Fractal Audio Axe-Fx Ultra

Learning curve. Use the manual and you should be fine.

Had it for 2 months.. Never say never... Quality parts

Fast respons on any mail i've sent

Is the tube on the way out?

No. .. Not likely. Guitarists are sometimes so weird and old school, that being innovative in this part of the music industry must be, to put it mildly, difficult. I have tried several digital amps and POD types. I have always gone back to tubes. Simply because the feedback, the sound or push in the "amp" has not been to satisfactory. Something is missing, but has given the equipment a try. My last amps has been in the upper echelon when it comes to amps. Rivera, Mesa, CAE, VOX, Fender, Marshall, Carvin Legacy, Peavey JSX/Classic and Bad Cat. Just so you can get an idea what i'm used to, soundwise...

Had I been the type that liked only one or two kind of noises, it had become with one or some of these amps. Unfortunately I suffer, like several others, of a disease: GAS . Just have to check out this or that. Hehe.

Because there is no tubes involved in the AXE-FX, there are often comments about the sound or feel.... These are sometimes statements that come from people who have not even tested what they are putting down.
As a child I always had to taste the food, before I said I did not like it. Then it happened that I tasted, but was so set on that it would not taste good, that I did not like it. Regardless of whether it was good or not. My girlfriends daddy refuses to taste sushi, because it is not boiled or fried fish. Okay for me, but he miss something good. Not sure he likes sushi, but he will never know if it's good or not. His loss. That's it for guitarists also. If they do not want to try it out once .. Then they go (maybe) missing something that would have been perfect for them. If they have an amp they are satisfied with, and do not feel they need something more ... Do not change anything, but do not step on those who actually try something other than mom's meatballs in gravy.

And now a little about the AXE-FX:

The most important thing is that it sounds good. And it does. By God it does....

I run my AXE-FX through a Mesa 50/50 poweramp(which I got cheaper than an ART SLA-2) to two 2x12 cabinet with V30. It will soon be two 2x12 with G25 too. Yesterday I connected the Axe directly to a mixer. All I did was to turn on cabsim. This is in the GLOBAL menu, so all amps will then turn cabsim on or off. Cool. Anyway: Axe right in the mixer. Changed "speaker" and "mic" in the menu, and bang on target. Sounded just like the 2x12 cabs.... out of the PA!!!!

The good thing here is that when I connected to the poweramp afterwards, only to switch cabsim off again, I was back on track. Now i connect the Axe to the Mesa, through the fxloop/out2. Putting the fxloop before the cabsim. And the Axe-Fx understands that i'm using the fxloop as a aux when there is no return signal!!! Amazing....

At GLOBAL menu has the ability to change the "thump" It is very convenient with a shortcut, in addition to global eq, that changes this. Partly because of taste, but also because the sound is changed in every room you get in. (and by volume). Great to be able to curb the "omph" with 2 push on a button.

I would say that the Axe-Fx is one of the best preamps on the market, tubes or no tubes. Well gosh, you certainly get preamps that make one type of sound better(maybe), and if that's what you want. Go for it!
In a blind test, I had not heard or known that this is not tubes. I've played guitar since 1988, on tubeamps since 1992, and had line6 amps, pod's etc. This is the first time it feels completely right. I do not regret one second that I sold the Roadking. I've already gotten the Axe to sound just as good and better. It was a clean sound I was most worried about. For it sounded like bombs and grenades(in a good way) in the Mesa RK. Especially with the BB preamp, and the Tube Driver from the M13. This sound I found in the Echoplex (with a little modding). Turn up the volume to (awfully) loud. Let the BB go into the AXE, and got the same result as from my Road KingII, in stereo with a Mesa

Given that this unit has more features and is more configurable than any unit I've ever used (in 30 yrs of playing), it shouldn't be a shock that it's not the simplist to use. The docs are pretty good and the on-line forums are quite helpful. Good user base with a decent level of expertise. It has a "learn" function for most of the features which takes a lot of the hassle out of creating an elaborate setup :-). I don't think it's too complicated but I'm an Electrical Engineer so...

Used a bunch of guitars with this.. Strats, Tom Anderson, Gibson CS336, LP Special... Sounds good with all of them. It does preserve the character of the guitar so each one sounds different. It's very quiet. Effects are quite strong. I'm using it direct to a PA and through a Roland kb amp, sounds great either way. One thing that sold me was the fact that one of the first presets I tried was a Boogie model and it NAILED one of my Triaxis lead tones. It's like having 20-30 amps in one box. I like the Vox, Boogie, Maz 38, Marshall, and Dumble models to name a few. It's very "tubey" and responds just like a real amp. The cabinet elulation is the best I've heard. Dialing your axe volume back gives a nice cleanup without a big change in volume so you can use it like your tube amp.. Our sound man is a tube amp snob and NOT a fan of high tech, but he loves this unit. Says it makes his job simple. Plug it into the PA and it sounds great.
PS: The review from the guy that said it sounded like radio shack has NEVER used one of these. If he did he must not have been able to find the power switch :-).

No issues. 4 months use in a variety of situations. So far so good.

Stellar! Cliff (the designer) frequents the forums and routinely drops new SW updates with features and models people want. He's a very personable and helpful guy. They're the most responsive company I've ever dealt with. They have a very dedicated customer base because of it.

I'll give it a 9 because nothing ever gets a 10. I have a bunch of tube amps and this is now my unit of choice. If you use 2-3 sounds, this isn't for you. If you're like me and us 30-40 different sounds during a gig, this thing is heaven. If it was stolen I'd order another one in a heartbeat. It's pricey, but it stomps anything else in it's category!

The interface is very intuitive and easy to use, whether you want to modify basic parameters or delve deeper. Like any modeller, it's not for players looking for instant plug 'n' play gratification. It helps immensely if you have experience with the real world amps and effects.

Realtime control is powerful, with volume envelope, ADSRs, LFOs as well as 8 external controllers, any of which can be used in 16 modifiers per patch. I really like that the same controllers can have different modifier settings, such as start and end points and response curves within the same patch.

For tube realism, the amp models deliver fantastic tones that have the feel, dynamics and note clarity of their real world counterparts. Even better, amps can be fine-tuned in detail to taste with real-world circuit change parameters. This means that some of my favourite amps can sound even better for my playing style & preferences than the real thing! By tweaking my patches for a good tone balance through my on-stage powered monitor, I can confidently give FOH something they won't need to modify too much. The AxeFX allows up to 10 third party speaker cab IRs to be used, so if you prefer something else (I like the IRs from Red Wire) you're not restricted to the factory cabs.

Overall effect quality and quantity is stellar. I like the effects being idealised models because it allows them to be dialled in as we want, without the limitations of their real-world analog equivalents. We have magnificent chorus and other time-delay effects and fantastic compressors as well as the recently improved overdrive stomps. Routing is really flexible: any effect anywhere with up to 4 parallel paths!

No problems - turn on the power, it works ;-)

Awesome! The designer, Cliff Chase, constantly listens to and acts on user feedback with regular updates and improvements.

If you're into sculpting great tones, I can't recommend this unit strongly enough.

I found it very easy to get high quality sounds from this unit. I have owned many effects processors in the past, most recently the boss gt-8 and voodu valve online. Neither of these can stack up, and neither was as easy to get great quality sounds from. The gt-8 was pointless, childs play compared to this, and the voodu valve, though it sounded much better than the gt-8, it was too noisy, and the effects weren't even close to the power of the Axe Fx Ultra.

It is not noisy, the quality is top notch, i've never in my life had anything sound this amazing, i can make this thing sound like any style of music that i want to play. The range of music i play, i would say is wide, from blues to metal.

Very reliable!!!

I haven't had to use customer support, but i have talked to the creator Cliff and he is an amazingly, intelligent, and hard working persno who kindly updates the units free of charge, ever improving upon them, how cool is that?

This is perfect match for me, at any style of music. I have waited over 15 years to find the perfect machine, i have found it, gas for effects is over!!!!

I have an Ultra, firmware 8.02. It is fairly easy to set patches and get a good sound. It is NOT easy to use for gigging as you probably will need to interface with 3-party equipment (footcontroller, midi, etc.) You will need to do a lot of searching in the forum at Fractal's website to use it for gigging. Be suspicious of the almost religious fervor on Fractal's forum. Some of the more frequent posters seem to be shilling for Fractal. I have had posts deleted when they lead other posters to add threads that are just borderline negative.

