Rejuvenated Guitar Player thx to Axe FX 2

Claude M

Claude M

Inspired
Hi guys,

I don't normally post to these forums. I do however love reading people's journeys and advice on different issues re the Axe FX 2.

This post is to let you know about my journey with the Axe FX 2, if you care to know that is!

I've been playing in cover bands in Australia around 2-3 nights a week for around 27 years. In that time I've seen the music biz change so much. My gear has also changed from an ADA MP1 into a Boogie 295 Poweramp into 2 x ADA cabs, to a Mesa Boogie Mark III head to a Triaxis to now, a EVH 5150 III 100 watt head. I've always loved a preamp set up where I could program 30 sounds because when playing covers, you definitely need more than 1 sound!

I bought the Axe FX Ultra a few years back, but my mind wasn't open or ready to tackle a beast either in it's simplicity or it's depth. I tweaked around for 2 weeks or so and thought, "this black box is too complicated" and consequently sold it. Recently I started looking into the Axe Fx again and after being more open minded and more ready, I bought the Axe FX 2, around 3 months ago. I understand this "black box" better now and was prepared to tweak etc to achieve 'my sound'. I got Axe Edit running, Axe Change running and bought an Atomic CLR Active wedge.

The Axe Fx cost me $2600 which to some people, is expensive for a black box. For me, a $2600 black box with unlimited potential is way worth more than a $2600 amp head with 3 sounds!

Apart from having such a beast at your disposal and having a blank canvas to paint whatever sound you want, what I'm about to say next is really what the Axe FX 2 has done to me. It's rejuvenated my love for guitar playing!

When I was young, I was sitting in my room learning Malmsteen, Moore, Scorpions, Van Halen and a million more licks. I practiced a few hours a day. As I got older and busier, the practice stopped and in some ways, guitar playing became a job as I was working 2-3 nights a week. So it was like going to work - have a shower, pack your gear, load in, do the show, load out, get paid and go home. I got to the point where I never picked up the guitar until gig night. No practice, no learning licks etc.

What the Axe has done for me is made me love plugging my guitar into the black box, pulling up a sound and simply - PLAYING! Every free night I have I go into my room and just play - I don't practice or learn licks - I simply PLAY. At work when I have a free moment, I log onto the Axe Forum and read people's comments and ideas and watch videos and I can't wait to get home and plug my guitar in and - play.

Thanks Cliff and Team for, apart from making a beautiful tool to create music, you've made me fall in love with my instrument again because of your little "Black Box".

Also thanks to the Forum Members for the inspiration. Even though people and discussions can get heated at times - we're passionate musos.

Thanks for listening and reading.

I LOVE PLAYING!
 
I feel the same way, and I still feel like this black box regularly surprises me with how deep it is and what it is capable of.
 
Hey guys,
Yeah guitar playing is so personal and everyone gets inspirations from many places. I swore I'd never prostitute my guitar (meaning I wouldn't do gigs for money alone if I was bored or hated playing guitar). I have to love it to play it and get paid for it, otherwise for me it's prostitution (can't think of another word for it!).

It's beautiful to see other people here enjoying a product that can make them pick up that guitar and be inspired to create a new patch, simply play for hours through headphones or other devices and/or play at home/live.

I can't wait to blow people away with 'my' sound!
 
Awesome Claude, I can relate to that even though I'm only six years into the cover band job. Thanks for sharing!
 
Since getting the Axe FX II summer 2013 I find myself playing more too. Spending a lot of time learning this beast and making presets that have the sound I want or modifying presets I downloaded from Axechange.

Some guys come up with some killer presets then share them and some won't share which is a shame, it's like "Hey, listen to my presets!" Cool! Can we have the presets? (Deep space silence pause indefinite) :p

Oh well, when I got this the 384 built in presets mostly didn't do anything for me, once I downloaded some patches that gave me tones of Dimebag, Whitesnake, Van Halen, Ratt, Motley Crue I began loving it.

