Robboman
Fractal Fanatic
Man there's a hella lotta drive pedals out there in the world. There are hundreds and hundreds of them currently in the distributor\retail channels.
Sweetwater has 287!
Distortion/Overdrive Pedals | Sweetwater.com
.. and they don't carry every brand. On top of that, there must be hundreds (thousands?) more that are either vintage/discontinued, or 'boutique' small-builder pedals that sell direct and you won't find in retail channels.
Yes I realize that loads of these are basically just variations of the same old Tube Screamer circuit, but still. There are some conclusions you could draw.
1). "Lots" of people must buy lots of drive pedals. Way moreso than any other type of pedal. Otherwise, how could so many be on the market?
2). Fractal currently has 217 amp models but only 33 drive models.
3). More G3 drive models would obviously sell more FX8s, and will benefit Axe-Fx and AX8 users too (block compatibility).
4). Acquiring and modelling drive pedals must be cheaper and easier than amps for Fractal.
I think when Axe-Fx was the only product, drive pedals were not nearly as important as amps, or cab IRs. But as of now, almost every amp worth owning has been modelled, and we have a huge selection of awesome cabs.
I think it's inevitable that at some point Cliff will focus on adding more G3 drives to the arsenal. Maybe around the time FX8 supply starts catching up to demand
Sweetwater has 287!
Distortion/Overdrive Pedals | Sweetwater.com
.. and they don't carry every brand. On top of that, there must be hundreds (thousands?) more that are either vintage/discontinued, or 'boutique' small-builder pedals that sell direct and you won't find in retail channels.
Yes I realize that loads of these are basically just variations of the same old Tube Screamer circuit, but still. There are some conclusions you could draw.
1). "Lots" of people must buy lots of drive pedals. Way moreso than any other type of pedal. Otherwise, how could so many be on the market?
2). Fractal currently has 217 amp models but only 33 drive models.
3). More G3 drive models would obviously sell more FX8s, and will benefit Axe-Fx and AX8 users too (block compatibility).
4). Acquiring and modelling drive pedals must be cheaper and easier than amps for Fractal.
I think when Axe-Fx was the only product, drive pedals were not nearly as important as amps, or cab IRs. But as of now, almost every amp worth owning has been modelled, and we have a huge selection of awesome cabs.
I think it's inevitable that at some point Cliff will focus on adding more G3 drives to the arsenal. Maybe around the time FX8 supply starts catching up to demand
