I am a Guitar tone connoisseur. That’s not a statement born out of ego, or of an out of control hobby. I am a professional musician, and have been for 20 years. Crafting great guitar tone is as much a need as a desire in my career. Teaching & performing has required me to get authentic ‘Nashville’ tones as much as ‘Early 60′s British Invasion’, to modern ‘Alternative’ tones in the same set.

Due to taking a serious passion in my equipment, I could describe the characteristics of alder, mahogany, indian rosewood, flame maples, quilts and so on. Or enjoy in-depth discussion regarding the merits of English, vs American amplifiers, their speaker types, tube selection and cabinet construction…

When it comes to effects, this would represent the area of greatest research. Every effect I use is hand picked, and chosen when tested against other pedals in the same category. I have bought and sold 100′s of pieces in search of the ‘right’ tone. So, 1 year ago I heard about an underground guitar effect/preamp solution that was serious, very serious.

The piece in question is the Axe-Fx Ultra made by Fractal Audio Systems, here in the U.S.A. This piece is aimed at being the total studio & live solution for the professional guitarist. After 20 years in the Industry such hype will result in a near instant negative mental outlook before the unit is even heard, yet so many valued professional opinions were singing it’s praises, and the unit merited further inspection.

Here is what Fractal says about their ‘wonder-unit’

Ultimate Amp Collection
The Axe-Fx is peerless in its ability to sound, feel and respond like a limitless array of guitar amplifiers, ranging from vintage clean and overdrive types to the most brutal modern high gain variety.  Fractal Audio’s tube amp algorithms accurately recreate the nuances of the circuit down to the component level.  This includes the varying frequency response of the amps they’re simulating. Unlike conventional tube modelers where the frequency response is static, the Axe-Fx gives the guitarist a true dynamic experience.

Critical power amp characteristics like sag, damping factor and transformer response are accurately modeled in painstaking detail.  This and the fact that they are user modifiable parameters, puts the Axe-Fx in a league of its own – It also affords the player the ability to get that cranked amp experience at any volume!

Pristine Effects
The Axe-Fx’s onboard effects (amp simulations aside) are in a class with the finest multi-effects and dedicated processors available.  A full arsenal of reverb, delay, drive, compression, pitch-based effects, intelligent harmony and more are included.  Up to 12 simultaneous effects instances can be routed in series or parallel for the ultimate in flexibility.  All effect types have deep editing functionality and can be bent to the user’s will with editable parameters that most processors don’t allow access to.

A Virtual Studio Full of Effects
50+ Amp Models ∙ 39 Cabinets ∙ 10 Microphones ∙ 17 Drive Models ∙ 12 Reverbs ∙ Dozens of Delays ∙ Modulation ∙ EQ ∙ Pitch ∙ Intelligent Harmony ∙ Tremolo ∙ Wah ∙ Compressor ∙ Gate ∙ Precision Tuner ∙ Swappable Tone Stacks ∙ Two Rigs at Once ∙ Custom IR Player ∙ Effects Loop ∙ And too many more to list!

This unit really is the greatest tool for the guitarist since the Fender Stratocaster in my opinion. I use it everyday, and all recordings and live playing is committed through this single piece.

In particular I am very discerning in relation to broken tones and overdriven sounds. Quality hall reverbs, tremolo, vibrato, and vibe effects, tape delay effects are critical. Tube amplifier & speaker simulations, and deep editing ability to sculpt the tones is a must. The Axe-Fx graduates with honors in this area.

My prior ‘rig’ weighed over 230 lbs, involved two amplifiers, and cost in excess of $15,000. The Axe-Fx weighs 15lbs, could be taken as carry-on at the airport and cost $2,000.

The total solution in a single black box? ABSOLUTELY!

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