What did you rely on before the Axe-Fx

brianv4

brianv4

Fractal Fanatic
What did you use before the axefx ii and do you still have/use it?

I liked the Vox Tonelab a lot (SE, the big blue blue one with 2 exp pedals) as I was going direct for years. With the tube and valve reactor circuit it felt and sounded more real to me than anything else I had tried. And it's built like a tank. When it finally became unroadworthy I checked out everything comparable available. Couldn't stand any of it. Bought a Mesa mark v, that rocked my world but I still needed a good direct option. After some research I pulled the trigger and bought the axefx ii. Best gear decision I could've made. So good, I sold the mark v and added a QSC K12 to go with the axe and mfc. Wouldn't trade my rig for nothing!

It would be cool if The guys at Fractal would come out with a floor pedal version, cut down features for those that don't need more than the bread and butter stuff. Fender, Vox, Marshall and Mesa amp models with matched cab's, comp, wah, chorus, delay, verb and 2 exp pedals.

Sometimes a rack, floor board and frfr speaker is not as convenient for some gigs as a pedal board that can simply go direct.
 
Used a G System for 3 years. Lovely effects, but it's pretty complicated and took a lot of effort and gear to get a quiet system together. I just got tired of lugging the entire rig around, especially after I had a back injury. I liked the idea of modelling so went with an HD 500 / DT 25 setup. Interesting gear that works well together, but the tone couldn't measure up to what I had with the G System / Freyette 2-90-2 / Egnater M4 rig. So, I stepped up to the Axe and I've never been happier with any rig I've owned.

I still have the HD 500 that I use as a pedalboard and as a backup. When the MFCs come out, I'll have to decide whether to keep the HD for a backup or buy a 2nd Axe. I use the HD for band practice and it is SUCH a tone letdown. I'd probably put a paper bag over my head if I ever had to use it at a gig again. It's not that it is a bad piece of gear, but it just doesn't compare to the Axe and it is not inspiring to play for me.
 
Starting at semi pro touring rigs

Marshall 800/JC120 AB box (80's) Ahh a young back and legs, had roadies for a while!!
ADA MP1 New (long time love me) sold it to a friend STILL WORKS!!
Rocktron Voodu valve
Line 6 AX2 w/EVM's ( Still love me)
Vetta (cant sell the MF****KER for 100.00)
H&K Switchblade ( brief)
Ultra
II
 
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Rivera Rake (that used to belong to our own Scott Peterson), Two Rock Emerald 50, and a big pedal board. Emerald is long gone (sold to fund my first AxeFx), most pedals are gone, and the Rivera will probably go some time this spring or summer.
 
LOL @ Dramelot. Dude, that looks familiar.

Mine:
Roland GP-8 -> Marshall Valvestate (State of the the art in 1985. Heh.)
Roland GP-8 -> Mesa Mk III (Permanent hearing damage.)
Rocktron Voodu Valve
Vetta (Cheap and fun. Kept using the Voodu Valve.)
Axe-FX Standard (Stopped using anthing else.)
Axe-FX II (Stopped thinking about anything else.)
 
Boss GT8, Boss GT10 - I liked the 8 better than the 10 whose amp models all sounded like they had a 1/2 cocked wah in front of them. I had a peavey valve king which I did not like, an L6 spider valve which I kind of liked, and a traynor something something which I kind of liked all used in 4cm with the boss GTs. My house got robbed of all equipment in 2009 at which time I bought an ultra, then later the Axe II. After that I bought an HD500 which turned out to be a great controller as well as 2ndary unit. Even though I now have an MFC, I still use the the HD for additional IA buttons - works great. I'm a basement player so mostly play thru monitors but I do have a set of Marshall Cabs powered by Rocktron V300 and a set of Atomic passives powered by Matrix GT1000. I've had no gas for anything other than guitars for over a year now - there's just nothing else out there to want - maybe a couple of CLRs but I'll wait and see on those.
 
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ElectricPhase said:
LOL @ Dramelot. Dude, that looks familiar.

Mine:
Roland GP-8 -> Marshall Valvestate (State of the the art in 1985. Heh.)
Roland GP-8 -> Mesa Mk III (Permanent hearing damage.)
Rocktron Voodu Valve
Vetta (Cheap and fun. Kept using the Voodu Valve.)
Axe-FX Standard (Stopped using anthing else.)
Axe-FX II (Stopped thinking about anything else.)
Click to expand...

It is similar (were getting older but wiser!)
The only thing I can remember I did with the Vetta and a few gigs is this Holdsworth tone it could do
and its here (opening solo only, the rest was a VG88 (that i forgot to mention earlier)
Duane Ramelot - YouTube
Other than that I couldnt jive with it (cleans had no life)
 
Primarily Line 6 stuff. Started with the Axe2 modelling amp & eventually used Pods from the XT up through the HD500. Used headphones at home and in-ear monitors at gigs. If I needed to amplify, I would go through the power amp of a Fender Cybertwin which worked very well with the Pod.
Went with the "dream rig" a couple years back; HD500, JTV Variax guitar, DT50 amp. Sounded great when it worked.
Had it not been for their build quality going down the crapper, I'd probably still be a customer.
 
