New to the Axe Fx II... Wow.

mnemonic

Experienced
I've had an Axe FX II for about a week and a half now (backordered since June) and... wow. I knew it was going to be a great unit, but by hour two of day one, I was making tones that blow away anything else I've used before. I've been into modelers almost exclusively since the PodXT came out, and I've been primarily using a Toneport for the last few years (same amp models as PodXT). What a step up!

I'm primarily a metal player, and I will admit I was underwhelmed when I first plugged it in, since I don't think the stock metal presets are very good, and I was used to getting artificially tight distortion sounds with no effort at all (the main problem with the Pod is its hard to get rid of the tightness), so it was a bit of a learning curve, figuring out how to make a patch sound how I want. Everything past the main drive/amp/cab controls is also way over my head. The front panel is full of esoteric lights and dials and meters that I will never understand... thank god for axe edit. Lucky for me, I don't really need to change anything except the basic EQ to get a killer tone :lol:.


My main thoughts so far:
-The Recto2 Red Modern is heavy as hell, and already my favorite amp
-The Thordendal Modern can get pretty damn heavy, holy shit. Initially though, I did feel like I was being trolled. Without a boost and with the wrong impulse, the amp is woofy, loose and dark, basically the opposite of Meshuggah tones. But with a few tweaks and an 808 upfront, it sounds tight and aggressive and awesome. I assume its based on some modified Recto?
-Ow, my finger callouses have never been so hard
-Finding the right impulse is difficult; I'm used to having 10 cabs to choose from where 9 sound terrible... having over 100 cabs + thousands of 3rd party impulses that all sound good in their own way is a bit of an information overload, I hardly know where to start. At the moment most of my patches use a 50/50 blend of the 4x12 German V30 and one of Clark Kent's TEH Mesa oversized 4x12 impulses.
-This is the first amp sim where I'm actually really happy playing through headphones without making major concessions on the sound I'm after (I play probably 50% on headphones for various reasons)

The forum has also been a great resource. Just reading through people's thoughts, listening to recordings and searching through old threads provides tons of information. Hopefully I'll have something to contribute soon!
 
You think that 100 IR's is daunting...wait till you start populating the 512 slots with other IR's. :) When you start to get into those don't go overboard....you'll fatigue your ears and never get any playing done. The secret is obviously to just find the ones that you need which is kind of like a needle in a haystack when you are first learning to get around the world of impulse responses. There is a great guide on the Redwirez website that gives a breakdown of mic types, but more importantly what the different positions and distances will do to the sound. So once you get that down you can grab an IR and know "well I want a tighter sound" and know which direction to go from there.
 
Buy Cab Lab now and pick out whatever cab pack appeals to you (don't stress over it too much, the ones listed on FAS' site are all fantastic) and start experimenting with mixing your own IR's now. It's fun as well as being a GREAT way to further compliment your new Axe-FX!

And welcome! It's awesome, ain't it? ;)
 
Thanks for the welcome!

The wiki sure is helpful. Even some of the first page controls were unknown to me (such as the dynamic presence/depth, cut, boost, input drive, etc) and the wiki has been super helpful in figuring those ones out. 'Cut' is super useful and mandatory for the rectos. I am also on the 'amp list' page daily to figure out which amp I'm playing.

I will check out the redwirez guide when I get home today, a bit of clarity regarding the naming and what to expect from certain mic positions sure would be welcome! I had a brief foray into micing cabs back in college, but quickly decided recording direct was easier and better sounding, since I don't know how to properly operate an sm57.

Cablab is on the list, though I'm trying to exercise some fiscal responsibility for the time being. Spending £2k on an amp when I'm looking for a house isn't the most responsible thing to do, so every penny counts now. I regret nothing though.

It's nice to have a place to nerd out over the axe fx, I don't know any local guitarists who care about gear, and everyone I played with in college lives far away now.
 
Use your ears not your eyes, when tweaking. You'll be surprised at what amps you like.

With the exception of the FAS Modern and HBE, my best high-gain tones have come from the classics: '65 Bassman, Plexi Treble, JPre, etc.

Just a BB Pre or 808 in front takes you to the territory it seems you wanna go.

Also, since you're coming from the Line 6 world, I would start with the classics: AC30, Bassman, JTM45. Listen for what sounds good to YOU. You really will be surprised.
 
Use your ears not your eyes, when tweaking. You'll be surprised at what amps you like.

