What is the typical Fractal user like? ;)

Zwiebelchen

Fractal Fanatic
As I had this discussion with a friend about professionality and wether the Axe is aimed more towards professional guitarists or amateurs, I thought about making a thread about this.
I, for myself, am a typical amateur user. I'm not even that good at playing guitar (only playing for 5 years now), but I bought the Axe to kill my GAS, as it did terrible things to my purse. I kind of considered the Axe to be the "ultimate goal" and until now, this has proven correct, as I never looked at stompboxes or amps in shops since like almost a year. The only guitar related stuff I bought was a couple of picks.
I even went working on a side job just to finance the Axe. Pretty sick, lol, as I worked 14+ hours a day at times. :/

Note that this is not a survey or anything. I'm not selling those informations anywhere, I'm just curious what the average fractal user is like.

PS: Yes, I know there is the introduction thread, but I'd like it to have "numbers" instead of just plain text, just for the sake of interest.

I hope you guys participate!
So let's go:

1) How many years do you play guitar?

2) Do you consider yourself an amateur, semi-professional or professional musician?

3) How long do you play guitar every day?

4) Do you play in a band or even multiple bands? If so, how many projects do you run at the same time? Or do you get "hired" for jobs aka, being a professional musician?

5) How often do you perform live (some gigs in a year, a couple of gigs per month or even per week)?

6) How many guitars do you own?

7) Do you play any other instruments besides guitar?

What was your ultimate reason to buy the Axe?

9) Kind of a funny question: Do you consider yourself 'worthy' of the Axe?

That's all for now ... Let's see what the majority of people is like in this forums.
 
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1) I've been playing guitar for a bout 6 years (after a 20 year hiatus).

2) Total amateur; basement player.

3) I play aobut an hour 3-4 times per week.

4) I neve play with a band or jam.

5) Never performed live. Last time was in grade 9.

6) 9 + 1 bass. :eek:ops

7) I also have electronic drums.

8) I bought an Axe to cut down on tube amp and pedal GAS. It's worked so far. I still have guitar GAS though :(

9) Yes I'm worthy of the Axe, 'cause I'm a big proponent of modellers.
 
1) About 25 years on and off

2) amateur at best

3) used to be a few hours, it's not even every week anymore

4) no band, but I did do some session work many years ago that never amounted to anything other than getting really drunk for my efforts

5) hasn't happened in many, many years

6) 11

7) I own some basses...not really sure if you can call what I do to them "playing them"

8) I wanted something that I could use through headphones that felt like my tube amp and covered a lot more ground sonically. I tried countless plug-ins and many other modelers and got tired of spending more time trying to dial something in than I did playing. I came to the realization that everything I had tried up to that point just didn't have the capability to do what I wanted. On a side note people get intimidated by the number of parameters that the AxeFX has, but to me it is easier to dial in because I can actually get to where I am going vs spending endless hours trying in vain to get something that other devices would never get.

9) I paid for the damn thing; that makes me worthy. :)
 
Hehe, good questions :)


1) About 8 years?

2) I would say semi-professional, but I very often feel like an amateur when I see other great guitarist hehe :)

3) I play about 6+ hours a week? For fun and practice.

4) At the moment I don't play in a band. I'm trying to start something up though.

5) I don't play gigs very often I'm afraid. But I do help out very often at gigs.

6) At the moment I own 5 guitars, and the sixth is on the way :p

7) I do enjoy slappin' da bass every once in a while, and I can play some chords and scales on a Piano, but that's about it.

8) My ultimate reason to buy the Axe FX II was about money and space. Yes the Axe costs a little, but compared to what it does, it's dead on cheap! I don't have much room for 30 amps, Cabs and 100 effect pedals, so I decided to sum it all up in one magical box and still be cheaper than a Mesa boogie Triple Rectifier :p
Besides, I record stuff on my computer all the time and help my friends out making demos and making sure they all have a great guitar tone. Priceless!

9) Well, I do spend a lot of time building gear, and this year I'll start building guitars too. I am very interested in tone and I have learned a lot along the way. But I always wish I was a better guitar player so I could use the Axe FX more hehe :)
 
1) 35
2) amateur
3) as much as I can
4) used to
5) currently, none
6) 15
7) keys (horribly), bass
8 ) all in one rig
9) why not
 
1) How many years do you play guitar? 21

2) Do you consider yourself an amateur, semi-professional or professional musician? Amateur in skill, pro in soul

3) How long do you play guitar every day? A few minutes to a few hours depending on the day

4) Do you play in a band or even multiple bands? If so, how many projects do you run at the same time? Or do you get "hired" for jobs aka, being a professional musician?
Played in a band in college. Not since.

