This is what I tell them.

Burgs

Power User
Quite often I'm asked, mainly by middle-aged blokes, what my 'take' on Fractal Audio is. Do I like it? How does it compare to 'real' amps, etc? Sometimes it's almost like I have to defend myself for daring to use such technology. Traditionalists are affronted, afraid... but curious as well. Last night, following the upload of my resurrected Strat video and accompanying preset link to my Instagram page, I was again asked. This is my reply:

    • I'm nearly 60, Adam. I've been playing since 1972 and haven't really stopped for any length of time. I grew up with tube amps and pedals and used them through my early touring years in the late 80s and 90s. I got tired of dodgy tubes, bad cables, weight, hassle and confidence issues with hired backline when touring. Being a tech nerd, I was always interested in alternatives to the traditional amp. It doesn't worry me what the medium is as long as I can reliably get the sound in my head to the people. Fractal Audio was making waves. I wanted to try it. Around 2011 I got on the waiting list (there is still a waiting list) and finally had my first Axe-FX II around 2012/13. It was brilliant. I was hooked. I'm still hooked. Every day it inspires me to try something different. I tour with an FM9 and use an Axe-FX III for all things Youtube/video/demo. I will never look back. Trying one might be a challenge if you're in Australia - I don't know where you live. Stock is short because of a semi-conductor shortage. Your best bet is to hook up with someone who owns one and knows their way around it. There are brand alternatives, of course - Line 6, Kemper, Roland, Neural, HeadRush - they all have their charms. Fractal Audio is not built to a price point, however; it's built to be good. Their artist roster should attest for that. Go to their site, explore and work out where you might try and/or buy one. If you have to wait a bit, I can almost guarantee that wait will be worth it. There will be a learning curve and a period of familiarisation, but they will be worth it too. At least, they were to me. Still are. Cheers.
      11h
      2 likes
      Reply

    • adammstevensonn

      @brettkingman brilliant. Thanks mate. Am in Brissy. I Will try and link up with someone who has one. Your sound is always good (I remember buying an MI Audio crunch box years ago because of a review you did) but every you do with that fractal thing is beyond brilliant. Thanks so much for the background info.
 
I think the first video of yours I watched was for the Crunch Box way back in the day! I always wanted one but couldn't afford it back then, now have one in the Axe FX 3 of course!

Enjoy your vids, always get good stuff out of them, and like to see a real gigging perspective.
 
And in a few years young blokes will be asking "what's your take on tube amps?"
I'm 29. I never really got into tube amps because I couldn't afford anything really good until I got out of college and started making money from my day job as well as gigging. That's when the AX8 came out, so I jumped on that and the rest is history.

I grew up playing guitar in churches so having a direct rig was always preferred. I didn't have a decent tube amp until I had trouble selling my Axe FX II XL+ so I traded it for a Mesa Roadster 100W head. I played it for an hour and didn't have any fun with it. I Couldn't get it to sound how I wanted, so I just went back upstairs into my "studio room" and played my Axe FX III for hours. Ended up trading the amp for 2 Fender strats. Really like one of them and am looking to eventually sell the other.

Long story short, Fractal isn't cheap, but it's very affordable when compared to "real amp" setups. Oh the money I spent on pedals, a little at a time, that I don't have to anymore because everything's in the box. Now I'm spoiled by having and Axe FX III AND an FM9. I still have my AX8; I'm sure I'll still find a use for it.

There's also a whole bunch of younger guitarists that only really play through VST plugins.
 
I'm 29. I never really got into tube amps because I couldn't afford anything really good until I got out of college and started making money from my day job as well as gigging. That's when the AX8 came out, so I jumped on that and the rest is history.

I grew up playing guitar in churches so having a direct rig was always preferred. I didn't have a decent tube amp until I had trouble selling my Axe FX II XL+ so I traded it for a Mesa Roadster 100W head. I played it for an hour and didn't have any fun with it. I Couldn't get it to sound how I wanted, so I just went back upstairs into my "studio room" and played my Axe FX III for hours. Ended up trading the amp for 2 Fender strats. Really like one of them and am looking to eventually sell the other.

Long story short, Fractal isn't cheap, but it's very affordable when compared to "real amp" setups. Oh the money I spent on pedals, a little at a time, that I don't have to anymore because everything's in the box. Now I'm spoiled by having and Axe FX III AND an FM9. I still have my AX8; I'm sure I'll still find a use for it.

There's also a whole bunch of younger guitarists that only really play through VST plugins.
And as much as folks will disagree, reflecting back on tube amplification favorably is like reflecting back on the merits of tape favorably. Sure it was fun but there was a whole hell of a lot of bad stuff that gets glossed over to not ruin reminiscing about the good old days. i do NOT miss bringing physical amps out to gig. Nope not one bit. You’re not missing a damn thing, trust me on this one.
 
I was a tube amp purist, building my own amps. Proud to say my only effect was the cable. My sound was good and enjoyable but with no effects it got boring after awhile. So I picked up some pedals. Now I’m running through silicon. So why not go into modeling? And I did and I’m never going back. Eventually almost everyone will be using modelers. Look at Brad Whitford, he is a big tube amp guy. Now using FAS products. Meanwhile Joe Perry had Bob Bradshaw build him a rig. If you watch the video, you’ll see it’s very complex, and the Axe could definitely replace it. I doubt he’ll ever switch. Bonamassa, never going there. But eventually tube amps will become rarities. It’s sad yes but oh well. The tone is all that matters.

 
What I liked about tape (Besides the lights dimming when I turned on the 16 track!), was that we'd play the whole song - together - as a unit, and the music would be better because of it. Of course there were solos to punch in, and vocals etc, but the tape forced us (me?) to be better, and pay attention to the song.
Also, at $220 for a 20 minute, 2 inch tape, that would wear out every time you use it, it was motivating to get the music right.
Now, anything can be fixed after the fact, and often is.
What I didn't like about tape was that we had to learn and play the whole song as a unit, and the cost of tape and it's propensity to wear!

I can find the good and bad in anything! :)

Thanks
Pauly


And as much as folks will disagree, reflecting back on tube amplification favorably is like reflecting back on the merits of tape favorably. Sure it was fun but there was a whole hell of a lot of bad stuff that gets glossed over to not ruin reminiscing about the good old days. i do NOT miss bringing physical amps out to gig. Nope not one bit. You’re not missing a damn thing, trust me on this one.
 
Quite often I'm asked, mainly by middle-aged blokes, what my 'take' on Fractal Audio is. Do I like it? How does it compare to 'real' amps, etc? Sometimes it's almost like I have to defend myself for daring to use such technology. Traditionalists are affronted, afraid... but curious as well. Last night, following the upload of my resurrected Strat video and accompanying preset link to my Instagram page, I was again asked. This is my reply:

    • I'm nearly 60, Adam. I've been playing since 1972 and haven't really stopped for any length of time. I grew up with tube amps and pedals and used them through my early touring years in the late 80s and 90s. I got tired of dodgy tubes, bad cables, weight, hassle and confidence issues with hired backline when touring. Being a tech nerd, I was always interested in alternatives to the traditional amp. It doesn't worry me what the medium is as long as I can reliably get the sound in my head to the people. Fractal Audio was making waves. I wanted to try it. Around 2011 I got on the waiting list (there is still a waiting list) and finally had my first Axe-FX II around 2012/13. It was brilliant. I was hooked. I'm still hooked. Every day it inspires me to try something different. I tour with an FM9 and use an Axe-FX III for all things Youtube/video/demo. I will never look back. Trying one might be a challenge if you're in Australia - I don't know where you live. Stock is short because of a semi-conductor shortage. Your best bet is to hook up with someone who owns one and knows their way around it. There are brand alternatives, of course - Line 6, Kemper, Roland, Neural, HeadRush - they all have their charms. Fractal Audio is not built to a price point, however; it's built to be good. Their artist roster should attest for that. Go to their site, explore and work out where you might try and/or buy one. If you have to wait a bit, I can almost guarantee that wait will be worth it. There will be a learning curve and a period of familiarisation, but they will be worth it too. At least, they were to me. Still are. Cheers.
      11h
      2 likes
      Reply

    • adammstevensonn

      @brettkingman brilliant. Thanks mate. Am in Brissy. I Will try and link up with someone who has one. Your sound is always good (I remember buying an MI Audio crunch box years ago because of a review you did) but every you do with that fractal thing is beyond brilliant. Thanks so much for the background info.
No wonder I like your videos and posts so much. We're brothers in tone and playing what keeps it fun and not going back to lugging my 90 lb mesa rig (mono part)
 