With the exception of the FAS Modern and HBE, my best high-gain tones have come from the classics: '65 Bassman, Plexi Treble, JPre, etc.

Just a BB Pre or 808 in front takes you to the territory it seems you wanna go.

Also, since you're coming from the Line 6 world, I would start with the classics: AC30, Bassman, JTM45. Listen for what sounds good to YOU. You really will be surprised.

You know, I haven't actually tried any of the classic amps yet. I'll give them a try tomorrow, if I have time. I'll be moving house so I may not!


Welcome to the party!

These are a safe bet: High Gain Essentials : OwnHammer.com - Store

I've heard those ones are good, particularly the Mesa 412.

One question for you or anyone else who might know... If I want to buy the Mesa 412, which one do I get? There are 3 versions all with V30's, is any one better than the rest?

edit- nevermind, figured it out. Chinese 8 ohm vs. Chinese 16 ohm vs. British 8 ohm. Still though, does any one of these collections sound 'better' than the other? I am tempted to go for the British V30 cab just because I'm a nationalistic bastard.
 
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I hate resorting to a cliche, but 'best' is so subjective, it's just up to you.

They're all great, none sound objectively 'bad', if that helps (I know, it doesn't). ;)
 
You know, I haven't actually tried any of the classic amps yet. I'll give them a try tomorrow, if I have time. I'll be moving house so I may not!




I've heard those ones are good, particularly the Mesa 412.

One question for you or anyone else who might know... If I want to buy the Mesa 412, which one do I get? There are 3 versions all with V30's, is any one better than the rest?

edit- nevermind, figured it out. Chinese 8 ohm vs. Chinese 16 ohm vs. British 8 ohm. Still though, does any one of these collections sound 'better' than the other? I am tempted to go for the British V30 cab just because I'm a nationalistic bastard.

British has the "special" voiced v30s afaik.
 
I went with Brit v30's in the Mesa, Engl & Diezel cabs. The Mesa & Diezel were solid winners over the Engl IMO. If you want something closer to stock with the Mesa, try one of the Chinese. IMO, the English v30's have a smoother top end IRL.
 
I'm still learning how to use it as I go. As far as cabinets, I agree with earlier posts as to not look at the names when you're adding them but just listen to the tone.

I add a looper block and play 20-30 seconds and then let it repeat as I change cabs and listen. I can definitely say that when I got my Atomic CLR I finally appreciated what the Axe-Fx could truly sound like. I was using my studio monitors for a few weeks and it sounded good, but not anywhere close to what it sounds like now.

I like a mix between 80's metal and a modern metal tone, and for my ears I end up using: #F147 4x12 Mar-Cb M-BB-55 Mix (OH) and #F044 4x12 Recto V30 (OH) on most of the presets I build myself.

There is so much knowledge on this forum that has helped me get the most out of my Axe-Fx.

Enjoy!
 
As far as cabinets, I agree with earlier posts as to not look at the names when you're adding them but just listen to the tone.
Do not agree with this; you will spend your entire life auditioning IRs. Yes, let your ears be your guide when finalizing, but if you understand what size the cab is, what speakers it uses, what mic it uses, and what position it was shot from and you have a good mental model of how all those things affect tone, that is the ONLY way to keep from getting lost in the endless sea of IRs, IMHO. So my suggestion would be learn what mics, speakers and cabinets you like for different types of tones. These will be great starting points and benchmarks when you are sifting through IRs.

Of course, experiment freely and refresh your ears, as needed.

IR management and selection is a huge thing for being productive with the AxeFxs.
 
aaaand, the Thordendal Modern has now taken over as my favourite amp. Like the recto but heavier. I like.

I think I'll pick up the Ownhammer HGE mesa v30-en at some point this weekend.

Also I get a 'resonance' on the first few frets on the low E string with the recto2 red modern. I've narrowed it down to the low frequency resonance on the 'speaker' page but when I turn that down it loses a lot of bottom end chunk. Is there a workaround anyone knows about?
 
aaaand, the Thordendal Modern has now taken over as my favourite amp. Like the recto but heavier. I like.

I think I'll pick up the Ownhammer HGE mesa v30-en at some point this weekend.

Also I get a 'resonance' on the first few frets on the low E string with the recto2 red modern. I've narrowed it down to the low frequency resonance on the 'speaker' page but when I turn that down it loses a lot of bottom end chunk. Is there a workaround anyone knows about?

I'd say notch EQ it out if you're really worried about it.
 
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