To pull the trigger or not? Should I sell my tube gear?

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pureanalog

Member
Well, I must say that I have had various amps in my possession. Mostly marshall tube amps (plexi's, jubes and everything). I have also had various modellers. I never liked soft based modellers. So far I have not found a modeller that sounds perfect.

Is the AXE FX perfect sounding? Or is the hype 0 % ?

I have a silver jubilee combo and I am thinking about selling it to finance the purchase of an AXE FX. (I have already put up for sale a gibson SG, a H&K tube combo and my FX pedals)

What worries me is that the AXE does not have a silver jubilee sim, and most important I am not yet 100% convinced that the AXE does indeed make tube amps obsolete. It is just hard to believe because we have been told the same story since 1998 with the POD. And when in 2003 the POD xt entered the market the hype was so high that many people found there was no need for tube amps anymore... But still there were some tube purists. Now with the AXE I still haven't found a serious thread poster that claims that a tube amp does sound better than the AXE fx...

And then there is the support issue. How long do you people think or know this peace of gear will be supported ?

Sure when a product is very expensive people are afraid to criticise it because it makes them look like they made a very bad move, but what is the real deal here.

Should I sell my Silver Jubilee? Will I ever need it again?
 
Do you have to sell the Marshall to buy the Axe? I would find another way to help finance the Axe until you are satisfied with what the Axe can do.

I sold my last tube amp that I thought I would never sell and haven't looked back. I had the Axe and my tube head at the same time and wasn't ready to let it go until I was sure it could replace what I had and even then I didn't really want to as like your Jubilee my Lee Jackson XLS1000 was somewhat of a collectable.

The new Marsha sim does a pretty good job with those tones. In this vid he is using the Marsha B E sim for the tones and sounds pretty convincing to me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkyhxlINXsc

Ether way I would still try to buy an Axe and keep your hard to come by Marshall just for the fact that amp will continue to grow in value just because.
 
Buy it, try it for the test period, and then see if you like it.

However, I'm sure there are tons of people that would tell you that you should feel confident in selling your amp, including myself, before purchasing the Axe. I'm certain you'll be happy with it; it's the most incredible piece of gear I've ever owned. And yes, I've sold all my tube amps, and I had some nice ones.

As far as support - I can't imagine the support being any better. I purchased my Axe in April or May of 2009 when the firmware was at 7.x and now it's at 10.x, and those updates have been free. I don't think there's another company like Fractal Audio in that regard.

Good luck!
 
Sold a Mesa boogie studio preamp + Mesa Boogie 50/50 PA and an original Marshall Plexi Superlead 100w 1973, before buying the axe fx...
Never looked back... Actually, since I bought my axe fx, I have never GASed for ANY amp, preamp etc... Now, I'm spending my peanuts (you can call it money I guess) only on Guitars :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Short answers to your questions:

- Yes, pull the trigger.
- I believe you will be selling them sooner or later...to get an Axe-Fx backup unit :)
 
I have so far kept my Marshall Vintage Modern as an insurance premium in the case of doubt-based GAS striking. If it hits, then all I need to do is to fire up the VM and avoid buying anything tube (yet again).

With the latest Marshall/Marsha sims I have started thinking I'll just sell it.
 
I've been using a Mark IV Boogie with the Axe in Wet/Dry/Wet. Always thought it sounded better than the Sims in the Axe. That is until 10.0.... So far, I'm impressed.

But no - I wouldn't sell the tube gear just yet.
 
I've only had my Ultra for a couple months, but I'm loving it so far. I'm still in the tweaking process so I haven't sold any of my tube amps yet, but I can see it happening in the not so distant future. Here is my list of amps that will probably be on the block soon:

Egnater Tourmaster 4100
Egnater Rebel 20
Egnater TOL50 combo
Orange Tiny Terror
Randall RM20 (may keep this)
Randall RM100
Peavey 5150 (may keep this)
H&K Anniversary Edition combo

Anyone wanna buy an amp??? :lol:
 
Keep your Jubilee, work as a gigolo for a week, buy the Axe FX, make sure it works for YOU ( which, most likely it will ), then sell your Jubilee.... and then go get some shots for the gigolo thing... ;)
 
I know it is a tough decision, but like you I have had countless tube amps, Marshalls, Boogies, old and new. I swore off digital years ago. However this thing is a game changer. You will not miss your Marshall. You will love taking a light setup around with you, and most of all you will love having a cranked to 7 Marshall tone at any volume. I know it seems scary to take a chance and find out you may not like the Axe, but in a worse case scenario you will be able to sell the Axe for not much less than the price you buy it. You won't regret it. Actually I can't even believe I am saying this. I am actually telling you to sell your analog gear for digital. That is something I was absolutely sure I would never say. But yes I am saying it.
 
I just wanted to add this... When your going from a tube amp to a modeler it does take some getting used to. For some it's real easy as they may have had experience with other modelers, Line 6, Rocktron etc.

The learning curve is there and the more time you spend with it the easer it becomes. In the past the natural progression for most is to go with an Axe, tube power amp and a traditional guitar cab as this combination is the most familiar in terms of what your used to hearing. After a wile you will be wanting to get more out of your investment so FR will be the next step. Once you get their only then will you realize the power and potential of the Axe.

Even With the last firmware update 9.xx I believe one could go right to FR and not have any issues with respect to tone. The latest firmware update is like some one handing you two high dollar amps for NOTHING. FREE anything to the little guy... Just unheard of in the music industry.

Though the stock IR's are good and are convincing add on some after market IR's and you will begin to understand what all the fuss is about. Only you can decide if you need to sell your Marshall or not, if it were me and knowing how hard the Jubilee is becoming to find I would try to find a way to hold on to it just from an investment standpoint.
 
