My humble review

WbbS

Experienced
I am writing this review after a couple of months of using the Axe-Fx and experiencing how and if it was the right purchase for me.

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PREMISES (just to say that I'm not new to amps and modelers)
  • Over the years I have gone from: POD, Eleven Rack, Helix, Kemper and finally Fractal.
  • I started with FM3 and after 6 months sold it to purchase the Axe-Fx III mk II Turbo.FM3 had a lot of features, but no, it wasn't enough for me, there were some aspects that I just couldn't stand (gaps in changing presets/scenes, CPU limits), compromising in the long run doesn't give me the right satisfaction.
  • I've had, a few amps in the past Mesa/Boogie, Peavey, Marshall, Blackstar, and a lot of pedals (fortunately I've lost this habit...)
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First of all, finally, no CPU sacrifice. As for me now I can create, experiment with sounds, effects beyond imagination. No limits, it's great sometimes, when I'm out of the house, to think about "...what if I did this, what if I mixed this amp with this one, what if I put in parallel this effect and in sequence this one"...and then come home and find out that everything is possible. The flexibility, the amount of parameters you have available to shape your sound is mind-blowing.

But there's more, sometimes I don't want to invest time in the creation of a new sound, I just want to pick up the guitar and have fun for a few minutes, well, just with the presets available all this is possible and it is an immense joy to be able to play without other thoughts, without cables that do not work, without tubes to be changed or that perish, with a fullness and incredible quality of sound.

The amount of amps and cabs available is disarming. I wasted time and money researching and purchasing profiles for the Kemper that then, once received, never sounded like the demos I heard online. Now I have all the amps at my fingertips, it's just up to me to set them up as best suits my style or simply my mood of the moment.

The parameters for shaping the sound from an amp and effects chain is immense. Certainly more than I am currently able to use and understand, there are levels of setting individual components of an amp that I don't know and will never touch (just as I would with a real amp), but knowing that they are there and that, even without understanding the rationale, by turning a knob I can get a sound even closer to what I want, is comforting.

The effects, what can I say ... simply make me happy. Above all, reverbs and delays are able to place the sound of the guitar within the background music that I'm using, it's as if they could mix and adapt to what surrounds them, returning a single harmonious and satisfying sound flow.

In short, Axe-Fx is what I would suggest to my best friend (if he played guitar, but prefers soccer), no ifs or buts. A purchase that doesn't come cheap, that' true, but one that gives back everything it takes with hours of satisfaction and constant updates that make it better every month.
 
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