Before the AFX2 I built a custom pedal board that was ridiculously huge and riddled with ground loops and all its inglorious hum along with a Octaswitch II, creating a preset and assigning scenes blows that whole old set up away. (I sold off a lot of gear and have cured my GAS almost %99!)
:encouragement:
 
I think just about everyone on this forum loves their Axe!

I was never like this when I had the ADA and Triaxis. I can't explain my love for playing now.

Some nights I'll go in my room to create some patches and end up just playing for 3 hours!

At the moment in my cover band, I've been using the EVH 5150 III head and cab since September 2012. I CAN'T WAIT to get the Axe Fx 2 happening live.
One, just for the sound experience.
Two, to be able to play more than 3 sounds
Three, lugging around a 4 space rack and gig bag and taking two leads and plugging them in, instead of lugging a heavy head and cab and running multiple leads.

HAPPY CHAP HERE!!! :lol
 
I could not have said it better Claude.

I am not as fortunate as you (I don't pay the bills by playing music). But, the inspiration I get from the AXE is just awesome. I am playing musically again, instead of mechanically, because I am just so inspired at the volume of tonal choices at my fingertips. And I blame it all on FAS!!!

Thank you Cliff! :encouragement:
 
smcrosby said:
I could not have said it better Claude.

I am not as fortunate as you (I don't pay the bills by playing music). But, the inspiration I get from the AXE is just awesome. I am playing musically again, instead of mechanically, because I am just so inspired at the volume of tonal choices at my fingertips. And I blame it all on FAS!!!

Thank you Cliff! :encouragement:
Click to expand...

Awesome smcrosby.

Yeah I have been fortunate to continually be playing live for around 28 years. As anything, it has good and bad points. As a guitar player playing covers, you can become stale. When you're playing Jessie's Girl for instance, there's no way you cannot play the solo - it's recognized, so you can't really play your own solo. Some songs you can go to town with and others, you have to stick to the song.
I definitely play what I want rhythmically but solo wise, depending on the song, I have to stick to the song.
You can become very stale from that especially playing a song like Jessie's Girl 2 nights a week for all those years!
Because I got bored with the guitar, I stopped playing and found fun elsewhere. Now, with the intro of this Black Box, I'm excited to play - to sit down and learn and practice and to have that enthusiasm show on stage.
I hear ya smcrosby - this box has a lot to answer to!
 
I lost a bit of my passion for playing due to working full time and grad school the last 2 years. Oh, yeah did i mention I have a wife and a boston terror haha. After getting the axe fx, it's giving me a bit of a push to make noises more often.
 
Another thing that can really spark your improvising is some good backing tracks. I love jamming on the guitar also, everyday I work on new techniques and try to learn from other players who have something that sparks my interest. Its like no matter how good I get at one thing there is another technique around the corner that makes me feel like a beginner again. That is truly what I love about the guitar it is endless learning with a lifetime of fun while improving. I wish I had as many gigs under my belt as you have but I'm working towards it. I quit performing for many years but spent that time writing originals now I'm getting back into the live thing. I have been playing for 46 years and still learning.
 
Awesome markmusicman!
(I'm sitting here with my Axe as I write, putting in new sounds but can;t stop noodling!)
Yeah live gigging is where it's at. I'm 51 and get mistaken to be no older than 30 at gigs. It's not because I'm good looking (that I know for sure!) but because gigging keeps me alive and youthful in it's own way. It's funny coz I can't see an end to it (except for when I die)!
Sometimes I wanna sit down and really get my sweeping down and play like Malmsteen and all the other guys, but then I look at the first guitarist I learnt from and got into (whilst all my friends were doing Purple and Zeppelin) which is Brian May. He never sweeps or plays super fast, yet he is respected by his peers for his unique sound, his ability to paint numerous combined and well flavoured textures on a canvas and be inspirational at the same time. So that's who I wanna be. And the Axe has rejuvenated my love for this instrument!

Axe FX 2.jpg
 
Good read, and I agree. There are two things that have giving me more inspiration than any other tools I have owned- Suhr guitars and the Axe Fx.
 
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