FM3 General Discussion Thread

postbeauty said:
beginner of guitar.
I just want to spend the money on something that is good for, say the next ten years.
Click to expand...

My only input on this is that, even for experienced players, the options and possibilities or so wide that it can be very daunting to walk into. My first month with my AxeFX III was an up and down of loving some stuff I could dial in and being frustrated I wasn’t getting there easier. It’s ALL possible, it’s just learning how to do it.

The flip-side to that is that I’ve noticed a lot of younger players who have never even seen the physical versions of the amps modeled in Fractal gear are jumping in and coming up with sounds they dig, whether or not they’re faithfully reproducing the authentic amp’s sounds.

One thing is for sure, it’ll greatly reduce the amount of GAS you’ll eventually get down the road as you’ll already have everything at your fingertips.
 
postbeauty said:
beginner of guitar.
I just want to spend the money on something that is good for, say the next ten years.
Click to expand...

I don't know - I'm kind of old school - the axe fx can be dauting for a new player - especially if you have never had a real amp.
I'm not here to talk anyone out of anything - but only saying that as a beginning player, I think its important that :
1. that you concentrate your time practicing and learning guitar - leaning how to play is frustrating enough without worrying about your tone or which amp or cab or effects to pick;
2. that you get a real amp - just get a cheap combo or something so you can learn how the knobs work - this is what happens when I do this etc etc. this will help exponentially when you do make the move to an axe fx
3. you may hate guitar after a year - then you have a $2000 paper weight
 
Jimmytwotimes said:
I don't know - I'm kind of old school - the axe fx can be dauting for a new player - especially if you have never had a real amp.
I'm not here to talk anyone out of anything - but only saying that as a beginning player, I think its important that :
1. that you concentrate your time practicing and learning guitar - leaning how to play is frustrating enough without worrying about your tone or which amp or cab or effects to pick;
2. that you get a real amp - just get a cheap combo or something so you can learn how the knobs work - this is what happens when I do this etc etc. this will help exponentially when you do make the move to an axe fx
3. you may hate guitar after a year - then you have a $2000 paper weight
Click to expand...

Have to agree here.
Get a combo amp and a couple stomp boxes used. Get to know the dials...

Then...
When you are comfortable and a much better player, the next generation of modeler will be out and you can spend your hard earned money on an AxeFX V and be miles above us all! 😉
 
Jimmytwotimes said:
3. you may hate guitar after a year - then you have a $2000 paper weight
Click to expand...
Well, a paperweight with a very good resale value ;-)

Kind of agree with the thought of get a small amp, one that doesn't have to be too loud to sound good, and a couple pedals - an overdrive/distortion, a chorus, a delay... and mostly learn how to play the guitar. If you DO go with an AxeFx, don't go into the rabbit hole of tweaking. Just pick one or two factory presets that you like as they are - maybe a clean Fender and a crunchy Marshall for example, and just learn what turning the Bass/Mid/Treble/Drive knobs does... don't touch anything else (except maybe Level which controls your volume). And mostly learn how to play your guitar.

It was so much easier for me back in the day... I had an acoustic ;-)
 
postbeauty said:
beginner of guitar.
I just want to spend the money on something that is good for, say the next ten years.
Click to expand...

Plus no way anything you is gonna last you 10 years. It MIGHT last 10 years physically, but the technology will be dated after 3 or 4 years, and as you progress, if you are like all the rest of us, you'll always want the next best thing. :) Start with a REAL non-modeling amp - small combo for $300 or so.
 
My advice to guitar beginners is to start on acoustic. Especially kids and teens. If you start them out on electric, the first thing they want to do is dial up a bunch of buzzy distortion and effects. God help you if there's a whammy bar involved.

Much better to learn how to play a few notes and chords on a distraction-free acoustic first.
 
Robboman said:
My advice to guitar beginners is to start on acoustic. Especially kids and teens. If you start them out on electric, the first thing they want to do is dial up a bunch of buzzy distortion and effects. God help you if there's a whammy bar involved.

Much better to learn how to play a few notes and chords on a distraction-free acoustic first.
Click to expand...
Not to be contrary, but I always advise people the opposite. The more enjoyment you can get right away the better. Too many people, in my experience, give up because they just don't enjoy strumming chords on a cheap acoustic with high action. On the other hand, times are different today than when I was a kid. I wanted to sound like Eddie or Yngwie. Today, it may be that most people's guitar hero plays acoustic. Either way though, I guess my point is to play (and recommend) whatever makes you WANT to play.
 
i've seen acoustic make people quit immediately. the strings are harder to press and it's not the sound they want to hear. so they feel uninspired. many manufacturers sell a "starter pack" with their signature guitar and a small 2 channel amp. perfect to start on for usually around $300.

but this is off topic from the FM3. :)
 
Start with the best you can afford. I truly don’t see a point in constraint you and sound like **** if you can get a nice tele and a good amo or even better an af3... then you know that if your not sounding good is not because a shitty guitar and a bad amp
 
I played acoustics off and on (mostly off) for decades. Never really got past beginner level. I finally got some free time and decided to actually learn to play in 2008. I had my acoustic and strummed around a bit and decided I wanted to give electric a try. I had an old 65 Deluxe Reverb in the closet but it needed some work so off to Guitar Center I went to get an amp and guitar. I started thinking of getting a Pod to have some flexibility and for volume issues at home. They didn't have any in stock so I went home with a American Standard Strat and hopped on the internet and looked up other places to pick up a Pod. The search result brought up some forum posts on this Axe-FX thing.

