What made you decide to go Axe FX?

After playing several years in my old band, we decided to quit for many reasons. After that, I first sold my 6505 head and all my effects (I had a lot of them). I thought, that i wont be needing them anymore and i just bought Boss ME50, for bedroom playing.

Well i started to do more and more new music by myself and i ended up buying the Line 6 Toneport UX1 and the Expansion packs for Pod Farm 2.5. This was the turning point where i knew, that i will never settle for couple of effects and one or two amps only. Having all those amp sims and effects was so cool and inspiring! :D

Then came the Axe FX STD, that many ppl where hyping a lot on the internet. None of my friends had that unit, so i just listened some clips in the net... The AFX seemed to be too far from me to get one pricewise and there was no reseller in the EU at that time. Then came the AFXII and little later Pod HD500 was released, that i first bought and was happy with the unit at the time. But when i heard periphery's Misha playing some ambient and rhyhtm riffs with Axe FX II, i made the decision, that i want those tones and the power of Axe FX II... I saved money for buying the Axe FX II for some time and finally the day came, when i pulled the trigger and got my unit home!!

So, After about five years of only dreaming of Axe FX II i had it in my homestudio. How cool was that? :D
 
My route was different to most. I'd been using a GT-8 for effects, and it wore out. In looking for an upgrade/replacement I found a second hand Ultra which was cheaper and more flexible than the (comparable sound quality) alternatives. Then I discovered that it was also quite good at amp sounds.
 
Sustainerplayer said:
Sexual attraction.
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Wrong Axe fx, bro...

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A Guthrie Govan video.

He recorded it with the AXE which I have never been aware of. I heard no diference with a real amp, and in my book, if digital implies no loss of quality it always wins.

A couple of years later I think this is the best thing that have happened to the guitar world since the Strat invention. I can record my guitars at home with quality equal to the best studio in the world.

This thing is a game changer.
 
I bought my Axe FX II back in early 2013 after my first graduation in university and started playing in two cover bands. Therefore I needed a new device or a good amplifier, that delivers the versatility for the job. Before university I used my POD XT Rack from 2006 to 2009, but I retired it since then. Finally the decision was between the AXE FX II, the Kemper or an Diezel amp with Cabinet. The concept of the Kemper and the usability didn't persuade me and the Diezel option was far too expensive and unflexible.
So I ordered the Axe FX II, since it provided me the following:

- Rackmount rig
- a functional external controlling device (MFC-101)
- a totally sophisticated product in all it's details
- Editing via USB
- Total flexibility and quality

I could go for more, but most of it has already been said. I get frequently compliments for my guitar sounds from musicians, band members and professional FOH engineers. Except from the bassist of my Ex-band, who complained that this vast array of possible sounds I'm using is needless and exaggerated. Well this came from a guy, who played with his bass guitar literally naked into a DI-Box. Nevermind.
 
I had been playing in a really shitty local band around 2013 and I used an entirely solid state rig. I loved my Vox Valvetronix setup to pieces (literally) and it served me well even though it always paled in comparison to the tube amps I heard circulating the scene. Always being out-shined by 6505s and 5150/3s, I was upset but lacked the resources to upgrade. So, after a couple months the band decided to go on hiatus, we just didn't sound the way any of us wanted to. No one likes to sound like the opening band when they're supposed to be headlining.

Flash forward to 2014, my co-guitar player purchased an eleven rack so that we could start recording some new song ideas without having to mic up cabs. My expectations were low as far as quality was concerned, but I was pleasantly surprised with the sound we could achieve. Even though most of our tone was still sub par, it was a vast improvement and it opened me up to the idea of modelers. Over the next year or so I noticed more and more of my favorite acts were switching to Fractal rigs, namely Within the Ruins who I saw preform live with the MK II (and they slayed!). But I still never purchased anything myself, which is good because at the time I was planning on settling for the POD HD.

So, 2015 rolls around and the band wants to get back together, but I refuse to go back to playing unless we can make a vast sonic improvement. I had saved up ~3700 USD to upgrade my rig and I already knew exactly what to do with it. So, now I'm the proud owner of the XL+, Matrix power amp, and a Mesa 4x12, and many boners and sleepless nights have been had. I was never a "tube guy" to begin with, and I'm still pretty new to the Axe... But with the band's first gig looming ever nearer, I feel confident saying that I'll be blowing the tube amps out of the water and hopefully creating some more Fractal Acolytes. Long live FAS.
 
wanted to put together a rig that was smaller and more powerful than my original rack setup. scaled down from 8 spaces to a 4 space rack, and replaced the triaxis, mpxg2 and bbe with an axe fx ultra. later on i upgraded to an axefx 2. I could never really leave tube poweramps altogether. but i think something will come along that will improve solid-state poweramps the same way cliff improved amp modelers.
 
I was tired of lugging heavy ampheads, racks and cabs to gigs.
Tried the PODs but were never happy.
Bought my Standard in 2007 and have been an Axe user ever since.
Moved onto the Ultra and the II when that came out.
The modelling has gotten so good I don't think I'll ever return to using a tubeamp.
 
