Recommendations on economical setup, suitable for the weekly jam

jdiz86

jdiz86

Member
Looking for some help to make the most of what I have or what I should get in place of what I have. I'm assuming many of you axe fx owners have come from tube amps that didn't get used like they should, for whatever reason. Please shed some light on this privileged issue for me, if you can.

I'm torn on deciding what to do with my current gear. I don't think I use my tube amp enough to warrant keeping it, but I also want to be able to jam at bedroom volume, jam-with-other-guitarists-for-practice volume, and full on my-drummer-hits-everything-so-hard death metal volume. I feel that now with the axe fx I can create a more versatile setup, suitable for all 3 applications, but need help deciding on the best route to take.Or maybe there is an option I haven't considered.

I bought the axe fx primarily to be able to jam and record in my apartment. I've only had it for a couple weeks. Right now it's just headphones, guitar, axe fx, drum program, and my DAW. But I also jam once a week with another guitarist and bass player, and then every 1-2 months we all jam with a drummer and vocalist.

In addition to the axe fx, I have a 100W mesa dual rectifier with 412 cab. I love this amp, but I barely play it. I feel like I should get rid of it, but I don't know what to replace it with in order to jam loudly from time to time. I could probably sell the thing for $2000 CAD, plus another $300 for the pedals. So I could have $2300 at my disposal immediately if I can sell it.

The plan is to get studio monitors for home recording and solo jamming, regardless. The HS8s will most likely be that choice. But I also would need speakers and potentially a power amp to jam weekly, and/or something powerful enough to jam with drums every 1-2 months.

Any recommendations to satisfy these goals, economically?

Option 1: sell the amp, keep the 412, and buy a power amp.
Option 2: sell the amp and 412, buy a 212 for the weekly jam, and use the vocalist's PA when jamming every 1-2 months (the PA is a Yorkville 1000W something rather - no idea how this sounds, plus I think the mixer is less than great, if that matters)
Option 3: sell the amp and 412, buy a wedge to use for weekly jamming and to use with the vocalist's PA
Option 4: keep everything. Use the dual rec and 412 to jam, and only use the axe fx to record and solo jam.
 
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Sell the amp and the 4-12. Buy a nice powered FRFR monitor, either 10" or 12" speaker. Then you'll be able to play at home with low volume through the Fractal into this FRFR monitor, or bring the fractal and monitor to any size gigs and play as loud as you want.
 
Best advice I can offer is this: If you have not played at gig volume through a good FRFR this would be your first step. If at all possible find someone local that would allow you to try one out or find a local band with this setup and go check them out. The reason I suggest this as a first step is some prefer axe into amp>cab while others prefer the FRFR route. They are very different.

Personally I don't want to lug around a 4x12 anymore and the FRFR provides the most versatility for my needs. The Atomic CLR's are great all around and you can find them used at pretty good prices. There are several good options on the market now.

If you decide to go the Ax>amp>cab route, check out the amps by Matrix. Plenty of power in a small package.
 
RalphNYC said:
Sell the amp and the 4-12. Buy a nice powered FRFR monitor, either 10" or 12" speaker. Then you'll be able to play at home with low volume through the Fractal into this FRFR monitor, or bring the fractal and monitor to any size gigs and play as loud as you want.
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I would assume one powered monitor would not be loud enough to cut through when jammin
Narzugon said:
Best advice I can offer is this: If you have not played at gig volume through a good FRFR this would be your first step. If at all possible find someone local that would allow you to try one out or find a local band with this setup and go check them out. The reason I suggest this as a first step is some prefer axe into amp>cab while others prefer the FRFR route. They are very different.

Personally I don't want to lug around a 4x12 anymore and the FRFR provides the most versatility for my needs. The Atomic CLR's are great all around and you can find them used at pretty good prices. There are several good options on the market now.

If you decide to go the Ax>amp>cab route, check out the amps by Matrix. Plenty of power in a small package.
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I agree. The smart thing to do would be to actually try out an FRFR system before pulling the trigger on going that route. My friend has a Yorkville 1000W PA. Not sure if it is any good for this application. I think I’ll try to run through that. Otherwise I don’t have any options. I did see a local metal band play live with axe fxs and I thought it sounded terrible. I was discouraged. But I think that was more the sound guy/system they had.

I like the idea of having versatility with all the cab options. But I’ve always loved the low end I could get from my Mesa rig. I don’t know how frfr would be able to hold a candle to that, but like with anything there are pros and cons.

