new HD rig day!

[northlane.josh]

I've gone 100x digital, and for a few good reasons.
In place of my 2/90/2 and fatbottom cab I now have a brand new Mackie HD1531
100101101100001001
more pics/clips to come.
I can't fathom how amazing it sounds, how clear it is and how loud it is. There are so many benefits to this setup I can't believe i didn't do it earlier.

[hunter]

Been there, done that. Not for me.

Nice looking rig though, very clean and I'm sure it sounds splendid!

[Dazza1004]

Been there, done that. Not for me.

Nice looking rig though, very clean and I'm sure it sounds splendid!

+1 to all of that

[JDC]

Been there, done that. Not for me.

What did you not like about it?

[hunter]

Been there, done that. Not for me.

What did you not like about it?

I took two years tweaking and tweaking, I kept on updating the firmware and retweaking, trying different amps, cabs, active speakers, direct, etc. etc. etc.

One day I plugged into my tube amp again, and -- baaaam! There was the tone, right there. No more tweaking and seeking needed.

I'm too restless with something like the Axe. Cornford Mk50 is just right for me, 1 Channel, two gains, two masters, few pedals, and constant tone.

[asianaxeman]

+1001 for the tubes!

[northlane.josh]

well i have to admit, the axefx isn't for everyone but if you invest in the time needed to become acquainted the results are extremely rewarding.
For me, i went from a huge rack rig to an axefx + 2/90/2 poweramp + cab and now to this.

I no longer need to mic up live so my tone is always spot on through front of house. This is with impulses taken from acoustically perfect studios I can only dream of being able to afford tracking in (redwirez). I hear this exact sound through my monitor and it sounds phenomenal.
I don't have to worry about tubes, I've cut down about 50kg of gear (on this upgrade) and freed up plenty of trailer space, my rig sounds identical at all volumes and its perfectly consistent everywhere I take it and from every angle. It disperses all the way across stage so i can hear myself without cranking the foldbacks. Also it sounds the same from wherever you are relative to the speaker unlike a guitar cab and moves WAY more air if you want it to.

Add to these benefits the fact that my 4 main patches are the best tones I've ever had, after about 4 hours of tweaking. The monitor makes a huge difference as does the impulses used. I couldn't nail a tone i liked with the stock IR's. Plus my axefx is 100% silent and 100% reliable. Seriously it was a no-brainer for me, I know its blasphemous not playing through a tube amp but if you set it up right it, for my application it can't be beat.

[Frank]

Been there, done that. Not for me.

+1 from me, I did the digital thing for a while myself and just found it disappointingly unresponsive for things like pick dynamics and soft overdrive tones. Always got the impression that the effects sounded just good enough to make you want to take it home from a music shop but for live use, nothing beats tubes. Nothing even comes close.

So apologies to the original poster! I'm sure you're happy with your rig but no amount if digital cleverness will ever shift me from ECC83's and EL34's.

[northlane.josh]

As far as every other modeller I've tried goes, nothing has responded well to nuances.
The axefx is a totally different kettle of fish because amps are modelled on a component level, rather than impulse-based. This also means they sound much more 3-dimensional like real amps do and respond to eq, pedals, pickups and like a real amp would. The low gain tones are fantastic. You can't compare them with off the shelf line6 or digitech products that cost 1/10th the price, it's just not cricket.
I would encourage those who haven't tried an axefx with the latest firmware to give it a go and let your ears decide. A friend of mine suggested I tried this setup and I was very skeptical until I plugged it in. My 2/90/2 rig was a big set of shoes to fill but this sounds more organic and responsive and I know that is a big statement.
As i mentioned before, redwirez or other 3rd party impulses are a must.

this video was made 2 years ago, the firmware has gotten better since. Dynamics are fantastic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArxQRfsETM0

[_tom_]

^heh, that video's one of Hunter's :P

Have to admit I've been very tempted by an AxeFX each time I read about them since tube amps aren't really practical, but I've yet to hear a really convincing medium gain hard rock tone sounding very realistic. I think for high gain and clean/low gain I've heard them sound great.

[Frank]

I've yet to hear a really convincing medium gain hard rock tone sounding very realistic.

That's where I do 90% of my playing and that's why I'm a die-hard valve amp user.

[Dr. Stein]

What puts me off is my experience owning a Pod X3. I'm sure the axefx can produce better tones (though I'm pretty sceptical about the component level modelling spiel, sounds like marketing gibberish to me) but I flat out don't have the patience to sit in front of my monitor choosing different amps/effects from the 80 million available in these things for long enough to find a good combination. My little Laney has six knobs, two switches and your average guitar has three knobs and one switch. Which is about five knobs and two switches more than I can be bothered with most of the time.

Sheer laziness, I know, but there it is.

[Telerocker]

Tubeamps are easy and deliver the tones I need. For recordering Axe FX etc. nevertheless are very handy.