Axe Fx II

[dkannen]

So is this little Matrix poweramp the undisputed way to go?

 

[Thomas-Hawk]

dkannen,

I own and love my Matrix GT800FX, so I'm surely biased, but IMO, you cannot go wrong with Matrix. TONS of power/headroom, MOSFET Class A/B, and less than 8 lbs. Plus you get to use real guitar cabs if you prefer, or passive FRFR monitors. Best of both worlds!

 

[dibart77]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I am sticking with my tried and true rig for now, but may try to get my hands on a Fractal to check out.

​

 

[aleclee]

So is this little Matrix poweramp the undisputed way to go?

It's the current sweetheart of the power amp + guitar cab crowd. Way too many folks going with powered FRFR to describe it as "undisputed".

I am sticking with my tried and true rig for now, but may try to get my hands on a Fractal to check out.

That's really the best way to determine if the thing lives up to the hype.

 

[Astrofreq]

I think those tones are KILLER on that video. I'm truly impressed. Although, I don't know why he even bothers putting a D, G, B & E string on the guitar.

I would die to have that home studio set up. Someday .......

 

[Thomas-Hawk]

I think those tones are KILLER on that video. I'm truly impressed. Although, I don't know why he even bothers putting a D, G, B & E string on the guitar.

I would die to have that home studio set up. Someday .......

LOL! I think the D, G, B & E strings are just there for moral support. And to provide the correct amount of counter-tension for the B, E and A strings.

 

[uOpt]

Well, the 5150 III is gone and I've decided to go Axe Fx. The problem I've been having with amps is they sound amazing cranked at the store then I get home and its so so at apt. levels. (Plus the 5150 III just didn't feel like it could take a beating like the peavey did) Anyways, since Im an at home player, the fractal seems the best route. Heres the thing, am I missing something with these? On fractals site they are 2200 and on ebay they are going for waaaaayyy over fractals price?I just dont get it. Anyways, any owners out there want to run over the pros/cons and personal experiences

There often is a waitlist on fractal's site and on Ebay you can have it right away. People who spend $2200 on a rack thing are usually well off so they trade some cash for having the thing earlier.

Myself I shy away from it. I have a college who has one and swears by it but he practices every day and gets a lot of use out of it. I sometimes don't/can't play for some time, or play bass. The value loss on these things is brutal. The Axe-FX has been better than most so far but that won't last forever.

If I buy a vintage amp I get price stability at least and I might even get lucky.

My recommendation for an amp that still sounds good at lower volumes is the Bogner Shiva. Not cheap either but will hold it's value better than any digital modeler.

P.S. my favorite digital thing is the Vox/Korg Tonelab line. They have a real tube in there and I like it a lot better than the pure digital things. Quality is good, too. Not very flexible. though.

 

[aleclee]

There often is a waitlist on fractal's site and on Ebay you can have it right away. People who spend $2200 on a rack thing are usually well off so they trade some cash for having the thing earlier.

In the US, the waitlist has been clear for a number of months. At this point, anyone looking to get more than list is gonna have to sell overseas.

 

[colinboy]

Ive never tried the axe fx but i have heard great things about it. Im a tone purist so i stick with my amp but i use the G System from TC electronic to control my rig another great piece of kit if you havent checked it out already.

 

[Jackson2112]

Ive never tried the axe fx but i have heard great things about it. Im a tone purist so i stick with my amp but i use the G System from TC electronic to control my rig another great piece of kit if you havent checked it out already.

I'm with you bro, I use the Gsystem to control my rig from channel switching on the 5150 micro because that heads midi, and when I play bigger gigs I use a mini amp gizmo connected to the Gsystem to control my 100 watt Evh head. The Gsystem kicks ass, effects are totally clean and unmatched. My point of view anyways,

 

[agt]

I used an Axe FX Ultra (not II) for 2.5 years for recording only, but now I am back to using mic'ed tube amps. Fender Deluxe Reverb and and a new Fender Supersonic 22 with a 57, 421, or 121 and with a selection of pedals. For naked clean and slightly driven tones without much in the way of effects, which are my litmus tests, the Axe FX was decent but not quite there in terms of feel, bloom, depth, nuance, ... magic. For high gain tones it was pretty darn good; certainly better than any other modeler or amp simulator I have tried.

