One of my favorite guitarists of all time has apparently obtained a "loaner" Ultra and posted this comment on his forum. You can tell he is still on the fence, and needs to spend some time with it....but he's not discouraged yet. Nelson is truly a guitar god....not only for his early work with Be Bop Deluxe, but his 30+ year solo career and the resulting 100+ cd releases. Check him out! http://www.billnelson.com
here's his post.....
Hi, Rog,
I'm rather like yourself in that I'm loath to spend that sort of money on something unseen and unheard. I'd made enquiries about the Axe-FX Ultra some weeks ago and, yes, was told that it was only available via the European distributers and that it was going to cost me around £2,000.
I'd read the positive comments from other players in the adverts and was really intrigued. I've been an early adopter of digital guitar processing and haven't used an amp in the studio or on stage for many years, (apart from the 2004 'Be Bop Deluxe And Beyond' tour when I used my Custom Nelsonic Carlsbro amp for the band set.)
I use three main processors in my solo performances, a Zoom 9050s, a Digitech valve fx and a very early Pod2. (All with relevant pedal controllers.) I also use a Boss Loopstation and a Line 6 Delay Modeller. Then there's my Roland guitar-synth unit with its floor controller. Put all this kit together and you get a fairly complex rig to set up and a lot of floor space eaten up by associated pedalboards and controllers.
One of the things that I thought might make an Axe-Fx worthwhile was the possibility of just boiling everything down to one single unit that could cover all the bases. As luck would have it, a friend of mine had bought the Axe-Fx Ultra and was raving about it. He offered to let me borrow it for a couple of weeks and it is sitting next to me right now as I type these words.
Now, I'd read how this unit makes amps redundant, how it responds like a real amp, feels like a real amp, etc, etc, so I had some very high expectations. The reality is a little different...at least for me.
First of all, I'm not one of these people who thinks that traditional guitar amps are the be all and end all. I've been reasonably comfortable with my digital gear for a very long time now. In fact, when I record my albums, the only thing you're hearing my guitar through on my recordings is the single Pod 2 processor. Nevertheless I was looking forward to the convincing amp sims that the Axe-Fx promised.
I have to say, (and remember, this might just be a personal thing,) that the 'digital' quality of the straighter, rock-oriented guitar sounds on the Axe-Fx didn't feel (or sound,) radically different to my other digital processors.
Now, you should keep in mind that my own processors have sounds that I've created myself over several years of trial and error and stored for quick recall. I've not had the time to get to grips with the Axe-Fx unit's programmable functions yet and, as a result, I'm simply using what sounds are already living in the box. However, I made some side by side comparisons with my Pod 2, here in my studio, based on the clean and more orthodox overdriven guitar sounds and I have to say that I couldn't yet contemplate selling my Pod in favour of the Fractal unit. Yes, there are many good straight guitar sounds in the latter but my favourite Pod sounds seemed, by comparison, a little livelier and more convincing and maybe even a tad more expressive.
But I have another Pod 2 that I bought as a back-up unit and although I ported the sounds from my first Pod 2 to the the back-up unit, I have to say that the back-up one doesn't sound as good for some reason. The better sounding one was manufactured slightly earlier and has the old script Line 6 logo. The back-up Pod 2 has the black and silver plate logo. It does sound different for some reason, though I don't understand why, unless Line 6 changed components in the later ones.
Anyway, it may well be that, given enough time with the Axe-Fx, I could program something closer to my own tastes. But here's another observation: The Pod is relatively simple to program, all the controls are clear and physically available on the top of the gadget. There are secondary layers for fine tuning some of the settings but it's all fairly straightforward and intuitive. The Axe-Fx is a far more complex piece of equipment. There's a hell of a lot of processing going on 'under the hood' and a bewildering number of parameters that can be adjusted. (And, to design one's own sounds, these would have to be adjusted.) The Axe-Fx has the technological sophistication of an Eventide harmoniser unit, offering user control over every detail, the tiniest nuances of its sounds. The Pod is much more direct in operation, a simpler and 'broader strokes' type of unit.
The Axe-Fx's small front-mounted parameter screen and multi-layered menus are, for me, not quite as user-friendly as I'd like. (Especially as I have to put on reading specs to decipher the text.) There are some parameters that might need frequent adjustment in a live situation and it would be nice to have dedicated controls for these on the unit, rather than having, (for instance,) to scroll through pages of parameters to get to something as basic as an individual preset level control.
Now, I'm not frightened by the prospect of fiddling around with tiny increments of sound adjustment...I've been a home recording enthusiast for many years and have had experience using a wide range of technology. But, these days, I'm more concerned with spending time making music rather than programming equipment. Maybe it's my age.
