Axe-Fx III clean amp sounds compared to Kemper cleans

Now THAT'S some chickin' pickin'! Posting that video gives us a better idea of the clean style you're pursuing.

IMHO, the III is probably better-suited to this style than the original AFX's and the II were. The earlier models had a bite or harshness, or something that I wasn't able to dial out, in the cleaner settings. They sounded good at low volumes, but when I turned them up to stage volumes for live stuff, they hurt the ears a bit. Much of that may have been my skill at dialing in, as well as my gear, so take that into the equation. I mostly used a bit more of an OD tone, which all of the versions of the Fractal gear do in spades, and keep getting better. The III is better able to take some of the top off, which would work well for chickin' pickin'. You might check out some of AustinBuddy's stuff, as well as Burg's.

It sounds like you are already familiar with the Fractal gear, and the Forum, but I'll just throw this in, just in case: we may be a "rough" crowd, but I don't think I would have the insight into the depth of the AFX III, were it not for the Forum. No matter how much I study the manual, I don't get from it what I can here. It takes a lot of idiots like me asking a lot of stupid questions, to get the smart people to 'splain the way things really work....
 
Plankspanker59 said:
I have tried several expensive products in the past , including guitars, and returned the items i just did not like, Some I kept , some I did not. The 1st Kemper I tried, I returned it ! Then due to some helpful suggestions, decided to try it again with some MBritt profiles . I did, and still have that unit now for going on three years, I do not usually slam or drop kick gear to see how it sounds as a percussive instrument, I believe I know how to un-pack and plug in a device on my studio desk in my music room with out vandalizing it. But Thanks for common sense suggestion anyway.
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Man that was awesome great job :eek::D
 
Plankspanker59 said:
OK < for better or worse here ya go, I am not near the caliber of those who inspired me , but here is my take on some chich'n pick'n stuff.
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Great, and I mean fantastic playing. I found the tone a bit too direct sounding and compressed for my tastes. What amp was used for that?
 
FractalAudio said:
Great, and I mean fantastic playing. I found the tone a bit too direct sounding and compressed for my tastes. What amp was used for that?
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I believe that is a profile that @Plankspanker59 made of his Todd Sharp JOAT on his Kemper rack, but I may be mistaken, but it shore was good......
EDIT...I am wrong....he just informed me it was mesa V twin pedal clean channel direct into the board........
 
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api4u said:
Now THAT'S some chickin' pickin'! Posting that video gives us a better idea of the clean style you're pursuing.

IMHO, the III is probably better-suited to this style than the original AFX's and the II were. The earlier models had a bite or harshness, or something that I wasn't able to dial out, in the cleaner settings. They sounded good at low volumes, but when I turned them up to stage volumes for live stuff, they hurt the ears a bit. Much of that may have been my skill at dialing in, as well as my gear, so take that into the equation. I mostly used a bit more of an OD tone, which all of the versions of the Fractal gear do in spades, and keep getting better. The III is better able to take some of the top off, which would work well for chickin' pickin'. You might check out some of AustinBuddy's stuff, as well as Burg's.

It sounds like you are already familiar with the Fractal gear, and the Forum, but I'll just throw this in, just in case: we may be a "rough" crowd, but I don't think I would have the insight into the depth of the AFX III, were it not for the Forum. No matter how much I study the manual, I don't get from it what I can here. It takes a lot of idiots like me asking a lot of stupid questions, to get the smart people to 'splain the way things really work....
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Hey, there are no stupid questions , , no matter how many smart ass answers they invoke ! That is how we learn. If it were not such a pain to haul and set up, I would be using a couple of real amps . Kind of like an Eric Johnson set up. One amp that gets really good cleans and one that gets all the good Marshall /modded marshal sounds. And I do not think there will ever be a real guitar amp that can do both equally as well. That is why these new devices such as the Kemper and the Fractal and the new Synergy stuff have caught my attention. It would be such a wonderful thing to have excellent cleans and excellent overdrive cranked sounds all under one hood. So far, The Kemper is as close as I have been able to get. And now the AXE FX III is in my near future . Years ago, I had a hell of a rack system , and I was getting nice cleans and dirt. I had an Egnater IE4 pre-amp (the original red one) and a Mesa Triaxis , Mesa 2:90 power amp. Bradshaw switcher system etc. Eventually shucked all that , then used a loop switcher, but downsized to a Mesa V twin pedal, into a Matchless C 30 or Fender Pro verb or both, for many years. Only amps I have now are a 66 Fender deluxe Reverb and a Todd Sharp JOAT 20RT, Gigrig controlled pedal board . Then I got a Kemper about 2 /12 years ago and am getting very useable sounds to gig with it.
 
