New to digital, will the Axe FX be able to replace my Two-Rock boutique amp ?

S

Stevenstrat

Member
Hi guys, first post here.
I'm also new to digital amps. I've always used tube amps, and I am currently using a Two-Rock Custom Reverb Signature V3.
It sounds great, but obviously can't get all kinds of sounds.

What I search for in a guitar tone (and which I find in the two-rock), a lot of depth to the tone, 3D type of sound, a VERY thick tone, big and tight bottom, no harsh top end, responsive and dynamic, both clean and overdriven. Just a massive clean tone across the whole frequency spectrum and a fat Dumble tone overdriven.


The Axe FX drew my attention because of the large amount of different tones you could get.
I am very picky about tone and feel of an amp, so will the axe FX be able to make me happy, or should I just opt for another tube amp ?


Thanks !
 
Well only you can tell tbh. I would say you can get any tone you want from the Axe, but only you can decide what your ears like.
Try it out, see if you like it (I think you will) and then make up your own mind.
Also there are loads of tones on the forum, so maybe that will help you out a bit.
 
The Axe Fx is only the beginning, you then need to amplify the sound. The end result is as good as your weakest link in the signal chain. There is a large learning curve to going digital. If you want instant results like a tube amp that has 6 knobs you will become frustrated.

I suggest you do not sell your 2rock until you are sure you are all in, and don't need proceeds from its sale to proceed. Fwiw you have a 15 day return policy from Fractal.

I love the II and have two if them and sold all of my tube amps, but that doesn't mean it's right for you.
 
the Axe is certainly versatile..
it can make great tones too...

maybe try to find someone that has an Axe and see if you can spend a day or two with them trying things out..

the Axe is a huge unit.. the configurational permutations are mind boggling..
personally I found that tonally, it took a while to get to know.. others seem to have settled in with it more quickly..
so even after messing with it for a couple of days you'll only be scratching the tonal surface

it took me a couple of months before I found my tones.. but like said.. I was slow to get to grips with it..
however.. I knew my tones were in there.. I just needed to keep the faith and keep fiddling..
and now that I've found my tones.. there is no going back...
 
The short answer, from me at least, is no.

Luke's advice is very good.

I'm also a newby to digital, being a committed vintage valve guy (nothing post '68 with minor exceptions). I haven't yet been able to get close to the tone I get with tube amps, but I appreciate that I need to put in a LOT more work. It'll only be frustrating if you let it be.......otherwise it's a great journey of discovery. I'm learning a lot about the digital world and a lot about my playing.......but I have yet to have that "money shot" moment.

No doubt that it's an extremely impressive and versatile piece of kit..........but it's not a tube amp. Accept that and you're half way there already.
 
I have a TR Studio Pro and an Axe on the way...
I'll let you know when it arrives. I figure at the very least, it will put an end to the pedal of the week chase.
My wife also looks forward to the headphone feature, something the good folks at TR left out!
 
I should also add that I plan on keeping the Studio Pro irregardless of how I like the Axe.... but we shall see. I see the dark side of the force is strong over here.
 
a few thousand bucks for a processor that does hundreds, if not thousands, of tones really good. OR a few thousand bucks for an amp that does a couple tones REALLY REALLY GOOD? that's the catch for most. the two rock is an awesome amp. and for it's price it should be! can you make the axe sound as good? probably. can it sound better? probably not. BUT, It's the versatility that you are paying for. if you buy the axe just to cop the two rocks tones and nothing else, then you've wasted your money. if you want to get that two rock clean and dumble drive then the axe will get you in the right ballpark but the options from there are limitless.
good luck!
 
I second anyone here who has said it is more up to you than the Axe II. You can look at the pro user list and see a lot of influential players use it, and see from this forum there is a loyal pro, semi-pro, hobbyist, and even amateur user base. But that only says it works for others, really.

Luke is right, there is a return period, and you will need to have a decent amplification option handy. If you decide to go the test drive route, read the manuals, go over the Axe II wiki, then take a week off work when the unit arrives! You will seriously need to dedicate some time to learning how to get a tone tweaked to your ears to give a fair trial. Of course, there are some killer tones already loaded. Many of us (myself included) work from variations of these base presets, although many tweak from scratch. Check out Scott Peterson's thread on building a preset for a good jump start on that.

It is my opinion that the Axe Fx II, properly configured for the task, will match anything in a blind, "ears only" test. And it will accurately give you a bunch of those tones. That alone would justify the cost. Then move to effects, which are so good some players buy the Axe II just to use them, sans any guitar amp emulations. As good as the TC Electronics G-Force I had before it. I eliminated all of my pedalboad with an MFC-101 controller and one dual expression pedal (just added, Mission SP-2). I have a little more than $4500 into my complete rig, which is just a few hundred more than I had into my Mesa Road King II rig. That is one amp with 4 great sounds to a rig with what amounts to an infinite number of great amp tones. This explains why I think it is a no-brainer. For me.

The simple truth is nothing works for everyone. Even if it is capable of doing it, there are many more factors than any manufacturer can overcome. En vino, veritas est... drink the wine, it's the only way to get your truth.
 
I don't think the axe can replace a boutique tube amp such as a two rock. I found that if you wanna sound like a tube amp you use a tube amp. The axe is great for recording and great at replacing a pedal board but it doesn't sound as good as my red plate amp to me. I really tried and used a bunch of frfr's and tried using it in to a power amp and cab but my amp still sounded better to me. Others maybe happy with it and feel that it's better than a tube amp, I tend to disagree.
 
