duneman
Member
I'd heard of Fractal before but didn't pay much attention as it was well above my effects budget.
Then I attended a Riverside concert in Pomona last May. (Great band - suggest checking them out) I always do my best to check out what the guitarists are using, especially if I like the sound. This was a small venue and I was intrigued because there wasn't an amp behind the guitarist and the sound was spectacular (if a tad sterile). Closer inspection revealed a Fractal unit and an expression pedal - that was it. Could have been an AX8 or an FX8. Most likely an AX8 as it sounded very much like an amp. Hard to tell when all one can see is the rear panel. That kick started my research. I love my amp (Carr Mercury V), which I've had just over a year and the FX8 looked like the ticket. Checked new and used stock but still too expensive but I kept checking every so often and then earlier this month there was a B-Stock unit for $499. That was a magic number and I grabbed it. It looks pristine - hard to see why its labeled as B-Stock.
Overall, I find the unit a pleasure to work with. The sounds are dynamite right out of the box. Haven't needed to tweak much as the effects (so far) are set to my taste. Between the manual, the wiki and this forum I've received all the help I need (thanks fellas!)
Created a template upon which each of my presets is based on. Each preset has a different tempo and some different effects in the chain to fit the songs in our set.
Bravo Fractal! However, I have figured out that the FX8 platform is likely near the end of the road, which probably explains why I was able to buy a B-Stock unit for $499 when the original list was $1250.
Still its much better than what I had (TC Electronic Nova System) and so long as it works it appears I'll not need anything else for a very long time... if ever.
ps... dang - I seriously dislike the switches on the TC - they don't engage until release! Completely counter-intuitive and it can mess up a transition between sounds.
Then I attended a Riverside concert in Pomona last May. (Great band - suggest checking them out) I always do my best to check out what the guitarists are using, especially if I like the sound. This was a small venue and I was intrigued because there wasn't an amp behind the guitarist and the sound was spectacular (if a tad sterile). Closer inspection revealed a Fractal unit and an expression pedal - that was it. Could have been an AX8 or an FX8. Most likely an AX8 as it sounded very much like an amp. Hard to tell when all one can see is the rear panel. That kick started my research. I love my amp (Carr Mercury V), which I've had just over a year and the FX8 looked like the ticket. Checked new and used stock but still too expensive but I kept checking every so often and then earlier this month there was a B-Stock unit for $499. That was a magic number and I grabbed it. It looks pristine - hard to see why its labeled as B-Stock.
Overall, I find the unit a pleasure to work with. The sounds are dynamite right out of the box. Haven't needed to tweak much as the effects (so far) are set to my taste. Between the manual, the wiki and this forum I've received all the help I need (thanks fellas!)
Created a template upon which each of my presets is based on. Each preset has a different tempo and some different effects in the chain to fit the songs in our set.
Bravo Fractal! However, I have figured out that the FX8 platform is likely near the end of the road, which probably explains why I was able to buy a B-Stock unit for $499 when the original list was $1250.
Still its much better than what I had (TC Electronic Nova System) and so long as it works it appears I'll not need anything else for a very long time... if ever.
ps... dang - I seriously dislike the switches on the TC - they don't engage until release! Completely counter-intuitive and it can mess up a transition between sounds.
