Hey guys,
I'm Laith. I play a Stephen Carpenter 607B. Great guitar. So solid at low tunings its ridiculous.
I have a micro terror head and cab. I believe 2x12 and 15W. The smallest orange. Is it possible to use this amp and head with the Axe? Just really confused, so many cables, do I need to buy better cables? My Axe-FX comes next week and I'm reading the manual not sure where to start other than the usb plug into a CPU. Basically wondering if my amp is powerful enough and if I need to buy any more cords. Currently just have the head to cab cord, instrument cord, and a box power supply for the head.
Thanks in advance,
Laith
Hey Visage,
I just Googled your amp. To be frank, the Micro Terror is very limited on what it can do with the Axe FX and is going to hold you back in using the Axe FX. This is because the Micro Terror doesn't have Effects Send/Return jacks on the back. An effects Send/Return loop allows you to put effects pedals and other things "between" the amplifier and the speaker cabinet. Since the Micro Terror doesn't have an Effects loop, this going "between" the amp and speaker is not possible.
Do not try to go from the Micro Terror "Speaker Outputs" jack into the Axe FX. You will damage your equipment.
I see there's a "Phones" out jack on the front of the Micro Terror. You could use this to go into the front of the Axe FX, but you would only be able to use the Axe FX's effects blocks. You
could use the Axe FX Amp and Cab blocks with this setup, but you'd essentially be running the MIcro Terror's Phones output sound (which most likely has its own cab simulation) into the Axe FX Amp + Cab setup. Not ideal and will sound muddy and cruddy. Also, with this setup, there would be no way to play through your 2x12 cab since the Axe FX isn't built to power a speaker cabinet.
I think with your current rig, you have a couple options to get the full benefits of your Axe FX:
- Sell the Micro Terror and use that money to buy a power amp. A power amp will allow you to play your Axe FX through your 2x12 cabinet. This is probably your best option as you'll get to use your cab and the AWESOME amps in the Axe FX. Popular solid state power amps are the Matrix GT series and Crown. You could get all tube power amps like the Marshall power block and the Mesa 50/50, but those are very expensive. There's also the Electro-Harmonix 44 Magnum pedal which is the cheapest solution. The guitarist in my band used it for a little bit, but had lots of trouble with it, though. Could have been just a bad one, though.
- If you're really attached to having those small Orange amps, I would sell the Micro Terror (seeing a pattern here?) and go up one level get the Dual Terror or Dark Terror. Something that has an Effects loop. This will let you play an Orange Tube Amp and have your Axe FX mixed in with it. You could also use one of these Terrors as a power amp and use the Axe FX's expansive selection of amps.
- The full blown nuclear option here, and I think a lot of people on this forum will agree, is to sell both your Micro Terror and your 2x12 cab. Use that money to invest in a powered FRFR setup (powered meaning the FRFR speakers don't need a power amp. They plug into an outlet and provide their own power). This will allow you to use 100% of the Axe FX. You won't have to worry about disabling the Axe FX speaker cabinet emulation like when running through your 2x12. With a FRFR setup, you will get to hear the differences between the various speaker cabinets IRs available in the Axe FX (and the thousands of 3rd party IR's, as well). Cabinets make a
HUGE difference in sound so getting the FRFR is something to definitely consider.
Anyway, hope this helps!