Triaxis questions

[mefgames]

So I'm doing some amp investigating for future purchases, and I come across some info on the Mesa Triaxis preamp. The more I read, the more intrigued I become with all the capabilities of this unit. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoy the chase and acquisition of new equipment, but as I'm getting older, I'm wondering if owning one unit that "does it all" might not be such a bad thing. According to the Mesa online manual, the Triaxis when coupled with a 2:50 or 2:90 can get the much sought after Mark II C+ sound, the cleanest cleans possible, and even the heavy dual recto sounds, and everything in between. If there are any Triaxis gurus out there, please enlighten me as to the validity of the above argument.

Thanks, Mike

 

[crane]

Yep, Triaxis is the most verstatil unit. All mark sounds, recto, clean clean clean...
The only thing is that this unit has a bit compressed sound (that can be improved swapping tubes).

 

[dass101]

The Triaxis is a fantastic unit in terms of versatility. It's hard to say if it nails any of it's intended amps, but there is no doubt that it produces countless world class tones.
However, i think the unit is outdated regarding it's technology (the digital brain) - I had two of them, both developed problems, one of them could not be resuscitated. I have talked to some techs regarding these units, and they all hate to work on them because of this oudated technology (think 80's computers) and say that what is done in the Triaxis on 2 whole boards of chips could now be done with just a couple of chips.
I am not sure if I would invest now in something that old, regardless of the tonal options.
Mesa should really consider releasing a Triaxis 2

Again, the tones you can get are great. Don't buy the unit for recto though, only the non phat units (old ones) have a good recto tone, and that is only the "vintage/orange" channel.

 

[JohnDNJ]

I had one for 10 years. It's a great unit for sure and you can get alot of different sounds out of it.
However I found myself only really using 1 sound the last 3 or 4 years I had it and that was the
Mark 2c+ voice.....

If Mesa ever releases the Tri-2 I will be all over it...and I kept my 2:90....juuuuuuust in case.

 

[Danimal]

Again, the tones you can get are great. Don't buy the unit for recto though, only the non phat units (old ones) have a good recto tone, and that is only the "vintage/orange" channel.

Agreed, this is the caveat. You can buy a new TriAxis, but it won't have the Recto sound. It must be a used unit and it must not have the fat mod if you want the Recto sound from it. But if you find one in good shape (they pop up on ebay all the time) it truly is an "all in one unit."

I had a TriAxis and sold it, thinking I didn't need anything that did that much. I regretted it for years and now am the proud owner of a NON fat mod TriAxis and couldn't be happier.

Does Lead 2 Yellow sound exactly like a Mark IIC+? I have no idea, I never owned one. But I can say that it's a hell of a mode and you will never want to stop playing once you're there. And dare I say I've even gotten some Marshall tones from it coupled with my RT2/50 power amp that can switch from 6L6s to EL34s via MIDI.

 

[crane]

It must be a used unit and it must not have the fat mod if you want the Recto sound from it

If it's an old unit with the fat mod (I think recto board TX4, not a higher number), the fat mod can be reversed