I'd definitely hang on to whatever amps you have (if possible) until all doubts have been removed. If you still plug in and play throught it, it's not time to sell. If it's sitting gathering dust, it's time to sell. I still play through my Marshall JVM at least once a week.
 
Should you sell to finance the Axe? This question has been asked numerous times before, and the most common response has been - if you can afford the Axe without selling, then by all means buy the Axe first, see if it meets your expectations, then sell the amp only if and when you are satisfied that you no longer need or desire it.

Regarding your statement: "...and most important I am not yet 100% convinced that the AXE does indeed make tube amps obsolete...".

In my opinion, you may be missing something here in your thinking. One does not need to be 100% convinced that the Axe makes tube amps obsolete in order to purchase one. There are some on this board who have posted that they do not believe the Axe is 100% there on "tube feel"...some say it's 90% or 95%, or whatever. But the stellar effects, coupled with an incredible variety of amp sims which obviates the need for a roomful of amps, or a 500 lb rack, combined with the 90% or whatever % it is "there" for them, makes it a no brainer for these folks.

I would be remiss if I didn't also point out that many consider it 100% there, and many actually consider it 150% there, in that the Axe tweakability can go where no other effects rack or single analog amp could go. So, "making tube amps obsolete", or being 100% there, may not be a requirement in determining whether it would fit your needs. Just a thought which might help you decide.

As far as support goes, it has been excellent so far, in a number of areas: customer responsiveness is great...tech support usually prompt, always there to help, and Fractal responds well (mostly :) ) to customer requests for features / improvements. Also, you can't beat regular and free updates. As for the future, no one can predict that...hopefully Fractal can make a sufficient profit out of this venture. It's like the restaurant business...one can have the greatest chef, cooking the greatest food, in the greatest location, with the greatest decor..but if they don't know how to sucessfully manage all that, run a business, and make a profit, then the game's up...Fractal appears to have been able to accomplish this so far, and the addition of a seasoned company like Atomic (and Tom King) has got to be a great asset. Carefully rolling out new products in a controlled growth scenario, with an emphasis on quality, is another (read...reeeaaaly sloooowly). Getting well known proponents of incredible analog tone on board may be further evidence of longevity (in that it is likely to significantly increase sales). Obviously, you do what "due diligence" research you can...but ultimately, as with most things in life...you pays your money, and you takes your chances...IMHO of course.
 
Sold all my boogies! no regrets soundwise...

Still, I wished I had some to look at, cuddle them and lift them every now and then. They look so cool :D
 
I live in EUROPE and apparently, it will not be easy to get a new AXE without selling the jube. And resale is pretty high for used units.

Also I am kind of afraid that in a year there will be a lower cost alternative with less features and my purchase will be kind of a waste...
 
pureanalog said:
I live in EUROPE and apparently, it will not be easy to get a new AXE without selling the jube. And resale is pretty high for used units.

Also I am kind of afraid that in a year there will be a lower cost alternative with less features and my purchase will be kind of a waste...
Click to expand...

You need to do some reading. There is no lower cost alternative for everything you get with this box, and theres no reason to think there ever will be. The axe is a product of pure genius and at the very least will allow you to get rid of every effects box you have ever known.
 
Everything below is IMHO, YMMV and all the other acronyms :D

Main reasons for not moving from tube amp to AxeFX:

(1) It's not as plug and play as a tube amp. Yes, the AxeFX requires menu-based setup, and only if you want to, you can get into some heavy tweaking for further improvements. Some people exaggerate the complexity of this, but it's not for everyone.

(2) If you already have what you believe is your ultimate tone, then by definition, nothing (AxeFX or anything else) can exceed it. It's also unlikely that anything can match every aspect of that tone. Some folks get dejected about this.

(3) You're addicted to the speakers getting your trousers a-flappin'. Although you can stick with a tube power amp and guitar cab for the same result, you lose some of the AxeFX flexibility with this approach. FRFR is technically the way to go, but again, it's not for everyone.

Main reasons for moving from tube amp to AxeFX:

(1) You can get genuine tube tones (no hype) of many different amp/cab combos.

(2) In many cases, you'll find you can tune amps to sound BETTER than what you can get out of the real thing. Everyone likes different aspects of their tones - you can customise amps to emphasise what you like and dial out what you don't. It's like having a battery of amps and an amp tech to customise each one the way you like!

(3) More effects than you'll ever use, all spectacular quality and tweakable at basic and advanced levels if you want.

(4) Even without the much-awaited floor controller, any MIDI controller can give you powerful control of patch selection and realtime effects manipulation.

(5) Editing is powerful and easy from both the AxeFX interface and the supplied editor. The AxeFX has a powerful and flexible connection and control matrix that makes just about anything you can imagine possible.

(6) Cliff's support, listening to his cutomers, and frequent improvements easily exceed anything you'll get anywhere else (including your beloved tube amp).

(7) Your entire rig fits into 2 rack spaces.

(8) Awesome support on this forum from many pro players, skilled technicians and players with good experience, ears and discoveries!

and probably lots more I can't think of at the moment.
 
pureanalog said:
I live in EUROPE and apparently, it will not be easy to get a new AXE without selling the jube. And resale is pretty high for used units.

Also I am kind of afraid that in a year there will be a lower cost alternative with less features and my purchase will be kind of a waste...
Click to expand...

there is no guaranteed reward for taking the ''easier'' route. the only way to make sure youre 100% happy is to get the axe first. id say this is especially important if you love your amp and its irreplaceable.

the other alternative is to sell your amp for very close to what you can buy it for again, and take avail of fractals 15 day return policy.
 
Is there anyone who lives close to you that has an Axe FX ? Ask around... maybe they will let you come over and check it out.... show you through the unit and building a preset... demo the amp sims... that's what a cool guy here did for me... sold me on it...
 
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