Amp models that surprised you

Some great suggestions here. Thing thing has some amps that will make great clean tones. So far my favorites are the Lone Star, Band Commander, and the Shiver with the aforementioned Master all the way up and using gain to set volume. So many great choices.

I am also liking the Nuclear a lot, I love 5e3 sound but the Tweed Deluxe model in these is difficult to dial in. Just like the real deal. The Nuclear sounds pretty close to already dialed in, not too woozy in the bass and dark sounding. Can't believe I never tried a Swart amp.

My favorite overall though are the AC20 amp sounds. We play several Petty songs and this amp is perfect. I setup a lead tone using the Griddlecake (Crowther Hotcake) drive and it sounds glorious, just enough bite to be perfect.
 
I have a preset that uses a blend of the Bogfish Strato and CA3+ Lead - I keep the gain down on each (3.37 on Bogfish, 2 on CA3+) - these two create a great medium gain sound that cuts through the mix very nicely! Was a surprise when I created it...I'm thinking that qualifies for this thread.

For perspective, high gain to me is recto/5153 - some might find this preset to be high gain.
 
All of them - when I dig into one, doesn't matter which, I find surprisingly awesome tones. All the models represent higher end amps that stand on their own in the real world, each with their own palette of deep tonal variations - the accuracy of Axefx brings that into the modelling world waay better than other modelling alternatives imo.
 
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siin82 said:
I have a preset that uses a blend of the Bogfish Strato and CA3+ Lead - I keep the gain down on each (3.37 on Bogfish, 2 on CA3+) - these two create a great medium gain sound that cuts through the mix very nicely! Was a surprise when I created it...I'm thinking that qualifies for this thread.

For perspective, high gain to me is recto/5153 - some might find this preset to be high gain.
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I'd be interested in that preset, sounds cool, if you'd be up for sharing it.
 
FAS HOT ROD does low tuned stuff surprisingly well.

USA MK IV LEAD is another model i didnt like at first but works really well for both low tuned rhythms as well as some smooth blazing leads.Something in this model is so good that i dont feel that when playing any other amp even if i like many other amps too. I thoroughly enjoy playing this amp more than the rest.

Matchless chieftain models- fun af for math rock kinda clean/ break up tones .

The stealth models at first i expected to be way too gainy and nasal but the 100w blue is just amazing!

Looking forward to the final versions of mk V.
 
"Atomica High" absolutely blew my socks off. Turn the bright switch on and nudge the MV and you have an absolutely fire breather. British-voiced amp that's a lot thicker and heavier than a typical JCM, while still being clear and dynamic. (unlike some other "hot-rodded" amps that can feel a little brittle or fuzzy)
 
Just checked out the Splawn amps since some of you were mentioning them in this thread and wow! They sound amazing! I'm absolutely floored by the Plexi and JCM style recreations in the Fractal universe. They have it down better than anyone else in the game.
 
Dave Merrill said:
Which did you like in particular?
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Hmmm I can't remember any particular ones off the top of my head, and I didn't color-code, or otherwise note, which ones.

I frequently go through amps in the FM9 in "themes", Fender amps, Class-A, crunch, hi-gain, etc. and save my favorites to a preset.

I did that a couple of weeks ago with all the hi-gain amps and I always wrench the "Input Gain" (and "Master Volume") to see what kind of colors the amp is capable of as a broad stroke.

I was taken aback by several that didn't get anemic/thin/weak when dialed down to mid-gain/mild-OD clipping levels and retained a full-bodied, dynamic tone. I'd never thought they'd sound so good with so much less drive...

I'll take note of any that I find this to be the case on and try and update here, but, as a general rule for, all the "hi-gain" amps are worth exploring for cleaner tones. Many made me go "huuuuuhhhhh???? What have we here...?".
 
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