Tube Power Amp with AXE FX III Fryette G2902s or G2502s

[OrganicZed]

Great information. Yeah I think just not using a cab block in a preset is what makes more sense for me to do rather than the global settings. Then just turn on or off the power amp modeling in the amp block depending on what sounds best.

Just need to decide on 2902S versus the 2502S. This is just for moving air at home. I know a bit overkill but I am used to playing thru 100 watt heads and 412 cabs at home. I figure as long as the 2/90/2 has a gradual slope on the vol pot, then it would be the better choice. Always nice to have the power there even if you don't use it all the time. Room filling punch is key for me.

Either model will fill that role with ease. Unless you plan to play at very high volume you shouldn't even hear much difference between the sound of those amplifiers. Both have a lot of clean headroom.

The taper on the volume of the power amp doesn't matter all that much because you can use the output level on the Axe-FX (which is perfectly linear) to handle the volume control.

Standard rack screws work fine for holding my 2/90/2

 

[Ventanaman]

A standard (good quality) rack should not be an issue with the 2/90/2. I used one for years and the rack rails never bent, but my back didn't appreciate it at 1am after playing for 4 hours. :-/

You won't regret going with the 2/90/2 - it is fabulous with the AxeFx.

 

[Bertotti]

Either model will fill that role with ease. Unless you plan to play at very high volume you shouldn't even hear much difference between the sound of those amplifiers. Both have a lot of clean headroom.

The taper on the volume of the power amp doesn't matter all that much because you can use the output level on the Axe-FX (which is perfectly linear) to handle the volume control.

Standard rack screws work fine for holding my 2/90/2

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You have two different rack cabs which do you like better? I guess you went with two for weight savings?

 

[craiguitar]

I am not sure the weight will matter to me. It will live in a rack. Will the standard rack screws not hold it? Is everyone concerned with the weight because of touring?

It held in the rack just fine, with all my other gear in it but having to shlep the rack to every rehearsal and gig, up and down flights of stairs, across car parks and usher it though throngs of drunken punters, well my spine couldn’t take it any longer, so it had to go…

 

[metalms]

Either model will fill that role with ease. Unless you plan to play at very high volume you shouldn't even hear much difference between the sound of those amplifiers. Both have a lot of clean headroom.

The taper on the volume of the power amp doesn't matter all that much because you can use the output level on the Axe-FX (which is perfectly linear) to handle the volume control.

Standard rack screws work fine for holding my 2/90/2

View attachment 144060

Another contributor to a decision might be that I have more experience with el34 tubes and have spare sets of them as well as pairs of 6ca7 tubes. But I definitely like the feel and punch of a 100 watt head versus a 50 watt head. However that 2/50/2 is per channel so I would think it would feel similar to a 100 head?

 

[metalms]

A standard (good quality) rack should not be an issue with the 2/90/2. I used one for years and the rack rails never bent, but my back didn't appreciate it at 1am after playing for 4 hours. :-/

You won't regret going with the 2/90/2 - it is fabulous with the AxeFx.

Do you know if you can connect let’s say an 8 ohm cab to channel A and then a 16 ohm cab to channel B as long as the impedance selection is correct for each channel? I thought I read somewhere the tube circuits are independent which would lead me to think I could do this. As I have 2 16 ohm cabs but also have an 8 ohm cab that I might want to run at times with a 16 ohm. Separate channels of course.

 

[OrganicZed]

You have two different rack cabs which do you like better? I guess you went with two for weight savings?

Modularity is the primary goal. I want to be able to take the amp and Axe-FX separately because I don’t usually use an amp (IEM only). I don’t use the 2-90-2 with the Axe—FX. I use a QSC solid state amp (which is in another separate rack not shown).

The 6U rack is a low end Gator model that I purchased locally used for cheap. It is made of thin plastic and has stamped metal hardware. It is okay and would be fine for gentle usage. I wouldn’t trust my gear in that case if it were going to be in the back of a band van getting crushed by the PA. It provides light protection and is correspondingly light weight.

The 4U rack in the picture is the opposite end of the spectrum. It is a fairly heavy duty model from LM Cases. It is constructed of 3/8 inch thick plywood and has heavy duty stainless steel hardware. The case alone weighs in excess of 20 pounds. I like the protection it provides. The tradeoff is that the whole package (Axe FX, Furman, and rack) is over 50 pounds. That’s a lot for a modeling rig IMO. Another thing I’m not crazy about is that the finish quality is poor. There are sharp burrs on the metal parts. It cost about $250 when I purchased it four years ago but the same model now costs $584. I would not pay that much for this rack case.

