📊Opinions on the AXE-fx III in 2024?

[ChuggNorris]

I have read many posts from many places. But there's alot of recent amps swirling around. Not sure if they are making it into the axefx scene yet.
🎛
However, I've never tried and always been curious but don't have "try it for fuxsake" money, and if I did, it would probably go toward another tube amp. Ove owned most of the big ones over the last 6 years. I've had so many amps (to me, it's been alot at 20-25 amps) that sometimes I really wonder if I'd be happy with an axefx into a good power amp to stop always looking for the next amp.

(I'll never be tube ampless, but it'd be nice to step out of the revolving door sometimes)

What are your views now in 2024 on these things?

 

[* velcro-fly *]

I’m in the “Fuck That Thing” camp but that option wasn’t there

 

[Code001]

I just view it as another device. It's a cool unit and does a lot. I have no desire to sell my tube amps because of it, but the device can help with inspiration when I want something I don't really have at hand. If anything, the AxeFx helps make me decide if I want to buy the real amp or real piece of rack gear it emulates.

Edit: As far as the 2024 thing goes, it was updated as recently as like 2 weeks ago, so it's still getting regular updates and stuff added to it. Very much a product still alive to this day.

 

[Emg77]

I have tried the Axe II into a Mesa 300. I could make it sound good. But the different amps sounded very similar through the same power section. Kind of defeated the purpose of multiple amps models. IMHO. You end up dicking around more than playing! At least I did.

 

[japetus]

I have never been able to try one, I cannot wait to try to someday if I can afford one!!

 

[itsgoodnow]

I’ve owned an ultra, a ii, and a iii. The depth of technology is cool. If you’ve ever used a line 6 pod or vetta interface the routing for the signal chain will feel very familiar.

The effects are really good and if you don’t have many “specific” effects you’re trying to emulate it would be fine. If you want generic-ish reverb, delay, dirt and nothing too specific you really want then it’s great. Routing is flexible. Patches and scenes are easy to make. Really cool.

I was never super wow’d by the amps even with trying a bunch of IRs. You can spend a lot of time tweaking or looking for settings deeper under the hood to compensate and get the most out of the models. The models also feel less responsive and unique to each other. When you pair it with a power amp like a fryette it gets more fun and feels more like an amp. If I were playing live or touring I would use an axe fx without a doubt for convenience. It sounds good enough. But if you’re particular or want the best (which you probably do because this is rig talk) then tube amp it is. I do think the effects section is very powerful and worth it alone to pair with an amp as long as you don’t have super unique boxes you have to replicate.

 

[SFW]

I had the II XL, and have a buddy that owns the III Turbo. The III definitely feels better to play than my II XL, but I left the Fractal world for Kemper for a reason. I spent more time tweaking settings that actually playing. The effects are great. The routing options are crazy. But I was always trying to get that last little bit of "my sound" out of it.

With my Kemper, I profiled my amp with my settings. Miced the way I wanted it. From FOH you can't tell the difference. The Kemper effects are just as nice, and in some cases, I prefer them. And the Kemper actually feels like playing my amp. Roll the volume down and it response the same. The AFX never responded will to the volume knob for me.

 

[TheGreatGreen]

Wow, not a single "I like them both, I use both, they're both great but different, no caveats" option in all those choices.

The closest option is "I like both but can't decide because I'm a little girl who can't make decisions" or I guess "I couldn't tell a difference and it saves my tubes" neither of which really cuts it.

 

[ChuggNorris]

Wow, not a single "I like them both, I use both, they're both great but different, no caveats" option in all those choices.

The closest option is "I like both but can't decide because I'm a little girl who can't make decisions" or I guess "I couldn't tell a difference and it saves my tubes" neither of which really cuts it.

It's kinda on there.... 2nd option from bottom
Looking for current experience especially from those who have left tubes, went to axe, and came back to the current market of tube amps.

How they feel about it, the poll is optional but the discussion is where you can discuss your views on the unit in question. OR you can whine about the options and not have a solid opinion about the unit I guess. But that's not really helpful.

 

[ChuggNorris]

I had the II XL, and have a buddy that owns the III Turbo. The III definitely feels better to play than my II XL, but I left the Fractal world for Kemper for a reason. I spent more time tweaking settings that actually playing. The effects are great. The routing options are crazy. But I was always trying to get that last little bit of "my sound" out of it.

With my Kemper, I profiled my amp with my settings. Miced the way I wanted it. From FOH you can't tell the difference. The Kemper effects are just as nice, and in some cases, I prefer them. And the Kemper actually feels like playing my amp. Roll the volume down and it response the same. The AFX never responded will to the volume knob for me.

I thought about putting a kemper option on there. I almost got one of the rack units a while back. And I still wish I had got one early on to at least profile all the incredible rigs I've had and sold everytime push came to shove. Just for that reason now moving forward it's a good idea

 

[glpg80]

Id rather run a quad cortex and a boss es-8 with a plethora of external effects. Use the ES-8 to do all of the midi switching and external pedals.

I don’t need or want all that the axe fx iii offers and I hate they keep saying the latest update is better than the last. It should just sound good and not need tweaking.