Line 6 pod (Original)
Line 6 pod xt
Line 6 flextone II amp
Line 6 Flextone III amp
Line 6 Vetta II
Line 6 XT live floorboard
TC Electronics NOVA system (Absolutely loved the tones....and HATED the delay switching between presets, which is why I got rid of it!)
Fractal Axe fx Ultra
and JUST ORDERED and DUE Tuesday...Fractal Axe Fx II!

After using a lot of line 6 stuff, the fractal Axe Fx blew them away for me tone wise in the effects department.

I never did get into Roland stuff...it all sounded so 1980's to me!

Maybe that is because that usually have some rocker that looks like he is STILL in the 1980's demoing even their newer stuff!
 
I never had a modeler before the Axe Fx, unless you count a Rockman II or the original rack version Sansamp.

My main rig for years was a Mesa/Boogie Quad with a Randall power amp. Two Celstian 12" cabs. And a 6U rack containing effect units like Yamaha SPX90 II, Lexicon MPX550, Roland SD-1000 digital delay, patch bay, line mixer. No stomp boxes.

My other two amps I loved, and still have are the Seymour Duncan Convertible and an original Deluxe Reverb. No stomp boxes. I sold the Quad to help fund my LF+12+.
 
I've owned and used a lot of gear over the years. I've flashed pictures of it before and won't belabor it again. I owned and used: Here's my "E-Cred" ownership list of my more 'Boutique' Tube amps(had to search it out from an old post):

Bogner Shiva (owned 3 over the years)
Bogner Ecstasy Classic
Rivera Rake (owned 3 over the years)
Rivera TBR-1SL
Rivera TBR-2SL
Rivera K100
Rivera 55-12
VHT Pittbull 45 (owned 2 over the years)
VHT 50/12
Matchless Clubman (owned 2 over the years)
Matchless DC-30
THD Flexi
THD Univalve
Dr. Z Rx
Koch Multitone
H&K Switchblade
GT Solo-45 (owned head and combo over the years)
Guytron GT-100
GDS 18watt
Germino Club 40
Germino Lead 55
 
jyflorida said:
Primarily Line 6 stuff. Started with the Axe2 modelling amp & eventually used Pods from the XT up through the HD500. Used headphones at home and in-ear monitors at gigs. If I needed to amplify, I would go through the power amp of a Fender Cybertwin which worked very well with the Pod.
Went with the "dream rig" a couple years back; HD500, JTV Variax guitar, DT50 amp. Sounded great when it worked.
Had it not been for their build quality going down the crapper, I'd probably still be a customer.
Click to expand...

By " Started with the Axe2" ....I am guessing you mean the Line 6 AxeSys 2x12? Line 6 very first modeling amp? From what I understand, that was the amp that started "modeling" from the very beginning.

I cannot think of any amps or units off the top of my head before I heard of the AxeSys 2x12 that did modeling before. Same as when the Kemper introduced "profiling" an amp to everyone.

I think Line 6 started the modeling of amps and Kemper started the profiling of amps.
 
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immediately before was the boss gt100
before that was the tc electronic nova system
before that was individual stompers
before that was line6 hd500
before that was a girly rack with some lexicon delays
before that was the boss gt10
memory fails me on what was the order of stuff before that but they would have included:
stompers, boss gt6, tonelab se, roland gp8, boss gx700, carl martin quattro,
and yes, i still have all of them lying around somewhere (except of the gp8 which was a borrowed item)
 
Eganter M4 preamp, Marshall 20/20 poweramp, G-system for effects and switching stompboxes, into a THD 2x12 cab with greenbacks.

Still have the marshall 20/20 and the THD cab.
 
Before the Axe II I had a TC G-System.... Before that a Line 6 POD XT Pro....
Many tube amps but those are last 2 effects units. Many pieces of gear along with that.
 
Before the Axe FX II...
Axe Fx Standard
Peavey 6505 Head (still have it - never use it, and plan to sell it)
Mesa Roadster Head
Engl Powerball Head
Mesa Dual Rectifier Head and Recto 2x12 Cab (still have the cab)
Line 6 Vetta II Head
Line 6 Vetta Combo
Marshall Jcm 800 Head / Marshall 1960 4x12 Cab / various pedals (used this rig for several years while playing with my band)
 
I was using a 5150 through Marshall 1960 with a tube screamer, rocktron hush super c, and a delay pedal. Then I had an Ultra and a Ground Control for about a year until I got the 2 and MFC. Never gonna go back, although any kind of gear is still cool and appealing so I don't know what I'll acquire in the future.

I'm more than 100% happy with my current setup. Sounds way too good and too easy to setup and transport to deny. The sound is the most important part though. Some people act like they have them just because of convenience for shows and such but I'd keep mine either way.
 
Mesa Boogie Quad Preamp
Mesa Boogie 295 Power Amp
Eventide H3000
TC 2290
Nady Wireless
DBX160x
Rocktron Exciter/Hush II
Lexicon PCM70
Yamaha SPX1000, SPX90
Marshall 4x12's loaded with V30's, Hiwatt's, and Greenbacks
 
GSP2101 through a SS Peavey power amp for a good 10 years or so. Impossible to program and really only did one thing well (80's thrash tone), but IMO it's still a great processor and was ahead of it's time. Had some seriously solid delays in it, too.

*Before the II, I had an Ultra, and a Standard before that.
 
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