Fitting a piezo

[Cagey]

Yes, but the implementation is a little clunky. It's a press-and-hold some dual-purpose switch thing, and if you're willing to wait for that to have an effect, you probably also have time to just switch presets, which to me would be more intuitive. It might be possible to use an external switch assigned to that function, but I'm not familiar enough with the unit to say for sure. Mayfly's got an AX8 - maybe he's found a way to do it.

 

[rgand]

Great sound you dialled in.
Sounds a little like a mix between a steel string and a nylon guitar. Awesome.
And awesome playing as well :icon_thumright:

I agree with this. Sounds outstanding.

 

[macegtr]

Great sound you dialled in.
Sounds a little like a mix between a steel string and a nylon guitar. Awesome.
And awesome playing as well :icon_thumright:

I agree with this. Sounds outstanding.

Thanks Rgand  Yes, it is a quite convincing acoustic sound. Additionally this new Copperhead Soloist seems to bring best out of it, the bottom end is very defined and some lively overtones are present. Probably the surprisingly thick double laminated maple top is doing it's magic here.

 

[mayfly]

Yes, but the implementation is a little clunky. It's a press-and-hold some dual-purpose switch thing, and if you're willing to wait for that to have an effect, you probably also have time to just switch presets, which to me would be more intuitive. It might be possible to use an external switch assigned to that function, but I'm not familiar enough with the unit to say for sure. Mayfly's got an AX8 - maybe he's found a way to do it.

X/Y is changeable with a scene change.  that is, instantaneous.

 

[stratamania]

Yes, but the implementation is a little clunky. It's a press-and-hold some dual-purpose switch thing, and if you're willing to wait for that to have an effect, you probably also have time to just switch presets, which to me would be more intuitive. It might be possible to use an external switch assigned to that function, but I'm not familiar enough with the unit to say for sure. Mayfly's got an AX8 - maybe he's found a way to do it.

X/Y is changeable with a scene change.  that is, instantaneous.

That is correct for X/Y and probably the best way to use it on the AX8 (or the FX8 for that matter). Set up your preset (or virtual rig) and use scenes to go between various permutations for clean, crunch, lead, ambient shoegaze etc...

@macegtr thanks for posting a picture of your preset. I am somewhat familiar with Axe-Edit, being a former Axe FXII user. I have heard of that Taylor IR and it sounds very good. I guess you are using the "Tube Pre" to give a little warmth before it hits the iR. (I think Alex Lifeson also does something similar and may use the same IR but I am not certain on the IR).

The AX8 could run the Piezo part or the other part of the preset, but not both together however for the reasons pointed out be Cagey.

As for me at the moment when funds allow I may get another Fractal, I have since gone back to tube amps, and am on the fence of building up a pedalboard (I have some nice drives from Keeley and Suhr) but all the time-based stuff and compression I no longer having sold it when I went digital. I am leaning towards a combination of analog into the front end and possibly something Fractal in the loop of the amp. Helix is another option but I would need to try one. The FX8 may be an option but seems limited on the MIDI side.

 

[macegtr]

Yes, but the implementation is a little clunky. It's a press-and-hold some dual-purpose switch thing, and if you're willing to wait for that to have an effect, you probably also have time to just switch presets, which to me would be more intuitive. It might be possible to use an external switch assigned to that function, but I'm not familiar enough with the unit to say for sure. Mayfly's got an AX8 - maybe he's found a way to do it.

X/Y is changeable with a scene change.  that is, instantaneous.

That is correct for X/Y and probably the best way to use it on the AX8 (or the FX8 for that matter). Set up your preset (or virtual rig) and use scenes to go between various permutations for clean, crunch, lead, ambient shoegaze etc...

@macegtr thanks for posting a picture of your preset. I am somewhat familiar with Axe-Edit, being a former Axe FXII user. I have heard of that Taylor IR and it sounds very good. I guess you are using the "Tube Pre" to give a little warmth before it hits the iR. (I think Alex Lifeson also does something similar and may use the same IR but I am not certain on the IR).

The AX8 could run the Piezo part or the other part of the preset, but not both together however for the reasons pointed out be Cagey.

As for me at the moment when funds allow I may get another Fractal, I have since gone back to tube amps, and am on the fence of building up a pedalboard (I have some nice drives from Keeley and Suhr) but all the time-based stuff and compression I no longer having sold it when I went digital. I am leaning towards a combination of analog into the front end and possibly something Fractal in the loop of the amp. Helix is another option but I would need to try one. The FX8 may be an option but seems limited on the MIDI side.

Exactly, the tube pre is just warming up the signal here. Also one expression pedal is used for controlling the output level of this amp block for acoustic volume in this preset.

Alex Lifeson is known of using the GraphTech Ghost piezos in his Les Pauls and also using AxeFXII (3 of them) for effects and acoustic sound during live gigs. To my knowledge his guitar tech has tone matched one of his acoustic guitar and that is used as a tone match block in AxeFXII.

Now knowing the limitations, maybe with clever compression and EQ-block tweaking (replacing tube pre & IR) something similar could be achieved also in AX8 within the same preset.

EDIT: About Alex Lifeson from the Fractal Audio forum: "The acoustic tones are 100% Axe-Fx II. They are Tone matched direct from the original studio recordings."

 

[stratamania]

Cool, I would not mind one of those Alex Lifeson Axcess models... too much GAS  :laughing7: