Noticeable benefits of going FRFR cab over guitar cab/power amp.

E

Explorerthis

New Member
After years of turning a blind eye to the digital world I finally made the switch to purchasing a AXEFX3. Currently I run it through a Matrix power amp into a Mesa 2x12 cab. I play at home as a hobby trying emulate the bands I fan boy over tones.
Is it beneficial to the ear picking up a FRFR cab and running the axefx3 that way. Or should I just save my wife’s money and run it how I’m running it with the cab sim “off”

Has anyone made the switch from power amp/guitar cab and noticed a decent amount of difference?
 
Explorerthis said:
After years of turning a blind eye to the digital world I finally made the switch to purchasing a AXEFX3. Currently I run it through a Matrix power amp into a Mesa 2x12 cab. I play at home as a hobby trying emulate the bands I fan boy over tones.
Is it beneficial to the ear picking up a FRFR cab and running the axefx3 that way. Or should I just save my wife’s money and run it how I’m running it with the cab sim “off”

Has anyone made the switch from power amp/guitar cab and noticed a decent amount of difference?
Click to expand...

Funny, I've been doing FRFR for years and decided to get a real deal Dual Rectifier and 2x12 Recto cab. However after selecting the right IRs for my FRFR speakers, (Yamaha DHR12m's) the sound and the feel are about as good, with the added bonus that I can dial out harsh/useless frequencies on the Fractal and I can't do that with a real amp.
 
You are more flexible with a FRFR speaker because you have access to thousands of IR‘s from various speaker cabinets. From Fender to Mesa etc.
If you are using a guitar cab and power amp, you are limited to that combination.
And as other already have mentioned, with a FRFR speaker system you get the benefit to hear a recorded sound.
 
Another thing is how the sound cuts through in a room. In my experience guitar cabs push air differently than a frfr does. If you play gigs without a huge PA I would always prefer the normal guitar cab.
 
Real cab for one tone, FRFR for versatility and broader coverage. Guitar cab is the real tone, but it shoots the sound forwards like a laser beam and fries anyone who happens to get hit by it directly. The normal tone you usually hear is way off-axis and darker. A PA cab spreads the tone across a broader angle more evenly.
 
Last edited:
If you’re trying to recreate recorded tones, FRFR is a better choice than a guitar cab because it allows you to compare their recorded tones to your recorded tones through the same speakers. However studio monitors and acoustic treatment will outperform plastic “FRFR” speakers every time unless your goal is sheer volume. They also give you stereo imaging and double as excellent casual use PC speakers. To really get the most out of any speakers you need acoustic treatment so you’re hearing as much of the direct sound from the speakers as possible and as little distortion and comb filtering caused by reflections in the room as possible.
 
Last edited:
from “amp in the room” to “recorded sound” is a big difference to most.

Try your axe with headphones. If you dont like that type of sound (mic’d), probably wont like FRFR either. That said, if you can rent/audition an FRFR cab that is your best option.
 
I did the same than you during years and have very recently switched to studio monitors : you want to try it, it opens so more sonic possibilities !
 
Zedrx said:
I did the same than you during years and have very recently switched to studio monitors : you want to try it, it opens so more sonic possibilities !
Click to expand...
I’ve played through the axe with my sennheiser hd650’s and do enjoy the tone. My only gripe with the guitar cab is when trying album tone presets with the cab sim off it definitely loses THAT tone.

I’ve heard tons of people run monitors but it’s more of my jam room. Don’t have a desk/workstation setup to have everything tidy. But I guess monitors aren’t too hard to put on top of the guitar cab hah.
 
I mean with FRFR you get all the benefits of cab modelling instead of being stuck with one. For home playing it's a no brainer. Live I can see the argument for a real guitar cab.
 
If you have good studio monitors you're fine. Good FRFR cabs will sound a little bigger and fuller but will have the same general sound signature. If you're looking for a real amp in the room guitar tone like you're used to with a head and guitar cab just get a good power amp and a guitar cab.
 
strabes said:
However studio monitors and acoustic treatment will outperform plastic “FRFR” speakers every time unless your goal is sheer volume.
Click to expand...
Your wording makes it sound like all FRFR speakers (I assume you actually mean the cabinets?) are made of plastic, which is definitely not the case.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom