Hi, I'm trying to make a decision here on what equipment I should buy.
It would be very helpful to here some of your opinions.

Today I play my Jem through a pod X3 (bean version). I have managed to get a decent vai like tone out of this, but there is something missing and I'm not really sure what. However, I want to try something better.

I play alot of Vai songs and I love his tone and I love the sound of the Legacy amp. I have never played through a tube amp and never played the Legacy amp but I whould love to have a Legacy, I think.. But I don't want to be a copycat. I wan't to find my own sound eventually.

I recently heard about the Axe-fx II and it seems very impressive.
I play mostly through headphones because of our neighbors, but playing through speakers at lower volumes should be fine too. The Legacy 3 has a master volume so that will sound good at low volumes too right?
I want to do some recording and the ease of recording with the Axe-fx seems great.

Should I buy the Legacy 3+cabinet, pedals, recording gear and try to build my own tone from that? Or should I just get the Axe-fx so I have alot of amp sims to choose from? I heard that the Axe-fx have a Legacy sim in it.
If I buy an Axe-fx I will eventually get a power amp and a cabinet if I get in a band to play live.

This is alot of money for me so I want to make the right decision from the beginning.

Please share some of your experience and opinions, thanks.

Cheers

from what you have written i would pick the axe fx.

if you really want a legacy imo the legacy 1`s are better sounding amps.
the master volume on the L3 works really well.

paul.

Hi Paul,

How would you describe the sound difference between the Legacy 1 and 3?

well,
maybe the L3 i had was not quite right but you could hear that is was same legacy tone but with a not so nice sound,hard to describe really but it sounded like you were playing through a broken distortion pedal,as i say it may have had a faulty component,but even in the youtube clips i could hear the same sound.
i have had 3 L1`s and imo are the best by far,you can use an attenuator or do a master volume mod to tame the volume(it only does really quiet or "stadium"volumes.

if you look back at previous posts you will find i did a review of the legacys and bogner 101b.

thanks.

hmm If only there was someone on the forum that has an Axe Fx II and used to have several Legacys...


oh wait...me!

I had a Legacy 3. I thought it was a great amp- definitely not my kind of thing.

I have an Axe Fx II (Technically 2, and used to have a standard, 2 ultras etc)

so anyway

I can go on for hours
but to make it fast AXE FX II is you're only option
also- Ultra/Standards can't compare you MUST GET A II

I can explain so many ways but overall
I'd say- the Axe Fx will get you closer to Vai than a Legacy and pedals ever will.

There's more to Vai than just the Legacy

He used Bogners/Soldano/Marshalls and all those tones are there and as good as the real thing

In fact the Legacy in the AxeII is great but some of the modded marshalls are better than the real thing