AFIII The Triaxis is Spot On

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Axe-Master
Here's a short clip demonstrating the accuracy of the Triaxis Yellow LD2 model - the clip below goes back and forth between my Triaxis and the Axe. I didn't have to do any fine tweaking on the Axe, I just copied the exact values from the Triaxis front panel and plugged them into the III.



The other modes all sound spot on too.
 
The fun is: I use JJ tubes in my triaxis in the first positions for Clean/Lead 1 and Lead 2. You can even emulate that on the axe. And you hear it, I swear! Maybe it´s time to say goodbye to this trusty piece of gear.
 
After my Mark III, I absolutely love the Triaxis. My first unit direct from the factory was the earlier version with the Mark I in lead 1 Green and the classic Marshalls in the Lead 1 Yellow and Red.

Very shortly after they changed the Lead 1 Red to the Rectifier.

I had Mesa do the upgrade on my Triaxis.

I forget if FAS had them on the Ultra. But they are stellar in the AxeII and more so with the AxeIII!!! 👍
 
I have two of them. Both with the Lead 1 Red board. I gigged a Triaxis rig for a long time. Triaxis, TC G-Force, dbx 266xl (because the compressors in the TC sucked and it couldn't do 4CM) and a 2:90. At some point I replaced the 2:90 with a VHT 2:50:2. Then the rest got replaced with an Axe-Fx.
 
I have two of them. Both with the Lead 1 Red board. I gigged a Triaxis rig for a long time. Triaxis, TC G-Force, dbx 266xl (because the compressors in the TC sucked and it couldn't do 4CM) and a 2:90. At some point I replaced the 2:90 with a VHT 2:50:2. Then the rest got replaced with an Axe-Fx.

The 2:90 with me too for years! Along with an Eventide H3000 and the SGX2000 processor. Heavy rig!

My very next rig was the Axefx Ultra!!

Ultra to FOH and a floor wedge was all it took! :-0

Hauling and setup!

Dang what a difference in gear!! ;-)
 
The Triaxis model is so good that I can even nail my modded Triaxis' tone with some tweaking. It's a slight mod to the Lead 1 Recto board that makes it a bit tighter and more modern sounding. It's excellent and I don't think I could ever sell it. Here's a copy/paste of the guy describing the mod to me in case anybody is interested academically:


Basically, when Mesa removed the phat mod from the TX4 board, the circuit improved. However, Mesa designed the removal of the Phat mod incorrectly in my opinion. Here are my changes:

----------

1) Add 4 resistors:
R9 :120k Ohm
R44 : 33k Ohm*
R45 : 330k Ohm
R46 : 82k Ohm

2) Add 4 disc. caps:
C5, C6 & C12 : 0.001 µF
C22 : 47 pF

3) Change these 2 resistors near the center of the board and labelled MID & BASS. Replace them with:
R33 (MID) : 1meg Ohm
R34 (BASS) : 10k Ohm

There is one resistor and one cap that I left stock. This is a much better sounding mod than the official Fat Mod removal.

*Correction: Actually I believe I used 3k3 Ohm at R44, not 33k. A lower value results in less top-end.

----------

56035
 
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I have two of them. Both with the Lead 1 Red board. I gigged a Triaxis rig for a long time. Triaxis, TC G-Force, dbx 266xl (because the compressors in the TC sucked and it couldn't do 4CM) and a 2:90. At some point I replaced the 2:90 with a VHT 2:50:2. Then the rest got replaced with an Axe-Fx.

Man there was just something about a VHT 2/50/2 and especially the 2/90/2. Everything I threw in front of that thing was just so thumpy and aggressive but, what a boat anchor.

and for the funs -

56036
 
Here's a short clip demonstrating the accuracy of the Triaxis Yellow LD2 model - the clip below goes back and forth between my Triaxis and the Axe. I didn't have to do any fine tweaking on the Axe, I just copied the exact values from the Triaxis front panel and plugged them into the III.