I’ll start with the PA and go from there. I feel like a shot in the dark may be inevitable somewhere along this tone journey, though. Thanks for your input.
 
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Sell the stuff. Buy 2 powered 10 or 12 inch speakers. That way you will have your own PA. This will come in very handy down the road when you start going through singers.
 
Get yourself a Matrix amp and a pair of XiTone passive wedges. This will cover all of the bases and leave the option open to run through a real cab if you want to.
 
I have a 10” powered monitor and I can’t even turn it half way up with my 5 piece rock band which has 2 singers, keys, bass, drums and 2 guitars. So I wouldn’t worry about that. I use a Yamaha DBR10 and it’s stupid loud if needed.
 
food for thought, if u try a powered FRFR cab and don't like it you can always get a matrix power amp for more options and run it with a "real" cab or a passive FRFR cab should you try the FRFR route again. Something to consider.
 
mobizoid said:
Sell the stuff. Buy 2 powered 10 or 12 inch speakers. That way you will have your own PA. This will come in very handy down the road when you start going through singers.
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That's essentially what I did. Not long after I got my first AFX, I bought a pair of QSC K12s and a Behringer XR-18 mixer. I only run direct at gigs (no backline), so I figured the better PA our band has, the better my guitar will sound. The band was previously using a pair of K10s and a little Mackie mixer with only one Aux out. Now we use the K10s as wedge monitors and the K12s for mains. I eventually bought a third K10, so we now have three separate monitor mixes in front of the band (for me, the bass player, and the other guitarist). The drummer uses an IEM and has his own monitor mix as well.

Now if I go jam with another band or over at someone's house, I just take my AFX and either a K10 or K12. A single K12 has been able to keep up with any band I've jammed with. And a K10 in someone's living room gets loud enough to share with the neighbors, lol.
 
Get a XiTone 1x12 Powered Wedge. It's loud enough to melt faces and quiet enough to sound amazing in your apartment. Crystal clear FRFR sound and it's LOUD if it needs to be.

I didn't see you mention it, but get the MFC-101 and a pedal to run a Wah block and you will never need anything else. Ever. Like, seriously. Ever. Oh and get a good case for the Axe Fx II if your traveling round with it.
 
Ron_R said:
Get a XiTone 1x12 Powered Wedge. It's loud enough to melt faces and quiet enough to sound amazing in your apartment. Crystal clear FRFR sound and it's LOUD if it needs to be.

I didn't see you mention it, but get the MFC-101 and a pedal to run a Wah block and you will never need anything else. Ever. Like, seriously. Ever. Oh and get a good case for the Axe Fx II if your traveling round with it.
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I really like the idea of only having to 'lug' around 1 wedge. I was leaning towards XiTone as well, based on nothing but what I'm reading online... Can you tell me if XiTone speakers would work well for vocals etc.? I understand they are built for the guitarist, but if I buy 2 wedges, it would be great if they work well for vocals, keys etc. too.
 
jdiz86 said:
I really like the idea of only having to 'lug' around 1 wedge. I was leaning towards XiTone as well, based on nothing but what I'm reading online... Can you tell me if XiTone speakers would work well for vocals etc.? I understand they are built for the guitarist, but if I buy 2 wedges, it would be great if they work well for vocals, keys etc. too.
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I really couldn't tell you. I've only ever used them for my guitar. They sound so good, I wouldn't be surprised if they would shine in those applications.
 
jdiz86 said:
I really like the idea of only having to 'lug' around 1 wedge. I was leaning towards XiTone as well, based on nothing but what I'm reading online... Can you tell me if XiTone speakers would work well for vocals etc.? I understand they are built for the guitarist, but if I buy 2 wedges, it would be great if they work well for vocals, keys etc. too.
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@MicFarlow
 
jdiz86 said:
I really like the idea of only having to 'lug' around 1 wedge. I was leaning towards XiTone as well, based on nothing but what I'm reading online... Can you tell me if XiTone speakers would work well for vocals etc.? I understand they are built for the guitarist, but if I buy 2 wedges, it would be great if they work well for vocals, keys etc. too.
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Yep, they work well for vocals and keys. One of our listening/quality tests is to test all the cabs with program music. I usually use prog rock because you get guitar, vocals, keys, drums, bass, piano, synth, flute, violin and many other instruments in a short amount of time! :)
 
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