Always been a modeling fan, even though I loved playing tube amps. Started with the red bean POD and went up the line from there, including HD 500, BIAS, VSTs, you name it, I messed with it over the years.

I wanted ease of use, easily recordable, great tones, variety in the models. Was a close race between the Axe and the Kemper, but I wanted something that included an audio interface and the Axe won. Super easy to dial in, massive free patch banks, guys like Fremen uploading enough to fill my entire Axe with cool stuff...been a pretty easy transition and the tones are badass. I'm a fan and haven't really GASsed for amps outside of a Rhodes Colossus, and that's just the last few days.

Sold all my tube amps and don't really miss them....can't use em in an apartment anyway.

I'm a fan.
 
Have been an early user of effect racks since 1986 with Ibanez UE400 by the time and never really had that many stompboxes. fThen got a Digitech LE2101 as I blew up an Alesis Quadraverb early 2000. In 2010 the LE2101 was getting older and older and my patches became more and more complex, CPU problems etc. Needed one year of search over the internet for replacing my old Digitech 2101LE unit. I guess I made a good client for DHL with along suit of preamp and FX rack units that got bought and resold over Ebay over the years, generally w.o. any money loss. No clue or memory of how I got to Axe FX & fractal audio but I very soon understood this unit finally was the holy grail hat I had been searching for for such a long time. Digitech never got their later projects to the 2101LE level. I threw in my 2cts at FAS by buying the ULTRA at G66 after some long reflections for the finance, and wanted to use it as effect unit only but somehow didn't work out well just effects through amps. Then got to FRFR slowly and switched over to the Axe FX II in 2012. With AXFXII the tweaking got so easy that I sold my last tube amps to compensate for the investment. A few months later I sold the ULTRA just keeping the AXE FX II. Got cured of GAS in the mean timef, ie until FAS announced AX8, that I consider as a serious backup option.
 
I HAVE to buy an Orange Amp.....

It was on a friday evening Jam and when it was my turn I got the cable from the previous guitarist. Plugged it in, played a few chords and.........

I was like: WHAT?:eek::shock:?

Looked behind to the Orange Amp, again to my guitar, again behind. What a sound is this!
This was such a full sound, with mind-blowing distortion. The one I never was able to get out of my own analog rig, that delicious.
While playing I was thinking, OK there we go again, I have to buy an Orange!

After playing he showed where that sound really came from, it was an ULTRA which was standing behind the Orange (he used the Amp pure as an power amp)
Digged Internet for 2 full days and shoot the order at sunday. I was sold and never regretted it till now.
 
The main reason for me was the routing. I had the TC G-System with a rack drawer and some effects. However, to maintain such a system, especially with the patch cables for the loops which are all almost 1m long (3 feet), it was ennerving. Those cables never want to stay in the jacks...

The second reason was my hoping for less GAS. It's not that I don't buy pedals anymore, but I have a way harder time to justify them.
 
Had a Digitech 2120 in 2001 and liked the sounds I got with it. I became pretty comfortable dialing in tones and getting the sound I wanted. I sold that in 2003 and picked up the Rocktron Prophesy II which to me was a step up in every way, but sold it as bills stacked. Over the last few years, I'd been through the same Eventide Space 3 times, and the Timefactor twice. Each time, there was just something in the sound I couldn't get over. (I'll add that I had gotten back into nice tube clean sounds 2010ish, and had been chasing "that" tone in my head ever since, constantly changing tubes, speakers, amps and cables). The Eventide stuff was great, but that digital-ness had me looking at their larger more expensive units, or going through the same process with the Strymon models (I've had the blueSky). So I initially purchased the Axe Fx II XL + in May strictly as a multi effects unit. But after picking up 2 Atomic CLR wedges and taking some time with it, it's really become much more than that. And has rivaled my favorite amps (without the constant fluctuation in tone, and changes in tubes/speakers). The consistency in what I hear when I plug in, and drastic improvements in capabilities (just in the few months I've owned it) has me extremely intrigued. I know I've only scratched the surface if that, but the sounds in hearing from this thing are nothing short of incredible when you actually put the time into dialing in a patch. And I have had to take breaks after 2-3 hours of tweaking and ears that don't know what's what at that point. I just hit save in a spare slot, and come back to it later to pick up where I left off. I'm REALLY liking what Fractal has done here, and the thought of what they will come up with next through firmware updates/capabilities has me on the edge of my chair. It's pretty obvious to me that they never rest!
 
I worked in studios for over 10 years and lots of experience with tube amps and the required maintenance to keep the finicky buggers going.

In 2001 I bought a Johnson Amplification JM-150 (basically the amp version of the Digitech 2101). I loved that amp & used it for jamming and recording up until 2013.

At that time, I was on a Yahoo group for that amp and noticed that a lot of people reporting certain OEM parts would crap out and were unavailable to the point where people were buying other working units to cannibalize them for parts. I didn't want to go down that road.

Also, I wanted a processor that would allow me the freedom to set up signal chains non-traditionally like I used to do at the studio.

