Any Triaxis Users?

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Monday Jan 10, 2005

After about 15 years of using various guitar preamps, I now find myself perplexed with a Mesa/Boogie Triaxis V2 with Phat mod. All of a sudden, I remember why I gave up Mesa Boogie amps in the 80s. They tell you stuff like: "the treble control isn't really a treble control, except between 5 and 7, otherwise you get a gain shift in mode one and the gain only works well between 4 and 6 and acts more like a bass boost above 7."

Each control is in increments of .5, as in 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, etc. There just isn't much room between 5 and 7.

Anyway, has anybody found a way to get a Triaxis going the way they like it? Some of the rhythm tones just blow me away, but I can't dial in a nice sustaining solo sound. There just isn't much there to tweak. And the FX loop? I can't understand why they would dedicate a tube to the return circuit but not have a dedicated send control. But that's a whole 'nuther can of worms.

Matt_22 · Post by **Matt_22** » Monday Jan 10, 2005

Lonewolf, I play a dual rectifier and I know what you mean with Mesa Rhythm and no sustain for lead and the tricky treble. The best advice I could give you is to call guitar center in monroeville and talk to herb. He owns about every mesa product available and he often uses a traxis. He knows his shit when it comes to mesa equipment. I'm sure he could give you some tips that would make the difference. If you need the phone # let me know.

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Monday Jan 17, 2005

I found the tweak! I expected that Lead Channel One Red would have the best lead tone if tweaked properly. This is the channel that has the "Phat Mod" for modern scooped sounds. As it turns out, it also has the sweetest gain.

In typical Mesa/Boogie fashion, the manual stated that the mid control did not act like a mid control on LD CH 1 Red. It is more of a "chirp" control or something like that. The higher the mid, the more chirping and harmonics you will get. ?? All I had to do is set up a typical patch and vary the mid control. I ended up putting it at ZERO and it sounds great.

Funny thing, the Boss VF-1 or GT-6 can sound just like the Triaxis (or a Marshall, or Soldano or Fender, etc.) when played thru a tube power amp. I'm comparing them to see if this tube monster is even necessary.

KMFDM ROB · Post by **KMFDM ROB** » Wednesday Jan 19, 2005

I play a triple recto, and I've got NO problem getting awesome sounds, with great leads, AND rhytyms.

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Tuesday Jan 25, 2005

KMFDM ROB wrote:I play a triple recto, and I've got NO problem getting awesome sounds, with great leads, AND rhytyms.

The TR has completely variable knobs. With a Triaxis, the gain and lead drive goes 0-10 in increments of 1 and the 4 tone controls in .5. The gain noticeably jumps from 1 to 2 to 3, etc. You can't get 'tween them. It is very hard to tweak. The advantage is that once you manage to get it there, you can store it in memory.

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Sunday Jan 30, 2005

Got fed up with Mesa's resistor ladders and sold it!

In the process, I discovered I could get the same tones and more using digital amp modeling with a Boss VF1, but using a Mesa/Boogie 2020 tube power amp to warm it up! Kinda bass-ackwards from conventional thinking, but it works unbelievably well! Anything from Flying V acoustic guitar to -20db scooped shred, it sounds great.

I put a new 3-way switch on the Flying V to allow the Dimarzio Cruiser on the bridge Multibucker to be selected by itself. It sounds like a friggin' Strat bell-tone with quack on the "notch" setting! Playing it is unreal. The 3-way switch changes the bridge Multibucker sound to: down: Flying V with PAF, middle: Les Paul, up: Strat.