I feel like my wife...I can't decide which one I want! Help!

R

RD1

Member
So here's the situation. I have had my Axe Fx Std for about 6 years now. I bought it back then with the intention of it being the be all end all of my live and studio needs. Needless to say, due to many factors it didn't work out. So I ended up using it strictly as an effects unit in the loop of my Boogie Mark V. Been extremely happy with it for the last few years. But, as the new band has been touring more regularly, along with everyone being on an in-ear monitoring setup, I convinced the other guitar player and bass player that we could make traveling a lot easier by all going direct with Axe IIs for each of us. No more giant roadcases holding several heads and racks, no more cab stacks, just small, portable racks.

So here is my dilemma.

A couple weeks ago, I was primed and ready to pull the trigger on a XL and MFC (3250+ship). Then the XL went out of stock, only to be replaced by the XL+. After hearing about the screen issues and the reason for the release of the XL+, I was hell bent on waiting for them to be back in stock and pull the trigger once again.

So there I was, less than 2 hours ago, with both the MFC and XL+ in my cart, ready to put in my credit card information. And I hesitated. I flipped over the other window in my browser, and saw the combo deal for the II and MFC for 2599, a savings of 650 from what I was about to spend. And then my brain punched me right in the crotch.

Spend the extra money. The XL+ has more power, has the new screen, has the FASLINK connection, etc. etc.

Save that money and put it towards expression pedals and cables and a new pedal board and everything else. You can get the FASLINK adapter for $50. It's a no brainer! etc. etc.

But what if something happens to the screen on the II? What happens in a year when Cliff comes out with a game changer that can only be applied to the XL and your II has now gone the way of your Standard?

This is where I need all of your help. I think its fair to say that most if not all of you have more experience with the new generation of Axe FX than I do. Weigh in here. Let me know what you think. Either way, I need them both. And I need them pretty soon.

Thanks for listening and contributing.
 
I haven't heard of anyone having trouble with the screen and wouldn't worry about it, so if that's the biggest factor get the combo and put the savings towards NEW GUITARS!
 
I would say, get the XL+, and then you can buy additional expression pedals etc once you can afford them. You can get really cheap pedals and cables temporarily and upgrade them when you can.
 
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The combo special wasn't offered when I picked up my XL + MFC in February, but it was still a premium over the II. But as I've debated the AFX for a couple of years, I decided that if I was going to do it, I wanted the latest and greatest. No regrets
 
Further to my first post on this thread, there is nothing wrong with the old screens. I was suggesting the XL+ purely because most patches seem to be XL upwards, and you get the extra memory too. That said, nothing wrong with the II either, it sounds exactly the same.
 
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You say the XL have more power, that is afaik not true. Just room for more presets.
 
I would buy the XL. If for some reason you buy a MK II and the guys in your band spring for the XL. Then you have a much harder time trading patches with them. Besides the XL has more user cab slots which on the surface may not seem like a huge deal but I like knowing I won't run out of room.
 
I would get the XL+ if I were you. It's great having the extra space for all of the great IR libraries we've got available now. Plus, being able to load any patch you want is really nice. You can always go south of an XL+, but you can never go north of a II.


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If you plan on using IR's, get the XL+. I bought my Axe before the XL was available and I wish I had the extra storage.
 
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I have an xl and an ultra the ultra has not seen any updates for many years but it still rocks just like it did when it was new. if you do not chase tone you might as well save the cash and get the mark it will always do what it does now, the quality is first class no need to worry about the screen. it wasn't a screen problem it was a supply problem(I would think if you had a screen issue it could be converted or repaired any ways) but if you have the cash or like to chase tone go for the gold!
 
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If you think you'll use lots of presets or if you want lots of room for user cabs, get the XL+. The FASlink is nice and it's easy to wire up my own xlr cables to suit any length i need. Also keep in mind that if you want to keep all the factory presets on hand and have room for your own, you can't do that on the mkII. You'd need to delete some factory presets to make room. Now you might go through and condense them into ones you like to mess around with or ones that you'll reference for building patches and get rid of the rest and in that case you'd be good. I didn't think I'd care about the user cab space, but once you start testing out all kinds of IRs, you'll get addicted.

To simplifiy: You could possibly regret getting the mkII, but you definitely won't regret getting the XL+. If you can afford it, just get it now and you'll be set for years and years and not have to worry about the eventuality of updates being available for the XL, but not the mkII, which is what some of the extra space on the XL is reserved for.
 
ChrisCG said:
I would buy the XL. If for some reason you buy a MK II and the guys in your band spring for the XL. Then you have a much harder time trading patches with them. Besides the XL has more user cab slots which on the surface may not seem like a huge deal but I like knowing I won't run out of room.
Click to expand...

Well, what when the ohther guy buy's the MK II - then it want work either? just kidding...
 
An old philosopher once said, if you can't decide which of two alternatives is best then they are of equal value. The other good way to decide is to pick one and see if you feel disappointment.

If it were me I'd go for the latest.
 
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