Sounds great in infinite ways. Some of the wilder effects sound bad, but if I had the time or need to tweak them, they would probably come around. Many of them depend on whether you running mono or stereo or play through a flat response system. That's probably why they don't sound good at first use.

It seems solid. I have used it on a gig without a backup.

I have only used the forum. Firmware upgrades are great and come out regularly. After using the forum for about 5 months I would say that you can trust almost all the technical/instructional information on there. Take the zealotry and idolization of this device with a grain of salt, though. The machine is great, but the company has shortcomings in how it is delivering the peripherals it promised. There are a lot of excuses from sympathizers (paid posters?) on the forum, but when you pay $2,000 for a piece of gear there's not a lot of coin left to forgive lack of follow through.

Great effects unit and amp modeling. It could replace my tube amp (my goal of buying it) if only the other necessary requirements to use it for gigging would come together. I don't blame Fractal for not providing these, but I do fault them for promising them over a year and a half ago and then failing to update on delivery dates. Many owners of this device are left in limbo over this.

After a quick 10 minute read of the manual, the interface is easier and quicker to use than any other modeller/effects unit I've used. (I've owned a POD XT, Korg AX1500g, Rocktron Xpression and a TC Electronic G-System. All these units had slightly confusing menu systems, with the Xpression being extremely difficult to use). The vast array of buttons may seem confusing at first, but it soon becomes clear that they're part of why the unit is so easy to use. There's no need to go digging around in deep menus as it's all easily accessible from the off.

The newly released Axe-Edit for PCs and Macs makes the job much easier too. It's reminiscent of the Guitar Rig software, and controls every aspect of the Axe Fx. I've learnt a lot from the editor, and if I plan to make a new patch, it's a great way to start off.

One minor complaint would be the naming of the amp models. While with new firmware updates they're becoming more clear, some are still a little confusing, and i tend to have to resort to the manual to work out what they are. A good example of this was the Recto1 and Recto2 models. I wasn't quite sure which was which, until in a later firmware they were renamed (and also reworked) as Recto Orange and Recto Red (as in the red and orange channels on the Dual Rectifier amp) which

It's hard to emphasize how much better this is than any of the other modelers out there.

Before the Axe FX, I had a Marshall JVM and a Mesa Boogie TriAxis/2:90 controlled by a TC Electronic G-System, with a few pedals - namely the BB Preamp and a Maxon OD808.

After using the Axe Fx for about a month, I quite comfortably sold my valve amps, and am now using the Axe Fx on it's own.

You can get really great tones with very little effort. My favorite amp models are the Brit Pre (based on the Marshall JMP 1, but virtually identical to the JVM with the boost turned on) and the Mark IIC+, and I've lately started using the Recto Orange with good results. The great thing about the unit is that everyone has their favorite amp models, and they're all very good reproductions of the original amps, but more importantly, sound great regardless of what amp they're supposed to sound like.

They also offer more flexibility than the originals. Love the sound of a Marshall through a V30, but wish you could get rid of the high end buzz? No problem with the Axe Fx, and it's that flexibility that won me over. I ran my Axe Fx though the power section of my JVM (using the Brit Pre model) and could not make out any difference between it and the real JVM. The tone was all there, and it probably reacted to the dynamics a bit better than the real amp did.

The most important thing to remember is to have a little patience when making your patches. You can get a great sound very easily, but you'll get an even better sound when you learn exactly how to tweak the unit.

Can't really comment in this area. It's never crashed on me, and always responds to CC and bank changes from my MidiMate.

I still wouldn't gig without a backup, even if the backup is just a PocketPod - it's just there in case the worst happens!

There are a constant stream of Firmware upgrades available from Fractal's website, which include new amp models, and tweaks to pre-existing functions.

The number of amp models, the accuracy and the number of effects available have grown massively since the Axe Fx was released - and all updates are provided free of charge.

I generally tend to play rock and metal (Iron Maiden, Dream Theater). But I like to be able to get some nice mid-gain tones too (mostly for use as driven clean sounds with a strat).

