New and very overwhelmed Axe 2 owner! Where in the world to start?

Birdie

Inspired
Only had a few minutes of "playing with" the unit, but this weekend is all mine..no kids, wife, dogs..just me and the Axe 2..

Is there a "For Dummies" guide for this thing? I stumbled upon a patch (don't know if it is previous owners or a stock patch) called "cheezy metal" and discovered in 5 minutes that EVERYTHING I went through to get one of these was worth it!!

I did successfully plug in the mfc and step on several buttons! hahahaaha:lol

Any patient help for my newb self would be greatly appreciated.

I am pretty newbish to all..Digital recording and everything. Even though I had an 11R, I was never able to even get PT10 to "work" other than to load presets and rigs on the unit.

Hopefully you guys will not get too sick of my soon to come dumb questions..:ugeek

Birdie :)
 
For the first 2-3 weeks, I suggest just turning the dial and playing. There are so many great sounds. Once you get an idea (if you can do that in 2-3 weeks) of which you top few sounds are, then you can go about altering them or looking for ways to change stuff.

If you have rev 9, i'd also say wait until axe edit comes out before loading new patches. It's so much easier to use that for the firmware upgrade. While not overwhelming with other tools, your frustration level would be commensurate with your experience with midi, computers and home recording setups. If you're a wiz, no problem, if you're all new, could be more headache than it's worth for a new patch.

Enjoy it. It's a ton of fun and after a year, I've barely scratched the surface.
 
My tip is dont try to use all functions just because they are there.
Learn and use what you need!

That is how i use mine and i dont find it very overwhelming at all!
Its easy to setup patches and program it once you get in to it.
 
I had the Ultra and it still took me a year to feel comfortable with the II.
 
+1 for going through all of the presets and listening to them. It makes for that new toy feel. Its fun and you can see what it can do. Dig in however you want. I think I was up til like 2-3 in the morning when I first got my ultra just going through the factory presets and being like HOLY COW!

Have FUN, you just spent a lot of dough!
 
What kind of guitar are you using? Single coil strat or humbucker Les Paul? Do you like clean, slightly dirty, dirty or high gain amps? Start with the amps and cabs first, the other things tend to be pretty intuitive. How are you using the unit? Into a SS amp and real cabs or into FRFR? Do you plan to use the FX loop? The wiki is a great place to start but let us know if you have any questions, we'd be glad to help. Welcome to the FAS Collective :)
 
Everything with the Axe-FX II comes down to what you want to get from the box and what gear you are using with the Axe-FX II in order to get there. The rest is understanding the grid and then it's just finding what you need to do in order to get where you want to go. The 'how' this happens is definitely something we can help you with; but it is best to lay down some goals and context first.
 
Start with making music, there will be plenty of time to explore the possibilities later on. Find a couple presets you like and just spend time focusing on the music.
 
Scroll through the presets and noodle a bit on each one. GUARANTEE youll find one that will grab you, then tweak it. Enjoy the endless hours of possibilities after that.
 
I recommend also hanging out on this chat board for a while, there are always topics of interest whether you are a newbie or an expert.
 
Scroll through the presets and noodle a bit on each one. GUARANTEE youll find one that will grab you, then tweak it. Enjoy the endless hours of possibilities after that.

Excatly! I never got the Ultra dialed in. I found #028 CAE 3+SE Lead, I was off and running after that. Popped in different amps and cabs ... no limits!

Hopefully you have the MFC-101, and can pop on and off the the effects.
 
As you can probably tell by now ...... there are several approaches to learning how to use it. :)

You'll just want to play a few (well ok ... ALL) the current presets for a while seeing as it's a new thing before you force yourself to think set up time ..... we all did that I'm sure.

As you've got the MFC as well to factor in I'm going to say the best thing to start with is a blank preset and the manuals and wiki and work on a grid layout that will suit most if not all your own presets. Pay attention to the X/Y and Scenes functions and take it at your own speed.

Learning how to back up your system and preset banks is a good thing to know too.

Sounds dull .... and if you're not into the programming aspect of digital gear, it certainly is dull .... but it will need done sometime if you want to make the most of the versatility. But it's a tameable beast once you get used to the terminology - so you'll conquer it no worries I reckon.
 
What kind of guitar are you using? Single coil strat or humbucker Les Paul? Do you like clean, slightly dirty, dirty or high gain amps? Start with the amps and cabs first, the other things tend to be pretty intuitive. How are you using the unit? Into a SS amp and real cabs or into FRFR? Do you plan to use the FX loop? The wiki is a great place to start but let us know if you have any questions, we'd be glad to help. Welcome to the FAS Collective :)

I have PRS SE with 81 and 85, and Sterling JP50 with 89R and 81 TW, and an Xavier LP clone with 89R and 81TW..yes..they are "junk" to most of you guys probably, but I like 'em and they play like golden sunshine for me.. :)

I will certainly try to commit the wiki to memory and yes, I have a mfc-101 with it, a little 1980's, 70-watt randall SS power amp, a couple of older Atomic passive cabs (non-wedge) and one of the really cheap marshall 2x12's that has 2 different celestion speakers in it..all used and abused but "new to me"..it is awesome when you buddies dad owns a music store and doesn't mind carrying your tab for say..um..the last 18-20 years! hahahahaah
 
Remember, it's all about having fun while playing guitar. Enjoy the variety, but find a few patches that are near your comfort zone. Expand from there as you become more familiar with this powerful tone machine.
 
I have PRS SE with 81 and 85, and Sterling JP50 with 89R and 81 TW, and an Xavier LP clone with 89R and 81TW..yes..they are "junk" to most of you guys probably, but I like 'em and they play like golden sunshine for me.. :)
None of these guitars are "junk". You've got some great equipment going on now. Remember you can always restore or reload presets, so don't be afraid to get crazy. Use your ears to tweak and have fun. There are a lot of great people in here that are glad to help. There are no stupid questions. Asking is how we all learn.
 
OMG..!! I am so tired I cannot keep my eyes open, but I cannot put my guitar down..!!

I just found the FAS Modern stock patches (034 is my fave for this minute at least)..OMG..!!!! I cannot believe this thing..

I loved my 11R, but it honestly doesn't hold a candle to this thing does it? I am just stunned..I am jabbering like a maniac and may not sleep all weekend...

OMG...
 
Go to bed NOW! Side effects of the Axe are typically lack of sleep and divorce. lol

hhahhahaha nice!

Well, I slept a few hours and am back at it. Am unpacking the Atomics but I need some cables. So I am headed to local music store to ge some 18" TRS 1/4" cables to go from Axe to power amp an then some speaker cables to the Atomics..

Man..I have not been so excited about anything like this since way back when I got my first MP-2..!
 
Back
Top Bottom