5150 vs the AxeFX - Shootout!

[TheDude]

I'm going to say D is the Axe, but I don't like either tone really - definitely not what I go for out of my 5150.

Yeah, I'd go for the Green channel with a boost in front, but then it wouldn't have been the "grainy" distortion I've come to characterize as the 5150 distortion. This was more of an exercise.

It sounds EXTREMELY close to my ears.

I think what little difference comes thru in this could very well be the SS poweramp's doing.

The SS poweramp is just raising the volume, and with the "Post Gain" on 3, means that it's about 10-15 watts going out into the cab, which should be a piece of cake for a 1000W SS to handle. I think the coloring is 99.9% the AxeFX.

Not that similar imho...

Corksniffer.

 

[JeffTD]

Yeah, I'd go for the Green channel with a boost in front, but then it wouldn't have been the "grainy" distortion I've come to characterize as the 5150 distortion. This was more of an exercise.

Good man.

 

[Metaltastic]

It sounds EXTREMELY close to my ears.

I think what little difference comes thru in this could very well be the SS poweramp's doing.

I was thinking that too, you should've run the AxeFX into the 5150's FX return Jocke!

Anyway, agreed on neither tone being particularly to my tastes (very loose and a bit dirty), but cool to hear how similar they sound! As to which is which, I really can't be certain; people have given their reasons why they think each is each (some say A is the 5150 cuz it's tighter, others say D is cuz it's bassier), and I agree with both, so I'm just gonna take a stab and say A is the real one, cuz the flubs on D seemed a bit off, but I've heard plenty of tube amps have a similar quality too!

 

[mintcheerios]

I like A better, but I don't know which is which since it's so close. If I had to guess, I would say A was the AxeFX because of the tightness.

 

[Black neon bob]

A seems to have more low end to it, D seems a bit tighter.. A is axe FX, and B is the 5150 yeah?

Really close btw.. i can hardly hear the differences.. oh, and diezel clips soon?

 

[John_C]

A seems to have more low end to it, B seems a bit tighter.. A is axe FX, and B is the 5150 yeah?

Really close btw.. i can hardly hear the differences.. oh, and diezel clips soon?

dude, there is no B

 

[iekobrid]

Alas, I cannot hear these clips, for I have gone deaf from the mere sight of a 5150's post gain knob turned up past 6.

 

[Black neon bob]

dude, there is no B

Fixed.. thanks.

 

[Melodeath]

Alas, I cannot hear these clips, for I have gone deaf from the mere sight of a 5150's post gain knob turned up past 6.

That's the rhythm channel, son!

 

[iekobrid]

I know, I was rent deef by the sight -- by the thought -- of a 5150 having ever been turned up that high, not by these specific lead channel clips. Woe. Oh, woe.


And now I'm being struck blind by the image of Donald Trump's horrific new center-part shag hairstyle in tv commercials for Monday Night RAW.

 

[Lasse Lammert]

I like A better...but they are really similar indeed...main difference in the low palmmutes IMO.
(only listening on headphones though)

 

[Splat88]

Hmmm, after listening on headphones, I may need to change my answer and say that A is the real 5150.

 

[slayercannibalsuffohead]

Having viewed the pic and seeing the 5150 mids at 7, my guess is
A=Axefx
D=Destroyer, 5150.


Having said that, with the gain around 7, I thought I would hear more gain than there actually was.
D to me has much more mids, but maybe the pic is a throw off, could they both be the Axefx?

 

[Line666]

A. Axe FX
D. 5150

Very close.

 

[nwright]

I'm sure it was intentional, but both clips are labeled 5150-sm57 and then Solo A or Solo C.

Surely they aren't both the same amp?

I think it's too hard to tell, but like others have said, I don't really dig the tone, and it's not really what I'd consider the "5150 tone". But, I think A may get a LITTLE closer to the 5150 tone I hear in my head.

 

[TheDude]

First of all, thank you all for the participation!

A = 5150
D = PVH 5105

Yes, there are differences but IMHO it's mostly nuances that wouldn't show in a mix. Changing the mic position makes a bigger difference in sound than changing from the AFX/5150. All in all, I'm satisfied with the result.

I had B and C clips too, but they were work in progress, that I didn't add 'cause it would be too easy to figure out the original.

I tweaked for about an hour. I'm sure I could get even closer, but it felt more that I found out the "secret" of the grainy distortion, which I've always thought was the main thing lacking in the Axe-FX compared to IRL amps. I've learned that the Bias is the key to "Teh Grainz" and the low end thump that's so much tube-related is the transformer match/speaker resonance settings.

The advantage with the AxeFX (which is the disadvantage too) is that to get what I want from an amp sim, I have to know how an real amp works. Otherwise it's just a lot of random fiddling with settings, and pretty much pure luck to get a sound I want. Annoying but rewarding.

After posting this in the Axe-FX forum, Cliff (the maker) decided to upgrade the power amp. Here's what he said: "By resonance I meant the "Depth" or "Resonance" knob on some modern amps, i.e. Peavey 5150. The previous model was a first-order approximation. The new model is very accurate."

That's a good thing too.

Will do some Diezel clips soon.

 

[kaomao]

yeah the difference is minimal
as already said, just with palm mutes you can hear a bit of difference.
Usually tube amps have that smoother 3khz top end

 

[Sora01]

WOoo! I was right!

And nice to see he's upgrading the poweramp,

 

[Soundlurker]

Good to know A is 5150, because I was really sure about that one. The tone is pretty similar but it's missing the "soul of valves"

 

[digitaldeath]

Hmmm - makes me think that an Axe-FX might not be so bad!