Will this amp rig work?

S

SeanStephensen

Member
Right now I have a boring amp setup with a combo amp and a zoom effects pedal. I am wanting to upgrade however to a cab and axe fx, but know nothing about racks, connections, power, all that stuff. I am thinking of getting a Mesa Boogie 2x12 vertical Rectifier Cab, and instead of getting a head, just get Axe FX Ultra and a carvin DCM200L Poweramp (200W@8 ohms bridged). Will this set up work? and how loud will it be? will it be sufficient for jamming/live playing/recording/good quality sound, or would a power amp with a higher wattage be better? :?
 
That setup is fine, similar to mine. I use a DCM150. I've heard the 200L is a bit harsher in the highs but I haven't heard one. You can probably compensate for that with eq and it has more headroom which is good.

You might want to go with a mesa 4x12 if you haven't already bought the cab. The vertical and horizontal 2x12 rectos are not available stereo/mono (and mesa won't let you special order them that way anymore...custom shop my ass). But all mesa 4x12's are pre-wired stereo/mono.

If you really want that particular cab and want to run stereo, you should order the cab with 8 ohm speakers rather than 16. (Mesa will do that... and sell you the stereo/mono plate, but won't wire it up stereo/mono from the factory... did I mention what losers they have become??). It comes stock with 16's, and if you convert it to stereo/mono it's 16ohms per side in stereo, which is quite a load for that amp. If you get it with two 8's, you can convert it and it will be 8 ohms per side stereo and 4 ohms in mono (I have a 2x12 horizontal recto that was made for me that way... before they became such losers....). The axe is very cool in stereo, you'd miss out on some fun if you ran it mono only. But lots of folks here go mono and it's still an amazing unit.

I do still love mesa stuff, I use all mesa cabs.... but jeez, "custom shop" and they won't even wire a 2x12 cab stereo/mono, despite the fact that all of their rack units and rack power amps are stereo.
 
jojo said:
That setup is fine, similar to mine. I use a DCM150. I've heard the 200L is a bit harsher in the highs but I haven't heard one. You can probably compensate for that with eq and it has more headroom which is good.

You might want to go with a mesa 4x12 if you haven't already bought the cab. The vertical and horizontal 2x12 rectos are not available stereo/mono (and mesa won't let you special order them that way anymore...custom shop my ass). But all mesa 4x12's are pre-wired stereo/mono.

If you really want that particular cab and want to run stereo, you should order the cab with 8 ohm speakers rather than 16. (Mesa will do that... and sell you the stereo/mono plate, but won't wire it up stereo/mono from the factory... did I mention what losers they have become??). It comes stock with 16's, and if you convert it to stereo/mono it's 16ohms per side in stereo, which is quite a load for that amp. If you get it with two 8's, you can convert it and it will be 8 ohms per side stereo and 4 ohms in mono (I have a 2x12 horizontal recto that was made for me that way... before they became such losers....). The axe is very cool in stereo, you'd miss out on some fun if you ran it mono only. But lots of folks here go mono and it's still an amazing unit.

I do still love mesa stuff, I use all mesa cabs.... but jeez, "custom shop" and they won't even wire a 2x12 cab stereo/mono, despite the fact that all of their rack units and rack power amps are stereo.
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I was going for the vert 2x12 mainly because it's cheaper than the 4x12. Didn't know there was that difference. Guess I'll go with the 4x12 now. and with the 4x12 I couldn't decide between the rectifier and the stiletto. What do you reccomend? It's gonna be for metal/rock playing/sound.
 
jojo said:
That setup is fine, similar to mine. I use a DCM150. I've heard the 200L is a bit harsher in the highs but I haven't heard one. You can probably compensate for that with eq and it has more headroom which is good.

You might want to go with a mesa 4x12 if you haven't already bought the cab. The vertical and horizontal 2x12 rectos are not available stereo/mono (and mesa won't let you special order them that way anymore...custom shop my ass). But all mesa 4x12's are pre-wired stereo/mono.

If you really want that particular cab and want to run stereo, you should order the cab with 8 ohm speakers rather than 16. (Mesa will do that... and sell you the stereo/mono plate, but won't wire it up stereo/mono from the factory... did I mention what losers they have become??). It comes stock with 16's, and if you convert it to stereo/mono it's 16ohms per side in stereo, which is quite a load for that amp. If you get it with two 8's, you can convert it and it will be 8 ohms per side stereo and 4 ohms in mono (I have a 2x12 horizontal recto that was made for me that way... before they became such losers....). The axe is very cool in stereo, you'd miss out on some fun if you ran it mono only. But lots of folks here go mono and it's still an amazing unit.

I do still love mesa stuff, I use all mesa cabs.... but jeez, "custom shop" and they won't even wire a 2x12 cab stereo/mono, despite the fact that all of their rack units and rack power amps are stereo.
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and I just checked the site, doesn't look like the DCM 150 is available any more, apparently it's been updated and is now the DCM200L? and how's the volume of this poweramp?
 
jojo gave some good tips.

I personally use the Recto 4x12 and like the sound for rock and metal. However, I do not use it in stereo. I go mono because almost every decent soundman will run your sound mono. Not to mention, there is not a lot of separation for running a single 4x12 in stereo and you will encounter comb filtering problems. That being said, I have run my 4x12 in stereo, and it was interesting, but for most live applications, mono is the way to go.

Like jojo, I also use the DCM150, which provides plenty of volume for my rehearsals and gigs as the sole guitarist in a rock cover band. Your own situation may differ in that we try to control our volume level and I have never maxed out the DCM150. If we play at a venue that requires more volume, the venue will have a PA to provide it. However, a metal band may rehearse or play louder (even though you don't need to destroy your ears like I somewhat did to mine in another band), you may have a heavy hitting drummer, or you may have to compete with another guitarist's volume. All that being said, the DCM200L may still provide enough volume. Like jojo, I also haven't heard the DCM200L in person and can't comment on how it sounds, but, as far as volume is concerned, the DCM150 is plenty loud for most live applications and the DCM200L is slightly louder.
 
SeanStephensen said:
Lopp said:
You will also need a footswitch to change patches.
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is there an foot controller for axe fx ultra?
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It does not come with one. You will need a MIDI pedal to control it. Fractal is developing its own footswitch, but it is not available yet.
 
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