Fractal Audio Axe Fx Amp and Effects Processor

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HYPE  (hip) slang.

1. Excessive publicity and the ensuing commotion: the hype surrounding the murder trial.

2. Exaggerated or extravagant claims made especially in advertising or promotional material.

3. An advertising or promotional ploy

4. A fad. A clever marketing strategy which a product is advertized as the thing everyone must have, to the point where people begin to feel they need to consume it.

5. When someone gets excited about something.

In the guitar world,  there are many different products that rocked and change the course of music history and usually, this is focused on guitars and guitar amplifiers.  The Gibson Les Paul guitar, Fender Stratocaster, Marshall and Fender amplifiers to different guitar and bass effects pedal are only among the few that had impact music from different generations. 

Axe Fx Ultra LCD

To this date,  vintage gear is still the holy grail among musicians, music gear collector, enthusiast and hobbyists.  When I say vintage, I refer to guitars and amplifier in the 50's, 60's and 70's era.  Vintage gear has a strangle hold on music / gear afficionados that somehow we feel that anything less than vintage gear is not "as" good.  I'm not saying that it is NOT good, it's just not "AS" good (Do I sound like a cork sniffer to you now?).

Enter the Fractal Audio AxeFx guitar and effects processor.  I finally acquired this piece of equipment and I got the chance  to see what people have been talking about.  I'm literally a tube snob.  For me it's glowing tubes or nothing.  Solid state amps just does not cut it anymore.  Without a doubt, that this is the most versatile amp and effects processor I've ever heard.  It definitely lives up to the HYPE.  I've never heard an amp processor respond so well to pick attack  and guitar control.  At this point in time, I got freaked out already.  This thing is scary good.  It really does nail the tone of different high end guitar amplifiers.  The patches were insanely cool and very comparable to the recorded tones of different rock legends.

Here's my signal chain:

Gibson Les Paul Custom ---> AxeFX Ultra  ---> Art SLA2 Power amp  ----> Diezel 2x12 V30 cab.

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My favorite so far is the Diezel, Mark IIC+ and Marsha amp simulation. They are outstanding.  It's almost you're playing the real thing.   It really NAILS it!!  Of course this is only the tip of the iceberg and it will take me a long period of time to even master what this thing can do.

Think of the Axe Fx as every tube amp and effects pedal worth having but couple it with the highest fidelity of any guitar system out there.  To compare the Axe Fx to a Digitech, Line 6 pod,  Pod X3 and Pod Pro is like comparing a Toyota  to a Ferrari.  It is definitely not a hype! It's the real thing. Now it's time to make sweet good music.