What did you rely on before the Axe-Fx

In my first go around as a teenager:

Peavey Bandit 65
Boss Super Overdrive, Boss Super Chorus

After the unexplainable break and return (in order of use):

Digitech GNX4 Multieffects & some kind of Marshall solid state that I immediately put back on Ebay, GR33 guitar synth

TC Electronic G System, Fender Twin Reverb, Radial Tonebone, TC predrive

Changed Fender Twin out for a Fender Princeton recording (needed something smaller)

Got the Axe Ultra, Mesa Mark V, and Mesa Stiletto Cab at the same time (thinking I would use the Axe for the FX so to speak)

...too bad for the Mark V, while it was a great amp, I realized very soon that I didn't need it and returned it.

Upgraded to the AxeII from the waiting list. I initially used JBL EON 515s for the Ultra, and I eventually got an Atomic powered wedge which I still use.
 
For guitar mostly the usual tube top rigs and combos fed by signal through effect boxes. I've played Music Man, Boogie, Fender Bassman/Super Reverb/Twin, Vox AC-30, Marshall 100w (the one without a pre/gain knob). I actually used a non tube combo for longer than any of the tube amps; the small and highly portable GK 250 ML that I added two Marshall Lead series 1x12" cabs since that GK was a stereo amp (I bought that GK new and used it until it died). For the last decade I've owned a SOVTEK Mig-60 (driving the Marshall Lead cabs) and I like the way it sounds like a classic driven plexi. Intending to keep the SOVTEK but in recent years my main rig for concerts has been a laptop with a RME Fireface400. Used up three Behringer FCB1010 midi pedal controllers (they last exactly three years!) until I finally bought a Gordius Little Giant that seems to never brake and also works very well with the AxeFx2.
 
Vetta II combo
Line 6 4 x 12
FBV Floorboard
Connected digitally to my Custom Mirror Jem Variax.......... at the time I thought it was amazing.

Do miss that ability to store the guitar type in the patch on the Vetta though.

Wouldn't change my current set up for the world though...... Axe Fx II, MFC101, GG Suhr Modern and IEMs
 
1990's - Zoom 9030 through Peavy Bandit and/or Marshall Triple Super Lead JCM2000
2000's - Fender CyberTwin 1 and 2. A lot lighter than the Marshall, and a decent array of Tones. I saw Neil Schon using one in concert once, he said he loved the delays on the Cyber.
2010 - Fender Vibrolux and pedalboard including Eventide Timefactor, MXR Stomps, and Crybaby
Now - AxeFxII, MFC101, Roland AC 60. The easiest, lightest, and most complete set-up ever.
 
-Sun Stack Amp (This thing was awful, but I was young and dumb)
-Marshall 2x12 50 Watt Combo
-Digitech RP-1 into The Combo Above (Still Dumb...)
-Digitech GSP-2101 into Marshall Valvestate 80 Watt Power Amp into Marshall 1922 2x12
-Added Mesa Boogie Tri-Axis and Marshall JMP-1 using GSP-2101 for Effects and Routing into Peavey Classic 50/50 Tube Power Amp into Marshall 1922 2x12 (23 Tubes)
-Rocktron Voodoo Valve into Peavey Classic 50/50 into Marshall 1922 2x12 (Cut it down to 13 Tubes)
-Eleven Rack (This lasted only 2 Months)
-AxeFX II
 
Diezel Einstein combo, Egnater Tourmaster, a 2x12 cab, an Ibanez Weeping Demon wah and a Line6 M13 for other fx.

The Axe-Fx 2 + Atomic FR is far more convenient.
 
There's a lot of common histories here!

>Peavy Blazer with a Zoom pedal
>Line 6 Flextone II XL
>Line 6 POD PRO/ MESA 2:90
>MESA Triaxis/ MESA 2:90
>MESA Quad / MESA 2:90

Ended up with a Mesa 22 space rack full of TC and Mesa gear - backups of everything (after a small power amp fire), then went to AxeFX II.
I'm still working on it - it's hard to beat that Quad/2:90/4x12 tone....
 
I was just thinking the same thing.
FreeIndeed said:
There's a lot of common histories here!

>Peavy Blazer with a Zoom pedal
>Line 6 Flextone II XL
>Line 6 POD PRO/ MESA 2:90
>MESA Triaxis/ MESA 2:90
>MESA Quad / MESA 2:90

Ended up with a Mesa 22 space rack full of TC and Mesa gear - backups of everything (after a small power amp fire), then went to AxeFX II.
I'm still working on it - it's hard to beat that Quad/2:90/4x12 tone....
Click to expand...

It does take some getting use to FRFR but once you do! One useful tip I read here was to use some verb to create a little space around the direct sound, just the right amount makes a big difference. helps to get that cabinet in the room sound.
 
Peavey Rockmaster and/or Rocktron Piranha w/ a Lexicon MPX1 and Mesa 2:50...the Axe is much better for the apartment.
 
BEFORE
IMG_0950.jpg

NOW
CURRENTRIG_zps5742ff2d.jpg


Notice the Mark V collecting dust!!
 