I talked to Chris Buono, who was a college classmate and he told me this thing was what I would be happy with. Looked at a lot of Mark Day videos and even told him that his videos were so good they were going to cost me some cash. I did a ton of research on other units and ended up finding that this unit was exactly everything I wanted.

Fractal on Facebook posted a demo showing an enhancement to their drive block that featured digital aliasing distortion (something I bought an Ensoniq Mirage to do back in the day) which was an effect I was chasing for years as a pedal effect. That was the tipping point & trigger for me.

I sold my JM-150 and foot controller, plus a ton of vintage Star Wars toys, & a couple of guitars to fund purchasing the II in November 2013.

This unit has opened up creative options for me with sounds I only heard in my head. Slowly I started getting other supporting stuff such as an amp, MFC, KRK monitors, EV-1, & built a pedal board to house the MFC and some of my choice pedals.

One of the best investments in gear I ever made was the AF2.
 
ozanerkal said:
P.S. I own a Pod HD500, like many forum members. I say, let's not trash Line6 so easily. I mean, yes, they're nowhere close to Fractal but we all bought those pods thinking they could do it at a lower price. At the end, they made us understand that unless we got that "more expensive" device, we wouldn't be satisfied. So thank you Line6 for being a step for all of us and many future AFX owners..
... And they are also great foot controllers for the AFX :)
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Pod HD bean here.

I have same sentiments. I got some great milage from the pod XT and the pod HD. Cheers line 6

I went to axefx because I have a friend that has one and I was able to try it. I also have a friend that i've always respected and agreed with tone wise that fully recommended it.

I'm sure that other applications are just as friendly, but for a home recording guitarist it is the ultimate. It is a soundcard, has a great editer.. direct recording is a must for me due to the need to record at low volume, and the need to recall exact patch to continue tracking things as time permits.

and the tone.. the tone.. the tone.. we all know here that it is simply amazing. I have been in seventh heaven since I got it. My recoding setup is in a uninviting dark corner of my basement but that little green screen always makes me feel warm and welcome and guides me through the darkness lol. I have practiced more and better than ever in my little spot of paradise in my ugly ass basement.
 
For me, it's always been a fight between fantasy and necessity in hunt for flexibility and control. Since I bought my first “tube” amp in the mid-80’s, I have bounced between the digital world and the analog world a couple of times. The main problem with the amp I bought, a Fender “The Twin,” was that it was extremely loud with an extreme taper on the master volume, so it was a hard beast to control. This was also before I understood anything about amps and the volume control on my guitar. I thought that an amp was an amp was an amp, and that the volume controls on the guitar were actually volume controls.

After six years of trying to get that monumentally heavy bastard under control, I built a hybrid rig out of a Digitech 2112, a Mesa Simul Two-Ninety, and two ADA split cabs. It was a great rig, but it was a bitch to set up fast. Also, it could do a lot of things, but it didn’t have a lot of tonal colors. So, I was in the market for an amp that could do more. That’s when I heard an artist playing a Hughes and Kettner zenTera. When I read up on the amp, I discovered digital modelling for the first time, and it looked like it would solve all my problems. So, I got one.

Well, that zenTera opened up my world. In order to master all the models, I had to read up on all the amps and learn their various tricks and foibles which the zenTera actually modelled fairly accurately. From that experience, I realized my requirements for any rig was that it must have a good clean, overdrive, crunch, and lead sounds. It also sparked a desire to actually to go and buy a higher end tube amp and experience firsthand some of these classic wonders that were modeled. Also, Hughes and Kettner walked away from digital modeling. And, the amp was always little picky about how you connected to it, so I didn't have much confidence that it would be functional a couple of years down the road.

So, I went out looking for a creature as rare as a chimera, the tube amp for all reasons. I went through several and found a couple that did pretty well, but to get all the tones I wanted at an acceptable volume level required a lot of little bits and a bit of a set up time. Unfortunately, the band I was in at the time was renting shared rehearsal spaces with no convenient parking in a bad neighborhood which meant I had to trim my rig down to 5 minutes setup or less and light enough to carry. So, once again I turned to modelling and went with a Vox Tonelab SE that I could plug into the sound board. I couple of artists that I know got some wonderful tones out of that unit, but I never did. Around the time the band broke up, I heard about Fractal Audio and picked up an Ultra, and I have used an Axe Fx ever since.
 
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Several things did it for me. I am huge Adrian Belew/King Crimson fan. The mans got a gift for tone and cutting edge tech.

I wanted something powerful capable of vast tone discovery and play. As well as studio versatility while on a budget. You can spend alot of money on high end boutique amps and cabs. But Having the flexibility of control and fast recall of settings is a huge plus in my book. Volume wise its easier on the neighbors and housemates too since i have better control over volume. Apparently house mates don't appreciate it when you play with a full stack at 3am.... what a bunch of weirdos.

Super happy with my purchase though. Constantly thinking of new things and effect combos to try.
 
I've just never been satisfied with any amp I've owned. There's always been some aspect on an amp that has bugged me. Too loud, too quiet, too much gain, not enough gain, not versatile enough, etc etc.

I got an Axe FX II Mark I a few years back and I can say I've never been so happy with the sounds I can get out of this box.
 
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