It IS possible to hook the Axe-Fx up to a computer and, using downloadable software, do all the programming and tweaking on a bigger screen, and with more information than the small lcd screen allows. Again, I've not had time to get into that aspect of it.
The other concern is that of practicality in a live situation. At this point in time, there doesn't seem to be a dedicated floor controller for the unit although I believe it is possible to buy any general midi-pedal board and program it to call up presets and so on. But, for me, it would be a much more attractive proposition if there was a Fractal pedal board designed to work instantly and exclusively with the Axe-Fx, where one could just plug it in and everything was in its place, ready to store banks of your favourite sounds for easy recall without too much fuss.
I have the Line 6 footboard controller for my Pod which I found very easy to use and it works perfectly with the Pod complete with its own expression pedal and the possibility of switching in and out different effects within a preset on the fly if neccesary. My solo performances involve a lot of improvisation so there are no strictly arranged pre-ordained sound routines...I tend to grab different sounds in a spontaneous fashion and getting from one bank of presets to another as quickly as possible is an essential requisite. I just feel that a dedicated, integrated Fractal Axe-Fx designed board would be a big plus for me.
Now, none of these observations are meant to be too negative. They're thoughts based on my own needs and peculiarities and may not be matters of concern for other players.
And now for something a little more affirmative. What I'm really impressed by with this unit is its ability to create some beautiful and complex harmonised and filtered delays. It's these that have inspired the three recordings I've made so far using the Axe-Fx. Some of these presets are quite stunning and fall into the 'ambient guitar' category. It's here where I really begin to appreciate the complexity of the processing and the cleverness of its creators. These are sounds that are not available to me with my Pod or Zoom unit, (although my Digitech unit does have one or two sounds of this type on tap.) It's here that you realise that this is a studio-quality processor as refined as any high-end Eventide unit...and it will definitely be these sounds that I'll miss the most when I have to hand the Axe-Fx back to my friend.
So, would I buy one? Would it make such a huge difference to my sound and playing if I owned one myself, particularly when keeping in mind the huge price conflict between my Pod 2 and the Fractal unit? Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm very, very tempted...but at this point in time, perhaps not yet tempted enough, especially when there are so many other pressing and more sensible demands on hard-earned cash these days. But that's not a 'no.' It may well be that I'll take the plunge at some point and indulge myself with the Axe-Fx in the near future. We'll see...
here's his post.....
Hi, Rog,
I'm rather like yourself in that I'm loath to spend that sort of money on something unseen and unheard. I'd made enquiries about the Axe-FX Ultra some weeks ago and, yes, was told that it was only available via the European distributers and that it was going to cost me around £2,000.
I'd read the positive comments from other players in the adverts and was really intrigued. I've been an early adopter of digital guitar processing and haven't used an amp in the studio or on stage for many years, (apart from the 2004 'Be Bop Deluxe And Beyond' tour when I used my Custom Nelsonic Carlsbro amp for the band set.)
I use three main processors in my solo performances, a Zoom 9050s, a Digitech valve fx and a very early Pod2. (All with relevant pedal controllers.) I also use a Boss Loopstation and a Line 6 Delay Modeller. Then there's my Roland guitar-synth unit with its floor controller. Put all this kit together and you get a fairly complex rig to set up and a lot of floor space eaten up by associated pedalboards and controllers.
One of the things that I thought might make an Axe-Fx worthwhile was the possibility of just boiling everything down to one single unit that could cover all the bases. As luck would have it, a friend of mine had bought the Axe-Fx Ultra and was raving about it. He offered to let me borrow it for a couple of weeks and it is sitting next to me right now as I type these words.
Now, I'd read how this unit makes amps redundant, how it responds like a real amp, feels like a real amp, etc, etc, so I had some very high expectations. The reality is a little different...at least for me.
First of all, I'm not one of these people who thinks that traditional guitar amps are the be all and end all. I've been reasonably comfortable with my digital gear for a very long time now. In fact, when I record my albums, the only thing you're hearing my guitar through on my recordings is the single Pod 2 processor. Nevertheless I was looking forward to the convincing amp sims that the Axe-Fx promised.
I have to say, (and remember, this might just be a personal thing,) that the 'digital' quality of the straighter, rock-oriented guitar sounds on the Axe-Fx didn't feel (or sound,) radically different to my other digital processors.