 

[OrganicZed]

Do you know if you can connect let’s say an 8 ohm cab to channel A and then a 16 ohm cab to channel B as long as the impedance selection is correct for each channel? I thought I read somewhere the tube circuits are independent which would lead me to think I could do this. As I have 2 16 ohm cabs but also have an 8 ohm cab that I might want to run at times with a 16 ohm. Separate channels of course.

That is correct. The channels have independently selectable impedance.

 

[metalms]

Thank you to everyone for the suggestions and information. I ordered the Fryette 2/90/2 today! Figured I would go big to rule out any limitations. Can always run on low power mode if I want a lower power.

 

[metalms]

Either model will fill that role with ease. Unless you plan to play at very high volume you shouldn't even hear much difference between the sound of those amplifiers. Both have a lot of clean headroom.

The taper on the volume of the power amp doesn't matter all that much because you can use the output level on the Axe-FX (which is perfectly linear) to handle the volume control.

Standard rack screws work fine for holding my 2/90/2

In response to the following:
The taper on the volume of the power amp doesn't matter all that much because you can use the output level on the Axe-FX (which is perfectly linear) to handle the volume control.

Either the Axe FX iii manual states or I saw on you tube that when using output 3 to a power amp to set it to unity gain (fully clockwise) when connecting to power amps. I assume what you suggested in regards to using the output on the Axe FX iii as a preamp volume to control it is still possible?

Or is it a hard rule when using output 3 to set to unit gain when feeding its signal to a power amp?

I know it has been stated to leave power amp modeling on with a tube power amp such as the Fryette 2/290/2, but do I need to take care of other settings like the amp block's :

speaker drive set to 0
speaker compression set to 0
power sag set to 0
Output Mode: FRFR OR SS PA + Cab

Thank you for your time.

 

[OrganicZed]

@metalms Achieving unity gain is useful if you are using the Axe-FX in four cable method so that the amplifier gets the same signal level from the Axe-FX output as though it were directly connected to your guitar with a cable. That is important for tonal transparency and proper gain staging.

For the use case of connecting the Axe-FX to a power amplifier and speaker cabinets it is not necessary to achieve unity gain. You can control the volume using either the output of the Axe-FX or the volume knob on your amplifier.






In summary, speaker compression should be set to zero and the output mode should be FRFR. Regarding speaker drive and thump, the quoted comment from Cliff was in the context of using a solid state power amp. I think the same advice applies when using a tube power amp, but I am not 100% certain. I would not suggest setting power sag to zero as that will have a big impact on the feel of the amp model itself. You're not going to break anything by playing with these settings, so use these suggestions as your starting point and adjust until it sounds / feels good to you.

 

[GreatGreen]

The 2/90/2 is just about the biggest, most transparent sounding tube poweramp you can buy new these days. I bought one in the mid/late 2000’s and it’s been bulletproof and performed flawlessly since the day I got it. Also the voicing of the Presence and Depth circuits sounds fantastic.

Congrats! You’ll love it.

 

[Rotti]

^ this.

Fwiw, I prefer leaving poweramp modeling on with it. Ymmv.

 

[metalms]

@metalms Achieving unity gain is useful if you are using the Axe-FX in four cable method so that the amplifier gets the same signal level from the Axe-FX output as though it were directly connected to your guitar with a cable. That is important for tonal transparency and proper gain staging.

For the use case of connecting the Axe-FX to a power amplifier and speaker cabinets it is not necessary to achieve unity gain. You can control the volume using either the output of the Axe-FX or the volume knob on your amplifier.

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In summary, speaker compression should be set to zero and the output mode should be FRFR. Regarding speaker drive and thump, the quoted comment from Cliff was in the context of using a solid state power amp. I think the same advice applies when using a tube power amp, but I am not 100% certain. I would not suggest setting power sag to zero as that will have a big impact on the feel of the amp model itself. You're not going to break anything by playing with these settings, so use these suggestions as your starting point and adjust until it sounds / feels good to you.

Thank you again for the valuable information. I forgot about the Blocks Guide. Well, I assume that is where you pulled that information from in the screenshot. I have been looking in the axe iii manual and had forgotten to check the block guide. I will be sure to start referencing the both manuals. Thanks again.