5) How often do you perform live (some gigs in a year, a couple of gigs per month or even per week)? Not in a loooooong time

6) How many guitars do you own? 3

7) Do you play any other instruments besides guitar? Bass and learning to play piano again

8) What was your ultimate reason to buy the Axe? I'm a tone junky

9) Kind of a funny question: Do you consider yourself 'worthy' of the Axe? LOL Nope
 
Representing the minority bassist contingency =) LOL!

1) 35 years

2) part-time "semi-pro" ATM (have previously made 100% of my income as a gigging player)

3) some days not at all, other days for hours on end, depending on schedule

4) In 3 bands

5) 60 shows/year minimum

6) 6 basses

7) keyboards (badly), flute, valved brass instruments (trumpet, horn)

8 - Bought the AFX for a lighter, streamlined all-in-one solution for QUALITY preamp/amp tone and effects

9) IMO, even if you only use the AxeFx for just ONE of its vast array of features, you are worthy, provided you actually DO use the thing. I hate to see excellent gear that is purchased just because it looks pretty in a rack, as window dressing. Not up to me to pass judjement on the use of a piece of gear....if it works for you, it works for you, end of story.
 
1 ) I've played for 13 years, started when I was 8!
2 ) I think I'm a rank amateur however, I do get payed for my skills and I'm always busy so I guess I'm professional in that sense?
3 ) I usually aim to play for about 3 hours a day. 1 hour solid practice and 2 just dicking about (usually patch making!)
4 ) I have one band, Gambit, and am hired to play in a few projects.
5 ) I perform live weekly.
6 ) My collection has been downsized recently to about 8 guitars (not including basses) but has been around the 20 mark in the past!
7 ) I dabble in a few instruments besides the guitar, the general rule being that if I have to blow into it, I can't play it. Anything else is fair game.
8 ) For studio work I needed something versatile. I wanted a "Jack of all trades" but without any of the usual trade off's for such versatility. That and I wanted something solid for live use that could cover a lot of ground.
9 ) No. It's so competent for any style and I'm not, if I suddenly decided to be a serious Gypsy Jazz player I wouldn't have to buy any amps or pedals and no one would be any wiser for it haha.

This was actually quite fun to write! Cool post :)
 
1) How many years do you play guitar? Bought my first guitar about 8 years ago

2) Do you consider yourself an amateur, semi-professional or professional musician? Amateur

3) How long do you play guitar every day? Depends, but I try to play at least an hour. Most of the time this is just jamming/writing, I should really invest more time in practicing and getting better

4) Do you play in a band or even multiple bands? If so, how many projects do you run at the same time? Or do you get "hired" for jobs aka, being a professional musician? I play in a thrash band and I'm going to collaborate with a polish band to record an album this summer. Always thought the band was really cool and after exchanging some riffs with the genius behind the music, he wanted me in. So this is the first time I'm getting a really cool opportunity music-wise.

5) How often do you perform live (some gigs in a year, a couple of gigs per month or even per week)? I have only gigged 3 times.

6) How many guitars do you own? 5 guitars which are used, one bass and two remaining guitars which are crap and don't get played.

7) Do you play any other instruments besides guitar? I'm pretty good with the triangle.

8 ) What was your ultimate reason to buy the Axe? My tube rig was always stored at our rehearsal space, so I only played it 3 hours per week. The axe enables me to use my gear at home and even record ideas etc.

9) Kind of a funny question: Do you consider yourself 'worthy' of the Axe? Absolutely! It has more than I will ever use though. Funny story: I actually "won" the Axe-Fx II with a music competition. I won 2K for music gear and I immediately decided that this was my chance to sell it all and go for a full Axe-Rig. Best thing ever to happen to me!
 
1) How many years do you play guitar? 25
2) Do you consider yourself an amateur, semi-professional or professional musician? amature - play for fun.
3) How long do you play guitar every day? few hours a week
4) Do you play in a band or even multiple bands? If so, how many projects do you run at the same time? Or do you get "hired" for jobs aka, being a professional musician? Play at home to backing tracks as an effective stress relief after a long day dealing with chuckleheads :)
5) How often do you perform live (some gigs in a year, a couple of gigs per month or even per week)? I'd like to one of these days.
6) How many guitars do you own? 2 at the moment :)
7) Do you play any other instruments besides guitar? No
8) What was your ultimate reason to buy the Axe? Heavenly high gain sound at low volumes.
9) Kind of a funny question: Do you consider yourself 'worthy' of the Axe? I paid for it, so YES!

I owe my improved skills to the Axe! It makes me sound so good!
 
1) How long do you play guitar? 25

2) Do you consider yourself an amateur, semi-professional or professional musician? Semi-Pro

3) How long do you play guitar every day? 5-6 days a weeks, 2-3 hours on those days

4) Do you play in a band or even multiple bands? If so, how many projects do you run at the same time? Or do you get "hired" for jobs aka, being a professional musician? 3 bands off and on, two church worship bands and Christian special event band

5) How often do you perform live (some gigs in a year, a couple of gigs per month or even per week)? 2-3 times a month

6) How many guitars do you own? 6 guitars, 1 bass and 1 mandolin

7) Do you play any other instruments besides guitar? bass and a bit of mando

8) What was your ultimate reason to buy the Axe? the end of a long long personal quest to find the perfect all in one direct recording box

9) Kind of a funny question: Do you consider yourself 'worthy' of the Axe? I was smart enough to research and find it , I was smart enough to realize what it can do for me, I've learned how to use it and I coughed up $2.2k to buy it.......so heck yeah
I'm worthy. Shasha said it with conviction!!!!
 
1. 31 years
2. amateur who thinks I'm semi-pro
3. Sometimes a couple hours a week, sometimes 20.
4. Solo performer. A band situation is incredibly hard to keep going. I don't really care to play much cover music and most musicians need to play cover tunes to get gigs. I prefer to work on original music almost exclusively.
5. Sometimes 1 or 2 times a week, Sometimes it's months between performances.
6. Not sure :) 15 or so?
7. Vocals
8. Wanted premier tone both live and recorded.
9. Sure! Everyone is.


As I had this discussion with a friend about professionality and wether the Axe is aimed more towards professional guitarists or amateurs, I thought about making a thread about this.
I, for myself, am a typical amateur user. I'm not even that good at playing guitar (only playing for 5 years now), but I bought the Axe to kill my GAS, as it did terrible things to my purse. I kind of considered the Axe to be the "ultimate goal" and until now, this has proven correct, as I never looked at stompboxes or amps in shops since like almost a year. The only guitar related stuff I bought was a couple of picks.
I even went working on a side job just to finance the Axe. Pretty sick, lol, as I worked 14+ hours a day at times. :/

Note that this is not a survey or anything. I'm not selling those informations anywhere, I'm just curious what the average fractal user is like.

PS: Yes, I know there is the introduction thread, but I'd like it to have "numbers" instead of just plain text, just for the sake of interest. :)

I hope you guys participate!
So let's go:

1) How many years do you play guitar?

2) Do you consider yourself an amateur, semi-professional or professional musician?

3) How long do you play guitar every day?

4) Do you play in a band or even multiple bands? If so, how many projects do you run at the same time? Or do you get "hired" for jobs aka, being a professional musician?

5) How often do you perform live (some gigs in a year, a couple of gigs per month or even per week)?

6) How many guitars do you own?

7) Do you play any other instruments besides guitar?

8) What was your ultimate reason to buy the Axe?

9) Kind of a funny question: Do you consider yourself 'worthy' of the Axe? ;)

That's all for now ... Let's see what the majority of people is like in this forums.
 
1) How many years do you play guitar? - not sure in total but on and off over a 55 year period, started on plastic 'Elvis' 4 string but in the words of the late great Baz Dunnery of Necromandus, "for the time I've been playing I should be better than this ! " but I'm not in the same league as Baz was.

2) Do you consider yourself an amateur, semi-professional or professional musician? - amateur

3) How long do you play guitar every day? - 10 minutes to about 1 hour a day most days, I always create too many other things to do.

4) Do you play in a band or even multiple bands? If so, how many projects do you run at the same time? Or do you get "hired" for jobs aka, being a professional musician? - had a dabble in the 70's but it's just me now

5) How often do you perform live (some gigs in a year, a couple of gigs per month or even per week)? - never, I'm only live in the house.

6) How many guitars do you own? - 7 + 1 bass

7) Do you play any other instruments besides guitar? - I have electronic drums but just starting out on these, it's great exercise I find.

8) What was your ultimate reason to buy the Axe? - My son always says go for the best instead of wasting time and money faffing about with second best.

9) Kind of a funny question: Do you consider yourself 'worthy' of the Axe? - I don't have to justify that as long as I can afford it without impacting anyone else.
 