All of my tube amps just sound good. They do what I need them to do - be inspiring. A lot of modelers are forgetting that. Line 6 has always gotten that in the past - they’d be smart to introduce a vetta 3 head based on the line 6 helix to be more gig friendly over their massive spaceship of a control board. Id be all over it.

 

[TheGreatGreen]

It's kinda on there.... 2nd option from bottom
Looking for current experience especially from those who have left tubes, went to axe, and came back to the current market of tube amps.

How they feel about it, the poll is optional but the discussion is where you can discuss your views on the unit in question. OR you can whine about the options and not have a solid opinion about the unit I guess. But that's not really helpful.

I realize this is the internet and we can't hear people's voices when they post, bust just because I pointed out how the poll doesn't really hit the mark doesn't mean I was whining. It means I pointed out how the poll doesn't really hit the mark.

My opinion is that the best modeling we have (Fractal, imo) is broadly "as good as" tube amps, but each model kind of has to be judged on its own. Some models are identical to the real thing if not flat out better, full stop no caveats, some models are as good but different than the real thing in a way that's not quite the same as the "two different amps made back to back" thing, and some amp models are different enough from the real thing that the tube version is just a different experience.

When I record, I use either real tube amps through a load, or Axe-Fx models, and I'm happy with both.

Overdrive and distortion is again a mix of Axe-Fx and real drives. The Axe-Fx is just as good there but sometimes it's more fun to use analog stuff for the vibe.

For basically all other effects, as well as signal routing, nothing even comes close to the Axe-Fx. I've never found another delay or reverb unit that gets anywhere near what the Axe-Fx can do. The only effect I know about that the Axe-Fx doesn't have a built-in better version of is the Mimiq pedal.

 

[cobrahead1030]

I like them as an additional tool in the shed, just not enough to lay down the cash for one, when I can still play real amps.

 

[VESmedic]

The axe is leagues ahead everything else in modeling. Zero percent of people here or anywhere could distinguish if it was a real amp or not. It’s also indistinguishable from many of the real amps it models in both feel, tone, as well as how the controls of the actual amp work. Yes it’s that good, despite what anyone tells you. Again, it feels amazing, sounds amazing, and if you make an actual pros and cons list of a “real” amp vs the axe, the fractal, if you’re being honest, will have a ridiculously long list of pros and very few cons. While the amp list will have many cons, and very few pros. Albeit those pros of a real amp are extremely great and important to many, I get for sure.

 

[glpg80]

The axe is leagues ahead everything else in modeling. Zero percent of people here or anywhere could distinguish if it was a real amp or not. It’s also indistinguishable from many of the real amps it models in both feel, tone, as well as how the controls of the actual amp work. Yes it’s that good, despite what anyone tells you. Again, it feels amazing, sounds amazing, and if you make an actual pros and cons list of a “real” amp vs the axe, the fractal, if you’re being honest, will have a ridiculously long list of pros and very few cons. While the amp list will have many cons, and very few pros. Albeit those pros of a real amp are extremely great and important to many, I get for sure.

Put them in a room and it’s no contest which is which…

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

Good or bad; Another laughably overpriced trinket that was outdated (hardware wise) by nearly ten years on launch (+$200 for 25% OC on a $10 ASIC? 4gb of DDR3 Memory? Hundreds of Mb? ) There's probably not even $200 worth of components in that box. Seems like $2k of the price goes to the dev team, which seems extraordinarily less than stellar if they're still pushing firmware to control CPU utilization this far from launch. People are paying it, so it must be doing something right. I'd be an owner at maybe $250-300 new.

 

[VESmedic]

Put them in a room and it’s no contest which is which…

I completely disagree. The axe
With a killer tube power amp is no different than a “real” amp. In fact I’d argue using the axe as a preamp and a killer tube poweramp with a cabinet and micing it up like you would any other setup yields even better results than running the axe direct.


Also, again, the pros and cons list. The in the room
Tone is completely useless to me and to anyone who records or plays on the type of stages I was. Couldn’t care less even if it was true ( it’s not).

 

[VESmedic]

Good or bad; Another laughably overpriced trinket that was outdated (hardware wise) by nearly ten years on launch (+$200 for 25% OC on a $10 ASIC? 4gb of DDR3 Memory? Hundreds of Mb? ) There's probably not even $200 worth of components in that box. Seems like $2k of the price goes to the dev team, which seems extraordinarily less than stellar if they're still pushing firmware to control CPU utilization this far from launch. People are paying it, so it must be doing something right. I'd be an owner at maybe $250-300 new.

Yea man…. You’ve really got it all figured out!

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

Yea man…. You’ve really got it all figured out!

More than anyone thinking this is a $2k+ electronic.
That five year old smart phone you have sitting in a drawer is more powerful.

 

[rsm]

I used modelers for years, starting with the first Vox Tonelab (table top), had an Ultra, Helix LT, Boss GT100, GT1000,... I went back to tube amps and use software plugins instead of hardware modelers, even built a computer rig just for guitar (I have another computer rig for keyboards).

The computer rig / software plugins works great. Here's a thread I made about putting it together:

https://www.rig-talk.com/forum/threads/computer-guitar-rig.280097/post-3567467

I'm putting the computer rig into a 2U shallow rack case; looking for a 1U sliding rack shelf, ordered one it had rear rack tabs so didn't fit in the case, ordered another and it's backordered until October...