New owner of an Axe Fx-3. Just wow: my passion for guitar just got rekindled

B

Bo Dan

New Member
Today after much anticipation my Axe Fx 3 Turbo arrived. It was supposed to arrive yesterday but UPS sadly had a delay in delivery. But wow, it was worth the wait! I fired up the Axe and plugged in my guitar. At first the sound was very soft and a little brittle. Then I found out that I had I had to switch some output settings (output through FRFR monitors) and after that I was blown away by the sound. So direct, natural, subtle and superb!

I hardly found the time to play last couple of years. I own a Kemper and am very satisfied by the sound which the Kemper produces. I was very impressed by the examples that I saw of the Axe Fx 3 I saw, so I decided to buy it. No regret there. Even after only a couple of hours playing I can say that the unit is beyond what I could have imagined from a modeler. It brings me back to my days playing new guitar amps, opening up a realm of possibilities.

I am very exited to experience what the Axe has to offer and I am very happy to join this community!
 
These devices are stunning… amazing…. when working on presets I use headphones most of the time because we keep a very quiet house, and the sound of my guitars through the modeler is simply gorgeous. I've learned that the sound translates extremely well to the FRFR cabs I use, and that I can trust them to output a pleasing sound.

Cliff, AKA @FractalAudio, has created what I think is the replacement for tube amps. I sold one of mine, leaving two nice boutique combos, and I regularly ask myself if I need them, especially given the cost of replacement tubes. We have no idea where Fractal is going with the next generations of hardware and software, but I'm sure they have a whiteboard somewhere with scribbled notes for new ideas. Still, the current hardware has a lot of capability so I'm sure we're going to see years of use from them.

You'll have fun with the FX3. You will also probably find how little you actually know about an amp once you dive into the deeper parameters, but the Wiki, and especially Yek's amplifier guide, have lots of good information.
 
I got mine December of 20, and my inspiration to play a LOT more guitar also rose dramatically. I've been playing some 40 years, and my abilities are just about at their best, which still isn't saying a lot since it's harder for an old dog. :tearsofjoy: But it sure is nice to have a piece of gear that makes me wanna grab my guitar just about every day! Welcome aboard!
 
Greg Ferguson said:
These devices are stunning… amazing…. when working on presets I use headphones most of the time because we keep a very quiet house, and the sound of my guitars through the modeler is simply gorgeous. I've learned that the sound translates extremely well to the FRFR cabs I use, and that I can trust them to output a pleasing sound.

Cliff, AKA @FractalAudio, has created what I think is the replacement for tube amps. I sold one of mine, leaving two nice boutique combos, and I regularly ask myself if I need them, especially given the cost of replacement tubes. We have no idea where Fractal is going with the next generations of hardware and software, but I'm sure they have a whiteboard somewhere with scribbled notes for new ideas. Still, the current hardware has a lot of capability so I'm sure we're going to see years of use from them.

You'll have fun with the FX3. You will also probably find how little you actually know about an amp once you dive into the deeper parameters, but the Wiki, and especially Yek's amplifier guide, have lots of good information.
Click to expand...
OT, Greg, what headphones do you use with your Axe? Do you drive them with a separate headphone amp, or just the outs on the Axe.?
 
Dave Merrill said:
OT, Greg, what headphones do you use with your Axe? Do you drive them with a separate headphone amp, or just the outs on the Axe.?
Click to expand...
I talked about them in "FM3 Setup & Monitoring Help Needed".
P.S. - @Dave Merrill I forgot to add that I use the headphone output on the modeler when I'm adjusting/auditioning presets.

The Blue Mix-Fi headphones seem to be the best sounding but they're heavy, also I suspect they've been discontinued and any you can find might not work. I went through four pairs to find two that worked correctly and kept both because spare parts are not available. And they look like something an alien would wear though they are comfortable.

The beyerdynamic and Sennheiser headphones are lighter and more easily worn for long periods but they have more obvious peaks in their sound which I flatten with GEQ or PEQ blocks when I'm adjusting EQ in the preset.

The Sennheiser headphones take more output to drive them to a comfortably loud volume. With a preset leveled to 0 dB, my FM9 is at about 9 on the dial, which is loud but not crazy loud, and I wouldn't want them to be louder.
 
Last edited:
Have fun, man! That's all you can do! Take your time learning it but stay persistent! Enjoy your lifetime entry to Tone-Town ^^
 
Bo Dan said:
Today after much anticipation my Axe Fx 3 Turbo arrived. It was supposed to arrive yesterday but UPS sadly had a delay in delivery. But wow, it was worth the wait! I fired up the Axe and plugged in my guitar. At first the sound was very soft and a little brittle. Then I found out that I had I had to switch some output settings (output through FRFR monitors) and after that I was blown away by the sound. So direct, natural, subtle and superb!

I hardly found the time to play last couple of years. I own a Kemper and am very satisfied by the sound which the Kemper produces. I was very impressed by the examples that I saw of the Axe Fx 3 I saw, so I decided to buy it. No regret there. Even after only a couple of hours playing I can say that the unit is beyond what I could have imagined from a modeler. It brings me back to my days playing new guitar amps, opening up a realm of possibilities.

I am very exited to experience what the Axe has to offer and I am very happy to join this community!
Click to expand...
“One of us…….”
 
Welcome @Bo Dan
Amazing isn’t it. After many years in the fractal camp, I am still constantly amazed how the gear becomes irrelevant and the music takes over. It’s all so natural now.

Thanks
Pauly
Bo Dan said:
Today after much anticipation my Axe Fx 3 Turbo arrived. It was supposed to arrive yesterday but UPS sadly had a delay in delivery. But wow, it was worth the wait! I fired up the Axe and plugged in my guitar. At first the sound was very soft and a little brittle. Then I found out that I had I had to switch some output settings (output through FRFR monitors) and after that I was blown away by the sound. So direct, natural, subtle and superb!

I hardly found the time to play last couple of years. I own a Kemper and am very satisfied by the sound which the Kemper produces. I was very impressed by the examples that I saw of the Axe Fx 3 I saw, so I decided to buy it. No regret there. Even after only a couple of hours playing I can say that the unit is beyond what I could have imagined from a modeler. It brings me back to my days playing new guitar amps, opening up a realm of possibilities.

I am very exited to experience what the Axe has to offer and I am very happy to join this community!
Click to expand...
 
Bo Dan said:
Today after much anticipation my Axe Fx 3 Turbo arrived. It was supposed to arrive yesterday but UPS sadly had a delay in delivery. But wow, it was worth the wait! I fired up the Axe and plugged in my guitar. At first the sound was very soft and a little brittle. Then I found out that I had I had to switch some output settings (output through FRFR monitors) and after that I was blown away by the sound. So direct, natural, subtle and superb!

I hardly found the time to play last couple of years. I own a Kemper and am very satisfied by the sound which the Kemper produces. I was very impressed by the examples that I saw of the Axe Fx 3 I saw, so I decided to buy it. No regret there. Even after only a couple of hours playing I can say that the unit is beyond what I could have imagined from a modeler. It brings me back to my days playing new guitar amps, opening up a realm of possibilities.

I am very exited to experience what the Axe has to offer and I am very happy to join this community!
Click to expand...
Welcome and let us know what you find different from the Kemper. Enjoy the journey and welcome to the best forum on the web. We are here to help ya bro!
 
I had a similar experience with my FM3. Previously I only had experience with Neural DSP plugins and shitty combo amps, but my mind was blown! Even though I'm mostly using 3/4 diff amp models, I find it super inspiring everytime I turn it on (multiple times a day)! Enjoy!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom