Fractal released Axe-Fx III firmware 32.05 on Thursday May 22, 2026, with Axe-Edit III 1.14.33 shipping May 21 to add editor support. After the modeling-heavy 32.04 release in late April, 32.05 is a smaller, more targeted drop: two new amp models, both filling gaps in existing lineages rather than introducing new ones.
The two adds are PVH 6160 Block Clean and Deluxe Tweed Normal. Neither is going to redirect the gear conversation. Both are useful in a specific way that is worth being precise about.
PVH 6160 Block Clean — The "Clean" That Is Not Clean
The PVH 6160 Block has been in the Axe-Fx III for years. It models the block-letter first-run EVH 5150 — the original Peavey-manufactured 5150 with "EVH" on the right side of the faceplate in block lettering, the amp that became the 6505 after the EVH name moved to Fender. That amp is one of the foundational high-gain references for an entire generation of metal and hard rock players, so the lead and rhythm channels of the Block model have been in heavy rotation in Fractal presets for as long as the platform has existed.
What the existing models did not include was the clean channel. 32.05 adds it.
Here is the thing about the 5150 clean channel that catches people off guard if they have never put a real one in front of them: it is not a clean channel in the way a Fender Twin Reverb is a clean channel. Schematically, the 5150 clean is a gain-reduced version of the crunch — same signal path, less gain in the preamp stage. Roll the gain back and you get a usable clean, but it is a clean with the EQ stack and output character of a high-gain amp, not a separate purpose-built clean voicing. That is why it has a slightly compressed, slightly midrange-forward feel even at low gain. It is also why it cleans up the way it does when you back off the guitar volume on the crunch channel.
For preset construction, this is actually the more interesting use case. If you are building a 5150 high-gain preset on the Axe-Fx III and you want a corresponding clean preset that responds to volume knob rollback the same way the real amp does, the PVH 6160 Block Clean is now your reference. Put both amp models on adjacent scenes with matching cab and IR, and the clean-to-dirty transition behaves like the actual amp does when you ride the guitar volume — because under the hood, it is the same circuit topology with the gain stage attenuated.
For pure clean tones at low volume, this model is still going to feel narrower than something like the Class-A or Tweed-side options. That is the amp, not the model. Use it for the right job.
Deluxe Tweed Normal — The Half Of The Deluxe You Were Probably Not Using
The Tweed Deluxe (5E3 era) has been in the Axe-Fx III with the Bright channel for a long time. 32.05 adds the Normal channel as a separate model.
The two channels on a real 5E3 are voiced differently — the Bright channel has the bright cap on the volume pot and is what most players reach for, while the Normal channel has a darker, slightly thicker low-mid voicing and is the channel that the famous "jumper the two channels together" trick interacts with. If you have ever heard a Neil Young tone that sounds like a Deluxe but with an extra layer of low-end thickness, that is usually a 5E3 with the Normal and Bright channels jumpered.
The practical add here is that you can now build that jumpered tone properly on the Axe-Fx III without having to fake it through EQ. Run two amp blocks in parallel with Deluxe Tweed Normal on one and Deluxe Tweed Bright on the other, balance the levels, and you have a digital model of the classic jumpered Deluxe rig.
For solo Normal channel use, expect a darker, more compressed tone than the Bright channel — useful for slide work, for fingerstyle clean tones, and for anything where the Bright channel feels too glassy in the top end.
What Is Not In 32.05
No new effects, no new cabs, no fundamental modeling changes. The 32.04 power amp modeling rework is what is still being absorbed across the user base, and 32.05 does not touch any of that. If your 32.04 presets sound the way you want, 32.05 will not change them — the only delta is the availability of the two new amp models when you decide to use them.
FM9 and FM3 will get 32.05 on Fractal's normal cadence — FM9 typically two to four weeks behind, FM3 another one to two weeks after that. Plan for FM9 public 32.05 in mid-June, FM3 toward late June.
Update Recommendation
If you are on 32.04 and you do not specifically need a Tweed Normal channel or a 5150-lineage clean, there is no urgency. Sit on 32.04 until you have a reason to update.
If you have been building 5150-style presets and wanted a proper clean side that matches the high-gain channel's character, take 32.05 the next time you have studio time to redial your preset bank. The PVH 6160 Block Clean is the model that has been missing from the platform for a long time, and now it is there.
Dig Deeper On Fader & Knob
- Our coverage of Axe-Fx III firmware 32.04 walks through the power amp modeling rework and Chorus bug fix that 32.05 sits on top of.
- The FM9 firmware 12.00 public beta coverage explains how the 32.x firmware line is making its way to FM9 owners.
- For the broader Fractal lineage, see our Fractal AM4 V2.00 firmware writeup on the simpler four-amp Fractal product.
- Browse all our Fractal tone recipes for preset frameworks built on Axe-Fx III, FM9, and FM3.
