Cool Axe-FX Video Review

mctallica1 · February 7, 2008

You can have any one of a number of great amps for that price. But you can't have 'em all.

ZACTLY)))

FWIW, I bought mine more for the amp modeling than anything else. I am now using it through 2 great powered monitors and that is my full setup (along with my Midi Mate)

I am not missing my GREAT tube amps at all.))

starsnuffer · February 7, 2008

I already had a few sexy tube amps when I bought my ultra. My thinking was, "well, gee, I can buy every other amp I'm gassing for, maybe one or two a year, or I can get this thing. . ."

Actually I bought it just for FX, but turns out the modeling stuff is damn good. The cool thing is you can make your own amps. You can totally change the tone stack, the power amp, even change the transformers in the poweramp.

I 'm not gassing for any of the other amps I was gassing for before.

-W

JoshuaLogan · February 7, 2008

$1750..==

Uber

Mako

Rocca,,

peters,,

(confused....)....why bother..?

Sure, you can get a great amp for that price (although all you listed are closer to $2000), but it almost always only excells at ONE sound. If you only play one kind of music, don't use effects, and only use one sound when you play guitar, then sure.... go for one good amp you have a thing for, but a lot people want more options and more versatility than that.

By the way, the Bogner Ecstacy clip I posted a while ago that you LIKED was the Axe-FX, not an Ecstacy.

P.S. Don't judge the video on just the Atomic. It sounds good, yes, but not necessarily the best way to use it. A lot of people are loving using it through 1 or 2 QSC HPR122i powered monitors. If you aren't familiar with QSC, they make pretty much the best full-range (PA, monitors, etc.) gear available to us, without getting up into $5,000 per monitor area.

The reason behind using the QSC's is because they are very powerful, clear, and they are FRFR (Full Range & Flat Response), which means what you hear out of them will be near identical to the sound you get out of them when direct recording. And this thing includes many cab, speaker, and mic sims, but also has the ability for custom IRs (Impulse Responses) to be loaded. This is another thing that adds value to it... It could easily replace something like the Palmer DI units that a lot of people use, and those are $400-$500 themselves.

Of course, you can also use the Axe-FX with a power amp (tube or solid state) into your favorite guitar cabs (A lot of them too.. the thing has 4 outputs, not including the FX loop, which could be used as an extra output). You can turn off the all the sims except for the amps and get awesome results this way. The only problem with this is the same problem you have with real amps. A 4x12 with V30's is never going to sound that great for cleans compared ot open back 2x12's, 4x10's, and cabs using warmer speakers designed for cleans. Another example would be using the AC30... using the alnico blues speaker sim would sound much better than running it through your V30 cab. So, you are very limited, unless you have a ton of different cabs for various sounds and styles of playing... and if you wanted to play live like that, it'd take a lot of gear to move and a complex switching system to have the cabs set up for the right sounds.

And things like the intelligent pitchshifting in the unit can not be found anywhere else besides with it or Eventide. There is nowhere else you can get intelligent pitchshifting of that quality.

It also has various graphic and parametric EQ's, noise gates, etc. All are highly routable and extremely good.

I'm not pushing it on anyone or anything. I just thought the video was cool and wanted to show it. I also don't think the video was really anything amazing sounding... There are a few sounds he used I like a lot, and a few I didn't like, but that's not the point. Everyone's into different sounds. And me going over the features and everything it can do which makes it extremely valuable is just because people don't realize everything it can do when and say stupid things about the price. It's totally fine if you aren't interested in all the features, but to someone who WOULD use them, it's not even expensive when you take into account everything you get.

JoshuaLogan · February 7, 2008

So, what is the difference between the Axe-FX and the Ultra?

Well, I already answered you last time you aksed that... I guess you didn't see it... but this goes over the differences between them:

http://axefxwiki.guitarlogic.org/index.php?title=Feature_comparison

The Ultra has more processing power and more memory. It allows you to run more things at the same time. It's mainly for people who want more effects capabilities, but because of extra memory it also allows you to run multiple amps (routed however you'd like) together too, which is really cool. You can do it on the Standard too, but not as easily, because of having less memory to work with.

But for the most part, if you don't use a lot of effects, the Standard is all you'd need.

JoshuaLogan · February 8, 2008

riffy · February 8, 2008

I love the Axe-Fx. I have had it for over a year and I have no amp gas whatsoever! I have a Marshall JMP that has been modded with an fx loop and run the Axe-FX into that live... I only use the power section of the Marshall. When there is a decent PA, I run direct and I actually like that sound better. I record direct with it as well as mic'ed and I LOVE the direct sounds I get.

It is well worth the money...

Dave Owens · February 8, 2008

i did like it..and im not saying there is anything wrong
with it..but if i have to choose between the 2..im going
for something with Tubes in it...to say those amps
have only 1 sound is wrong...I have modelers and i have
SS stuff..( its not bad.) just different..I wail my ass
off thru my Berhinger (20 watt) SS pos...but i would
rather have glowing tubes then SS in my chain...

just me...

when i use an amp..i record dry and then add effects
in the mix..(im never one for synth type stuff.)
i have keyboard and it would proably be easier to do
patches on that then to try to reinvent the wheel..

also im not against using it (in a mix) with real tube amps,
i think that might be pretty cool..( say as the wet side of
things.)..but i just couldnt see it as my only amp..

(its sweet piece)..but i rarely go for something like
this as a main amp...( to record.-proably would be very
nice to have.)..

The prices for the standard and ultra on their yahoo store are inflated, specifically to discourage people from doing a buy it now and not waiting in line on the wait list. The real prices are $1350 for the Axe-FX Standard and $1900 for the Axe-FX Ultra. Within the next 2 months or so production is going to be increased and the waiting list is supposed to disappear.

Before commenting on the price, you should take into account everything it can do...

This thing can do every and anything an Eventide Eclipse effects rack unit can do, at comparable or even better quality, and those are roughly the same price, not including any of the great amp, pedal, cab, speaker, or mic sims. For someone who loves effects, it's a no brainer.

Also, Cliff, the designer, listens to everyone using it and CONSTANTLY releases new firmware upgrades (for free) with many new features, new amps, new effects, and improved quality. Almost no one else does anything like that. The product is constantly having functionality added to it, and you don't have to pay a dime extra for it.