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1) How many years do you play guitar? About 18 years now, I started playing guitar when I was 10 years old.

2) Do you consider yourself an amateur, semi-professional or professional musician? Amateur, occasionally bordering on semi-pro when the band I'm in play some serious gigs, or like these days when we're spending quite a bit of money on studio recordings. It's all based on having fun though.

3) How long do you play guitar every day? Depends greatly. Sometimes 0, sometimes 4 hours... The latter usually occurs in the weekends.

4) Do you play in a band or even multiple bands? If so, how many projects do you run at the same time? Or do you get "hired" for jobs aka, being a professional musician? I play in one band, I don't want to divvy up what little creativity I have. :p

5) How often do you perform live (some gigs in a year, a couple of gigs per month or even per week)? On average once every few months, we're hoping to boost that to once a month.

6) How many guitars do you own? Six. Never sold a guitar either, so still own my first guitar too (crappy as it may be these days). :)

7) Do you play any other instruments besides guitar? I used to play some drums, but that's been a while since I did that seriously. I take care of some backing vocal duties in my band, does that count?

8 ) What was your ultimate reason to buy the Axe? I grew up with multi-effects units, not with amazing tube amps. In fact, I used to resent them because through them my multi-fx sounded awful, ha! It took me a while to learn about effect loops... Anyway, my last multi-fx unit (Digitech RP1000) included some amp/cab modeling which I really liked, but the models seemed a bit lacking. The Axe FX therefore seemed like my holy grail. And it hasn't disappointed so far. :D

9) Kind of a funny question: Do you consider yourself 'worthy' of the Axe? Probably not. But I'll abuse it nonetheless, ha!
 
Funny you should say that , I started a thread in the lounge about bands that younger members of this forum might not have heard but should, then one night I thought, maybe there are no younger members in this forum.

I'm only 21! Please tell me that can't be classed as old? Haha
 
1) How many years do you play guitar? 34 years

2) Do you consider yourself an amateur, semi-professional or professional musician? Semi-Professional

3) How long do you play guitar every day? ~2 Hours

4) Do you play in a band or even multiple bands? If so, how many projects do you run at the same time? Or do you get "hired" for jobs aka, being a professional musician? I play in two bands as a member; I am the "A" call on 2 other projects and do sideman stuff when I can.

5) How often do you perform live (some gigs in a year, a couple of gigs per month or even per week)? 4-8 per month

6) How many guitars do you own? Six

7) Do you play any other instruments besides guitar? Bass

8. What was your ultimate reason to buy the Axe? Best tool for the job

9) Kind of a funny question: Do you consider yourself 'worthy' of the Axe? Yes, it's a box to help make noise. I like to make noise.
 
1) How many years do you play guitar? Since 1976, working my way towards 40 years. I should be good by now, what happened? lol

2) Do you consider yourself an amateur, semi-professional or professional musician? Semi Pro, I'd say. I play regularly at paying gigs, but it isn't my source of income for bill paying.

3) How long do you play guitar every day? Honestly, I rarely get the chance during the week. Several hours on weekends, I am working on getting more time in.

4) Do you play in a band or even multiple bands? If so, how many projects do you run at the same time? Or do you get "hired" for jobs aka, being a professional musician? I have been playing with the same band since 2008. I want to get back to writing, but live gigs are about it now.

5) How often do you perform live (some gigs in a year, a couple of gigs per month or even per week)? We average a touch more than a gig a week for the year.

6) How many guitars do you own? 4 electrics, one acoustic right now.

7) Do you play any other instruments besides guitar? I play at other things, I wouldn't dishonor real players by putting myself in their category.

8) What was your ultimate reason to buy the Axe? I need a lot of sounds, or maybe my tastes just change a lot. I don't seem to want the same sounds for long. Now I can move to whatever sounds good to my ear without having to buy something new and sell something old. I have not begun to explore all it can do, but I think it is more important that it can do what I want.

9) Kind of a funny question: Do you consider yourself 'worthy' of the Axe? ;) I actually consider myself to be exactly the kind of person the Axe is made for. I played great amps for so long that I know what sounds good and doesn't, but I don't have such an allegiance to any of it that I consider "my sound" to rely on a certain amp. That can be good or bad, I admit. As noted, my sound changes a lot, and some things I want I wouldn't know where to look to find, or if they even exist. I love searching in the Axe II for sounds I want instead of buying an amp and adapting to it. I haven't yet, but I do hope to find something in it that will define a new set of sounds for me, at least new to my ears!
 
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