Standard Vs II - Only tone

The difference is pretty dramatic. That said, the difference is more pronounced when you're in the room. Recorded tones aren't as dramatic between the Gen 1 and Gen 2 devices. I've owned both, and admittedly I couldn't with 100% accuracy take two sound clips, same player, same model, same guitar and say, "That's DEFINITELY the 2!"

However, in the room with a good FRFR rig, it's a pretty noticeable step up. I was on the fence about going to the 2, and within a minute of playing the Nuclear Tone preset I said, "Yep, this is a keeper".
 
I've said this in the past... With my Ultra I was always putting it up against real amps and wanting the Axe-fx to hold its own using several different SS PA's. Sometimes it would be pretty close and other times it sounded as if a blanket was on the speakers. There's something about the high end that always sounded muffled about Gen I. Now with the Axe-fx II (especially with firmware 8.xx-11b)... I've had no desire to even put it up against an amp. The Axe-fx II IS an amp for me. The sizzle, the growl, the roar... it's all there. Now instead of looking forward to amp fest head to head 'battles' I look forward to FW updates! Or maybe I should just call them FW crackdates (cuz this stuff is addicting as crack!) :)
 
Ben Randolph said:
in the room with a good FRFR rig, it's a pretty noticeable step up
Click to expand...

What kind of FRFR rig do you like the best?

I have get (with the standard) much better results going directly to an active speaker than through a mix board. With the mix board in the middle it sounded too refined to me. It lost attitude.
 
Sidivan said:
If I was going to spend upwards of $1000 to upgrade alone, I probably wouldn't have done it.
Click to expand...
That's where I'm at. I haven't played a II yet and I'm sure there's a difference in feel and tone but not a $1000 difference. For me at least. I've had my Ultra for quite some time and know how to dial up a tone I like very fast. Lately, I've been playing my Ultra through my Rebel 20's loop using the Rebel's power section and the Ultra's preamp models(turned off poweramp sim) through a 1x12 loaded with a Greenback and it sounds Great! But like in Wayne's World, I hear myself saying about the II,"Oh yes...you will be mine."
 
Hi rufes:

I was playing/tweaking a standard until february 2013. Always said, I would never do the switch and how happy I was with my standard. My tones where really good and I was happy. Then I got the chance to test drive the AxeFx II - with fw9.02, I instantly felt in love with the new tones, within six hours I had learned to use the new tools. So I bought one ;-))

Sure, it's some serious money, but you'll get some serious hardware (and firmware). If the old machine was more of a custom preamp tone machine ( I never used the standard as a copy-amp-machine, I was mainly blown away by its effects and the amp simulator block to create my own reality) the new machine nails all that amp sounds. You want the gritty raw sizzle JTM45 amp tone? Its there.....you want fenderish cleans with that singing top end - its in there too...plus all the possibilities to tweak these amps the way you want - and a ton of great, superb effects. Check my link below....if you like, here is a little quest: listen to some of my earlier Axefx II tones (flashyslow) and try to get it with your standard! Have fun

Cheers
Paco
 
Thanks Paco.

As a vintage amp "collector" I really don't don't know how close it will come to the real thing. However I don't need this thing to sound like my vintage amps. I have them for that. :)
 
If you have the money then definitely the II. If you have a tight budget you can do amazing things with GEN1 also. Just listen to Zorran:

 
decided to skip a gen - not for money reasons, just sitting back and waiting until a III becomes available. whenever.
in the meantime my axeI is plenty good enough for me.
 
Coming from a few years with an Ultra, I noticed a diff right away. It would be an improvement and if trends continue, once I master the learning curve, I should love the II more than the Ultra.
 
rufes said:
Thanks Paco.

As a vintage amp "collector" I really don't don't know how close it will come to the real thing. However I don't need this thing to sound like my vintage amps. I have them for that. :)
Click to expand...

as a long term repair technician for guitar amps (>15yrs) I know them pretty well too ;) I offer "revoicings" on various amps by customer requests - not by pure specs, also by ear! So I'm pretty amazed how nice the AxeFx II compares to my soldering iron, when tweaking those "legends".

