Fractal Axe-Fx ll Cheaper Alternative

M

Manuel Dao

New Member
Hello,

I am looking for a cheaper alternative of the Fractal Axe-Fx. I understand that it won't have so many possibilities as fractal, but I am looking for something affordable.
Desired Price Range: 100$ - 600$.

Best Regards,
Dao
 
Tons of products from other manufacturers in that price range. If it was my money I'd look to buy a used Eleven Rack. I owned one for a while, it obviously isn't an AxeFXII, but for that range it's probably the best product out there.
 
Manuel Dao said:
Hello,

I am looking for a cheaper alternative of the Fractal Axe-Fx. I understand that it won't have so many possibilities as fractal, but I am looking for something affordable.
Desired Price Range: 100$ - 600$.

Best Regards,
Dao
Click to expand...

You could wait a bit as Fractal is working on products that may fit your budget and give you sounds above that price range with in you budget.
 
nicolasrivera said:
You could wait a bit as Fractal is working on products that may fit your budget and give you sounds above that price range with in you budget.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't wait, who knows when and if that's going to happen. Buy some well known used product like the Eleven Rack, Pod HD, or something like a Zoom. If you buy a used one you'll likely going to be able to sell it for very similar money if you don't like it.

I haven't had the Eleven Rack. I had a Pod HD 500 before getting the Axe Fx 2, hoping that it was going to be good enough but I hated it. Couldn't get a decent trio of clean, crunch and lead tone how much I tried and sold it after a few months and bought the Axe Fx 2. I've since bought a Zoom MS-50G as a when everything else fails backup and think its great for what it is. I would check out the Zoom G3X that should fall well within your budget.
 
My first piece of advice is save and get an Axe-2.

Barring that, I own and would also recommend an Eleven Rack (With expansion) as well. Good panel interface, good amp modeling (limited but useful model choice), decent cab modeling (nowhere near Axe 2), and excellent reverb and rotary blocks, with good effects.
 
I have an Eleven Rack from before I knew anything at all about Fractal. It's ok. It sits in my rack under the AFX2 as a backup.

Here is a clip comparing the 11R, axe-fx ultra and axe-fx 2. Keep in mind this is 2011, before many evolutions and firmware changes and certainly before ultra res IRs and stuff.

 
There is no alternative!


There are however devices one can settle on but you will never be totally happy and always wonder what it would have been like to have the real thing :)

Line 6 POD HD any model.
Eleven Rack
I heard Zoom makes a decent one if you play metal but options are limited.
 
shasha said:
...I owned one for a while, it obviously isn't an AxeFXII, but for that range it's probably the best product out there.
Click to expand...

agree and would add S-Gear vst...very impressive...but I now have an XL...this is in a different league.
 
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Hi manuel,

It's probably not what you want to hear, but my advice would be to save/sell/do whatever you need to do to get the axe fx.

I say that because I have had a number of guitar amp modellers - line 6, eleven rack, software etc. back then, guitar recordings were always a chore, and never, ever a great sound. I rarely played guitar for enjoyment - just played because I was recording a song.
Now - I have the axe fx. I find myself sitting in the studio four hours on end, playing guitar...just for fun. I try a sound and it gives me an idea, and I play....all of a sudden, the sun is coming up! I've had the axe fx ii for over a year now and the unit, fractals support and customer focus is light years ahead of anything out there. I cannot say it strongly enough - you may be partially happy with other units, but the axe fx gives you ideas and motivates you to play. Good luck!

Pauly

Manuel Dao said:
Hello,

I am looking for a cheaper alternative of the Fractal Axe-Fx. I understand that it won't have so many possibilities as fractal, but I am looking for something affordable.
Desired Price Range: 100$ - 600$.

Best Regards,
Dao
Click to expand...
 
If you are lucky you could find a used Digitech 2101 for short money. Mine cost $150 and sufficed until I could afford "the real thing". Apart from that I second Jam Up Pro (if you already have an iPad).
The eleven rack is fine for the money, and so is the Pod HD. If the budget is never going to extend to the Axe, buy whatever you buy and enjoy it and make great music with it. But man... the Axe hurt a bit at first but has repayed the investment over and over. Like many here say, hands down the best bit of kit I ever bought.
 
I used a Boss GX-700 for over ten years, recording and on the road. They have MUCH better overdrive and distortion sounds than any of the GT series, you can put the effects in any order you want and they will go for very cheap on eBay.
 
pauly said:
Hi manuel,

It's probably not what you want to hear, but my advice would be to save/sell/do whatever you need to do to get the axe fx.

I say that because I have had a number of guitar amp modellers - line 6, eleven rack, software etc. back then, guitar recordings were always a chore, and never, ever a great sound. I rarely played guitar for enjoyment - just played because I was recording a song.
Now - I have the axe fx. I find myself sitting in the studio four hours on end, playing guitar...just for fun. I try a sound and it gives me an idea, and I play....all of a sudden, the sun is coming up! I've had the axe fx ii for over a year now and the unit, fractals support and customer focus is light years ahead of anything out there. I cannot say it strongly enough - you may be partially happy with other units, but the axe fx gives you ideas and motivates you to play. Good luck!

Pauly
Click to expand...


That at is such a true statement. Don't settle if you don't have to. Save that's what I did. It seemed like it took forever, and it did, but it was so worth it. In the past I was always the guy buying up every few months meaning buying the next big cheap thing, that got expensive after a while. Just save, and buy the best, you won't be disappointed.
 
Vox Tonelab EX

Great to ...outstanding gtr tones. Has basic supply of fx...ie reverb, delay, multi-delay, wah, pitch shifter...etc.

No shimmer or multi-shift fx.
 
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Plenty of viable options for the budget-conscious players out there. While the AxeFX is the pinnacle of the best-of-the-best, not everyone can jump into the deep end of the pool right out of the gates.

I still have my Digitech GNX3 and GNX3000, and they still work great. GNX4's can still be found on eBay and CL on-the-DIRT-cheap.

L6 POD's <just about any version> will give you "in the box" processing which is great for late night playing or home recording.

Vetta II's (heads or 2x12 combo's) with the latest firmware update also give some great in-the-box options. Being able to route signal to XLR outs > interface combined with their amp and speaker modeling produced some fantastic results for me before I bit the bullet and purchased my AxeFX.

Dunno if I'd recommend a GSP2101 since they sound best through an amp/external cab. Kinda limits your options unless you want to go balls-out all the time. However, the 1101 would be an affordable alternative to that since it's another in-the-box processor.

Jam Up Pro + BIAS (if you have an iOS device) would probably be my recommendation based on some reviews I've seen. It's probably the most cost effective option if you only need a handful of amps, cabs, and effects.

If you have a DAW setup and don't mind tweaking to get past some latency issues you could always go with a free version of Peavy's Revalver.

Point being....LOTS of options, but as some have already pointed out you'd probably get a much less biased recommendation from peeps on a forum NOT dedicated to/run by Fractal Audio.

My personal advice also echoes what someone else already stated....find something you can be happy with 'for now', but keep your eye on the goal of eventually obtaining an AxeFX. The more time you have in the trenches with other modelers and other companies products, the more you'll appreciate everything this wizard-in-a-box can really do.

Good luck on your adventure. I had a blast over the years trying/playing with different options. None of that time was wasted. It was always a learning experience and I made some great music with every single device I've ever owned.
 
had many multi eff. pedals, best was digitech gnx3 probably better than gnx3000 but was pretty awesome through a real guitar cab.
 
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