Now, you should keep in mind that my own processors have sounds that I've created myself over several years of trial and error and stored for quick recall. I've not had the time to get to grips with the Axe-Fx unit's programmable functions yet and, as a result, I'm simply using what sounds are already living in the box. However, I made some side by side comparisons with my Pod 2, here in my studio, based on the clean and more orthodox overdriven guitar sounds and I have to say that I couldn't yet contemplate selling my Pod in favour of the Fractal unit. Yes, there are many good straight guitar sounds in the latter but my favourite Pod sounds seemed, by comparison, a little livelier and more convincing and maybe even a tad more expressive.
But I have another Pod 2 that I bought as a back-up unit and although I ported the sounds from my first Pod 2 to the the back-up unit, I have to say that the back-up one doesn't sound as good for some reason. The better sounding one was manufactured slightly earlier and has the old script Line 6 logo. The back-up Pod 2 has the black and silver plate logo. It does sound different for some reason, though I don't understand why, unless Line 6 changed components in the later ones.
Anyway, it may well be that, given enough time with the Axe-Fx, I could program something closer to my own tastes. But here's another observation: The Pod is relatively simple to program, all the controls are clear and physically available on the top of the gadget. There are secondary layers for fine tuning some of the settings but it's all fairly straightforward and intuitive. The Axe-Fx is a far more complex piece of equipment. There's a hell of a lot of processing going on 'under the hood' and a bewildering number of parameters that can be adjusted. (And, to design one's own sounds, these would have to be adjusted.) The Axe-Fx has the technological sophistication of an Eventide harmoniser unit, offering user control over every detail, the tiniest nuances of its sounds. The Pod is much more direct in operation, a simpler and 'broader strokes' type of unit.
The Axe-Fx's small front-mounted parameter screen and multi-layered menus are, for me, not quite as user-friendly as I'd like. (Especially as I have to put on reading specs to decipher the text.) There are some parameters that might need frequent adjustment in a live situation and it would be nice to have dedicated controls for these on the unit, rather than having, (for instance,) to scroll through pages of parameters to get to something as basic as an individual preset level control.
Now, I'm not frightened by the prospect of fiddling around with tiny increments of sound adjustment...I've been a home recording enthusiast for many years and have had experience using a wide range of technology. But, these days, I'm more concerned with spending time making music rather than programming equipment. Maybe it's my age.
It IS possible to hook the Axe-Fx up to a computer and, using downloadable software, do all the programming and tweaking on a bigger screen, and with more information than the small lcd screen allows. Again, I've not had time to get into that aspect of it.
The other concern is that of practicality in a live situation. At this point in time, there doesn't seem to be a dedicated floor controller for the unit although I believe it is possible to buy any general midi-pedal board and program it to call up presets and so on. But, for me, it would be a much more attractive proposition if there was a Fractal pedal board designed to work instantly and exclusively with the Axe-Fx, where one could just plug it in and everything was in its place, ready to store banks of your favourite sounds for easy recall without too much fuss.
I have the Line 6 footboard controller for my Pod which I found very easy to use and it works perfectly with the Pod complete with its own expression pedal and the possibility of switching in and out different effects within a preset on the fly if neccesary. My solo performances involve a lot of improvisation so there are no strictly arranged pre-ordained sound routines...I tend to grab different sounds in a spontaneous fashion and getting from one bank of presets to another as quickly as possible is an essential requisite. I just feel that a dedicated, integrated Fractal Axe-Fx designed board would be a big plus for me.
Now, none of these observations are meant to be too negative. They're thoughts based on my own needs and peculiarities and may not be matters of concern for other players.
And now for something a little more affirmative. What I'm really impressed by with this unit is its ability to create some beautiful and complex harmonised and filtered delays. It's these that have inspired the three recordings I've made so far using the Axe-Fx. Some of these presets are quite stunning and fall into the 'ambient guitar' category. It's here where I really begin to appreciate the complexity of the processing and the cleverness of its creators. These are sounds that are not available to me with my Pod or Zoom unit, (although my Digitech unit does have one or two sounds of this type on tap.) It's here that you realise that this is a studio-quality processor as refined as any high-end Eventide unit...and it will definitely be these sounds that I'll miss the most when I have to hand the Axe-Fx back to my friend.
So, would I buy one? Would it make such a huge difference to my sound and playing if I owned one myself, particularly when keeping in mind the huge price conflict between my Pod 2 and the Fractal unit? Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm very, very tempted...but at this point in time, perhaps not yet tempted enough, especially when there are so many other pressing and more sensible demands on hard-earned cash these days. But that's not a 'no.' It may well be that I'll take the plunge at some point and indulge myself with the Axe-Fx in the near future. We'll see...