WTS: Fractal Audio Axe - Fx Ultra (Picture intensive!)

j_m_s · Nov 22, 2011

Fractal Audio Axe Fx Ultra

The unit is in very good condition, has been rack-mounted for most of its life. It has only been used in a non-smoking home and studio environment. I dare say it is near mint.

I’m quite sure most of you would’ve heard of it by now, but I’ll elaborate anyway. The Fractal Audio Axe Fx is the most advanced and realistic ‘modeling’ device available. I put ‘ marks around the word modeling because I wouldn’t call the Axe Fx a modeling device. In Cliff’s (The owner/developer) own words, the axe fx is a simulation device. As used by MANY notable artists, there is no question about how great this unit is. Periphery (Misha Mansoor & Jake Bowen), Red Seas Fire (Adam “Nolly” Getgood), Dweezil Zappa (Yes, Frank Zappa’s son), Steve Vai, John Petrucci (Dream Theatre), Larry Mitchell, Neal Schon (Journey), Peter Thorn, Animals As Leaders (Tosin Abasi), Megadeth (Marty Friedman & Chris Broderick), Jeff Loomis (Nevermore), Grey Howe, Andy Wood, Nick Sterling, Corey Beaulieu (Trivium), Rusty Cooley and Ken Susi (Unearth). The artists listed come from a wide variety of genres, from blues/rock to metal and djent. It’s a testament to the versatility and quality of the axe fx.
Here’s an excerpt from the manual.
“The Axe-Fx’s amp, drive and cabinet simulations, however, are very faithful reproductions of the originals, but without the drawbacks of the originals. What this means is that they sound like the originals but are easier to adjust and provide more flexibility and a wider range of tones. For example, the Brownface amp sim sounds remarkably like a particular classic amp however the AxeFx contains working midrange and presence controls. Also the tone controls are much more responsive providing all the tones of the original plus new tones that the original could not achieve. Once again the philosophy is practicality and presenting the “effect” as it was originally intended. The Axe-Fx does not use any analog processing or any tubes. If you look inside the Axe-Fx you will not see any glowing tubes or any of the revered op-amps that the analog pundits claim offer mystical sonic properties. What you will see are modern, high-quality components that offer specifications and performance far exceeding any of the aforementioned devices. The Axe-Fx does contain, however, very accurate digital replicas of actual vacuum tubes. We gathered up some classic tubes and measured their transfer functions and then stored these transfer functions in the Axe-Fx’s massive brain. Our replicas are so exact that we can reproduce the harmonic spectrum of a real tube amp with amazing accuracy. Most modelers don’t even come close”

This unit has been updated to the latest firmware version, firmware 11. I’ve been an advocate of single effects since the beginning and have switched between both single pedals and multi effects several times. I’ve tried the boss units and the line6 units and I can say that the axe fx is several levels above all of those and it is certainly worth the price tag. The only reason why I’m selling my ultra is because I’m moving on to the axe fx II. I bought the ultra so that I could try it out first and familiarize myself with the primary functions of the axe fx and the use of the editor, axe edit. The ultra sounds amazing, some artists are still using it on tour (Periphery and etc).