For one of my gigs (as a bassist), I needed a lot of FX under MIDI footpedal control.

Korg Rack Tuner
Sans Amp Bass Driver
TC Elec G-Force
Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor
Ampeg SVT Classic all tube
Ampeg SVT 8x10 cabinet.

When I got the AxeFx Ultra, I kept that rack as a backup, with only the Distressor remaining. Now, I've sold off the G-Force, picked up the AxeFxII and use the Ultra as a backup. Currently, a 4 space rack with the AFXII and a GK 1001RBII head driving lightweight coaxial 15" speakers - either one or two, depending on the gig. I still have yet to use this rig at anywhere near full crank. My full rig fits easily into my subcompact car that gets 36 mpg. Very portable and best of all worlds IMO. And my back is in much better shape because of it. The SVT Classic, love it as I do, has been collecting dust for over 2 years now...probably time to sell it. :-(
 
I've gone through a lot of rigs to try and get where I am comfortably now with my II. Before it was a Standard. Before it was like a rewind of Namm shows on Youtube. Each rig before the Axe Fx had a serious enough drawback that I had to move on. A lot of them were weight or complexity.
 
brianv4 said:
What did you use before the axefx ii and do you still have/use it?
Sometimes a rack, floor board and frfr speaker is not as convenient for some gigs as a pedal board that can simply go direct.
Click to expand...

You realise you could just run your axe-fx direct and cut out the FRFR speaker.. haha :p I'm sure you know but this statement just made me rather curious..

Live I used to use and ENGL Powerball II, ENGL Pro 4x12XL, Radial Loopbone, Maxon OD808, MXR Carbon Copy, Ibanez AD9, Morley Volume/Wah, Korg DT-10 Tuner. Then a Palmer PDI-04 to record at home with/Peterson VS-R Stroborack tuner. Then replaced the analogue pedals with a Boss GT-8 with 4 cable method to save some weight for touring. Got the Ultra, and sold it all, never looked back, and also have a II here as well.

Gear is at such an exciting time right now :)
 
Mesa Road King II, Mesa foot pedal to control channels and solo boost, Mesa Recto 2x12 & 4x12 cabs, Boss CE-2 chorus, Morley Bad Horsie wah, Boss DD-7 delay, X2 95 wireless.

All except the wireless system replaced with the Axe Fx Ultra, and then the Axe Fx II. I use an MFC-101 and one Mission SP-2 as controllers. Tried several cabinets, used an Atomic 50 watt FRFR cab for a time (still sounds good, I use it at home), eventually tested some other things and have been extremely pleased with the RCF NX12SMA for a bit less than a year at this writing. I am settled in, have no wish to change anything, other than adding another RCF cab when finances allow. My setup sounds awesome, has many times the sound options and FX, is light and compact. I love it!

The monitor, by the way, is just for me. One channel goes to the mains.
 
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This is going to sound extremely cynical, but please don't take it the wrong way. The only modeling I was aware of before I found out about the Axe-fx II was Line 6 stuff, which to me sounded pretty harsh and digital. So I didn't have any desire to really go there.

The biggest thing I had to rely on before I had an Axe-fx II was... other people. As a classically trained composer (in contemporary art music) some of the stuff I do is difficult to get other hard rockers on board with. I'm not a virtuosic player, but sense of line, counterpoint, small and large forms in music, non-traditional tonality and post-minimalist technique - it's hard to find hard rockers who really understand that stuff. It's even harder to find classically trained musicians that have interest in or time for creating a really heady hard rock album. One day somebody suggested I check out Tesseract, where upon I learned about FAS, which lead me to a greater understanding of how home recording was moving along. From there I started learning about SD 2.0, lots of other stuff - and I finally found myself in a situation where I could record the music in my head without trying to find local "talent" that would take forever to learn the music or simply flake out.

Figuring out how to record really, REALLY high quality guitars/bass in an apartment situation was such a huge deal for me musically I cannot even begin to describe it. Even with iso cabs and huge effects chains I was planning, I was looking at an extremely expensive setup that was probably outside of my reality and would still get me noise complaints. On the brink of giving up, I found out about FAS and it changed me from being musically depressed to being in a situation where I can be as creative as my imagination allows me to be. Without getting too gushy - the Axe-fx II has literally given me my musical life back.
 
Amp:Mesa Express 5:25 combo
Rack: g-major, GCX, MXR Flanger, MXR Phaser, Danelectro OD, Danelectro OD, Danelectro Fuzz, Danelectro Vibe, (6 space rack)
Pedalboard: Boss TU-2, Ernie Ball Volume, Dunlop Wah, Ground Control Pro
Other: Shure Beta 57, Art MyMonitor, EHX 44 Magnum, mesa express 1x10"

Now it's
Rack: Axe II, Carvin power amp (4 space rack)
Pedalboard: MFC-101, 2 expression pedals
other: EV ZX-1

Way happier (though at my 2 favorite tones, that setup was amazing....but i was limited, and it was a bitch to move around)
 
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