Trazan said:
In all fairness, that's a bit misleading as it doesn't say whether they use the amp modeling or just efx.
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I tried to elaborate on that a little further down, but the fact is there are well regarded players using it as a primary amplifier, some on that list. No intent to be misleading, just making the point that there are players at all levels use it and love it. As there are players that use TwoRock, Mesa, Budda, etc. What I was shooting for in the statement was it is certainly good enough for some people that have a proven ear.

gsegal said:
I don't think the axe can replace a boutique tube amp such as a two rock. I found that if you wanna sound like a tube amp you use a tube amp. The axe is great for recording and great at replacing a pedal board but it doesn't sound as good as my red plate amp to me. I really tried and used a bunch of frfr's and tried using it in to a power amp and cab but my amp still sounded better to me. Others maybe happy with it and feel that it's better than a tube amp, I tend to disagree.
Click to expand...

I believe this comes down to what you want, and if it doesn't make the sound you want then you are very right to disagree. Having spent a lot of time as a FOH/Monitor man in addition to 35+ years as a player on various levels, what I want to hear is the FOH/recorded sound of a great amp. I love what I am hearing, and I could never get it with just the amp. So I come back to what I have said before. The only way to know if it will work is to get one and play through it. Each choice is a personal one, and I respect each person's choice. The OP has been given a few directions to chose!
 
Rick said:
I tried to elaborate on that a little further down, but the fact is there are well regarded players using it as a primary amplifier, some on that list. No intent to be misleading, just making the point that there are players at all levels use it and love it. As there are players that use TwoRock, Mesa, Budda, etc. What I was shooting for in the statement was it is certainly good enough for some people that have a proven ear.
.



I believe this comes down to what you want, and if it doesn't make the sound you want then you are very right to disagree. Having spent a lot of time as a FOH/Monitor man in addition to 35+ years as a player on various levels, what I want to hear is the FOH/recorded sound of a great amp. I love what I am hearing, and I could never get it with just the amp. So I come back to what I have said before. The only way to know if it will work is to get one and play through it. Each choice is a personal one, and I respect each person's choice. The OP has been given a few directions to chose!
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Totally agree. If you're trying to recreate a perfect copy of a recorded sound and you're using foh it will be perfect for you. I mainly play smaller clubs where I relying on the amp to fill the room
 
EdgE said:
Save it for a bit, you can even tone match it:D
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The problem with reproducing a Two Rock isn't timbre so much as dynamics. The gain staging in D-style amps isn't amenable to the AxeFx UI (hardware can do it but the UI doesn't allow). I've been chasing Two Rock tone with the AxeFx since I sold mine to fund an Ultra. I've gotten closer with the II but I'm still searching
 
aleclee said:
The problem with reproducing a Two Rock isn't timbre so much as dynamics. The gain staging in D-style amps isn't amenable to the AxeFx UI (hardware can do it but the UI doesn't allow). I've been chasing Two Rock tone with the AxeFx since I sold mine to fund an Ultra. I've gotten closer with the II but I'm still searching
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That's why a went back to a tube amp. I was just tired of chasing and tweaking. Life is so much simpler now plug in and play and have the axe replace my pedal board. So happy with my sound now so I really get town to playing not tweaking.
 
I've had my Axe 2 for a week now.. I know I'm only scratching the surface, but I did a decent amount of tweaking while plugged into a Recto power section through an oversized Recto cab and I could clearly hear a difference between the Axe and the Rectifier the Axe was modeling. It was as close as I've heard to tube, but still clearly not tube. My guess is that there are still a bunch of tweaks I could make to get even closer, but the biggest difference was the amount of air that seemed to be moving. The tube head was more present and the bass was more powerful. I tried to dial those in, and got close, but still not close enough for me to not be able to tell.

I do love the unit, but I haven't sold my Rectifier (yet). If I can replicate the feel of the Rectifier, I will sell the Recto in a heartbeat. The Axe is definitely the most amazing piece of gear I've owned. I didn't buy it for live use, so the "issue" I described is fairly meaningless to me. I love this damn unit. I was concerned that it wouldn't live up to the hype, but it not only lived up to my high expectations, it surpassed them.
 
I have always looked at the Axe as another amp (or in this case, 70 more amps) for my arsenal. I have not bought any new amps since I got it (a testament to it's tone). Some days I like it more than others, but I always felt the same about my amps. Some days my Budda was awesome, some days I hated it... but the one thing that the Axe did for me is make a live tone consistent and truly achievable. I love some of my amps and I love the Axe. I get some great tones out of all of them and since money is not really an issue for me, I will keep them all.

I built a guitar rig for the gods, or so I thought. 9 amps (Bruno, Budda, Boogie, Dr Z) all switchable using a Switchblade (an AWESOME device in it's own right) for all of my analog effects into any cabinet I wanted, all on the fly and configurable.... and it drove me nuts. Something was always going on with it. The Axe has saved me from that insanely cool and insanely fragile beast that I built. And... it sounds the same every day. That to me is invaluable. So... after my long rant, if you can afford it, get one and enjoy an entire array of new tones. It can sit along-side your Two Rock and they can both be sources of great music. I will never get rid of my Bruno Underground 30... but I will never get rid of the Axe either (unless you want my old Ultra, which is on ebay right now! :) )
 
Buy the Axe-II and see if you like it. The problem is you will need way more than the 15 day return period to really have a clue.

You will need at least a couple dedicated months with the unit, and if you decide to sell it you will not take too much of a loss(if you buy it with coupon)
 
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