I found a bunch of posts about a brand new Ultra version and did a little research. The next day I called, Cliff answered, and I had an Ultra on the way. Now mind you, I had never plugged into an amp before. Heck, just looking at all the dials on the Deluxe Reverb scared me. lol I agree with others that beginners should concentrate on learning to play first and foremost. However, I must say, I cannot think of a better learning tool than the Axe-FX when it comes to the guitar signal chain. The pure fun of having all the amps, effects, controllers etc at your fingertips while going thru the learning process kept me, more than one time, from giving up.

So I say heck yes grab one to learn on if you have the resources. You just have to have a little discipline separating learning the instrument vs learning the gear. Actually, I think the FM3 would be a great entry level modeler to learn on.
 
Thanks for all the advices above.

Yes, I was considering the FM3 because it is small and I really do not need fancy signal chain.

On the other hand, the better hardware in the AxeFx3 should allow more future updates and new effects, I guess.

Anyway, I think I will grab one, either fx3 or fm3 when it is available.
 
cobbler said:
I played acoustics off and on (mostly off) for decades. Never really got past beginner level. I finally got some free time and decided to actually learn to play in 2008. I had my acoustic and strummed around a bit and decided I wanted to give electric a try. I had an old 65 Deluxe Reverb in the closet but it needed some work so off to Guitar Center I went to get an amp and guitar. I started thinking of getting a Pod to have some flexibility and for volume issues at home. They didn't have any in stock so I went home with a American Standard Strat and hopped on the internet and looked up other places to pick up a Pod. The search result brought up some forum posts on this Axe-FX thing.

I found a bunch of posts about a brand new Ultra version and did a little research. The next day I called, Cliff answered, and I had an Ultra on the way. Now mind you, I had never plugged into an amp before. Heck, just looking at all the dials on the Deluxe Reverb scared me. lol I agree with others that beginners should concentrate on learning to play first and foremost. However, I must say, I cannot think of a better learning tool than the Axe-FX when it comes to the guitar signal chain. The pure fun of having all the amps, effects, controllers etc at your fingertips while going thru the learning process kept me, more than one time, from giving up.

So I say heck yes grab one to learn on if you have the resources. You just have to have a little discipline separating learning the instrument vs learning the gear. Actually, I think the FM3 would be a great entry level modeler to learn on.
Click to expand...

Similarly, I played acoustic in college for about 2 years.
Now I want to pick up playing guitar again.
 
postbeauty said:
Similarly, I played acoustic in college for about 2 years.
Now I want to pick up playing guitar again.
Click to expand...

After reading your previous post, If resources are not an issue, I'd just pick up the III and be done with it. Especially so since FAS has a great package deal going on now with no wait. Either way though, you won't be disappointed. Whatever you decide, enjoy the journey!
 
postbeauty said:
beginner of guitar.
I just want to spend the money on something that is good for, say the next ten years.
Click to expand...
My axe-fx 2 Mk 2 has aged incredibly well since i got it in 2012. It’s still quite relevant, sounds great, has the same modeling algos as the 3 and may or may not have gotten it’s last firmware update just recently. FAS stuff is for the long haul.
 
As for the Acoustic versus Electric for beginners argument, I was always into listening to heavy metal which inspired me to pick up a guitar at 14 years old. This was back in the 70's. If I had picked up an acoustic, NO WAY I would have stayed with it. An electric is initially SO much easier to play and promotes moving around and up / down the guitar and learning scales quicker, instead of getting into the acoustic guitar rut of just playing open string chords in the first position. We didn't have a lot of money at the time but my parents gave me a Sears model electric guitar and my Dad built me a little amp himself. It was enough to get me motivated, get an odd job here and there to make some money to buy an Ibanez Les Paul copy guitar (which at the time was an off-brand but the guitar was REALLY good), a small Peavey Classic solid state amp that had actual distortion, and a overdrive pedal. We couldn't afford lessons so I bought several instruction books and picked up a bunch of things from other guitars in bands in my neighborhood. Because of the motivation I had from playing an instrument / sound that I could play the music that I loved, I was playing in a band within a year from starting. 40+ years latter I still do - I never really played an acoustic for any length of time in my life and don't regret it one bit. 🤘

The point here is start with an instrument that is conducive to playing the music that you love to play. If it's folk get an acoustic, rock/metal get an electric, classical get a classical guitar - heck if you like Tiny Tim get a ukulele, he he. The key is to get motivated as a beginning. You can always switch pretty easily to learning a different form of guitar once you get proficient on what you are playing if you wanted to. :)

In terms of the amps to get as a beginner, it's certainly different now than it was in the 70's in terms of both availability of great modeling amps as well as so much online lessons / tutorials of how to use them. If a beginner loves rock / metal music I don;t think it's that bad to initially get some type of amp modeling unit - especially if the person is a technical person and just enjoys learning about things. I think this might actually be MORE motivation to play guitar in some ways because you also get to play with a fun toy box, he he. That said, an FM3 is going to be overkill at the beginner level. I'd start with a $200 Zoom unit plugged into the clean channel of a small cheap light solid-state fender amp or something.
 
Last edited:
chris said:
why not? People are still using the ultra which is over 10 years old and they still sound as good as they did back then. Just because something new comes out doesn’t mean the old stuff turns to crap.
Click to expand...

He wants a good resell value, from the point of view digital devices aren’t good
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom