Fractal Audio AX8 Amp Modele r& Multi-FX Pedalboard: World's Most Epic J...

The Fractal Audio AX8 floor-based guitar pedal was something I had been coveting for quite some time. My friend and virtuoso guitarist Richie Allen from the Heavy Metal Ninjas and Kora fame first introduced me to the sound of Fractal Audio products. After listening to Richie, doing some additional research, and knowing my own touring and recording needs I realised that the AX8 was going to be a game changer for me.

Propulsion Playthrough - Richie Allan (Heavy Metal Ninjas)

As most of you know I tour internationally for about 11 months of the year. Most of the tours and shows I do have no guitar amps of any kind so I almost always have no choice but to run my rig direct to the PA system. Up until now I'd been restricted to the basic amp modelling provided by my Boss GT10 multi-fx pedal that I purchased back in 2009. Don't get me wrong - it has been an amazing and reliable pedal but I had grown tired of the sound and I was starting to feel really restricted. The AX8 has changed all of that...

Anyway, getting back to the point of this article...I went on the waiting list in New Zealand back in January of 2016. I was really hoping to pick up my AX8 during my one month holiday in February but alas the shipment was late and I found myself flying out to China with my trusty Boss GT10 in my luggage.  I was bummed out majorly because getting products like an AX8 into China through customs is a nightmare. I'd already encountered problems with some of my guitars that I had sent from Bali to China some months earlier. I got them through but it took 2 months and an additional US$300 for import tax to have them passed by customs. Thankfully my employer paid that fee but still it was a harsh and expensive lesson. 

In light of this I decided that it would be better if I could figure out an alternative. It just so happened that a fellow Kiwi virtuoso guitarist/singer extraordinaire Pete Simon was also on tour in Macau at The Bellini Lounge. He wanted to jump on the waiting list with me and suggested that we try sending the pedals out to Macau because Macau has no import tax and a far more lax attitude towards imported goods. We decided that it would be a great idea and in due course the pedals were flown out to Macau in early April 2016.

I only have Monday's off from work so I got up bright and early, packed up a single suitcase and embarked on the world's most epic journey to pick up my AX8!!!

Here's a breakdown of the total journey of the AX8:

USA to Singapore

Singapore to Australia

Australia to New Zealand

New Zealand to Singapore

Singapore to Macau

Macau to China

Here's my journey:

China (Shenzhen) to Hong Kong (immigration both sides)

Hong Kong to Macau (immigration both sides)

Macau to China (immigration both sides)

In total it required:

3 x ferry trips

1 x Hong Kong MRT trip

5 x taxi rides

Stairs

Escalators

Elevators

1 x night in a hotel

I'm not sure how much it cost but I'd say after everything it was probably around US$300 - 400 by the time we'd paid for the tickets, taxis, food, and accommodation. 

Was it worth it?

You're damn right!

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat.