Huge compliment last weekend

[jrjones]

Guys, I've been super busy playing and working so I haven't been able to get into many conversations, but I wanted to share this.

Last summer my wife an I had some medical bills pile up. I was pretty anti-modeling. A friend was telling me about the axe-fx ultra, I had web listening to mark day and a couple other guys and decided to pay the bills I'd sell amps and pedals, go to an ultra and pay said bills. So, I've been working on sounds and the last month I've been playing a whole lot. I was all into "dual amp" patches and recently simplified to one amp and have been really digging it. The plexi especially.

A guy called me Wednesday a week and a half ago and said "hey I need a guitar player at church Sunday night can you help me" so I did. I ha played about half the songs before (out of 10). So I show up we play, goes really well, and afterward I'm talking to the bass player who also plays with different guys regularly and he said "ya know, I play with a bunch of different guitar players. They show up with huge pedalboards and tube amps, then I play with you, you bring a small rack, a controller and your tone is every bit as good as any of them." I took that as a massive compliment. Have I "arrived" for my tone? Nah. But I'm really getting some killer tones out of this box AND my back never hurts after carrying my whole rig in one trip (which was impossible before going to the axe-fx).

 

[zentman]

I set up in a big church I had never played before. They had a tube amp running to a cab offstage. I used my Ultra instead and the bass player behind me kept saying between songs "Those are money tones man...money".

 

[sheguitarplayer]

Its nice to get a non guitarists perspective sometimes. My band played a gig a couple of years ago supporting The Fillers. My axefx ultra had blown a transformer the day before so I just had time to borrow a VG99 and play the gig with a couple of tweaked factory presets. Funnily enough, because I was aware the sounds were not exactly what I wanted I ignored them completely and just concentrated on playing, moving about and generally putting on a show.
After the gig I was complimented by many punters on the gig, and by their drummer and bass player who together said it was a nice change to see a guitarist just turn up, plug in and wail.

 

[jrockbridge]

Congrats! Although we players obsess about gear, in the end, I think most of what people hear is the playing. The player simply needs to be inspired, so for that, the gear makes a difference.

 

[78deluxe]

. They show up with huge pedalboards and tube amps, then I play with you, you bring a small rack, a controller and your tone is every bit as good as any of them."

Did you tell him your little rig cost about $3K and is just as complicated as a Pedalboard + Amp set up? (and doesn't include amplification or speakers - that is add that to the equation and you are looking at the same level of portability). Just saying, as I think a lot of people don't really get what they are looking at.

I've had similar compliments on my PODHD300 vs when I play with my $4K pedal board in the same venue/same guitar/same player. Pretty amazing when you think about it.

 

[stratzrus]

I've been comparing the tones coming from my Axe II to other amps I've been hearing live and consistently the Axe sounds so much better...

I keep being surprised by things I'm hearing in the guitar tones coming through the FOH at concerts: rolled off highs, muddy bottom end, congested mids...

There seems to be little question that a high end modeler can deliver tones that are easier for sound guys to work with.

 

[whaiyun]

I'm not a tweaker, does the AxeFx work as easily then? I'm perfectly content with a T/M/B, gain and volume lol.

 

[DGTCrazy]

This is also about "knowing" your gear, not about "what" gear you use IMO. Heck, I recently used the Digitech iPB-10 live because of an emergency situation, and I had countless audience members looking for my "rig" between sets. When they saw I was using an iPad/Modeler, well....their reactions were priceless. And the sound guy just smiled. Keep in mind my normal rig is a Bogner Goldfinger, with a Pedaltrain Pro board. And with such a Small Footprint, and an easy set-up, of course my band-mates happy this rig could work as well as it did.

No...I'm not saying the iPB-10 is as "good" (good meaning "inspiring") as the Axe (or my rig), but I had really dug into the Digi system after I bought it, created patches for each song on my set-list, and tweaked my tones should I be in a position where I had to use it. Being prepared saved me, and it also gave me pause to think I can gig with one guitar, the iPB-10 and a cable.....and have 90% of the tone I want/need....and 100% of what the audience needs (because they don't care what rig I bring in reality).

The one real advantage I see with Modeler's is that you can keep your Stage Volume down, yet not sacrifice any tone to the FOH. And this technology is only going to get better. Good times!

 

[jrjones]

I'm not a tweaker, does the AxeFx work as easily then? I'm perfectly content with a T/M/B, gain and volume lol.

You only go as deep as you want to.

78deluxe, he knows it's an expensive setup, but I'm closer to 2250 on my setup. I came from a vox and bunch of boutiques so he knows I used to be that guy too but that rig cost a whole lot more than my fractal rig. I have a cheap powered speaker I use at home and run direct everywhere I player I carry in my pedalboard which has an MFC, and an expression pedal on it, bring the ultra in and my prs, it's a really clean and compact setup that doesn't have ten million cables everywhere. But, that aside, from someone who plays with guys who have gear like i did on a regular basis and is a bit of a tone junkie himself, I was happy to hear that.


DGTCrazy - another advantage to me is the consistency. When I play outside I give FOH the same thing I do inside, which didn't happen with the amp. Also, knowing that I've got my sound how I want it and that I don't need to expect their soundguy to EQ things right (or at all) is a big reliever for me.

Lastly, of all the gear I've used, this is by far the most inspiring. It seems like every time I plug it in to make some small adjustments to stuff I find something that gets me distracted an playing. At first I tweaked alot more than I played, but now things are opposite of that.

 

[rsm]

Congrats on the compliments!

I have tube amps that I only use at home, and direct rigs (small and large) I use with FRFR. I dig them all, but for a grab and go I use my direct rigs. These days I'm really digging my Zoom G3, but it is too restrictive (navigation and control) for live use, but I dig the sounds. I'll likely pass on the G5 and wait and see if they have a new flagship board to replace the G9.2tt.

I'm sold on modeling and direct to FOH rigs...but I keep my tube amps too. I dig all my rigs, and thankful I don't have to choose only one or the other.

 

[jrjones]

Congrats on the compliments!

I have tube amps that I only use at home, and direct rigs (small and large) I use with FRFR. I dig them all, but for a grab and go I use my direct rigs. These days I'm really digging my Zoom G3, but it is too restrictive (navigation and control) for live use, but I dig the sounds. I'll likely pass on the G5 and wait and see if they have a new flagship board to replace the G9.2tt.

I'm sold on modeling and direct to FOH rigs...but I keep my tube amps too. I dig all my rigs, and thankful I don't have to choose only one or the other.

Well, I wish that were an option. I originally went to the axe-fx because I needed to pay some medical bills. I make part of my income playing, so there is an expectation for high quality sounds, I had heard some good stuff from fractal and figured it out that I could sell my amps and pedals, buy an axe-fx rig and pay all the bills. It didn't quite work out that way, I learned that you get bills from multiple sources when you go to the ER. Ugh. Anyway, we're closing in on having them beat and I'm not too terribly interested in investing in a high dollar amp/pedals rig now because it sounds so good. So, it has cured my amp and pedal GAS. Now, if Fractal only started making guitars...lol