FM3 kind of ruined my Marshall

The Interceptor

The Interceptor

New Member
I have a DSL40CR as my analogue solution (despite a Boss DD-7 in the small pedal board!). With a SD-1 or equivalent, it hits the spot for my 80s heavy metal tones, and a compressor into the clean channel is surprisingly good.

But now when I play my FM3 through monitors... the DSL seems a bit pointless. The FM3 can do it all and sounds better, and won't need new valves in a few years. I have a boosted JCM800 patch that meets most of needs, plus SLO, plus 5153... etc. Sure, the DSL has that amp in the room feel, but that just means everyone in the house can feel it!

Anyway, hooray for the Fractal, if that wasn't obvious.
 
The Interceptor said:
I have a DSL40CR as my analogue solution (despite a Boss DD-7 in the small pedal board!). With a SD-1 or equivalent, it hits the spot for my 80s heavy metal tones, and a compressor into the clean channel is surprisingly good.

But now when I play my FM3 through monitors... the DSL seems a bit pointless. The FM3 can do it all and sounds better, and won't need new valves in a few years. I have a boosted JCM800 patch that meets most of needs, plus SLO, plus 5153... etc. Sure, the DSL has that amp in the room feel, but that just means everyone in the house can feel it!

Anyway, hooray for the Fractal, if that wasn't obvious.
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It happens? 🤷🏻

☺️
 
The Interceptor said:
I have a DSL40CR as my analogue solution (despite a Boss DD-7 in the small pedal board!). With a SD-1 or equivalent, it hits the spot for my 80s heavy metal tones, and a compressor into the clean channel is surprisingly good.

But now when I play my FM3 through monitors... the DSL seems a bit pointless. The FM3 can do it all and sounds better, and won't need new valves in a few years. I have a boosted JCM800 patch that meets most of needs, plus SLO, plus 5153... etc. Sure, the DSL has that amp in the room feel, but that just means everyone in the house can feel it!

Anyway, hooray for the Fractal, if that wasn't obvious.
Click to expand...
I concur... I just dialled in a plexi 50 watt tone with a distortion pedal in front, my god what a tone. Have always hated plexi tones before I had my fm3 because I could never get a good one, but I'm loving my fm3 one. The boosted 800 is another revelation in the fm3, its ridiculous.

When I grow up, I want an fm9 lol
 
In contrast, I saw a spot on the front of Guitar World's website last week from some probably famous player in some probably famous band I've never heard of who was ranting about how modelers are "whack" and you can always hear them and their tone is a lifeless suck. It reminded me of my teenage metalhead years when I thought that way about bands using synthesizers being "unorthodox" (to use a loaded term). Personally, I can't imaging wanting to go back to an amp when I feel like I have all the amps, and then some.
 
I had a JCM 800 (2203) and 4x12 cab since the early 80s. I sold it a few months after getting my AxeFx3.

I never wanted to purchase multiple amps and many pedals to try new sounds and so just stuck with what I had for decades...even as my musical tastes changed. Recently I was very close to replacing my 2203 with a Princeton. I even rented a Princeton for a week to really get to know it.

Then I decided to get a Fractal. The 2203 and Princeton amp models are really great but I have also found others that I like even better. My AxeFx3 not only replaced my JCM800, it enabled me to try a myriad of other amps (and cabs, and effects) to find what really suits my current tastes.

Does the FTR-37 amp model sound and feel just like the real amp? I have no idea because I never had the opportunity to play one, but the Fractal model sounds and feels great with my Strat and that is all that matters. For my Tele it is the Morgan AC20.

My AxeFX3 is by far the best purchase I have ever made.
 
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FM3 ruined all of my real amps and cabs haha. I'm in the process of selling off all but my most prized amp, the Rocker 30. Still deciding which cab to keep though.

I could honestly see selling everything off now as haven't fired up a real amp in months. Just need to mentally "let go" which is harder than I thought it would be.
 
Androo said:
In contrast, I saw a spot on the front of Guitar World's website last week from some probably famous player in some probably famous band I've never heard of who was ranting about how modelers are "whack" and you can always hear them and their tone is a lifeless suck. It reminded me of my teenage metalhead years when I thought that way about bands using synthesizers being "unorthodox" (to use a loaded term). Personally, I can't imaging wanting to go back to an amp when I feel like I have all the amps, and then some.
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I'm sure that person would also fail a blind test against his precious 'real' amps. LOL
 
Boy_Narf said:
FM3 ruined all of my real amps and cabs haha. I'm in the process of selling off all but my most prized amp, the Rocker 30. Still deciding which cab to keep though.

