Rather than do a ‘best of’ style post, every year I’m going to do a rundown of what amps I’m using for pedal platforms, and why. And, this year, I’m expanding it to talk more about using amps for more than just pedals.
Previous years: [2019] [2020] [2021][2022][2023]
tl;dr
The Axe-FX 3 continues to be my one-and-only pedal platform amp. It’s the heart of my rig. When I’m not using it as a virtual amp, I’m using it as an EQ and FX processor with my Tweed Deluxe amp.
I’ve put a lot of time (and written a lot of blog posts!) into build a new set of pedal platform presets for my Axe-FX 3. One size doesn’t fit all, so I’ve ended up with a range of presets that should help me bring the best (that I can) out of more pedals in the future.
Finishing The Year With Far More Considered Axe-FX 3 Presets
Most of this year has gone on a deep-dive into building a new set of pedal platform presets for my Fractal Audio Axe-FX 3. It’s definitely been the topic that I’ve blogged about most this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve written more about this than everything else put together.
It all started when I picked up an Orange Getaway Driver pedal back in May. Nice drive pedal that sounded way darker than it should have through my rig. That needed fixing. (It wouldn’t be the last pedal I tried this year that needed a re-voiced amp preset.)
The original plan was to split my existing pedal platform preset into two: one voiced for my love of tweed-tone pedals, and a general preset that would suit most drive pedals. I thought it’d take me a couple of weeks or so to pull together. The more I dug into it, though, the more I realised how much there was to research and adjust. It’s now the end of the year, and I’m still not quite done with it.
Along the way, two presets became a whole selection of presets for different tones:
| Preset | Based On | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 57 Vintage | Princeton Reverb | Voiced for tweed-tone pedals. |
| 65 Modern | Princeton Reverb | Chases the clean channel on modern pedal-platform amps. |
| 65 Vintage | Deluxe Reverb Reissue (DRRI) | Chases the sound of the original pedal-platform amp. |
| 65 Nashville | Deluxe Reverb Reissue (DRRI) | Chases descriptions of how Nashville session players use their Deluxe Reverb amps, featuring V30 and V-Type speakers. |
| 65 Smooth | Deluxe Reverb Reissue (DRRI) | Features Celestion Gold and Cream speakers for more laid-back tones. |
| JTM | JTM 45 | Voiced for pedals that don’t work into clean amps. |
Expect further tweaking of them throughout 2025 as I put them to the test with a range of demanding drive pedals 🙂
Applying What I’ve Learned To My Other Amps
As the year draws to a close, I’ve taken what I learned from building my new pedal platform presets and used that to build better presets for my other amplifiers.
I originally bought my Axe-FX 3 to be an EQ & effects processor for my Fender 57 Custom Deluxe Re-issue (aka the Tweed Deluxe). Thanks to the Origin Effects Impulse Library, a change in how I use my Fryette PS-100 Power Station loadbox, and the addition of Jessie, I feel like that’s finally come together. (I owe you a demo or two of this!)
The same goes with my Synergy preamp modules. I feel that I’m getting much closer to the sound of a 5F6 Bassman amp with Synergy BMan module than before.
This is going to give me better reference tones in 2025, as I start documenting my tweed-tone pedal collection.
What Happened To Your Plans Last Year?
Weren’t You Going To Get A BOSS GM-800 Synth?
Top of my wish list for 2025 was the BOSS GM-800 guitar synth.
It’s not a single unit. There’s actually three components: the GM-800 synth itself, the new GK-5 pickup, and the cable that runs from the pickup to the GM-800. And every time I’ve looked into buying, at least one component was on back-order or simply listed as unavailable to buy.
Without all three parts, not only can’t I use them, I can’t test that the components aren’t faulty. While I’m sure it’d probably be fine, I wasn’t comfortable taking that risk.
Weren’t You Going To Get A Couple Of Marshall Amps?
This time last year, I said that I’d love to get a couple of the Marshall Studio amp heads.
The Marshall Studio Vintage is the affordable for-home plexi-style amp that we’ve all been waiting for, and the Marshall JTM Studio has to be one of the most exceptional-sounding amp releases of recent years. I’d love to have both, to enjoy in their own right and (especially) to provide useful reference tones for pedal comparisons.
Problem is, it’s been quite difficult to get Marshall amps here in the UK over the last few years (to put it mildly).
Some shops no longer list these heads for sale, while other shops only have them on back-order. (And when I went round to my local shop to order them, I found out that they’ve decided to stop being a Marshall dealer entirely!)
At the time of writing, the only way I can get both is to import them from Thomann over in Germany. So, for now, I’ve decided that it’s not worth it.
Will You Ever Make That Long-Term Review Of The Marshall Origin 20H?
Regular readers may remember that (a long, long time ago) I promised to do a long-term review of my Marshall Origin 20H. It was the first amp that I wrote about heavily on this blog, and the heart of my rig until the Blackstar Studio 10 6L6 came along.
What’s really holding me back is a lack of confidence in the tones that I’m dialling up.
To do the Origin 20H justice (and to give closure to my old blog posts from 2018), I need to learn how to get a great plexi sound out of my setup first. (I need a great JCM800 sound too). That’s something that I currently suck at.
Don’t expect to hear my Marshall Origin 20H again on here until you’ve seen me nail those reference tones.
Any Other Plans For 2025?
Not really, no. I’m going into 2025 feeling pretty settled with the amps that I have.