From Ultra to II-series to Axe3 to FM3: FM3 is legit

Chris Hurley

Power User
This is a bit of a ramble, but I think some might find the journey and commentary interesting.

I've been in the Fractal ecosystem going back to the Ultra days. I went from building tube guitar amps to playing the fractal ultra exclusively because I thought it sounded better than the amps I was building- less noise, easier to mod my tone from day to day. I've bought and solid many flagship Fractal products as I navigate the fiscal stewardship concerns of life- real and imagined.

I upgraded to the II, then various iterations of that. I had a couple of AX8s (very close to AX84 in name and logo, interestingly). I upgraded from the II to the Axe-FX III.

I've had multiple kemper, atomic and helix-family products. I always prefer the Fractal stuff because of how it relates to real world gear in terms of the controls. When I pick a Friedman BE model and dial it up, it dials up like a BE channel should. The controls work like I expect- like the real deal.

Along the way, I washed back into tube amp use because the overall playing experience is just a little bit more fun for me at times. I've never been willing to totally quit on modeling because it is so useful- its just a different experience. The result has been fractal rigs and tube rigs and hybrid rigs. All good in different ways and I have the luxury of playing what I want to play for my enjoyment- especially as I've retired from active gigging.

I've owned the FM3 several times. Like a lot of people, I initially thought I would try to use the FM3 and step down from the Axe3, reducing the amount of money I had tied up in gear. Picking the FM3 over the Axe3 is a tough pill to swallow if you can't shift your thinking from "I want more of everything than I could ever need" to "I want enough of everything to do what I need".

Initially, I wanted a direct Axe3 replacement and the FM3 falls short in terms of I/O, CPU, and a number of features. So I kept the Axe3 and sold the FM3.

The second time I tried it, I wanted to see how much I could get to fit. I built presets that tried to shoehorn everything I could using every trick I could think of. I split the effects loop using panning and the feedback blocks so that Out2 could feed the input and FX return of my tube amp. Satisfied that you could do it, I still couldn't see myself getting rid of the Axe3 (because I wanted to own the best), so the FM3 was sold.

The third time I tried it, I wanted to try the FM3 as a replacement for a variety of pedals in front of a tube amp. D/A hiss and limited boost/pad options kept me from using it in this situation, plus I couldn't shake the sense that it wasn't the equal of my Axe3 in terms of "do no harm" to the guitar signal in front of a tube amp. It worked fine but it didn't stick for me and this is obviously not its main intended duty.

Somewhere along the timeline, "the FullRes situation" occurred and I became a little disenchanted with trying to stay on the cutting edge of the Fractal universe. By this point, I am heavily back into tube amp gear (its the total experience- not just the tone) but still unwilling to completely abandon all the stuff you can do with a Fractal.

Facing an end to the many years of being able to buy and sell flagship fractal gear with minimal losses, I decided to sell the Axe3 and get off the train. The deal I ended up working included an FM3. Of course, as is often the case- "the FullRes situation" was resolved in a great way with the inclusion of factory FullRes IRs. This is a fantastic solution and had I not already been irritated by the whole episode, I would have just kept the Axe3.

Nevertheless, I found myself owning an FM3 again. This time, I didn't have an Axe3 to compete with it and the little guy was free to stand out of the shadow. I think the fourth or fifth time may be the charm- I lost count.

I continue to be impressed with how much stuff Fractal crammed into this unit. It has sacrifices to be sure but they packed all the important stuff into the FM3. There is plenty of CPU to build a fantastic guitar rig that sounds killer. Someone else mentioned this recently- I rather enjoy the challenge of trying to get stuff to fit and making do with what I have.

Truth be told, the FM3 really has a good bit of power under the hood. I was frustrated with the HX Effects and HX stomp due to the rigid routing and hard limit of effects blocks. The FM3 has a nice big matrix you can use but the secret weapon is how much stuff is built into each block. The amp block has the input EQ/boost stuff... the core amp block stuff (far more detailed than anything else on the market... you have an output EQ. Thats at least 3 blocks in one. On an HX Stomp (admittedly less expensive), this would burn up almost half of your available blocks.

The compact size means it can sit comfortably on a desk or on top of a guitar cabinet or be the core of a compact floor rig. I remember seeing talk about an FM0 but the FM3 really is that unit. It couldn't be much smaller, and you get a couple of switches just in case you need them. Add a floor controller or up to 4 pedals if you need 'em.

The construction seems solid- its not cheaply made.

And it sounds great.

The more I think about it, the more I have to acknowledge the thought that went into the product family plan with this generation of Fractal units. The FM3 is the gateway drug, the "just what I need" rig, the backup/fly/alt rig that gives up nothing of any great significance. The FM9 is the "Flagship of the floor" all-in-one with few compromises for just a little bit more money. The Axe-FX III is the Universe-in-a-box that includes the bleeding edge of Fractal innovation.

I can see a LOT of FM3's being sold going forward, even with the FM9 availability. Someone that wants to see what Fractal is all about but not wanting to spend the better part of $2000USD to do it. Someone that wants to be in the Fractal space in the most cost effective way. Someone what wants access to a great desktop studio device... The guy that wants a compact floor rig but doesn't want to sacrifice any major Fractal capabilities... The FM3 is uniquely positioned to deliver in these areas.

I don't know how long this trip with the FM3 will last for me, but I'm impressed with it more and more.
 
Last edited:
I just picked one up and am still learning from it....but it sounds better then all the Fractals i owned....started with standard and the II and AX-8....i never sold my FX-8 tho, and now i have the Fm3.....cool stuff
 
I hope you're right regarding the FM3's future. I just bought mine a few months ago and I'd hate see it fall by the wayside upgrades-wise so soon now that the FM9 is the new fair-haired boy of the family. (AXE3 is the Dad).
 
Great post!
I was really tempted to get the Axe fx III but I just didn’t need all the additional horsepower
I just needed the best possible core amp tone and responsiveness in a simulation and it delivers big time!
 
I continue to find that the FM3 has enough horsepower for the presets I want to make. There are disappointments at times- preset switching time is pretty darned slow but its faster than unplugging analog pedals and amps.
 
Back
Top Bottom