The Award-Winning Axe‑Fx III

The Axe-Fx was a game changer for us both live and in the studio. The new model takes it to an unprecedented level of realism and control. This is beyond modeling or effects processing… this is the new standard for guitarists.

The Axe-Fx completely and forever changed the way I look at guitar processing. The new model takes everything I love about the old one to the next level. All of the FX sound richer and the new interface makes it even easier to use. My rig has a new openness and clarity and sounds so much better as a result.

The beauty of Fractal Audio is that they finally achieved the goal of emulating real tube amps. Specifically, the Axe-Fx III is uncanny! The realism. Touch sensitivity. The dimension of the tones… the harmonic behavior when you hold a note. You can achieve sounds that you would be hard pressed to get out of an amplifier. For The Madness of Many we had all these amazing [high end boutique] amps at our disposal and were pretty committed to recording with them, but we found we were able to arrive at the tones we wanted with the Axe-Fx. In fact all of our albums have been recorded using the Axe-Fx.

The Edge is known for his signature sound—a combination of musical elegance, exquisite core tone, and innovative effects—especially echo. For him to trust this illustrious sonic asset to the Axe-Fx expresses that it meets his exacting needs, but also demonstrates that this guitarist is a veritable force at the forefront of both music and technology. We’re proud that he chose to be listed here.

The new Axe-FX has all the functionality and tonal quality of the old model, and then some. The introduction of the original Axe-FX unit into the pantheons of guitar FX processors was akin to the invention of the wheel. The new unit is like having four wheels and racing into the abyss.

The new Axe-Fx made my head spin. Amazing amp feel and endless tone. It truly is a quantum leap… a major milestone in guitar technology.

The Axe-Fx is a tone generating powerhouse. I’ve been using it for writing recording and live performance. It always delivers the goods. Mike Keneally and I both have them integrated into our live rigs. They’re rock solid and sound great every night. The shows wouldn’t be as fun and exciting without them.

The Axe-Fx III is siiiicckkk.

The quality of all the effects is superb. There is great depth and transparency, and excellent imaging that makes listening with in-ear monitoring a wonderful aural experience. The choices are limitless and it’s fully loaded with all the options you’d ever need. Take it for a test drive, you won’t be disappointed.

We wanted to hate the Fractal. All that work formulating and honing the Metallica guitar sounds was going to be lost. We couldn’t have been more wrong! It opened the door to way more options than we had ever had before. In short WOW. — “Big Mick” Hughes Engineer Metallica

I have been working with the Axe-Fx For almost a decade now, and with almost obsessive levels of scrutiny, I have been trying to find reasons to use other things, or ‘go back to amps’ …but something wonderful has happened, in that not only does the Axe-Fx III boost my CPU power and provide a truckload worth of tone in a unit I can carry in an overhead compartment, it also has put me in a position where in a very real way, I now prefer the tones I have created in my Fractal units over my traditional amps. On my newest record, after exhaustively micing up a dozen great amps in the studio, I actually chose to re-amp my signal and use the Axe-Fx III, which I preferred to all the amps. It is a total solution for me, and my life is literally better for it. I can’t recommend this technology enough.

Phil Collen – I’d been using the same amp for years. I tried the Axe-Fx III and everything sounded incredible… I switched over just like that. This is the best my guitar has ever sounded. Amazing!

Rick Savage: When I tried it, I couldn’t believe my ears. It makes you sound a better player. There’s a clarity without sacrifice. This is the best rig I’ve ever EVER used.

Vivian Campbell: The Axe-Fx III has a very strong dynamic element. It actually breathes… responds to the touch. There’s a real clarity. It’s great.

This is what I’ve been waiting for my entire life!

Finally a digital panacea for guitar tone which actually works: I never thought the day would come but the sound and feel of this magic black box are so “real” that witchcraft would appear to be the only logical explanation… Most pleasing!

I’ve tried every modelling unit available on this planet and the Fractal is by far miles ahead in every area. It’s also proven to be flawlessly dependable in the studio and live performances. So no matter who tries to get what out of me…. you’re not getting my Fractal…