I found out about the Axe Fx from the John Petrucci forum. Being a fan of the Mark series sounds (and having owned a TriAxis) I was keen to see how close the Axe Fx could get. The answer was: close enough that it makes no difference. I can definitely get a cleaner and more defined tone than my TriAxis ever could, and still gives all the crunch that my Marshall did - combined with clean tones that are to die for.

I used to record directly using a Palmer PDI-03 speaker sim, but the Axe Fx has easily replaced that due to the increased clarity and flexibility it offers.

I'm aware this review does sound like an advert at times, but I really am impressed with it. I haven't been this happy about a piece of gear before, and I certainly haven't sold off old gear without regret (although, I fully admit, it doesn't quite look as sexy as the full 100w JVM head!).

It's a bit expensive, but when you consider a TriAxis is ??1900 new, and this is not only a preamp, but a class topping effects unit too, it starts to make sense.

Ok Johnny, nice try. lol

Has anyone tried to edit and program their own
patches with the h7600 or h-series processors?
VSIG? What a joke. How much do they charge?
Eventide has the most un-user friendly processors
anywhere. They sound good but not better then
the Axe-Fx. They both sound great but the Axe is
superior by giving what musicians want. Professional
sounds with a better user interface. Eventide needs
to play catch-up with Fractal. The Axe has capitalized
on most everything modeling has tried to do in the past.
My hat is off to Cliff. He could have easily charged
more for the Axe and everything it offers, including
better support. He's getting a good and decitated
customer base because of it.

When someone reads your review,
they know your the joke.

Best in the business!

Fractal is still the best for what it
does. If you have not tried one yet,
you really need to check it out but don't
get conned into thinking that Eventide is
superior. They're not. Now if you design
algorithms and have the time to earn a degree
in eventide programming - go for it. If you
get really good, then you could sell your
patches to engineers, producers, pro musicians.
Thank you Cliff for giving us professional sounding
effects, easy editing and the most superior amp
modeler around, all in one for serious guitarists!!!!!

Ease of use I'm going to give it a nine. It has a very intuitive interface and I could navigate around with out reading the manual. I had a few challenges when I first tried to upgrade the firmware but once I ironed that out I've had no problems.

NOTE! This thing can be as basic as turning knobs on a Fender Twin or as deep as you want to go. You decide. If you want to change the sag of a power amp section or the impedance of a transformer you can........or you can just use like you would any amp.

10 here. It sounds as good and has all the feel and touch sensitivity of any analog amp I have ever owned...........only there are about 50 high quality amps in here. Personal favorites. Fender Twin, Dr. Z Maz Jr. CAE., Du&B*lE, Boogie MKIIC, Budda Twin Master, Roland Jazz Chorus.

I don't use a lot of effects. These amps sound great naked.
I use an FRFR Set up with a QSC power monior. All my guitars sound like themselves. That is one thing I did not like about digital modeling technology in the past is all my guitars sort of sounded the same. That is not the case here.

I love the speaker and mic sims. I spend more time here than anywhere else. They are totally awesome.

I've had it over a year and used it a ton and not one single issue. Built in USA.

Never had to use it. But the AXE-FX Forum is great. No wait I did email them that I thought the input jack looked flimsy. they said they are all like that and mailed me a replacement. Mine has never failed. It just looks a little flimsy. It wiggles a little bit.

NOTE: I WAITED OVER A YEAR TO POST MY REVIEW. I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE AXE FX NOW. I WAS WAITING FOR THE HONEYMOON TO WARE OFF BEFORE I POSTED MY REVIEW BUT IT JUST WONT WARE OFF!!!!!!

I play mostly, Classic Rock, blues, Be Bop, contemporary worship music. I have an Xotic Strat, a 1972 Les Paul loaded with Duncan's, a Bill Comins Concert model Arch top and a Takamine NP18C Acoustic.
IT TAKES ALL GUITARS EQUALY!!!! Your strat will sound like itself and so will your Les Paul.
I've been playing for decades. I sold a Rivera Quiana Studio 112 to get this thing I don't miss it at all. If it were lost or stolen I would replace it in a New York Minute. I was on a waiting list for 7 months just to get it. I primarily use it for the amps. They are astounding. I love the speaker and mic sims also.

