Sold my Axe III .... bought an AX8

DrProgNerd

Member
So ….. I did what some might see as the unthinkable – I sold my Axe III and bought an AX8…….and I couldn’t be happier.


Actually, to be more precise – I sold an AX8 after I bought the AIII – used the AIII for about 8 months – THEN sold it and went back to an AX8. Semantics.


Overall impressions of the AIII is that it is better. I love the sounds I got out of it, I loved the routing options – and I loved that I never had to worry about CPU space when writing my presets. It is absolutely the best piece of music gear I’ve ever owned …… but it was way, way WAY more than I needed.


To be honest, the AX8 is more than I need ….. but it is just the right amount of ‘more than I need’.

I found some of my AX8 presets that I had saved in a file in my computer – and dropped them in my new AX8 – and it was instant grin. I’ve written a few more patches since then. And even though I acknowledge that the AIII is better overall ….. the AX8 is better for my needs. I just couldn’t be happier. No reason to ever own an amp again. I love Fractal.
 
I had the same thought when I saw the cost of the FC-12. I got over it though :)

I'm still on the wait for the FC. That's going to be a scary moment. Will there be a "Sold My AX8 and Bought an AIII and FC" thread coming? Lol !!! Man, I hope not. I'm losing money every time I do this. It doesn't matter what Fractal I end up with …. they're ALL good.
 
Oh, shoot. I just realized that I posted this thread in 'Axe III Recordings'. I meant to put it in the 'AX8'. See what happens when you watch a Camilo Velandia demo. Your mind gets blown and you post stuff in the wrong place. ;)
 
Sounds like you did the right decision. I bought Axe FX III last year AND bought AX8 about an hour ago. I'll see if I'll end up with "less is more", "more is more" or "both are more" :p
 
Sounds like you did the right decision. I bought Axe FX III last year AND bought AX8 about an hour ago. I'll see if I'll end up with "less is more", "more is more" or "both are more" :p

I've done the wall of amps and monster pedalboard thing. I'm over it now - which is what brought me back to Fractal. I had so much fun with the AIII ….. but all I need are a couple of drives, a cool amp model, a dimensional chorus, delay and 'verb and a decent IR. That's the core of most of my sounds - give or take.

In my 'more is more' days, I would have said 'both are more'. Now that my guitar collection went from 15 to 5.... and my amp collection went from 8-10 to zero....and my pedal collection went from dozens to one (Kingsley Jester) …..I do the strangest thing …….. I actually PLAY … when I used to comb through Reverb and Ebay and the gear forums - looking for the next cool thing. The AX8 serves me so perfectly, I can't imagine ever going back to the 'gear game'. Now when/if AX8 V2 comes out …. I will be all over that. Hey, I'm a 'recovering' gear-junky - I didn't say that I had fully 'recovered'. Lol !!!
 
Good news is they are still making the III, and anyone can always switch stuff up as needs change. We aren’t locked into any choice, and are free to reassess down the road

I went from a II to a Ax8, back to a II, then back to a Ax8 again, and now a III, over the course of a few years.

Musical needs changed, certain projects were better suited to certain gear. Then something else came up, what I enjoyed played changed and switched it up again.

Luckily the resale value is great, all of the tools are really good, and we are lucky to have the choices we do.

I really like my III but if a need arises where a Ax8 makes more sense, I might switch again, but even that doesn’t mean I can’t pick up another III down the road

The only constant with my gear is that it’s always going to be changing over the years
 
I love my AX8 and have seriously considered an Axe III. The thing that stops me is I still have plenty to learn about the AX8. There's a lot in that box. And I like the fact that I don't need a bunch of stuff to get going. Plug it in and go. The only thing that's missing for me is a headphone jack.
 
I love my AX8 and have seriously considered an Axe III. The thing that stops me is I still have plenty to learn about the AX8. There's a lot in that box. And I like the fact that I don't need a bunch of stuff to get going. Plug it in and go. The only thing that's missing for me is a headphone jack.

I would never try to talk someone out of buying an AIII. It is amazing. But it comes down to your needs. It’s like walking in to the biggest, most elaborate all-you-can-eat buffet there is: if you have a huge appetite, it’s worth it – if you don’t, it’s not.



What I love about the AIII is that it never says ‘no’. There is literally no patch I created – or routing option I tried – that it didn’t do. The continuous and frequent firmware updates were exciting dividends as well. It is an absolutely stunning piece of gear.



For my needs…… I live - most of the time – in one or two presets – and they sound great. I may dabble in 4-5 others from time to time – but I simply didn’t have the ‘appetite’ that was worthy of the AIII.



I could see if you were a session player that covered a diverse range of music - a producer – or home recording enthusiast – the AIII would be a perfect tool. But – then again – so is the AX8.
 
I was in the same boat with an Axe II just too much going on but for me the biggest thing that made me switch was the form factor. The AX8 just made more sense for gigging out.

The Axe III screams studio piece with everything it can do not to mention you have you have one extra piece to carry around. After running through 2 Standards, Ultra and a II for what I needed it didn't make sense anymore. That said if an AX8 II comes out I WILL be on the waitlist.
 
Interesting use cases here. I got my AX8 as a backup unit to my Axe Fx II (now a III). My entire band plays direct to FOH with iems, so I have the AX8 ready to back up anyone in the band except the drummer. Other than that I use it for little impromptu jam sessions. Even though it is so convenient, I always feel weird about putting the “brains” on the floor if I don’t have to. It’s cheaper to replace a foot controller if someone spills beer on it or something. Guys who have switched to AX8 only, what are you using for a backup?
 
Went from II to Ax8. The only thing I sorta miss is dual amps BUT for recording I just do multiple takes off the ax8, no biggie. The other thing is I have a matrix GT1600fx which is in a rack.. what I would *really* like is to grab a pair of matrix FR12's so I can ditch the rack and just use the AX8 + speakers... as it is right now I might as well have kept the II and used a little midi controller. Similiar to what others have said, the ax8 is plenty for me though, and I'm super happy with it. I would love to upgrade to a new ax8 if one gets released. As for backup - I have one of those little Quilter heads now just for peace of mind... never had to use it
 
Oh, shoot. I just realized that I posted this thread in 'Axe III Recordings'. I meant to put it in the 'AX8'. See what happens when you watch a Camilo Velandia demo. Your mind gets blown and you post stuff in the wrong place. ;)
Oh for sure. Camilo is incredible. :)

Nothing wrong with downsizing especially to a unit like the AX8 which sounds really good. :)
 
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