Has it really come that far?

My first Fractal product was an Axe-FX II XL+. I bought it new, owned it for 3-4 months, but didn't gel with it. It could have been user error, or perhaps something I was looking for wasn't quite there yet. I've had the III for 2.5 years now. I bought an FM3 once they started shipping, but sold it when I got the FM9.

I've been playing for 30+ years, and for most of that I was someone whose primary "serious" rig would only ever be a tube amp. That changed when I bought the III. I personally think that, yeah, it has come that far. But if you're still happy with the II, then use the II. On the other hand, if you spend some time with a III, you may find out you didn't realize what you're missing ;-)
 
Here's one factor I would consider. When you say you have your sounds "dialed in", how many sounds/presets are we talking about? A couple dozen? A whole bank? Multiple banks? If it's less than 30 or 40, I would say it's a no brainer to dive into the new technology. If it's more than that and you are truly happy, then I might think twice. Also factor in that the amp/cab area is where the most (certainly not all) improvement has come with Cygnus/Axe III technology. So again, if you gravitate to only a few amps then again the dive would not be as great but you definitely would have to spend some time retweaking. And I would expect that most of the effects you have dialed in will not change that greatly from what you have now as you migrate to the III, although again there are some great new options and overall improvements.

But I really get the concept that with what you have now, you have a closed loop you are satisifed with and don't have to worry about the next update/Cliff epiphany. That's a great place to be to concentrate on your playing.

The idea about borrowing the other guy's FM3 for a while to experiment and compare is a great one. Good luck. Whatever you decide.
 
A friend of mine had the II and it works great for him. He asked me to bring my III when I was dropping by as he wanted to hear it.
He really loved playing through the III and thus, ended up selling his II and got his own III.

Again though, if you have things rolling and are happy with how things work and sound and you don't feel like spending the extra $$$, then keep rolling with what you have.
 
boyedav said:
My first Fractal product was an Axe-FX II XL+. I bought it new, owned it for 3-4 months, but didn't gel with it. It could have been user error, or perhaps something I was looking for wasn't quite there yet. I've had the III for 2.5 years now. I bought an FM3 once they started shipping, but sold it when I got the FM9.

I've been playing for 30+ years, and for most of that I was someone whose primary "serious" rig would only ever be a tube amp. That changed when I bought the III. I personally think that, yeah, it has come that far. But if you're still happy with the II, then use the II. On the other hand, if you spend some time with a III, you may find out you didn't realize what you're missing ;-)
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My experience is incredibly close to this, except I persevered with the Axe FX II, and with a lot of work I got it to a point where it was pretty usable for me. When I bought the III, meh, better, but not life-changing. Then Cygnus got released, and everything changed. It was like going from black and white TV to colour.

Question for the OP would be, what kind of presets are you usually playing with? If it's mainly high gain, and just a little clean tone, and you're not too big into nuanced drive pedal sounds, yes, the Axe FX III will be better, but not exactly life changing. If you spend a lot of time around "edge of breakup", or you like pushing a relatively clean amp with drive or fuzz pedals, or if you are big into picking dynamics and riding the volume knob on the guitar, then you really do need to check out Cygnus.

There will be far less blood, sweat and tears in getting the sounds you want too. It just works.

Liam
 
I have this thing, where I find fantastic sounds on the 3, and then see how close I can get on my 2.

Usually I can get pretty close. Close enough to where I love my 2 bunches. I'm a high-gain guy and don't have a lot to say about mid-gain, edge of breakup tube sounds. But, I do pay attention to volume knob, and dynamics.

That said, if you can find the coin, get the 3.
 
Hi @atyourlasthourrr

I also had a couple of axe fx 2s, and when I bought the 3, I kicked myself for waiting a few months. To be honest, the 3 is way better fundamentally. Regarding the firmware updates - you’re either going to have to do what most of us do - That is, enjoy each update, and put in the work to keep your sounds consistent while taking advantage of the new qualities or features - or - get the unit and use it, and try to ignore updates (good luck!). Personally, I love Fractal because of their constant drive towards perfection and, even with the 2, I’d often think “it can never sounds better than this” - but it does :).
Enjoy you’re decision!
Thanks
Pauly

atyourlasthourrr said:
You all really ought to be getting a little commission from FAS.

My questions were answered beautifully and while I wasn't really considering making the upgrade before this post; I am now in the heavy consideration phase.

The idea of taking my dialed in tones to the 'next' level is something that is hard for me to even imagine. Plus if there have been added knobs and deep parameters/frequency response similar to what I'm already used to, maybe it won't take me as long as it did the first time around..

The only thing that really has me weary is the constant FW upgrades, while I know it can be exciting to experience the evolution in real time, there is a part of me that just wants to wait until the last upgrade has dropped to take the plunge.

Talk about first-world problems! :sweatsmile:
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I get good results faster with the III and more amps and more cabs work for me compared to the former generation, and that's obvious.
And from that you could concluede the modeling made hughe steps since and got better, though I wouldn't say I had bad sounds with the II or the Ultra.
You still get good tones out of a II or a gen 1 unit, but at the cost of time for tweaking and having less time left for playing compared to what's now possible.
 
Most great guitarists have a sound in their head that is their recognizable sound. Brian May for instance, Leslie West, or Stevie Ray Vaughan etc. Once they've found their sound that's all they need. They then spend most of their time creating new music rather than chasing new sounds. There are more sonic possibilities with the Axe FXIII. I bought an Axe FXIII and am happy that I did, but If you have found your sound with an Axe FXII, that's all you need. It's a great piece of gear and many great guitarists are still using it.
 
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