What External Pedals Are You Using With your Axe-Fx?

I run my entire big board with the Axe FX 2. Delays and verbs through the loop and drives comps vibe and trem straight into the front. It really does add a "real world" feel. I am currently just using the Amp and Cab blocks.
 
webmaestro said:
However, my guess is that there really isn't anything those pedals can do that the Axe-Fx can't already do (or do better).
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I don't think the blocks model what happens when you abuse them in real life...internally the circuits are recreations that do exactly the same function as the real thing, but like when you take a OD-20 and slam 30db into a phaser and the phaser starts to make crackles and pops it's not supposed to, I don't think that analog gain staging is modeled in AxeFx blocks, you just get more levels into the effect, it doesn't start to fall apart.
 
webmaestro said:
Okay, so what I gather from all this is that I'm not really missing out by using JUST the Axe-Fx, which is kinda what I suspected. This seems especially true of the bread-and-butter pedals like overdrive, distortion, chorus, etc. The Axe-Fx just does those things as good or better than any physical pedal.

To give you a specific example, there are a couple distortion pedals I've been curious about such as the Palladium, EVH 5150 Overdrive, and a few others. However, my guess is that there really isn't anything those pedals can do that the Axe-Fx can't already do (or do better).
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I would disagree. I found the real pedals work way better than the AFX. The drive pedals will get a very similar sound (almost identical) however it definitely does not have the same feel. The AFX absolutely doesn't nail that spikey feel of a Tubescreamer. The Boss CE1 chorus has a preamp that clips and does this really cool stuff when it does so which the AFX chorus doesn't do. The Electric Mistress Flanger is pretty damn unique in the sense that it's only sorta a flanger and a bit of a chorus instead which makes it super lovely.

The big one for me is the BK Tube Driver. The actual pedal has a real spongey sorta feel to it which is really addictive to play through and that absolutely cannot be recreated by the AFX. The transparent sorta gentle mid hump of the Timmy doesn't really come through on the AFX either.

Oh and the compressors in the AFX suck. I was never able to get that dark, low-mid boosted Ross Compressor sorta sound out of the AFX. On top of that, the Keeley 4 Knob compressor is...kinda special itself and the AFX doesn't get anywhere near it.

I would tentatively agree that you could get the effect blocks to make an almost identical noise to most pedals. Close enough that people probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. However, when you're using the real thing, you aren't having to fuck around with settings for 20 hours in order to achieve something you could by...just plugging the real thing in. On top of that, you get the right feel and your playing will suit the pedal better.

YMMV.
 
I do think a real tubescreamer is easier and quicker to get a good sound and feel from, the models tend to take a bit more convincing.

Almost forgot! I also use an old Marshall footswitch to cycle through my five or so patches, since I don't want to buy a midi controller.
 
Normally none, but every now and then I'll plug just one pedal in front of the AFX. (I play "clean" 99% of the time.)

Earthquaker Devices and Catalinbread have some really unique-sounding echo and delay pedals. I have a lot of those...
 
Good thread....

W/XL:

I use a Big honking Boss metal pedal for volume

Blue Mission for "speed' - unvibes, phasers, rotary
Red Mission for Wah & Pitch
White Mission for wildcard ...could be drive, delay wet, anything crazy

W/ AX8:
Large Fractal pedal...but I'm eyeing the new smaller one as a second one... soon...
 
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Here's why I use the Axe Fx Wah and not an external Wah: When you change from distortion/solo/wah to a clean preset that wah may still be engaged = tap dancing & loafer lovin'. :D
I almost always have a wah assigned and bypassed in my main dist and clean presets
 
You guys using external boosts - how do you set the input level in the I/O section?

Set it up so you 'tickle the red' with your boost on, so that it is a bit low when the boost is off? Change it each time?

Or set the pedal to unity gain?
 
H13 said:
I would tentatively agree that you could get the effect blocks to make an almost identical noise to most pedals. Close enough that people probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. However, when you're using the real thing, you aren't having to **** around with settings for 20 hours in order to achieve something you could by...just plugging the real thing in. On top of that, you get the right feel and your playing will suit the pedal better.
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On the other hand, if I have to spend 20 hours to get my AFX effects to sound right it's still time well spent if I don't have to haul additional pedals around for as long as I keep on using the Axe. Since I don't have roadies to haul my rig around for me my back would consider those 20 hours extremely well spent. All the more so since 99.9% of any audience will not notice the difference. So why subject myself to having to haul even more stuff around? Just for me?

Also, one of the biggest reasons for me to get the Axe and MFC was to eliminate pedal tapdancing. Hauling additional pedals around defeats that purpose.
 
None. That's why I bought it.

It's not perfect on the effects side, but it gets me close enough for small venues and rehearsals.

AX8 - It's the best "fly" rig, hands down.
 
I've used my Dunlop 95Q and Rotovibe pedals in front of the AFX due to the fact that my expression pedal sucks. Currently when I play bass through it, I use a Darkglass B7K Ultra in the FX loop. Then I can just treat the FXL block as my "Darkglass" block and put it anywhere I want on the grid.
 
Various.. I still have quite a few pedals and a few amps (mostly vintage amps). I've bought a few new pedals in the last year or two as well.. but mainly to use with my amps, and less so for the Axe FX. I can get most of what I want from the Axe FX for my uses with it. I do think it falls short on fuzzes and a few other items (Univibe, BOSS VB-2, EH Nano POG, etc.), but no show stoppers. I just like the simplicity of plugging in a great pedal and not having to think about it or try and fine tune deep parameters in the Axe. The Axe can also do things that my analog setups can't cover..
 
I'm using the Dr No Turd Fuzz with my AX8

Feb17_LNU_DrNo_Turd_WEB.jpg



Just kidding... I sold all my pedals except for the Klon and bought a Les Paul Historic Gold Top!

~ss
 
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