Warren wrote
Our ex-lead guitarist has one, which he bought a couple of months ago.
The sounds are very nice, but the device is quite complex and takes some investment of your time to really get a feel for how to use it. Especially playing live I think. Also needs a good MIDI foot controller to really get use out of it as part of your live rig.
I quite liked it though, I don't think he'll need to buy another piece of effects gear ever. He did a lot of reading up, and he made a good choice. This thing is apparently a bit newer than the Axe-Fx, not quite as expensive (but still not really cheap) and from all accounts is more or less as good.
The only problem I see with these devices is that they seem to detract a bit from the users actual investment in their playing technique (I'm not saying my mate did this, he's a great player, and these are just my thoughts). You can end up spending lots of time trying to fiddle and find sounds and goodies that will let you do X or Y, rather than trying to wring absolutely everything that you can from a basic rig: e.g. just your guitar and distortion box.
My own feeling is that I'd just be overwhelmed with all of that stuff. Even now, I hardly use all the capability of the Line6 Gearbox software on my machine, because I actually want to become a decent guitarist first. Once my rakes and bends and vibrato and sweeps and harmonics are all ringing out across the neighbourhood, then I think I'll be ready to start looking at new toys ?
I really think it's the seasoned vets that get the most out of these kinds of tools, because they know exactly what they're trying to achieve.
Well, I'm already an amazing player, so I just need a good sound now! ? haha, ONLY KIDDING! ?
The reviews I read on it indicated the effects weren't as good as the AxeFX, but it was a lot easier to use than the axe... I haven't read a bad review on one, so, i'm reckoning it's a pretty good way to go. The couple videos I watched sounded really good, the acoustic recordings of one condenser plugged into the eleven rack was really good too.
But you are right, it's a little pricey. Double the price of my nova, a couple hundred dollars less than the AxeFX. However, it is an interface, effects processor, amp simulator. Would love to try one! ?