 

[metalms]

@metalms Achieving unity gain is useful if you are using the Axe-FX in four cable method so that the amplifier gets the same signal level from the Axe-FX output as though it were directly connected to your guitar with a cable. That is important for tonal transparency and proper gain staging.

For the use case of connecting the Axe-FX to a power amplifier and speaker cabinets it is not necessary to achieve unity gain. You can control the volume using either the output of the Axe-FX or the volume knob on your amplifier.

View attachment 144199

View attachment 144200
View attachment 144201

In summary, speaker compression should be set to zero and the output mode should be FRFR. Regarding speaker drive and thump, the quoted comment from Cliff was in the context of using a solid state power amp. I think the same advice applies when using a tube power amp, but I am not 100% certain. I would not suggest setting power sag to zero as that will have a big impact on the feel of the amp model itself. You're not going to break anything by playing with these settings, so use these suggestions as your starting point and adjust until it sounds / feels good to you.

Definitely finding there is a bit of amp block vs output block leveling going on. Especially when doing both FOH and output 3 to Fryette. At first was getting very little signal. But after tweaking a bit, it is getting better. Starting with single amp stereo out to Fryette. I guess stereo amp blocks next.
Assume pan the 2 amp blocks left and right and good to go when running stereo amps into fryette?

 

[tobafett]

I am not getting much volume out of the 290 with the output 3 pegged. I tried the level button on the 290 in and out . I do see there are multiple db settings for the Axe iii output 3. Currently it is set to 0db. Is there an optimum db setting in the Axe setup output 3 to use with this power amp?
Or is are the volume pots on the 290 very gradual? Most heads I have are very loud at 9 o clock.

Look at your output levels for whichever output you're sending to the power amp. If the input of the PA isn't getting the level it wants to see, your gain stages will be out of wack, resulting in less volume at lower settings on the power amp. I use a LXII with my FXIII and FM9, and it works great! Good luck!

 

[tobafett]

The 2/90/2 is just about the biggest, most transparent sounding tube poweramp you can buy new these days. I bought one in the mid/late 2000’s and it’s been bulletproof and performed flawlessly since the day I got it. Also the voicing of the Presence and Depth circuits sounds fantastic.

Congrats! You’ll love it.

I had a 2150 back in the day - what a monster! Too much amp for me, lol. I use LXII now, and love it. It seems very transparent to me, and I enjoy playing through it more than my SD PS 170 when playing, although live, idk how much of a difference it makes FOH.

 

[metalms]

Look at your output levels for whichever output you're sending to the power amp. If the input of the PA isn't getting the level it wants to see, your gain stages will be out of wack, resulting in less volume at lower settings on the power amp. I use a LXII with my FXIII and FM9, and it works great! Good luck!

I have played around a bit more. I left the setup menu output 3 boost pad at 0 and started adjusting the amp block level until the output block meter hit 0 db. I had a few other levels that were not right on the first preset I tried. Not sure how the levels got out of whack. Just some user error probably. If I am on the right track, you just want to make sure the output you are sending out to the Fryette (in my case output 3 as stereo) is hitting around 0db on the output block meter and then the Fryette should be good to go?

 

[OrganicZed]

As long as you're getting enough volume without clipping anything it is fine. The input on the Fryette is probably designed for +4 dBU, but sending a lower level is not a problem as long as you're getting the volume you want.

 

[metalms]

As long as you're getting enough volume without clipping anything it is fine. The input on the Fryette is probably designed for +4 dBU, but sending a lower level is not a problem as long as you're getting the volume you want.

I think I have it acceptable now. I set my preset so output 3 block meter is right below and not going above 0db. Early on that was really low.

One thing I found on this Fryette is that when I have it on Standby, if the volume is up at all on channel A, I can hear a faint signal coming through the cab. I have never experienced this with any other tube amp that I have ever had. I have heard things about the Fortin Sigil where I thought it had that characteristic. So that concerns me a bit. Standby means no signal going through in my opinion. However, I will have to take that over to the Fryette forum for further investigation.

Just curious, all the have posted in this thread, if anyone else experiences that with their 290 or 250 Fryette? It happens when the axe output 3 is left up at normal playing level and the Fryette is put on standby. I think it happens on both channels A and B but not sure. Have to check again tomorrow.

Ears are a little muffle from sitting in front of 2 412 cabs in stereo with an Engl Savage amp block all night. The power amp definitely delivers! All chug tonight but tomorrow on to dialing up some ambient cleans. Thanks again everyone!