The only negative thing I can say about it is the fan is a little noisy and the input jack looks/feels cheap but has never failed.
There isn't anything else out there that I am aware of that can compete with this thing, not Line 6, or Yamaha or Fender or .......

Bottom line this thing makes you want to play more. When you consider that you get 50 amps, over 100 instances of studio quality effects, plus a bunch of speaker and mic sims plus infinite routing this thing is a steal.

this is for the previous reviewer who is a liar!! i love when these guys who can not afford a product get on this website and blab about how they got 50.000 or 100000 in equipment when they dont. even the pros do not need that. i do have several old eventides h 3000 and a eclipse, fulltone tape echo, old lexicon and tc 2290. the axe-fx is slightly better than all of these at 70% the cost. he just is to lazy to adjust the unit. over 25 pros from around the globe including zappa( who i am sure can afford any unit he likes) fully endorse the axe-fx .not to mention all the great guitar mags.!!. get a life dude and stop spreading misinformation. grow up!!!!!

it all depends on what u have in your head as a good sound but later to that.getting good sounds out of it is really easy.it is really deep and u can combine almost anything.the stock patchtes are compared to my eventide H7600 a joke but editing them is excellent and the manual and the website together are really informative.for guitarist this unit is amazing because it is so easy to work with and it has everything u want and upgrades come compared to eventide realllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyy fasttttttttttttt.

well my setupppppp is pretty long but i have a manson custom guitar.a diezel combo and a bad cat combo.first of all i want to end this tube vs solid state vs Fractal's amp modelling battle.lets face it guys nothing sounds like a cranked tube amp my fractal sounded like a joke to my diezel and bad cat but!and thats important if u dont make a living with music and can't afford a 6000$$$ amp setup this baby is your way into tone heaven. it's amp simulations are the best on the market great sound when u record it but u must be a tweak head to get them were u want them don't believe that stock sounds are blahblahblah...ok lets go to effects section first i want to tell u that i play for 17 years and my favs are Fripp,Vai,Satch,derek Bailey,and... and make a living of what i do.the effects sound great and warm and amazing buttttttt please guys why why are saying the effects are as good as eventide??noooo i own a H7600 it bloooooows the fractal away please don't be fooled eith all that hype.the pitch shift in fractal is a joke compared to the H7600 and for space and ambient and atonal music nothingggg comparesss to the H7600 try one and u see.if u are a strict guitar player who plays blues jazz rock &... the fractal is theeeee bestttttttttttttttt out there but if u are an experimentalist someone who dares to go to places no one had the courage to go save up and buy the H7600 believe me i had more than 45,000$ equipment but i sold all of them and my current equipment is in the 15,000$ range.the H7600 can do soooooooooo much more yaehhhhh it doesn't have amp modelling but can you beat a diezel and bad cat combo??? OK it costs 4000$ but they are not even in the same league.

to sooooooooooooon to answer .eventide seems to me sturdier.but i looked inside everything seems perfect .

o i think in this field they are great(because they are a smal company)

i play free jazz atonal music in the styles of debussy and john zorn and hear alot to 70's rock and the list goes on and on... if u are seeking for a good sound and good amp modelling better than line 6(crapp crappppp crap do not even look at them),TC gforce(the effects are as good as fractals but fractal gets a + because the amp mod.) lexicon(they are out of league now idont like the pcm96)then Axe-fx ultra ist the gamee .but if have great amps and seek for the one of all racks go and get the Eventide H7600 and u won't regret a penny.the Eventide blows your imagination the axe fx ultra did'nt give me inspiration because it didn't do anything new .but the moment you plug to the H7600 your journey begins ...you can be yourself all the sounds you always heard in your head all are there .you go beyond even music and begin makin cosmic relations with the universe .i encourage all u great players out there.all of u which have the courage to experiment to go beyond the regular stuff try out a H7600 .i want to thank cliff to bring an overall great rack out.if it was stolen i would go with my H7600 until i die or maybe dare to try their H8000 5.1 s!!!!!!!!i played in a pink floyd cover band in a king crimson cover band in a 80's stye shredd metal band all i can say is when ever i go to my H7600 all the people who were seeing and hearing me said wowwwww u sound so original.wow u tone is so warm so strange so mysterious .everyone asked me how could u get that sound what was that.please when writing reviews be fair .