Axe Fx and Pod Hd

Isis

I'm going to skip the boring part and get straight to my question/s.

a) When will the POD HD be arriving in SA?
b) How can I get my filthy little paws on the Axe-Fx an d how much will this set me back?

I was pretty much astounded by how much modeling technology has developed the past couple of years. This coming from a guy who thought the GT-8 was a pretty nifty machine. I've recently started playing guitar again and would like to take guitar a bit more seriously this time around. I made a few recordings (GT-8 straight into Cubase) trying to write some music for a doom metal band I want to start up. The GT 8 is not doing it for me though. I'm afraid the COSM's just don't sit well with my ear.

I'd really like to try the Axe-Fx as I'm sure this is an amazing piece of kit. The new POD HD looks fairly promising as well. I'd like to try one out though before trying to get the Axe. I'm not going to fork out 4x the money for something that works marginally better. I'm quite picky about the tones I like but there is a limit to how far I would go.

The GT recording sounds pretty nasal and thin, even in a mix. Here is a sample I made just to test the tone, no post production though. It's pretty sloppy but I wanted to get an idea of how the guitar would sit in the mix. Granted the guitar is a bit too soft but no amount of volume will make a bad sound better.

http://www.mediafire.com/?7n2jptl7e55tl65

BMU

If it's for recording rather than playing live, make sure you check out the free Poulin and TSE amp modeling plugins. Many feel they beat the previous generation (pre-HD) Line 6 stuff. (One of the many would be me, a long time Line 6 user.)

Don't know about the HD. Personally, I'm not going hardware again, the limitless re-amping possibilities of plugins have me thoroughly seduced, at least for this month haha.

As far as the Axe goes, there's no easy way to get one afaik. Ebay or contacts, those are your options I think. Remember to add VAT, shipping and duties. It gets a little ouchy on the $$$ side.

After ditching my POD XT/Farm for Poulin/TSE and also getting Revalver MkIII, I've concluded I'm not in the market for an Axe-FX any more. I have little doubt any of them easily beat the GT8 COSM modeling (just my guess.)

raithza

You should try looking at some software solutions as well - Guitar Rig. That means that you can record, then re-amp/tweak your sound IN the mix.

also - get a box.net account - it's better for sharing clips as it allows it to be streamed from the site.

Isis

I'll give the plug-ins a go for the recording. Thank you.

I'll be playing live as well unfortunately. I think it's uber lame of Fractal audio to keep our third world country out of the loop. I don't really mind ordering stuff of ebay, especially with the current exchange rate. I'm a bit scared of the shipping and the duties though. I've recently ordered some Opeth shirts worth R550 and ended up paying R280 odd on import duties. The previous time I paid only vat. These idiots seem to be making stuff up as they go. The last thing I want to do is order a R14000 piece of equipment just to pay an additional R5000 on import duties + VAT. That would ruin my day.

I've never ordered electronic gear off of ebay before. As a rule of thumb what would the shipping, VAT and import duties be on the Axe?

Manfred-Klose

b) How can I get my filthy little paws on the Axe-Fx an d how much will this set me back?

the axe fx would out perform anyting in its way.

anything from R20 000 plus.
you can buy it on their website.

Mr-M

Isis wrote a) When will the POD HD be arriving in SA?
b) How can I get my filthy little paws on the Axe-Fx an d how much will this set me back?

a) Marshall Music in Woodmead have them in stock as of 2 days ago. Call Stuart on 011 804 1362

b) Online from the US only. Don't worry, it's quite safe. Ebay has good buyer protection policies, so it's probably the best bet. Just buy brand new from a reputable eBay store (check their feedback), rather than a private person and pay with Paypal. Do that and you'll be fine.

That help? ?

BMU

Buy direct from Fractal...is that a new option? 'Cos that possibility didn't exist last time I checked. They have a Euro distributor and a US one, nothing for SA. I hope it did get better.

Re price after duties, shipping, VAT etc - from hearsay I've picked up you can figure on R20,000 for the lower one, more for the Ultra.

Mr-M

Edited my post. Better?