The other modes all sound spot on too.

You could switch back and forth throughout the entire song and no one would ever know. That’s just crazy.
 
Man there was just something about a VHT 2/50/2 and especially the 2/90/2. Everything I threw in front of that thing was just so thumpy and aggressive but, what a boat anchor.

and for the funs -

View attachment 56036
Yup, one of the best tube power amps I've ever tried and I've tried most of 'em. The original Mesa Simul 2:95 was also really good (had both 6L6's and EL34's). Talk about a boat anchor. Had one of those in my first rack system. 12 spaces. Needed two people to carry it.
 
Gotta chime in that having owned all of the above mentioned power amps, the one that truly stood out to me was the Randall RT2/50. Something about that power amp.
 
The Triaxis model is so good that I can even nail my modded Triaxis' tone with some tweaking. It's a slight mod to the Lead 1 Recto board that makes it a bit tighter and more modern sounding. It's excellent and I don't think I could ever sell it. Here's a copy/paste of the guy describing the mod to me in case anybody is interested academically:


Basically, when Mesa removed the phat mod from the TX4 board, the circuit improved. However, Mesa designed the removal of the Phat mod incorrectly in my opinion. Here are my changes:

----------

1) Add 4 resistors:
R9 :120k Ohm
R44 : 33k Ohm*
R45 : 330k Ohm
R46 : 82k Ohm

2) Add 4 disc. caps:
C5, C6 & C12 : 0.001 µF
C22 : 47 pF

3) Change these 2 resistors near the center of the board and labelled MID & BASS. Replace them with:
R33 (MID) : 1meg Ohm
R34 (BASS) : 10k Ohm

There is one resistor and one cap that I left stock. This is a much better sounding mod than the official Fat Mod removal.

*Correction: Actually I believe I used 3k3 Ohm at R44, not 33k. A lower value results in less top-end.

----------

View attachment 56035


i really wish i didnt sell my triaxis with the recto board. I had one a while back, sold and then got another one with the phat mod which I removed and it sounded great. I wrote down my settings before I packed her up, and with those settings the red 1 channel in the axe does not sound like I remember, so i'm not sure what is wrong or if that model is ganked.
 
Yup I've also heard that Cliff used to play a Triaxis prior to creating the Axe-Fx so maybe there's some extra care for those models. Not that the other models sound off. I've been working on the IIC+ Amp Pack this week and even on that I can get away with using the same EQ settings although I do have to do stuff to get the palm mutes and thickness right but just have a listen to this. IIC+ first and Axe-Fx III second - the main difference is that the signal chain is much cleaner with the Fractal and there's more noise on the IIC+:



Who would've thought that it would like this - people who own real tube amps appreciate the Axe-Fx even more than people who don't because we can compare Fractal to the real thing and be amazed at how close this computer gets. And it's even more impressive with the really loud amps like my Marshall Super Lead which I'm almost terrified to even use. In case you're interested here's a video:


I haven't started the work on that pack yet but I'm sure I'll be able to nail those sounds with the Axe-Fx III.

It's a magic box and this is the best time to be a guitar gear nerd. :)
 
The Triaxis/G-Force/2:90 was the rig of my dreams growing up. My back is very happy it never materialized.

My old rig was a Triaxis / 290 / Boss GT-Pro / 2x Peavy MS412 cabs. Replaced it with an Axe-Fx II MkI and a pair of Yamaha DXR12 powered cabs. My back, neck, arms, legs and internal organs will never forgive me for my old rig :weary:
 
My old rig was a Triaxis / 290 / Boss GT-Pro / 2x Peavy MS412 cabs. Replaced it with an Axe-Fx II MkI and a pair of Yamaha DXR12 powered cabs. My back, neck, arms, legs and internal organs will never forgive me for my old rig :weary:
I loved these Peavey 412ms, so smooth
 
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