I could honestly see selling everything off now as haven't fired up a real amp in months. Just need to mentally "let go" which is harder than I thought it would be.
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I did the same thing years ago. I've been very fortunate to have owned some real collectible amps too (well, before they became so sought after) like a mint condition Mesa MkIIC+ head that I bought in HS for $400 cash. and later, a black faced Rev F Dual Recto. I had a long love affair with Mesa amps, and then most recently owned a EVH 50W head. I had a big pedalboard with a Gigig G2 switcher, Strymons, Eventides, several ODs, an Xotic Wah, etc etc. and I parted it all out and sold it all. I've been tube free since 2017. Woo!
 
I haven't ever owned a real tube amp and I can definitely see myself never owning one. I am pretty content with my modelers, from which the FM3 gets the most play time.
 
I kept a little blonde Champion 600. It’s purely ornamental, I don’t use it and it’s small enough to sit on a shelf and look cute.

All the other amps, gone and not coming back.

I do have an embarrassingly large collection of pedals I don’t use but can’t seem to part with just yet but they are becoming a bit of a pain to move and store.

I’m even considering selling some custom FRFR 1x12 cabs because I get such a good sound through studio monitors that I’ve not used them in 2 years.
 
Androo said:
In contrast, I saw a spot on the front of Guitar World's website last week from some probably famous player in some probably famous band I've never heard of who was ranting about how modelers are "whack" and you can always hear them and their tone is a lifeless suck.
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That just sounds like someone who doesn't want to let go of old familiar ways. You only have to look at the big bands using fractal now, they don't seem to have those lifeless suck issues lol
 
The Interceptor said:
I have a DSL40CR as my analogue solution (despite a Boss DD-7 in the small pedal board!). With a SD-1 or equivalent, it hits the spot for my 80s heavy metal tones, and a compressor into the clean channel is surprisingly good.

But now when I play my FM3 through monitors... the DSL seems a bit pointless. The FM3 can do it all and sounds better, and won't need new valves in a few years. I have a boosted JCM800 patch that meets most of needs, plus SLO, plus 5153... etc. Sure, the DSL has that amp in the room feel, but that just means everyone in the house can feel it!

Anyway, hooray for the Fractal, if that wasn't obvious.
Click to expand...

Whats 'Amp in a room feel' ? doesn't the FM3 through monitors give the same feel and doesn't everyone else in the house get annoyed when they hear it? I've never owned a real valve amp but wouldn't a real valve amp through a load box + IRs such as a Suhr Reactive Load I.R sound similar to a Fractal system through FRFR speakers?
 
Paulzx said:
That just sounds like someone who doesn't want to let go of old familiar ways. You only have to look at the big bands using fractal now, they don't seem to have those lifeless suck issues lol
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Recently saw an interview with Satriani, Vai, and EJ, connected to G3 if I remember right. Satriani was talking about how he likes modelers ok until he sits them next to his tube amps, then there's no contest, they sound lame and fake.

I was surprised. He's not entirely old school, certainly does some gainy stuff, has even been involved with creating (or at least marketing) some modelers himself.

Just goes to show, people like what they like. Personally I don't care much what he or anyone else thinks, I just enjoy the tones in my Axe, and the insane amount of zero-cost freedom to explore. Solid win for me.
 
Dave Merrill said:
Recently saw an interview with Satriani, Vai, and EJ, connected to G3 if I remember right. Satriani was talking about how he likes modelers ok until he sits them next to his tube amps, then there's no contest, they sound lame and fake.

I was surprised. He's not entirely old school, certainly does some gainy stuff, has even been involved with creating (or at least marketing) some modelers himself.

Just goes to show, people like what they like. Personally I don't care much what he or anyone else thinks, I just enjoy the tones in my Axe, and the insane amount of zero-cost freedom to explore. Solid win for me.
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If you're talking about this video, he doesn't say anything about modelers sounding "lame and fake". Here's the video starting at the modeling discussion. If anything, he said modeling sounds great, it just doesn't provide the inspiration he needs and gets from his amps and it's his preference as an artist. Listening in the audience, he couldn't tell the difference.

 
JoKeR III said:
If you're talking about this video, he doesn't say anything about modelers sounding "lame and fake". Here's the video starting at the modeling discussion. If anything, he said modeling sounds great, it just doesn't provide the inspiration he needs and gets from his amps and it's his preference as an artist. Listening in the audience, he couldn't tell the difference.

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He’s also Joe Satriani and could make a phone call and probably get any piece of gear free
 
Satriani
"when you play on the B and the G strings and you go higher, things happen, it's BIG, it's transient response, it's totally out of control, beautiful analog. everything you put into it it's coming out in real time.

And all the modeling things again fantastic leap into the future and convenience for musicians but if you just put any one of those right next to your your champ or your jvm and you switch back and forth you'll go oh my God there's no comparison because there's there's a life that is completely missing from this model and you and if they can't they can't possibly capture it to make he performer sitting like in this room going ab ab back and forth feel like it's anywhere near the same.

However if it's on a recording it really doesn't matter because a recording already has a limited uh dynamic range and that's really kind of like what we're talking about the experience of the performer."
 
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