I hate having to defend myself against traditionalists and tube sniffers alike....
But I also won't try to convince anyone. I always tell them what works for them is the best.
It's what you do with it that counts.
And those tube sniffers aren't as savvy as they think they are...
I still remember a story where one guy would have an old bandmaster on stage and everyone was complimenting him on his tone.
Until he showed what he was really playing through...the AxeFx. The tube amp was there just for show...
And then the reaction often was "now that you mention is....I could hear your tone was a bit digital...;"
 
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Bonamassa (almost ?) certainly has an axe fx but just doesn't use it life. Why kill the myth if it suits yourself so well ?
 
Fractal Audio is not built to a price point, however; it's built to be good.
This line stood out to me. I think that's a great assessment. There are other companies out there with some good products which could actually be better or great if they weren't seemingly building around a price point. That's what I appreciate about Fractal. You are getting top quality with no compromise.
 
I'm 29. I never really got into tube amps because I couldn't afford anything really good until I got out of college and started making money from my day job as well as gigging. That's when the AX8 came out, so I jumped on that and the rest is history.
....
There's also a whole bunch of younger guitarists that only really play through VST plugins.
This.

Time does it's job better than anything else....
I just wonder, in say 20-40 years from now as todays reference Amps will definitely be passed to history and tubes might not exist anymore as COTS components.... will there be Ampsims from (future) vintage Amp simulators?
 
This.

Time does it's job better than anything else....
I just wonder, in say 20-40 years from now as todays reference Amps will definitely be passed to history and tubes might not exist anymore as COTS components.... will there be Ampsims from (future) vintage Amp simulators?
"Dude! You gotta check out the Stringulator 5000! It emulates the Axe FX III perfectly! It takes me back to my youth!"
 
You know, I've begun to think that there are likely a number of us that are old enough to have been working through the tube famine of the early to mid-1980s who grew to distrust tube amps primarily due the horrible quality of available tubes (esp. rectifiers). It was during that period that I first started dreaming of a time when I could get rid of my tube amps. As better quality, foreign-made tubes started being available in this country, I started to get comfortable with my tube amps again but there was forever a part of my heart that would never fully trust them again.
 
You know, I've begun to think that there are likely a number of us that are old enough to have been working through the tube famine of the early to mid-1980s who grew to distrust tube amps primarily due the horrible quality of available tubes (esp. rectifiers). It was during that period that I first started dreaming of a time when I could get rid of my tube amps. As better quality, foreign-made tubes started being available in this country, I started to get comfortable with my tube amps again but there was forever a part of my heart that would never fully trust them again.
I think the quality has again went back to fairly poor. The once a year or so I bring an amp out on request of someone else, I’m cringing the whole night hoping it doesn’t fail. Too many recent tube failures to trust them completely.
 
You may be right. I purchased multiple sets of replacement tubes for my favorite amps just over ten years ago when tube production was in a sort of golden age. Of course, I so rarely have cause to use my tubes amps for work any longer that my purchase now seems a little excessive.
 
I hate having to defend myself against traditionalists and tube sniffers alike....
But I also won't try to convince anyone. I always tell them what works for them is the best.
It's what you do with it that counts.
And those tube sniffers aren't as savvy as they think they are...
I still remember a story where one guy would have an old bandmaster on stage and everyone was complimenting him on his tone.
Until he showed what he was really playing through...the AxeFx. The tube amp was there just for show...
And then the reaction often was "now that you mention is....I could hear your tone was a bit digital...;"
I was fortunate to play the HOB in Vegas w my VH tribute. They had a cool looking Marshall on the backline and everyone loved my tone. They didn't realize it was just an FM3 direct to FOH. So funny!!!
 
I’ve been playing guitar since 1982. I’ve had several “modeling” amps through the years (including the original Line6 2x12 combo flagship in the 90s) and I was never inspired by the tone, they were convenient and fun for noodling around, but I always kept my tube amps.

Got the AX8 with the intent to use just effects with tube amp. Once I heard the amps on the AX8 I ordered the Axe3, hands down better than anything I had heard, and that is all I use now
 
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