The AXE FX II is the second generation of the Fractal AXE FX amp modeling series. this is his live rig, and Kirk Hammett, the Rhythym Guitarist of Metallica also uses this specific model of AXE FX. James uses 3 in his rack, the first and third are the distortion settings and the second is for straight clean sounds. the James' rig can be seen at 2;07 on "Metallica: A Look at James & Kirk's Guitar Rigs" and Kirk's rig can be seen at 13;30 of that video. when james started using this specific model is unclear, but we do know that this is his been his main live rig for many years.

In the video titled "Deftones' Stephen Carpenter Rig Rundown" by Premier Guitar on YouTube, at the timestamp of 23:23, Stephen Carpenter's use of the Fractal Audio Axe-FX II Preamp – Effects Processor is clearly visible within his rack setup.

"A 'must own' for any guitar player! Whether you're a pro or just jamming for fun, this beast does it all! It's all over our new record. Live I use amp, cabs and effects in the box, straight to FOH and wedges. It just sounds GREAT."

Ben used the Axe FX to record all of Dark Before Dawn, and the subsequent tours.

In an article by Premier Guitar, Ben Bruce of Asking Alexandria discusses his use of the Fractal Audio Axe-FX II, highlighting its role in his gear setup.

"but in the end I wound up recording this entire album with my Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II."

Both Chad’s (L) and Ryan’s (R) rack setups are almost identical. For Chad, his signal goes through the Shure wireless receivers into a Radial JX44 and then splits out to the Fender Super 60 for his clean tone and a pair of Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifers for his overdrive sound. Ryan keeps the same basic signal flow but inserts a Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II and a Line 6 Echo Pro.

In an article from Premier Guitar titled "Metal and Hardcore in 2014: Council of Steel, Blood & Bone," Chris Hannah is mentioned as using the Fractal Audio Axe-FX II effects processor.

"A Radial Twin-City Active ABY switcher splits the signal: One side heads into a Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL and the other feeds a Mesa/Boogie TriAxis programmable preamp and Mesa/Boogie Rectifier Stereo 2:One Hundred power amp," reads this rig rundown by Premier Guitar.

"For the old “Mood Swings” guitar sound it was basically 2 parts. There was an amp and there was a direct sound. The direct sound was made from a ROCKTRON PRO G.A.P. and a Marshall preamp. I forget the name but it was a single space solid-state rackmount preamp. We ran both of them through Hughes & Kettner RED BOXes and then molted the sound together onto one track. And that is how the main direct part was done. The amp sound was a 50 watt Marshall head with a regular Marshall 4×12 cabinet. Quite simple. It was mostly direct. A lot of that sound was direct. As far as on the new album, I’ve been using a FRACTAL unit, they are an awesome machine. I love it. This one in particular on the record was an “ULTRA”. I now have the AXE-FX II, but the AXE-FX ULTRA is what I use for the whole “Mood Swings II” recording. It’s got everything, all the effects…It ran through a Marshall, I believe it was a 20 watt power amp into a Boogie 2×12 and it was mic’ed. I did not go direct at all this time. All the guitars were recorded with a ROYER ribbon mic through a manley VOXBOX right into Protools." Pete Lesperance

The current rig – three Bogner Ecstasy 101 B Heads, one Hiwatt DG103 head, TC Electronics D-Two, Fireworx, Reverb 4000, Fractal Audio Axe-FX II, RJM IS-8 Amp Gizmo and Rack Gizmo, DLS RotoSIM and Versa Vibe, Exotic EP Boost, Dunlop Rack Wah, Earnie Ball Volume Pedals, Shure UR4D wireless, Fryette power amps, Midas Venus 160 mixing console. Bogner 4×12 an 1×12 speakers, and VooDoo Lab Ground Control Pro controllers.

John Popper uses the Fractal Audio Axe-FX II with a MIDI pedal, as shown in the user-uploaded photo on BlogSpot.

In this video, Travis is reviewing his Fractal Audio Axe FX II