 

[ZeroFivefour]

I used an Axe FX Ultra (not II) for 2.5 years for recording only, but now I am back to using mic'ed tube amps. Fender Deluxe Reverb and and a new Fender Supersonic 22 with a 57, 421, or 121 and with a selection of pedals. For naked clean and slightly driven tones without much in the way of effects, which are my litmus tests, the Axe FX was decent but not quite there in terms of feel, bloom, depth, nuance, ... magic. For high gain tones it was pretty darn good; certainly better than any other modeler or amp simulator I have tried.

This thread really has piqued my interest in the Axe FX 2. I have always been reluctant to get into amp modelling until hearing about the Axe Fx 2 unit.

I am seriously considering getting it after reading this and doing a bit of research on it.

I am most concerned with obtaining: a hot rodded high gain shred sound, ie: lynch, vai, satch, de martini, etc...as well as ultra clean fender tones, and dirty ZZtop/earlyl EVH tones . If this unit can get me there then I may just be purchasing one.

A few questions for those who have used the unit:

1:Is the matrix power amp or tube power amp the preferred amp for high gain sounds. After some googling I realize that the matrix is recommended to be used with the Axe fx's Power-Amp simulator feature engaged. But which is better, tube power or matrix for the high gain tones.

2: Can the unit be used to power studio control room speakers only/(without using a speaker cabinet), with good results, for at home playing, (without using a power amp).

3: Does the unit work well with other fx stomp boxes, (can they be placed anywhere in the internal signal chain).

4: What, (if any impact), does active/passive pickups have on the units sound capabilities.

Thanks for any and all information.

Cheers,

Tom

 

[dibart77]

I am most concerned with obtaining: a hot rodded high gain shred sound, ie: lynch, vai, satch, de martini, etc...

Hey Tom:

Check out the video that @Thomas-Hawk posted here: Post #11

This thing seems to make K-I-L-L-E-R high gain tones. Check that off the list.

-J

​

 

[ZeroFivefour]

Jeff,

Thanks for the heads up on the high gain demo vid. Pretty darn good for sure! I'd like to hear it in the hands of a shred player for clarity of notes etc...but it does look very promising. WOW.

For only 2 rack spaces plus a power amp that is not a bad set up at all. At over 2 large though... (before the power amp)...I am tempted to be honest.

Thanks again.

Cheers,

Tom

 

[aleclee]

This thread really has piqued my interest in the Axe FX 2. I have always been reluctant to get into amp modelling until hearing about the Axe Fx 2 unit.

I am seriously considering getting it after reading this and doing a bit of research on it.

I am most concerned with obtaining: a hot rodded high gain shred sound, ie: lynch, vai, satch, de martini, etc...as well as ultra clean fender tones, and dirty ZZtop/earlyl EVH tones . If this unit can get me there then I may just be purchasing one.

Best advice that I can offer would be to go to the Fractal board and see if someone in your neck of the ocean would be willing to let you check theirs out. AxeFx users are often happy to play show and tell with folks who are curious about the device. I've demo'ed for the Axe-curious and have helped others troubleshoot their rigs or get them properly configured.

 

[ZeroFivefour]

Best advice that I can offer would be to go to the Fractal board and see if someone in your neck of the ocean would be willing to let you check theirs out. AxeFx users are often happy to play show and tell with folks who are curious about the device. I've demo'ed for the Axe-curious and have helped others troubleshoot their rigs or get them properly configured.

aleclee,

Good call and good advice. I think that is my next step. I'll have to track down someone over here that is using one and convince them to let me take it for a test drive. Thanks for the tip.

Cheers,

Tom

 

[Thomas-Hawk]

This thread really has piqued my interest in the Axe FX 2. I have always been reluctant to get into amp modelling until hearing about the Axe Fx 2 unit.

I am seriously considering getting it after reading this and doing a bit of research on it.

I am most concerned with obtaining: a hot rodded high gain shred sound, ie: lynch, vai, satch, de martini, etc...as well as ultra clean fender tones, and dirty ZZtop/earlyl EVH tones . If this unit can get me there then I may just be purchasing one.

A few questions for those who have used the unit:

1:Is the matrix power amp or tube power amp the preferred amp for high gain sounds. After some googling I realize that the matrix is recommended to be used with the Axe fx's Power-Amp simulator feature engaged. But which is better, tube power or matrix for the high gain tones.

2: Can the unit be used to power studio control room speakers only/(without using a speaker cabinet), with good results, for at home playing, (without using a power amp).

3: Does the unit work well with other fx stomp boxes, (can they be placed anywhere in the internal signal chain).

4: What, (if any impact), does active/passive pickups have on the units sound capabilities.

Thanks for any and all information.

Cheers,

Tom

Hey Tom,

I'm into the same types of tones you are, and the Axe-Fx II will definitely get you there. I've had mine for over a year now, and I'm thankful almost daily about the purchase. What other gear can you say that about? Well, with the exception of our EBMMs, of course.

I'll try to answer each of your questions:

1:For high gain, and any other tones, I personally believe it's best to use a solid state, Class A/B power amp. This way, you can use the power amp modeling that the Axe-Fx II offers. If you use a tube power amp, it will likely color the sound too much. There are some "flat" tube based power amps out there... Carvin has the TS100, which I owned and liked for a few months. But it's 2U, and is HEAVY. The solid state amp should be as flat as possible, and cleanly amplify what is fed into it. This is exactly what the Matrix GTFX series does. I am admittedly a fanboi of Matrix; they are a fanstic, customer-satisfaction driven company, and will take care of you. I have the Matrix GT800FX, and am as happy with that purchase as I am of the Axe-Fx II. It has tons of power, takes up only 1U of rack space, and weighs less than 8 lbs. And, the GREAT thing about using a good quality solid state amp to power your Axe-Fx II (Carvin makes some good ones too; heard good things about the DCM1540L) is that you can use it with real guitar cabs, or FRFR (full range, flat response) passive monitors if you want to take advantage of the cab sims in the Axe. I'm mostly a guitar cab kind of guy, but trying to adopt using FRFR more.

2:The Axe-Fx II will not power anything, so you'll always need to either use a power amp, or self powered studio or stage monitors.

3:I've never used my Axe-Fx II with other stomp boxes, basically because I don't have the need to! The Axe has just about every stomp you could want, save for some killer boutique pedals out there. But I've heard others on the Fractal forum say they've used stomps along with the Axe just fine.

4:The Axe-Fx II is just as sensitive to pickup types as a good tube amp is! This is one of the major differences of the Axe-Fx II compared to other modelers IMO. For example, my new JPXI sounds WAY different than my Les Paul Studio with BurstBucker Pro pickups.

Fractal Audio also has a 15 day trial period too. That way you can try it out in your environment to see if it will suit you.

Please let me know if I can answer any other questions for you!


-Tom

 

[ZeroFivefour]

Hey Tom,

I'm into the same types of tones you are, and the Axe-Fx II will definitely get you there. I've had mine for over a year now, and I'm thankful almost daily about the purchase. What other gear can you say that about? Well, with the exception of our EBMMs, of course.

I'll try to answer each of your questions:

1:For high gain, and any other tones, I personally believe it's best to use a solid state, Class A/B power amp. This way, you can use the power amp modeling that the Axe-Fx II offers. If you use a tube power amp, it will likely color the sound too much. There are some "flat" tube based power amps out there... Carvin has the TS100, which I owned and liked for a few months. But it's 2U, and is HEAVY. The solid state amp should be as flat as possible, and cleanly amplify what is fed into it. This is exactly what the Matrix GTFX series does. I am admittedly a fanboi of Matrix; they are a fanstic, customer-satisfaction driven company, and will take care of you. I have the Matrix GT800FX, and am as happy with that purchase as I am of the Axe-Fx II. It has tons of power, takes up only 1U of rack space, and weighs less than 8 lbs. And, the GREAT thing about using a good quality solid state amp to power your Axe-Fx II (Carvin makes some good ones too; heard good things about the DCM1540L) is that you can use it with real guitar cabs, or FRFR (full range, flat response) passive monitors if you want to take advantage of the cab sims in the Axe. I'm mostly a guitar cab kind of guy, but trying to adopt using FRFR more.

2:The Axe-Fx II will not power anything, so you'll always need to either use a power amp, or self powered studio or stage monitors.

3:I've never used my Axe-Fx II with other stomp boxes, basically because I don't have the need to! The Axe has just about every stomp you could want, save for some killer boutique pedals out there. But I've heard others on the Fractal forum say they've used stomps along with the Axe just fine.

4:The Axe-Fx II is just as sensitive to pickup types as a good tube amp is! This is one of the major differences of the Axe-Fx II compared to other modelers IMO. For example, my new JPXI sounds WAY different than my Les Paul Studio with BurstBucker Pro pickups.

Fractal Audio also has a 15 day trial period too. That way you can try it out in your environment to see if it will suit you.

Please let me know if I can answer any other questions for you!


-Tom

Tom,

Awesome info. Thanks for the detailed responses. It is extremely helpful as well as encouraging. I appreciate it.
I did not know about the trial period. That is a nice touch of customer service for sure. I'll let you know if/when I have other questions for sure. Thanks!

Cheers,

Tom

 

[ZeroFivefour]

Hey Tom,

I'm into the same types of tones you are, and the Axe-Fx II will definitely get you there. I've had mine for over a year now, and I'm thankful almost daily about the purchase. What other gear can you say that about? Well, with the exception of our EBMMs, of course.

I'll try to answer each of your questions:

1:For high gain, and any other tones, I personally believe it's best to use a solid state, Class A/B power amp. This way, you can use the power amp modeling that the Axe-Fx II offers. If you use a tube power amp, it will likely color the sound too much. There are some "flat" tube based power amps out there... Carvin has the TS100, which I owned and liked for a few months. But it's 2U, and is HEAVY. The solid state amp should be as flat as possible, and cleanly amplify what is fed into it. This is exactly what the Matrix GTFX series does. I am admittedly a fanboi of Matrix; they are a fanstic, customer-satisfaction driven company, and will take care of you. I have the Matrix GT800FX, and am as happy with that purchase as I am of the Axe-Fx II. It has tons of power, takes up only 1U of rack space, and weighs less than 8 lbs. And, the GREAT thing about using a good quality solid state amp to power your Axe-Fx II (Carvin makes some good ones too; heard good things about the DCM1540L) is that you can use it with real guitar cabs, or FRFR (full range, flat response) passive monitors if you want to take advantage of the cab sims in the Axe. I'm mostly a guitar cab kind of guy, but trying to adopt using FRFR more.

2:The Axe-Fx II will not power anything, so you'll always need to either use a power amp, or self powered studio or stage monitors.

3:I've never used my Axe-Fx II with other stomp boxes, basically because I don't have the need to! The Axe has just about every stomp you could want, save for some killer boutique pedals out there. But I've heard others on the Fractal forum say they've used stomps along with the Axe just fine.

4:The Axe-Fx II is just as sensitive to pickup types as a good tube amp is! This is one of the major differences of the Axe-Fx II compared to other modelers IMO. For example, my new JPXI sounds WAY different than my Les Paul Studio with BurstBucker Pro pickups.

Fractal Audio also has a 15 day trial period too. That way you can try it out in your environment to see if it will suit you.

Please let me know if I can answer any other questions for you!


-Tom

First: lessthanone,

Sorry for the thread hi jack. let me know if you want me to post another thread for the remainder of my questions as I don't want to intrude etc...


Second:

Thomas,

Wondering what type of foot controllers are compatible with the Afx2, and/or which one you're using and/or recommend?

Thanks again,

Tom

 

[aleclee]

Wondering what type of foot controllers are compatible with the Afx2, and/or which one you're using and/or recommend?

They're all "compatible". Some are more capable than others in terms of programmability and configuration flexibility.

The most basic ones will let you change patches. A step up from that would let you have some combination of patch change and FX "instant access" (allowing you to turn FX on/off). Another step up will provide text associated with a preset (programmed by the user, not polled from the AxeFx). The next tier offers multiple MIDI messages associated with a single button press or varying messages per button per preset. The high end devices (e.g., MFC-101, Liquid Foot, Little Giant) offer tuner display and tight integration (e.g., display preset name and FX state without programming).

This wiki page is kind of dated but should give you an idea of the different capabilities offered by various controllers:
MIDI Floor Controller Comparison Chart - Fractal Audio Systems Wiki