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bradlake said:
I believe that is a profile that @Plankspanker59 made of his Todd Sharp JOAT on his Kemper rack, but I may be mistaken, but it shore was good......
EDIT...I am wrong....he just informed me it was mesa V twin pedal clean channel direct into the board........
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I have an MP3 recording of this same tune with my JOAT profile , but can not load it on here File is too big.
 
I never learned that country chicken-pickin’ thang, so it always blows me away. I had a friend in Oz that could do it. My fave is Junior Brown, who is flipping hilarious.

Anyway, the conclusion is that the Fractal Axe FX III has great everything.
 
Plankspanker59 said:
Only amps I have now are a 66 Fender deluxe Reverb and a Todd Sharp JOAT 20RT, Gigrig controlled pedal board . Then I got a Kemper about 2 /12 years ago and am getting very useable sounds to gig with it.
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Heh. In a similar boat. Didn't have as $weet of a rack pre or power amp, but had a modded Knight KM15 hi-fi (EL84 outputs) slaved in there to get the feel along with a couple different preamps as time went by (a Hafler Hellrazor and a Peavey TubeFEX among the highlights). All that rack gear is gone, though I still have a couple differently-modded KM15s sitting around, as well as the reactive dummy load I built and a Weber Dual Mass.

I have a '66 Deluxe (the noun version - no 'verb), a modded '65 Bassman, a stereo tube guitar amp, and the VZA Simone I built 11 or so years ago, but mostly play the AxeFX now....
 
skydog said:
I never learned that country chicken-pickin’ thang, so it always blows me away. I had a friend in Oz that could do it. My fave is Junior Brown, who is flipping hilarious.
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Met him after a show in Tempe about 20 years ago. Got him to autograph a red Jazz III guitar pick....

skydog said:
Anyway, the conclusion is that the Fractal Axe FX III has great everything.
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Yes. Have not run into any bad sound or issue that could be attributed to anything else but user error.... :)
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
Met him after a show in Tempe about 20 years ago. Got him to autograph a red Jazz III guitar pick....



Yes. Have not run into any bad sound or issue that could be attributed to anything else but user error.... :)
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yea , That is why I am in research mode . . . Learn as much was I can on how the unit works , so when it I get it, I will have a bit of a head start to properly operate it.
 
Well, whether you decide to borrow a III for a trial, or take it out on the trail, I hope you'll drop in occasionally and leave us a little recording. I enjoyed what you've posted so far.

Yeah, I've DEFINITELY been down the gear trail.... still have a few amps I don't want to part with, and a sweet pedalboard, but no racks or half-stacks, anymore. Kept a Mark Sampson Star Sirius, a Deluxe I built, and a Goodsell Super 17, but mostly just playing the Fractal, now. Sold all but a handful of guitars and pedals.

I think you're on the right track researching first; there's nothing like playing and setting up presets to really understand the depth of the III, but you can get a good idea, especially, from the YouTube videos. I'd say learn all you can, and borrow, or trial-buy one, if you think that might suit you better than the Kemper. However, if the Kemper is working for you...don't fix it. I haven't tried the Kemper, so I can't give a valid comparison. The videos sound pretty darned good! From the tones I'm hearing in the videos, I do think you'd like the III, too. What the heck, if you're rich, why not both?!?! ;)
 
Plankspanker59 said:
yea, I saw Brett Kingman (Burgs) doing a Hiwatt and Fuzz DavidGilmore -ish thing on Youtube going from a Hiwatt amp Clean to heavy Fuzzed out sound. That very clip is why I came on here and posted my inquiry !
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He was using a preset and scene from my 1000+ Naked Amps TonePack for that video, he mentions that at the beginning of it...
 
Plankspanker59 said:
That is why I am in research mode
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Spanker I can attest to you first hand that the Axe 3 is it. I have/had been using a Kemper since 2012 when they first came out and profiled dozens of amps along the way. I tried many (every one that came out) different platforms along the way to try and knock it off the perch. The previous versions of the Axe did not have the same texture carried through. This Axe 3 is not just a slight step up - it is night and day up from the previous versions and has removed the Kemper from the perch I had set it on. I compare these devices to tube amps through speakers and through IR's to run live. I do not make comparisons over video because the differences are not as apparent as live (with compressed audio). From what you have described throughout your posts I can say that getting the Axe 3 will not disappoint. The flexabiity and capabilities are huge. If you were close enough I would offer you a play through to get a taste. I have already done this with someone from Columbus OH........... and he made the purchase.
 
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