One Month In...

Grahammm

New Member
So, I picked up a B-stock Axe II XL+ about a month ago. I recently moved into a house after living in apartments the last fifteen years. I knew I would finally be able to set up a "studio" so I pulled the trigger before I left and set it up as soon as I moved in (before setting up my bed actually). Knowing that I will never gig with it as I'm just a bedroom player, I went with the studio monitor option and picked up some Yamaha HS8's, as they seemed to be a good price and got good reviews for the most part.

Now, I'm one month in and all I can say is... this is it. This is the single greatest piece of gear I've ever purchased. So many times I've picked up amps that I liked but never loved. Granted, I always had to play at lower volumes in the apartments I lived in, but they still never left me in awe. The Axe does. Every time I plug in, I learn something new about it. I took a week or so to study the thing and get to know my way around Axe Edit. I downloaded a few cab packs, but I have honestly had more fun just dialing in tones on my own. I will say though, I love the stuff ML Sound Lab puts out. I have used quite a few of their cabs in the patches I've been making. The Friedman HBE seems to be my go to so far for high gain. There's something just right about it. It really seems to play nicely with the Alpha/Omega Duncan's I have in my guitar.

The Yamaha's are really good too. I know there are better options, and I did a ton of research before both on this forum and other sites, but I'm really happy I went with these. I can't imagine what higher quality monitors would sound like if these have impressed me.

Well, that's it. Mostly just wanted to give a simple "review" and say thanks to Fractal Audio for creating such an incredible piece of gear.
 
Welcome to the family! I feel the same way, my Axe II is the best peice of gear I've ever owned and I think it has actually saved me money in the long run. I have bought exactly zero pedals and amps since. A guitar here and there, and a couple cabs, but most of that has been in trade for stuff I don't use anymore.

I have the old version of the HS8s, the HS80s, and they are incredible monitors. VERY little coloration to what it played through them. They aren't "budget" by any means but they certainly are lightyears from the most expensive you can get. I recently (finally) got some monitor stands for them and they now sound even better.

If you want to have some extra fun in the future, get a power amp and plug into a regular guitar cab with cab sims turned off. Its amazing how "real" the axe feels when you go that route as well.
 
I definitely want to try the cab/power amp combo. I've had my eye on some Port City cabs, so I'll probably try them out in the near future.

I also have my HS8's on stands. It made a world of difference.
 
Welcome to the Fractal family! Great products from a great company and great support community.

I had my XL+ running through some HS7s for a while. It was great. I eventually ran it through a Matrix power amp and pair of Mesa 2x12s. Sounded pretty awesome and you could definitely feel it in your chest.

I ended up selling the XL+ with every intention of getting an AX8 in an attempt to trim down my gear footprint a bit, but ended up just using my FX8 through my amp(s). I now have every intention of getting the next iteration of the AX8 (or maybe the current AX8 if I get impatient) lol.
 
Totally agree with everything above. I recently acquired the FX8 (also at the B stock sale) and I am running it through my Suhr Bella. Amazing setup - the days of spending way too much on pedals is finally over!!!!
 
Another month in and man... it just gets better. Honestly. This thing blows my mind. I have a smile on my face every new thing I learn. It's inspired so much writing and fun practice sessions I've lost count. I thought I'd be solely focused on high gain, but this thing has me figuring out some amazing clean tones. I love it. I'm still stuck on the HBE for gain, but I'm starting to love the PVH 6160 model a lot as well. Anyway, just checking back in. Thanks again, guys!
 
Another month in and man... it just gets better. Honestly. This thing blows my mind. I have a smile on my face every new thing I learn. It's inspired so much writing and fun practice sessions I've lost count. I thought I'd be solely focused on high gain, but this thing has me figuring out some amazing clean tones. I love it. I'm still stuck on the HBE for gain, but I'm starting to love the PVH 6160 model a lot as well. Anyway, just checking back in. Thanks again, guys!
Try out the 5153 models, I think they are the advanced version of the 6160 (just like in the real life amp world, lol). I love the 50w and 100w Blue models the most. The red sounds good but its best for lead; TONS of gain.
 
Indeed.......but in a great way! It is like having a new toy every day. Amazing. I still learn something everyday after upgrading from an Ultra a few years ago. Enjoy Brother.
 
So, it's been about 6 months now... and I still love it. I ended up picking up some of the STL Tones Preset Packs that were recently released. Man... there are some killer presets in there. I picked up the Will Putney pack and there is a 5150 II preset in there that is incredible. If I was told I could only have that one patch and all the rest were forever gone, I think I'd be ok with that. Anyway, just doing my every few month check in on this post! Thanks again Fractal.
 
Still digging the HS8's? I am in the market for some new monitors and was considering these as well as the Adam A7X. Unfortunately I cannot compare the two as my local music store does not have the A7X instock.

The STL packs rock. Recently picked up the Howard Benson and Chris Krummett. Tracked a bunch on different guitar parts on a few songs for a friend and used a few of the Howard Benson patches. They sit really well in a mix!
 
I had Mackie Mr8 with my Xl the Mackies sounded to compressed I switched to EV ZLX 12 a world of difference much better I am now pleased with the Clean sounds very Natural sounding
 
Still digging the HS8's? I am in the market for some new monitors and was considering these as well as the Adam A7X. Unfortunately I cannot compare the two as my local music store does not have the A7X instock.

The STL packs rock. Recently picked up the Howard Benson and Chris Krummett. Tracked a bunch on different guitar parts on a few songs for a friend and used a few of the Howard Benson patches. They sit really well in a mix!

Yeah, I definitely still like them. Do I sometimes get the urge to pick up something else? Definitely. I know there are better options out there as far as studio monitors go, but for the time being they are doing what I need them to do. I have been curious on getting some CLR's or even trying out the Friedman ASM (or ASC) and seeing if that is perhaps too much for my needs or is such a world of difference I wouldn't be able to go back to just my Yamaha's.
 
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