As you know - there isin't one JTM45, Fender Twin AB763 or Marshall SL amp - there are many in various shapes and conditions. So you can't tell which one is "the reference" as many people believe in different options, different taste of tones (and foremost different skilled players to make the thing sound great....or not). The fun part is, that the axefx II has not just the sonic depth close to reality as possible - you can tweak your own reality. I still do.....as I always will. But with the II version a bass pot of a RCA type tonestack does what you expect a bass pot in a RCA tonestack should do. Thanks to MIMIC, there are accurate calculations regarding control-, frequency-, dynamic- and nonlinear responce deviations. The first gen axefx was a mostly based on circuit designs - now with the 2nd generation, there are precise re-calculations made, based on actual amps and abnormalities in circuits between components aka high complex inductive- and capcitive reactance etc.

just in case.... ;)

@ mba: I would love to hear your opinion and soundclip! You're a great player! :D

Cheers
Paco
 
mba said:
I don't think so.
Click to expand...

It's kind of... the axefx is somehow more "regular". You can fine tune the sound, eq it with IR, but the "regularity" it's there. It's hard to explain. Cliff explained it very well post ago...
 
rufes said:
Thanks Paco.

As a vintage amp "collector" I really don't don't know how close it will come to the real thing. However I don't need this thing to sound like my vintage amps. I have them for that. :)
Click to expand...

I used to collect vintage guitar amplifiers. .....until I figured out that I don't make enough money to collect vintage guitar amplifiers. :D Anyway, I owned a fair sampling of Fender and Marshall amps along with amps from Vox, Traynor, Gibson, and a few Valco/Supro/Silvertone models. Those for which there is a matching model in the AxeFX II are not missed and, with the available selection of amps in the II, neither are the rest. The AxeFX is more adept at providing mic'd amp tones than 'in the room' sounds but I've been able to get both with the right IR's. Are the models and IR's dead on? Well I suppose that would depend on the particular individual examples one would choose to use for comparison (as there is much variation from one amp to the next in the same year/make/model amp). Generally speaking I find the models to be like what I'd want in a real example of each - in most cases. I've owned a few amps that were flat amazing as compared to other examples from the same year: a 1964 blacface Fender Pro 1x15 combo, a 1967 Traynor YSR-1 Custom Reverb head. While each is not specifically modeled in the AxeFX II I've been able to tweak models to get close enough that the differences don't matter.

The only reasons I would have had to maintain an amp collection once I began using the AxeFX II would be for that occasional pant-leg-flapping, air-moving, in-the-room experience of playing one of them at home. The AxeFX II would be my choice for live or recording without a doubt. Given that I've come to prefer the mic'd amp sound over 'in the room' I sold my amps and don't miss them. I still have a budget amp - an Egnater Tweaker 15 1x12 combo - that I use when testing pedal builds and mods (because that's how they will get used) but I've done so little of this sort of thing in recent years that the Egnater is likely to get sold just to clear space (it sits unused - I don't tend to hold on to things I don't use unless they are to be passed down to my son).

I can't say how you you would find the comparison between your amps and the AxeFX II but I imagine that you would dig the II over the Standard regardless (I started with an Ultra). If you can't find a local user willing to host a demo and if you can swing it you might consider taking advantage of Fractal's 15-day return policy to demo the II.
 
Deaj said:
While each is not specifically modeled in the AxeFX II I've been able to tweak models to get close enough that the differences don't matter.
Click to expand...

Same thing was experienced by a german user, who owned an fender super reverb amp which he compared to my 65' bassman patch (flashyslow soundclip in my signature, also on Axe Change). He dropped me a message, saying that the sound and feel were so close, he's not longer in need of his old amp anymore. As I said back then - tweak the advanced parameters for more holy shitballs - it's all in there, yet waiting to be discovered by the user! ;)
 
hey you have to take some advice with a grain of salt.. some of the II guys will tell you that the Ultra/Standard never sounded quite right or digital etc through monitors. Remember that the quality of IRs have been improving also. The II comes with better stock IRs and there is also much more quality stuff out there.

The Gen 1 units sound awesome with good IRs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom