amp to get their tone and a lot of volume. I keep that thought in my head while I'm tweaking and will even go online and try to read about exactly what setup they had, etc. I think it is important to read about what these players were using in the studio, especially now that Cliff has these amps so close to emulating the originals.

Again, this is just my opinion and scratching the surface. I never would have figured these things out had I used Axe-Edit all the time. By forcing myself to mess with the front panel, I really started learning more about tube interaction, etc.
Click to expand...
Great explanations. And still, there are so much other features for those who want to experiment. I like to engage the saturation or boost switch for more gain instead of using a drive boost in front of the amp. More natural results, just like in the real world. The new presence dynamic and depth control can be very usefull too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom