Why you SHOULD NOT buy an Axe-FX

[@masterreif]

I'm not a beginner, but I always played at home with Combo-Amp. Now I bought a fm9 because I had the money and my main reason was that I did not understand the chain and I wanted to understand it a little bit more. I'm really satisfied, because I know now about using fm9 with my own amp and an own speaker. I know the difference to use it with a frfr speaker. I have now a better understandig of what is possible and what is happening if you perform on stage. And I love it to experiment with the effects and what it does to the sound if I change the values of the different devices.

[@anthonyfisher5076]

I'M ENJOYING THE POSSIBILITIES I HAVE WITH MY UNIT, AND LOW VOLUME RECORDING ... so to each their own, but you are wrong Matt! shut up ! sour grapes maybe ?

[@Kraatzman]

While I agree with most of your thoughts as to why not to own a fractal especially for a beginner. I tend to look at gear buying a bit differently as well. You know everyone has their own opinion. Lol I had bought a bunch of Synergy modules to get “that tone” and realized how much I was spending without the additional investment in effects, amps to drive the module and cabinets/speakers. When working out the cost the fractal was a bargain coming in at $2400 used for axe fx3 / fc12 /Ev1 peddle. This rig is so advanced in tone /effects, etc. that the investment up front is more than I can use in a lifetime. As well as a good portion of the devices included I would never be able to budget for. Just my 2 cents. Please keep the videos coming.

[@mathew_dale]

Great thoughts Steve! Thanks for commenting. The cost analysis of the Axe vs all the physical hardware it replaces is definitely a point I’ll be making in the follow-up.

[@MOAB-UT]

I completely agree. In the mix or listening via headphones you would be very hard pressed to tell the difference between AFXIII and a real amp. A modeler further offers a lot more. You can also dial in the exact tones you want for any given song and access them easily without having to constantly tweak an amp. I am not anti-amp, but I am very much a fan of Fractal. I just received my first product this week- the FM9 Turbo. I think I will get a lot of use out of it.

[@mixc8]

@Kraatzman I am also considering getting the Synergy modules after a year of having what's your opinion ? Thanks

[@Kraatzman]

@@mixc8 I am torn, it would be a want and not a need. The Axe-FX really is all you needed or 99% of anything you will ever do as far as AMPs are concerned. I would say that if there is a amp in the Synergy world that is not in the Fractal world, AND you CANNOT live without it they buy a Synergy. An observation though is that Synergy has really slowed bringing out new products since 1. COVID, and. 2. The fire at their production facility a few years back, Number 2 may just keep you in the Fractal world.

[@saltyassassin]

Metallica changed their entire rig to a couple of Axe Fx 3’s. Def Leppard did the same thing.

[@saltyassassin]

I absolutely LOVE my Axe Fx 3!!! It is unfreakingbelievable!!

[@MOAB-UT]

For a good beginner/intermediate player, some Neural PI's are all they really need. The FM3 would be the next logical step up. A FM3 used can be had for under $1k and it will sound great and eliminate the need to keep buying more gear. Both will allow them to play via headphones which everyone else in the home will really appreciate. A decent set of Yamaha studio monitors can be had for

[@mathew_dale]

Congrats on the FM9 and thanks for watching! I love both my FM3 and Axe-FX 3, but I wanted to bring to light the importance of being an informed customer. Case in point- played a gig with a weekend warrior recently who was on the beginner side of things but a decent player. Showed up with a brand new American strat, brand new fender Vibro King amp, and a brand new helix and he sounded TERRIBLE. Not because any of the above is bad gear but he clearly didn’t know what he was doing. Helix was plugged straight into the front end and he was using factory presets for “tones” but all that was meant to go direct. Amp was just at that fender breaking point of “can’t hear it” and “turn it down” so trying to compensate with the helix volume knob meant his volume was all over the place. Understanding why you are buying something should take precedence over the thing itself. Next video will be why people SHOULD buy an Axe and I’ll be mentioning some of the things you mentioned above. Again, thanks for watching. Cheers!

[@MOAB-UT]

@@mathew_dale Understood. There is always a learning curve no matter what gear you get. Having an amp can be easier but for any halfway bright person, 1-2 weeks and they should be able to dial in some decent tips. Hopefully you showed him what he was doing wrong. I think a beginner can sound better with a fractal product. It can go cleanly into the board and he/she can have tune appropriate tones at their toes vs. one amp that mostly sounds the same for the whole show. Having access to over 1,000 IR's and 100 high resolution effects has it's advantages. I would rather have better gear and grow into it vs. just an amp. but that's just me.

[@Kraatzman]

@@MOAB-UT I have an instructor who is a total gear head. He goes through at least an amp head a month if not more and has at least 100 pedals. I look at the hassle of buying and selling just to have a new shiny ring (gollum) for a minute, just to say i want to try something else. I tell him I can do what he does with the same satisfaction or feeling from the fractal without the hassle. I like being able to go to the amp block and say what is this for a few minutes or an hour and try something new over the patch I have. Sometimes its awesome and other times it sounds like crap, 1. I can move on in a few clicks of the mouse. ++ 2. I own a Relish Guitar that has pickup swapping so I can change pickups in less than 20 seconds so get that tone I might expect in my head. I buy pickups like people buy guitars (much cheaper solution and keeps the wife happier ;) ). 3. With all the possibilities of the Fractal to take some of the guess work out of dialing in a amp block I rely on sites like Austinbuddy, GOLD series, It gets you over 2/3s of the way there and amps are laid out as your would expect them to be by manufacture and tone. this gives more time to experiment with pedals and such. Enjoy your rig I love mine. AXE FX3 mk2 FC12 EV1 2x Headrush FRFR112

[@MOAB-UT]

@@Kraatzman Thanks for all the great tips. Your instructor is clearly single and has a touch of OCD but it's cool- it's his journey. By contrast, we saw Chris Cornell and he did an amazing 2 hour unplugged set with nothing but an acoustic guitar. Effects do not make the player- but they can enhance a good player for sure. Tone is king. I haven't even opened the box on my FM9 yet. Other than some Neural PI's, I no nothing about modelers. will the Austinbuddy get me some good Blues and Rock and Clean tones? Doesn't the FM9 come with enough stock presets? I only plan to have about 6 main go-to presets- 2 clean, 2 dirt, 2 edge of breakups. Of course this may change! Do I need a pedal or can that be accomplished in the software? I am not a pro- just been playing a while and really wanted one of these.

[@Scott__C]

I'd argue if you have a modeler, that doesn't mean you have to learn everything about it immediately. To me, all those elements are just in one box instead of a bunch of them. Start with just an amp/cab in the preset. Even tube amps have their own rabbit holes you can get caught in. Which tube amp, what kind of tone, you have to learn about the maintenance of that and how to identify when tubes go bad (not always obvious), and brand/quality of tubes, what speaker are you pairing with it and how many (1x10, 1x12, 2x12, 4x12 etc)? Can you actually play it very loud (where it'll sound its best) wherever you live and will gig?

[@caleshtcincredibles]

I have a budget , I am casual gig dude, I have a Mooer GE300 and honestly it does everything I need and sounds great , in my case more money does not mean better tone .

[@alejandroaguilar4693]

I've had an AX8 for almost 5 years, and just a couple of days ago I started to try and edit manually (without AX8-Edit), I figured if I could tame my GT-6 many moons ago, I could handle the AX8; doing this prompted me to handle things differently and start with an amp sim and a cab and trying to make them sound good first as you do with "real" gear, adding effects little by little, trying to recreate some of my past setups has been fun, also the X and Y states are a really cool tool to integrate into Scenes to get the most out of just one patch. That said, I think having so many options CAN and will be distracting from time to time, which is why I have a wandering eye for things like the amp academy and other preamps/amps in a box that now offer IR integration that offer simplicity and the possibility of using individual pedals again, but then I find ways to recreate what I'm looking for in the AX8 and the GAS goes dormant, for a while.

[@BurntMcgurnt]

Well thats what I did man I played nothing but tube amps for many years but once I got an Axe Fx I literally haven't touched my amps since

[@mathew_dale]

Pretty same for me, sold a few and am still hangin on to my '74 Deluxe Reverb, just a collectable now. Gigged it once. All Fractal for me since I got into the FM3 and AXE3

[@BurntMcgurnt]

@@mathew_dale that's awesome man!

[@matthewblake2258]

i have so much noise with my interface, looking at an axe fx 2, should fix that up

[@peterargiros9508]

Great advice. I’m far more of a botique gear snob than an incredible player but I wanted to ask…. The digital world of quad cortex or axe fx is extremely foreign and over whelming to me. Is there a simpler design layout system out there that sounds awesome and very close to the authentic side of the real thing provided you have high end powered monitors. I don’t need all the bells and whistles. Picking from 40-50 amps, 20-30 different cab setups and say 20 pedals is all I need. Does such a thing exist? Thanks!

[@mathew_dale]

I'd definitely say the HX Stomp is great for that case. Easier UI, a ton of great effects, and great amp modeling to boot! Definitely not as "deep" as Fractal but gets the job done and is a super versatile platform.

[@peterargiros9508]

@@mathew_dale thanks man! Will check it out 🙂

[@the51]

The Axe Fx FM-3 is the best money I’ve ever spent.

