Which amps in the Axe FX do you feel nail the original?

Plexis are brutally different.

And yeah, they are associated to that typical hard driven rock tone. However the one in the axe needs to be fully cranked up to get as overdriven as that (tones and volume all the way up). Some plexis that actually sound like that, such as the one used by Angus Young or the one on the video I just posted here, can nail that tone with all tone controls at 12'.

I've heard quite a few times from plexi users when i ask them how do they get that much juice from the amp, that they just set all the knobs at 12', and almost no presence... thay just crank up the volume. Some artist have stated the same.
 
There is no single "plexi" sound.

A JTM45 sounds very different to a JMP (which, in itself, sounds different to a JTM50), which sounds very different to a JTM45/100 or a JMP100. They have very different tubes and tone stacks.
 
To cut a long discussion short, there are no two tube Amps on this planet that sound exactly the same, period. If you want the Axe-FX to sound exactly like your tube amp, consider buying some of Cliffs Amps ;-)

Gesendet von meinem Nexus 7 mit Tapatalk
 
i think with the time taken the Tweed Deluxe matched with a good IR cab compleyely nails the tone and for such a simple few knob and single speaker amp so many sims and clones get it wrong and try to make it too perfect. Tweeds have flutter notes and almost fuzz out when pushed. The axefx Tweed I have finished with is everything it should be and the same response and dynamics as real deal 50's tweed deluxe amps ive been lucky to try.
lets also remember the tube amps you see and hear in concert can have any number of tube manufacturers tubes or tweaks done to them. they can have the same brand of tube as they next guy but a hotter tube giving more break up or the same brand but less breakup and more clean headroom. And i can tell you from personal experience that touring techs tweek their players gear in little secret ways they never share in interviews or on rig rundowns.. so keep that in mind but with digging around you can get some ideas of what pro players may be doing to their rigs.

JJ's sound differnce from Tungsols, sound diffeffent from Svetlana WingC tubes as do any number of tubes from the sovtek company rebranded and altered for another compnay.
 
Simple and answer is there is no way for you to tell.

I have been using tube amps all of my life (vintage to boutique). Hand wired wired amps generally sound different - no two are the same. Higher end boutique amps are typically tuned to the player by the builder or the player retunes to his/her specifications (example some D style amps have internal trim pots), so those amps will be all over the place.

However, PCB based amps on the other hand are more consistent (in tone) from one amp to the other because of the manufacturing process.

Let me give you examples of two hand wired amps

1. 60's BF Fender Twin - from my perspective, the twin is 100% match. How can I say that? Because the Twin in the AXE use to belong to me and I did hundreds of gigs with that amp and I know it inside out and I can tell you it is hard to tell them apart.

2. Carr Rambler -- I own a Carr Rambler that I am currently gigging extensively. My Carr Rambler and the one in the Axe do not sound similar, however, I am willing to be the farm that the Rambler reference amp and the model in the AF2 sound identical.

So if there are variations in AF2 model vs (amp you own or played) it is the reference amp used and not the AF2.

As a rule of thumb I would say that for vintage PTP or boutique hand wired amps -- -- there could potentially be some noticeable differences (same as you would expect to find with originals). With PCB based amps on the other hand -- the matches should be closer to the actual amps in the wild.








stm113 said:
I was curious and I am sure these things have been discussed to death but I figured it'd be a fun discussion.
The reason I posted is because I am going to do a session and the guy producing wanted me to get a hold of a EVH 5150 III to try to match the tones of another guitarist who's recorded some other tracks. I told him that we're covered as I got it in my Axe 2, he's not convinced and I'm going in to track in about a week. I tried to search threads but was unsuccessful in getting an answer for how close doesn the Axe come to this particular model. Then I got to thinking and I wonder what about other highly sought after amps? I guess you could call me a Fractal fanboy but i know that no modeler is perfect and i'd like to get honest opinions on this.

I'd love to see posts from people who own, have owned or has considerable experience with the amp (what ever amp not just the 5150 III) and its equivalent in the Axe2 and get your opinions on 1-how close is the A2 model, 2- what does the A2 model not capture from the original, 3-how closely do the controls come to operating like the original 4-Which FW are you using to compare?

The other reason I wanted to post this as well is because I was jamming through amps after updating to FW14 and noticed that I cant get that hairy tone out of the JCM800 model any more (i used to be able to nail Iron Maiden's 2 Minutes To Midnight with this amp) also it seems that the Orange Rockerverb (I use it as the lower gain, backed off amp in my main gain preset vs. the 5150 block in the X setting) seems to be more buzzy, fuzzy and darker than FWs 12 or before.
Click to expand...
 
Just my opinion. I really don't concern myself with which models "nail the original". I try to get original sounds that don't sound like anyone else. I think that the real strength of the Fractal is it's ability to create new, original and unique sounds. Trying to "nail an original" just means recreating something that has already been done. Just my opinion.
 
"Which amps in the Axe FX do you feel nail the original?"


The question is, in what scenerio are they "the same". If we're talking recorded tones, I have no doubt that the models in the Axe Fx, combined with the "right" IR can nail just about any recording of any amp/cab. If we're talking playing a tube amp through a guitar cab and playing the Axe Fx modeled amp through the same guitar cab, the physical power amp used will play a big (IMO, huge) role. In this scenerio, forget your tone matching, forget the "right" cab sim, it's a different animal. That's been my experience when comparing the amps I have to the modeled versions (Primarily Splawn QR and JVM).

 
Last edited:
Narzugon said:
Willing to share pics? I'd love to see it or all of the Fractal amp family.
Click to expand...

We are actually planning to do a photo-shoot one of these days of all the amps. It's quite the collection. Unfortunately for my Plexi the logo broke during shipping. That right there probably decreased the value a few hundred dollars. Other than that it's near mint.
 
FractalAudio said:
We are actually planning to do a photo-shoot one of these days of all the amps. It's quite the collection. Unfortunately for my Plexi the logo broke during shipping. That right there probably decreased the value a few hundred dollars. Other than that it's near mint.
Click to expand...

Screw the logo. Carve your name on the front panel with a flat head screw driver so you'll never sell it! :) The photo shoot is an excellent idea. They would look great in the manual!
 
FractalAudio said:
We are actually planning to do a photo-shoot one of these days of all the amps. It's quite the collection. Unfortunately for my Plexi the logo broke during shipping. That right there probably decreased the value a few hundred dollars. Other than that it's near mint.
Click to expand...

Awh, c'mon, we can overlook the broken logo. Give us a little sneak peak at that beauty. :biggrin-new:
 
Last edited:
Cliff - I would buy this coffee table book in a heartbeat. Seriously. Consider it. Like each page has cool pics of the guts and the cab/head...mixed with a discussion of the workings of the amp from Master Jedi Chase. I would buy that book in a heartbeat.
 
Raab90 said:
I'd say the plexi 100 watt is a bit far off from the real thing idk.
I just watched this video, and can't seem to get the tone by copying the settings given by the author.
The one on the video is also very gainy, and the owner said it has never been modded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9KVRiHr8gc
Click to expand...

I think this gets pretty close even though its with a strat and I have no idea the speakers/mic he used:

Dry Plexi Patch:

Now if I knew the exact cab mic placement and I was using an ES335 I think it would get pretty much "there"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom