My thoughts on the Axe-Fx III

jfuchs18

jfuchs18

Member
So, I've had the unit for about a month now. Never having owned a piece of gear that comes remotely close to doing what this does, I'm thoroughly blown away. I stumbled into my first real issue this week (user error not system or performance wise) and I had as much fun reworking what I screwed up as I did simply exploring what this machine can do. I know full well I haven't scratched the surface of what both it and I are capable of, and the energy and enthusiasm for playing is at an all time high. I've been a guitar player for 27 years. The last 15 have been very sporadic as life changes and other circumstances forced me to focus my attention elsewhere. Now it seems life has loosened it's grip a bit and I find myself in a position to really dig into playing again, and the timing could not be better.

I'd also like to note that in this short time, the Fractal community (players and company alike) has proven to be most helpful and very welcoming. Very proud to play a part in it and certainly hope to one day be able to give as good as I get in terms of contributing thoughtful analysis and advice.

Thanks to all.

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norcalrocker said:
Very cool love the Hulk! So how does it sound compared to a real tube amp?
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I have to say, after playing it for hours and tweaking both it and the Mesa JP2C for side by side comparison, the Axe held its own. I don't claim to have an ear for a lot of the nuances of sound and tone that many people here can pinpoint. I merely dialed in tones that I like on each and tried to keep them relatively close in terms of the on board settings, and I was completely happy with the tones I achieved. What's more, with the plethora of amps and IR's the Axe offers, I'm able to go beyond the high gain options I use the majority of the time. I can experiment in any number of ways. IMHO, that really does make all the difference. Knowing I can dial in my "go to" sound and have the ability to craft others to a seemingly infinite degree. I won't say I'll never go back to real tube amps, but I probably won't.
 
Nice, I have a few amps and want to consolidate and save on space and have something that is good for recording and practice as well as studio type work. How difficult of a learning curve is the Fractal Axe fx III to learn? I have plenty of pedals and amps and software so I can handle learning tech gear.
 
norcalrocker said:
How difficult of a learning curve is the Fractal Axe fx III to learn? I have plenty of pedals and amps and software so I can handle learning tech gear.
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i always say that the "tough" part is knowing about the real amps and pedals that it models, not really the Axe itself. operation i feel is simple, of course you just have to learn where things are.
 
For me the ability to turn a knob and switch from a Diezel to a Bogner Ecstasy and to a Mesa Boogie amp would be awesome.
Just a Diezel VH4 amp costs almost 4k.
 
norcalrocker said:
For me the ability to turn a knob and switch from a Diezel to a Bogner Ecstasy and to a Mesa Boogie amp would be awesome.
Just a Diezel VH4 amp costs almost 4k.
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This is it in a nutshell. The Axe comes so close, IMO, to these real amps that it makes it such an easy decision. Plenty of videos out there demonstrating this very thing. Many real amp purists might disagree and that's perfectly fine. Some even use both. I think Chris is right about knowing about what the raw models do to really get a sense of how to dial them in. My own experience has differed as I've not used an array of amps over the years. Probably no more than four and only a handful of effects. This blows the doors open and I can explore the various models at my leisure.
 
Yeah I know tons of guitarists and teachers who frown on the amp profilers and modelers but so what? If Fractal Axe is good enough for rock stars like James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica well good enough for me! These guys are super awesome and have millions of dollars to buy any gear and they chose Fractal so that tells you something is good on technology.
 
I have an axe 2 and an mfc-101. I also own mesa boogie triaxis with a 2:90 and a joe satriani signature peavey amp. Both the other amps have been collecting dust since I bought the axe. I just do not understand why they didn't make the axe 3 work with the mfc-101 or why they didn't present an mfc 202 simultaneously. I am not buying an axe 3 because I so love the seamless combo of the axe 2 and the mfc. Now everybody is trying to make stuff work with an axe 3 while waiting for the footcontroller that solves all that.
I also don't understand why there isn't more fuss about it.
Don't get me wrong: Since I bought the axe 2 my quest for gear is over. I am in tone heaven (and the ease of use + customer service deserves every award available.
 
Harm said:
I have an axe 2 and an mfc-101. I also own mesa boogie triaxis with a 2:90 and a joe satriani signature peavey amp. Both the other amps have been collecting dust since I bought the axe. I just do not understand why they didn't make the axe 3 work with the mfc-101 or why they didn't present an mfc 202 simultaneously. I am not buying an axe 3 because I so love the seamless combo of the axe 2 and the mfc. Now everybody is trying to make stuff work with an axe 3 while waiting for the footcontroller that solves all that.
I also don't understand why there isn't more fuss about it.
Don't get me wrong: Since I bought the axe 2 my quest for gear is over. I am in tone heaven (and the ease of use + customer service deserves every award available.
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Maybe read some of the threads where this dead horse has already been flogged? The reasons for the change to the FCs, no MFC-101 integration and the delay of the FCs has all been explained...
 
For me, having an all in one box that is light and portable at home studio and on the road that has lots of amp tones and profiles is where I am headed. I already have a heavy tube amp but want less footprint. So it comes down to the Kemper or the Axe FX III. I am waiting for the Axe FX III foot pedal controller to come out first and see if I can find a unit to try out.
 
unix-guy said:
Maybe read some of the threads where this dead horse has already been flogged? The reasons for the change to the FCs, no MFC-101 integration and the delay of the FCs has all been explained...
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Hi unix guy, Yes I read that. An explanation does not mean that I agree with the point of view or the choices made. Anyway. Thank you for your reply and I suggest we leave it at this so we, like you basicly said, do not enter a discussion that has been done many times already.

Kind regards, Harm
 
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