[@PondoSinatra680]

If you are a new player and you live with other people, I would recommend getting something with the ability to practice silently with headphones.

[@justinTime077]

Yeah… girlfriends really kill your vibe.. what sucks is wearing headphones is hardly the same, and you realize while wearing them that you’re a pussy.

[@willykakka]

"don't buy axe fx if you can't use it"... smart

[@MarvinNicholson]

Question more about using the FM3 for gigging, possibly another discussion, accessories? I have a FM3 and a volume pedal. I seem to be able to do a lot with the FM3 - 3 buttons and a single volume pedal. Do you use many other accessories with your FM3? More pedals like MIDI or Fractal FC6?

[@mathew_dale]

Thanks for watching and commenting! Lately I’ve been trying to find really creative ways to use just that set up (FM3 and EV-2), but I really love the FM3 with an FC-6! Tons of layout options! A great “in-between” would be a stand in switch with a simple switch you can make for only about $20. Here’s a link to a video I have in stand-in switches and I have a video on building a DIY switch over on my channel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bH3FdJaAg82ZY7M

[@MOAB-UT]

It's called sell it and get a FM9. More power. More buttons. You will like.

[@ivorycybernetics]

hey i've onwed an axe fx2 for the longest time...and have been using it extensively for recording. i did try and take it out on the road (i'd looove to go digital)...but ive never been able to find anything usable on an actual stage, with real live drums kicking, even considering IEM's and good stage monitoring. Would jumping to the axe fx 3 solve my problem??

[@sacredxgeometry]

I have the 2 XL+ and every tone I make on this thing is road worthy. Make sure your global has cabinet modeling bypassed. Power amp setting just above that is up to your discretion. I use both a tube pre and matrix solid state pre at will, as well as 3 different cabs at home to switch between depending on tone desired. It can be a very useful tool, so learn to use the 2.

[@ivorycybernetics]

@@sacredxgeometry lol…ya…k

[@_mysilentblue2227]

"Why you SHOULD NOT buy an Axe-FX" ok this is going to be a short video... AexFX 3 maybe, but the FM3 I can't think of any NOT's really, with the exception of true beginer beginners.

[@scottpeters4401]

I would also add,if you are the kind of player that plugs into a drive pedal,and a delay and an amp,and never deviates from that,the AxeFXIII may not be for you….I own an AxeFXIII,and I think it’s great,but I also own tube amps and pedals…While the AxeFXIII is an awesome device,it’s not perfect….Most of these things are geared for convenience,meaning,you give up something for that convenience…it’s kinda like the iPod of the guitar world.You can cram 1000’s of songs in it,and take it wherever you go,but it’s not the same as sitting in your room listening to your vinyl collection….For gigging,no question about it,I ain’t lugging around amps and cabs and pedal boards….but for bedroom studio use,nothing beats the real amps,cabs and pedals for me….it’s all about use case scenario’s….Don’t get me wrong,I think the AxeFXIII is an amazing piece of gear….I just don’t think it’s the be all end all piece of gear…..Just my perspective after using the Fractal stuff for awhile…

[@MOAB-UT]

If it is good enough for Metallica and J. Mayer, I am quite sure it is good enough for you.

[@mathew_dale]

Well said, Scott!

[@stevedrake360]

@@MOAB-UT Guthrie Govan just got added to that list, too.

[@stevedrake360]

I totally hear what you're saying about that "amp in the room" sound. And that's great for guitarists who are in front of the amp, hearing it directly. One thing to consider, though, is that if you're recording a mic'ed amp & cab, the recording won't have that amp in the room sound. The same is true if you're playing a gig where the guitar cab is mic'ed into the FOH. YOU'LL still hear that amp in the room sound on stage but the audience will be hearing that amp & cab mic'ed into the P.A., which is not the same. In both cases, the recorded amp & cab and the live situation where the amp and cab are mic'ed into the FOH, can still sound awesome, just not the same as hearing the amp and cab directly. The fact that listeners purchase recorded music and attend live shows tells us that hearing a real amp and cab directly is not the only way to achieve great sound. Just food-for-thought. Personally, one of the reasons I've gone digital after decades of playing through conventional amps & cabs is because I want to hear on stage, as closely as possible, what the audience hears.

[@MOAB-UT]

@@stevedrake360 Yes he did!

[@acidtechno]

nice 1

[@MoXyiD]

I agree and disagree at the same time. A true tinkerer would LOVE it as a beginner, but then someone who's not would prolly pull all their hair out ;P.

[@mathew_dale]

True. It all depends on the buyer. Just explaining different sides of the same coin.

[@TheOuterDrive]

Lol..i just picked up an Axe fx ultra for $200.00 Best purchase ive made in years...

[@mathew_dale]

That’s a sweet deal!