that sounds like 2 bucks worth. very well spent.

Sorry, almost a year since the last post was written regarding this topic...

I'm one of those players who switched from an XT pod to an Axe-Fx Standart in summer 2008 - I still use my rusty old standard - nah, it's not hype....if you need a great effect processor alongside with a good preamp or even use some of the internal preamp tones - and of corse, know how to dial in some tones - you'll be very pleased with the results! Of corse, I was very happy with the XT some years before, but the axe put the thing on a whole new level!

I'm not one of those guys (there are plenty of them anywhere) who belive to dial in famous tones or replace famous gear with modeling gear - I'm just one of them who dial in his own tones, sounds whatever you might call them. If you think that all axe players are just fanboys who belive in those PR ******** you here from every company (aka the best got even better blahblahblah) on the scene today (even from L6 some years ago in a different way), then you're on a mission my friend!

Today I use a pod HD desktop alongside with the standard in my rig. Both units are great in their own way - I love the axe for the effects (in a 4CM setup with my mesaboogie rig) and some amp tones, the pod HD for it's  clean & crunchy amp tones. Every device has his special characteristic or tonal concept - for me, it's not about modeling, it's about bending tones without modifying real amps. The only amp I was ever happy with it from the scratch was the old mesa studiopreamp.

cheers

Paulaner

It's beginning to get into the "is toyota better than nissan?" kind of discussion at this moment. At this point, we now went into the original topic from the AXE vs. X3 to the newer versions of the AXE vs. L6's HD technology. Long standing discussion, but somehow pointless I dare to say. I propose to sidetrack again, and really point out strenghts and weaknesses of every machine, or better yet, post studio and live tested tones from every unit, real usable stuff that can get your tone better every day... say... "I've discovered that the (model) amp on the X3 combined with the (cab) gives a nice basic clean tone for 80's covers"... kind of info.

I hate to say this Karl, but the Axe isn't hype. It's the real deal. We all know technology improves over time, therefore making chips and stuff cheaper as newer ones come on the market. Plus, like Line 6, they are a business and need to make money therefore new products come in to replace the old ones.

The old addage is usually correct: "You get what you pay for." In fact, before I bought the Axe II to replace my Standard, I almost bought a Mesa boogie Mark V head. However, after trying a Mark V, I really found out I also wanted to be able to get a wider range of tones than one amp would give me (not to mention needing the ability to play at low volumes but make it sound like it's at stage volumes without adding hardware). Add the effects in the equation, and it really is a good deal. I haven't played around with the "HD" stuff from Line 6, but I've owned practically all the POD family before the HD's. However, I can honestly say my tone search has been satisfied. But that's just me, personally.

So it begins again.  Its about that time of year they come knocking on the door again.  

I might get you wrong here Karl - appologies sent ;-)

@ cgtrox: It's not about beating death horses.......it's about sharing thoughts.....

anyway, BTT:

It does better than the real deal in some cases, not many get that point right (in what it means for real when talking about "better than the real deal") - you can tweak those digital templates the way you want, modify them in depth - it's more than just modeling - that's why I still like the concept behind the axe-fx a lot  better than those kemper profiling story (which is IMO the ultimate "modeling" you can get today, because you get a digital fingerprint).

So we should ask ourself "what is modeling" - modeling is a digital fingerprint of original gear, it might have the characteristics, the "typical" signs - always real close to the original.

The Axe-Fx goes beyond than just "being close to the original" - combine a classic RCA, baxandall or the "D" skyline tonestack with a blackface type preamp, changing poweramp, psu- & output transformer parameters as you like - and get "your" sound - in a digital enviroment! Yeah - this is something most players can't go for - they need to be close to the original or the general meaning about "what does the job for the overall guitarists". But those players who care about their own tone in a modern outfit, they'll be much happy with the axe-fx.

Well....to be honest - much players out there need to have what everyone else does. So you call this hype - I'm calling this "normal", or a sign of our modern "overloaded" time. Today you can have almost everything - every company will promise you they found the holy grail specially for you - because they need your money. Everyone, Fractal Audio, Avid, Digitech, Rocktron, etc. etc. & Line6 - so much folks out there are highly confused - they need something they can hold their hands on and believe in. But not everyone - some give a **** what others telling about product XY against VY, they use gear because it sounds okey for their own ears!

I hope you understand what I'm talking about! Axe-Fx owners are not just believers and fanboys who stumbled over another marketing hype

Some years ago - i put an example of such a personal tone up on my site (most guys a TGP put it into the "D"-type sound corner which is just because of the "tune" - not beacuse of the tone - I must admit, I'm a very very bad copist when it comes to music, - this is just my way doing it, nothing else) which can be heard in the G66.eu "Sounds-Page" since then- here is a link: http://www.g66.eu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=851&Itemid=90

or TGP http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=621420

So - what???

The PODxt or the original POD (one of the first shipped to europe in late 1998!!!) Mk1 was great for me back the years, when it comes to Line6 today I enjoy the new POD HD (desktop) which does a great job aside of the axe-fx, my mesaboogie studio preamp, Yamaha DG1000 (yeah, I use one of these super old boxes too....) - I personally don't care if somebody would call me "unprofessional" because of my choise of gear - those machines are chosen by ear, by application - not by brand or the meaning of somebody else. The POD HD has his own character - which I like very much (specially for crunchy tones) - the axe-fx which I love for some fx's tones and some amp-a-like-tones, the boogie - which has a nice clean and a great lead sound (in combination with the Axe and my rusty old PCM70, which I use for reverb ony), the DG1000 has a very cool lead tone - and the modulation sounds of the Alesis midiverb4 are just perfect for one special tone - I can't get all those tones from one box - they feel and react different too....but they are all great in their own way! Digital, analogue.....i don't care!

I even love some amp software solutions (you might notice the Klark Teknik DN100 DI-Box on the picts below - this is the analogue front end for the Scuffham Amp and IK's Amplitube 3.5 ;-)) - for some reasons I love them too.....

...btw. I even got one of those "evil" behringer ADA8000 in the back of my rack - pretty cool - one TOS-Link wire to get all signals to my audio interface. It looks very unprofessional - but hey....no hiss, no hum, no noise at all! Great! And I'm living-room compatible.....

cheers

Paulaner

cgtrox wrote:

 

(click on pic)

 

 

cgtrox