I really don't get this, and I chip in here only because I think these kinds of responses are unfair to the guys putting a lot of effort in to what I perceive as amazing and unique service. First, you have to sort out what you mean. You must not confuse Fractal's service, which is the matter of discussion here, and the distributors. In Europe, G66 push the box (incidentally with amazing customer support and service), but all the updates comes from Fractal directly. The distributors may or may not suck, but FAS, meaing Cliff & the crew at Fractal provide the software directly, as this is a computer.
Having established what we really discuss, let's move on. In your opinion Fractal's service is not unique. Ok, let's compare. FAS are in the intersection between music and technology. Who compares with FAS? Line 6? No, they aim at a totally different segment, charges for new amps, and develop their stuff at a slow pace compared with FAS. Add to this that they are way behind when it comes to sound quality. Avid's Eleven Rack? Well, here, the hot discussion is whether or not they have abandoned the product entirely. They also charge for extras. Kemper? Perhaps; they have a forum and update regularly, but I think this actually is more or less due to demands from a bunch of players looking to the vibrant community surrounding FAS. Also, Kemper, although delivering a good product, is slower, way behind when it comes to effects, which has been a frustration for long. In addition to this, Christoph Kemper has stated that the core product, the technology behind grabbing the sounds and the sounds coming out of the box, is fully developed. What I've experienced the four years I've owned and played the Axe is a really good product continuously developing, some small steps and some giant leaps, and most likely will do in the years ahead. And we get to suggest features, and the updates are free. In fact, I'd gladly pay for both major and minor updates. The team at Fractal (the core + the loosely connected (beta testers etc) and the experts (Yek, Scott, etc)) are always participating in discussions, helping out, suggesting, making patches etc. In what world is this not unique?
