Who has " sold it all" and gone AXE FX??????

VESmedic

Inspired
Well, I am sure alot of you HAVE done just that on this forum, but it seemed like a catchy topic title :D

Lately, I have been obsessed with the idea of the Axe FX. I have GAS'd on an off for over a year for an axe fx, much harder than for anything else I've ever owned for some reason. I will try and explain my situation as best I can, it probably isn't much different than alot of people actually.

I have a band, we play shows probably 3 or 4 times a month, sometimes more, practice twice a week. We play at my singers studio, which doesn't have enough room for my monstrosity of a rig, thats for sure. I have a 2 head rack case, with a 6 space rack on top, and 2 4x12 cabinets. My rig ONLY seems to be played at shows. It sits at my house, as it is not feasible to move it all over the place. I can not take it to practice, then take it home, then take to record, then take it to a show etc: It just isn't going to happen, no matter how great it sounds. We play some decent venues, and some much larger national shows every year as well. We have a trailer, but as of right now, there is not enough room for my rig in there with everything else, so it is up to me to move it in my truck, which means when we play out of town, I do not take it, as I am not comfortable doing that. This means that I have to rip one of my heads out of the rack (pain in the ass), and bring a boost pedal, a 4x12 etc: So basically, I have this awesome rig, but no way to really use it.

I find that since I have this rig, I do not play guitar at home very much at all. I feel that if I went axe fx, hooked up to my computer or whatever, I would have much "artistic creativity juice flowing" for lack of a better term. Sure, I could get a simple practice amp at home, but again, I have a girlfriend I live with in law school who studies all the time, a roommate etc...There is just always something in the way...you know, LIFE!


Also, my other guitar player is not the most rig savy person, so of course, having an axe fx would allow me and him to both play through it...Of course, this is NOT my responsibility at all to let him do this ( he has a carvin V3 head, sounds like garbage), but if it makes the band sound better i am all for it. At band practice/studio time, we like to record our stuff, send each other riff ideas to work on etc: The axe fx would make this so much easier as well.

When playing live, out of town, I could show up with a 20 lb rig, plug it in, via FOH or with a 5 lb matrix poweramp, with a 4x12, and be ready to go, this in itself is a selling point to me.


I could go on and on, we all know why the axe fx is great for what it does: All the firmware updates, the new technology (tone matching), the forum, downloading patches etc: It is beginning to be too much for me NOT to say "okay, this is stupid, WHY do I not have one of these??" To be fair, I do not think I would part with my VHT UL head, as it is the THE sound in my head and sounds great. An idea that crossed my mind was going axe fx II with the UL in 4CM, however, I have no way of knowing if this will work out or not, as I do not know anyone with an axe II, and of course, all of the horror stories about using the axe with 4CM with some amps. I also feel that the VHT UL is one amp the axe fx could not replicate very well, while my 5150 is something it can very easily, or so it seems. Anyways, sorry for the lengthy post, I just wanted some opinions, and some people to share their stories about why they did, or DIDN'T go axe fx in the long run.


PS: FS Thread coming shortly :D :D :D


_________________
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BKP User/BELIEVER!
 
I'm currently in the process of selling it all. It just took me a month with the Axe and some tweaking to pull the trigger.

If you want my suggestion, I'd just get one and try it out. If you're unhappy with it, you can always return it 2 weeks max later. ;)
 
Currently buying back amp and pedal bits. I have posted about this before. The Axe is brilliant as post-amp only for me, but it is the best at that of all I have owned/tried. IMO, you are unlikely to find many (if any) others that will post similarly here.
 
Sold it all. Had two great tube amps (Budda and a Mesa Electradyne), and about $3000 in boutique pedals.

I have MORE versatility, killer tone, and a LOT less to carry :) Oh and a few extra bucks in my pocket as a result as well... for more guitars!! :)
 
I haven't really played any of my amps once I got my AXE, although I haven't sold anything either.... getting ready to part with a few things, BUT I did plug into my Bogner Shiva the other day and I was like "damn".... that's nice!!

Moral of the story, love the AXE, it's great for what it is.. I will use it A LOT, for gigs, practice, RECORDING!!!, and just general jamming, but there is still something sexy about a nice tube amp....

Never say Never... after all we are guitar players...
 
I've bought bunches of amps and a myriad of pedals, but I don't play them out it is pretty much the axe-fx II live (I have an eclipse for some processor overload and a POG 2 for a couple of songs)
 
I sold my soul to rock and roll...along with a refrigerator sized rack of everything and a double stack of 4x12's.
 
I'm new to Axe FX, started this year with the Axe 2.

I'm steadily purging gear on craigs list.
Selling everything except a small pedalboard and a Roland Cube 60, which I'm keeping as a backup rig, or for when the situation is not right for the full rig.
 
I just sold my EVH 5150 III head & cab, pedalboard, like 20 pedals including MXR, Boss, Ibanez, Tech 21, Pro Co, etc, along with my Axe Trak isolation cab I used to use in the studio, and my Hot Plate to get an Axe-FX II from Tone Merchants! Now my rig is all compact, without all the cords everywhere, and all that gear taking up space! My 2 year old daughter used to mess with my pedal & amp settings every time she found her way in there, and now it's all up and out of her way, safe and sound, and my studio has a lot more open space! Did I mention it sounds killer & has more flexibility now too?
 
While I haven't sold off any of my valve amps, the II is pretty much exclusively used in the studio now.

Live, I still use my Hughes & Kettner Coreblade.
 
I've bought bunches of amps and a myriad of pedals, but I don't play them out it is pretty much the axe-fx II live (I have an eclipse for some processor overload and a POG 2 for a couple of songs)

Sorry for going off topic here, but isn't the Axe II fully capable of doing all the POG2 sounds? The POG2 was on my soon-to-buy list, until I decided to put me on the waiting list for an Axe.
 
I've never had a tube head and 4x12 cabinet and I don't think thats going to change anytime in the near future after getting the Axe. I did sell all my combo amps and pedals.
 
Sorry for going off topic here, but isn't the Axe II fully capable of doing all the POG2 sounds? The POG2 was on my soon-to-buy list, until I decided to put me on the waiting list for an Axe.

Pog sounds better with polyphonic stuff. It is more stable and I like the timbre of the pitch shift. However it is no where near as powerfull and versitile as the axefx pitch shifter.
 
I have the Axe II for a little over a month. I have been a tube man for 30 years. As of now I am selling my Marshall JVM 410-H and TC Electronic G-System. No more headaches and noise and dealing with the beast. Thank you FAS!!!
 
Biggest worries: not Feeling the POWER and girth in my tone that I am used to.
Not being able to dial in my high gain tones for a live setting/high volume
Needing to change something "on the fly" at a gig, and not being comfortable or knowledgeable to do it quick and efficiently.
The "random" issues people seem to have at times, (axe freezing, not knowing how to do something/ use the unit correctly etc)



Basically, I would be probably be more "scared" to use it live, than my live physical amps due to the last reason listed above. How do you know when you are "ready" to use the axe live and get the most out of it? These are the things that are really holding me back, and always have. sigh..............
 
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