New Guitar / Pickups or New Patch?

Longhair

Longhair

Inspired
Since getting the Axe-FX II, has anybody ever felt like they still needed to get a new guitar or change the pickups because they still can't find a tone that they are searching for?
 
You just need to spend the time with the unit, best to download other user presets to get closer. Took me a year and several firmware upgrades to be satisfied.
 
I'm a diehard believer in pickups but I find you can manipulate your sound a lot by putting EQs and filters before the signal hits the amp. This way I can cut the bass out of a boomy pickup or control the hiss from actives. You can also boost certain frequencies so you get more pick attack etc Just something to try before you start looking for new toys. Tone is a never-ending quest.
 
For me, the AxeFx II magnifies pickup qualities and the differences between neck and bridge etc.

This is not a negative. But more of a statement that it can bring out stuff that you might not have noticed. E.g. if the pickup is too close to the strings.

Before giving up and getting new pups, I would spend some time adjusting the pickup height and other aspects of the guitar setup.
 
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I think that the pickups/guitar element with the AXE fx II are like pickups/guitar with any other amp/modeler.
There are different interactions with different amps.
All kind of depends upon what you are looking for as your basic platform.
So many variables. I generally prefer humbucker PAF's in the typical range or slightly hotter.
I do have a Tele with single coils and get very different sounds out of same amp, of course.
Some people like lo output PAF's and then use pedals for more gain.
Some people like hotter PAF's and beyond up to active pickups.

Short answer- treat the amps like real amps.
Adjust or change pickups as you would normally IMO.
 
I switched from using EMG's for 10 years to Alumitones after having the Axe FX Ultra for about 6 months. I really feel that I hear the differences between amps/cabs more now. It's as if I'm giving the unit a wider spectrum to work with and because of that I can get any tone I want out of my guitars.

I have acquired several guitars, however, but it's not for sound purposes. I hate doing the weekend warrior thing with my expensive guitars, so I'm searching for some cheap, replaceable guitars that still play well. I currently use a Charvel Desolation Soloist as my main guitar for covers and have my Custom ESP in the rack as a backup (the ESP is my main guitar in my original band and it's tuned down). Ideally, I'd like to have 2 guitars for covers in standard tuning and 2 guitars in drop C# for originals. That way I can leave my expensive guitars at home for studio work.

Of course, I struggle with the concept of having $2000+ guitars sitting at home instead of using them on the road.. I mean, that's what they're for, right? I just can't bear the thought of something happening to my beloved ESP even though it's insured.
 
Sidivan said:
I switched from using EMG's for 10 years to Alumitones after having the Axe FX Ultra for about 6 months. I really feel that I hear the differences between amps/cabs more now. It's as if I'm giving the unit a wider spectrum to work with and because of that I can get any tone I want out of my guitars.

I have acquired several guitars, however, but it' not for sound purposes. I hate doing the weekend warrior thing with my expensive guitars, so I'm searching for some cheap, replaceable guitars that still play well. I currently use a Charvel Desolation Soloist as my main guitar for covers and have my Custom ESP in the rack as a backup (the ESP is my main guitar in my original band and it's tuned down). Ideally, I'd like to have 2 guitars for covers in standard tuning and 2 guitars in drop C# for originals. That way I can leave my expensive guitars at home for studio work.

Of course, I struggle with the concept of having $2000+ guitar sitting at home instead of using them on the road.. I mean, that's what they're for, right? I just can't bear the thought of something happening to my beloved ESP even though it's insured.
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I've been curious about alumitones, though some have called them 'sterile' or 'cold' - how would you describe their sound?
 
funny_polymath said:
I've been curious about alumitones, though some have called them 'sterile' or 'cold' - how would you describe their sound?
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I describe them as flat. I finally hear strings and wood instead of a pre-shaped sound of the pickups. I will say that when i first got them I thought, "OMG, I have made a huge mistake" because my patches sounded so different. I had to take a lot of highs off my clean patches by comparison, but they are so flexible. I will likely never use a different pickup.

Edit: You know what? My wife is out of town, I have today off, and I'm just sitting on the couch watching Doctor Who. I'll do some dry recordings for you.
 
barhrecords said:
For me, the AxeFx II magnifies pickup qualities and the differences between neck and bridge etc.

This is not a negative. But more of a statement that it can bring out stuff that you might not have noticed. E.g. if the pickup is too close to the strings.

Before giving up and getting new pups, I would spend some time adjusting the pickup height and other aspects of the guitar setup.
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This.
 
I dialed in some tones on my Les Paul style guitar during the last few weeks using the Divided by 13, then last week I switched to my Strat style. I trimmed the highs and added some pre-amp gain and had some decent tones going (same amp). However, there was an upper mid bite that I didn't like and my crunch tones were a bit muddy. They were getting lost in the mix. So last night I created a half dozen crunch patches with different amp models, using the patch that was close but not quite right. The only thing I adjusted was the level. One stood out, the Citrus. Its sound is a bit heavier, there is more meat and body on the notes, yet it also cuts better. The mid bite is now gone.

I never had the opportunity to swap tube amps over the years like many have done, but now I understand why it happens. Some amp / speaker combos seem to fit a particular guitar like a glove, and others will not. Finding that gem takes time, but when you find it dialing in your tone so much easier. The Axe-FX is no different, although the added flexibility means you can pair any speaker you want with any amp. The speaker IR is so important, even more-so than the amp sim. It's a good idea to start with the speaker IR the original manufacturer uses because the amp is often designed / tuned for a particular speaker.

Terry.
 
I changed guitars after getting the AxeFX. Also changed what kind of strings and picks i use. Then I changed what side of the pick i use. Yes, I have a problem....:) but I like the sound i get now.

If you are doing alot of tweaking in the Axe and not getting what you want you might consider playing around with other guitar/pick-up combo's. With the Ultra I tweaked alot....with the II if I dont get the sound I want relatively quick I figure the guitar may not be suitable for that type of tone or my playing isn't conducive to that style but I don't spend hours tweaking the II....in short I treat the II like a regular amp.
 
Personally, I am not looking to change pickups because I am not getting the tone I want from the Axe-FX II. I have yet to start making my own patches aside from bypassing an effect in a factory preset. I am going to wait when the new Axe-Edit is released so I don't have to write everything down in order to undo something.

As far as getting a new guitar, for me it is more about the feel, comfort and playablity of it over the tone. 99 out of 100 times when I am at the store checking out a new guitar, I won't even bother plugging it in. I can change out the electronics myself. What I cannot do is any fret work.
 
I've found that the Axe will reflect the differences in a guitar and/or pickup's tone significantly more than when I use regular tube amps. Before the Axe, I was aware of subtle differences, but generally not enough to make me fuss over the guitar's woods and/or pickups.

With the Axe, it's a different story. I do actually have one guitar right now that I'm planning on selling because no matter how hard I try I just cannot seem to dial out the harsh upper frequencies that guitar is prone to.
 
Der JD said:
I've found that the Axe will reflect the differences in a guitar and/or pickup's tone significantly more than when I use regular tube amps. Before the Axe, I was aware of subtle differences, but generally not enough to make me fuss over the guitar's woods and/or pickups.

With the Axe, it's a different story. I do actually have one guitar right now that I'm planning on selling because no matter how hard I try I just cannot seem to dial out the harsh upper frequencies that guitar is prone to.
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Amen to this! Exactly my experience. I really like all the sound differences you can get out of the axe by playing with volume control, pickup selection, guitar choice, ... My cheap London City Telecaster sounded awesome on my POD X3 and really was usable next to my other expensive guitars. For some reason I really wasn't that happy when playing the guitar through my Axe.
 
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