“Jesus, is there anything you people don’t bitch about”

I think society was better when life was harder. I grew up with nothing. Most of us did. I remember one of the best "toys" we ever got was the huge cardboard box the refrigerator came in.

This entire post is absolutely spot on. Just wanted to reinforce a point of view on you similar lines of thinking Cliff:

hard-times-create-strong-men-strong-men-create-good-times-good-times-create-weak-men-and-weak-...jpg

A Michael Hoff quote from "Those Who Remain (link)":

  • Hard times make strong men
  • Strong men create good times
  • Good times create weak men
  • Weak men create hard times

What we call "hard" or "difficult" today compared to 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago has drastically altered mankind's extrinsic desires. And not being exclusive to a specific biology, in general, we (mankind) do not struggle as much as recent years due to technology advancements and complacency among other external factors.

Love your perspective on keep making your products better "just because you can and want to" Cliff. Thanks for making a world class product that does everything I need it to.

Cheers to the OP for calling this out :cool:
 
And I always have a sneaking suspicion that there is more than one person on the forum who is in the employ of “Product B”…
There have been moles on forums for as long as there have been forums. Most of them we catch and dispense with accordingly but there are a few that are very slick in their approach so we can't ascertain for sure whether they are moles.

You are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Some of the stuff that our competitors do would make Gordan Gecko blush. I had vowed never to do a "Charts and Graphs" thread again but the gloves came off after the latest transgression. I have always told all my employees to "do the right thing" and play everything above-board as possible. We don't engage in the pay-for-play stuff, don't pay magazines, don't pay artists, don't send fake users into other company's forums, don't shill on YouTube, etc. We've got our share of detractors and we take a lot of crap but I doubt any company in this space can match our ethics. I'm old-school. I believe in hard work and build a better mousetrap. I'm sure there will be those who will poo-poo and ridicule these statements. That's fine, I still sleep well at night.
 
Having read numerous recent post complaining about various upgrades to the Axe3, it really wouldn’t surprise me if Cliff wonders if his hard work is all worthwhile. I just hope he has thick skin and continues to innovate and create. It would be a shame if the next big thing is delayed or cancelled because the backlash and childlike crying.
Do we really want all those shiny new Axe4’s collecting dust on the shelves just because we can’t control our emotions?

I, for one, wish Cliff every success in continued epiphanies. Long may it last.

Don’t retire to that island just yet Cliff, we still need you👍

I get what you're saying, but you have to consider that even the greats endure criticism.

Name any one person that is regarded as best in their field, and you will find less than 100% positive feedback on any one talking point.

Example: Tom Brady isn't immune to criticism. Bill Gates isn't. Steve Jobs wasn't. Einstein wasn't.

It's asinine to think that there is going to be across the board approval on all issues. We're just too diverse a group of people.

It's also asinine to think that the products would be where they're at today without these "dissenting opinions." Cliff undoubtedly appreciates the praise, but I'd argue that he appreciates the true feedback a little more. We're his global beta testing team, with talents in many different fields and expertises that have contributed to the success of the brand and product.

It's also foolish to think that Cliff is going to take his ball and go home because of some random bloke's comment on page thirteen of a forty page thread. The only people reading that far are the ones who are already invested beyond measure lol
 
There's always going to be that guy, or in the case of the Internet with the whole world accessible, lots of that guys. Reality, respect, thankfulness, appreciation, enjoyment, kindness. These are some things that seem to be going out the window with this day and age.
 
What I want to know is what these people complaining want. Let's talk about the turbo upgrade. I guess Cliff could look at some new faster DSP parts, and think, "fuck those guys," and just ignore the possible upgrades. Instead he thinks, someone might want these, and I can put them in the Fx for an extra charge. Someone can get them or not.

Same goes back for the Mark II. A lot of people don't need the extra flash. I've seen lots of people on here that use maybe 12 spots on the AxeFx, and that's it. Others want the kitchen sink. He creates it, and people complain.

There are so many parallels with other pieces of gear out there. I've not heard of anyone complaining about a new Macbook Pro coming out, or the guitar they have now gets stainless frets. For some reason, they'd rather there be no progress than progress. It's weird. Just upgrade if it bothers you.
 
There have been moles on forums for as long as there have been forums. Most of them we catch and dispense with accordingly but there are a few that are very slick in their approach so we can't ascertain for sure whether they are moles.

You are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Some of the stuff that our competitors do would make Gordan Gecko blush. I had vowed never to do a "Charts and Graphs" thread again but the gloves came off after the latest transgression. I have always told all my employees to "do the right thing" and play everything above-board as possible. We don't engage in the pay-for-play stuff, don't pay magazines, don't pay artists, don't send fake users into other company's forums, don't shill on YouTube, etc. We've got our share of detractors and we take a lot of crap but I doubt any company in this space can match our ethics. I'm old-school. I believe in hard work and build a better mousetrap. I'm sure there will be those who will poo-poo and ridicule these statements. That's fine, I still sleep well at night.
QED.

What are you referring to when you say latest transgression?
 
While it does definitely SUCK, the constant whining and complaining, Let's Remember...................
This is, sadly, the way humans behave.................Nothing new or innovative. No surprises.
It is NOT just this forum. It is the WORLD we live in.
It does bother me and years ago I would chime in and wind up being the "bad guy". Even got a warning about next time suspension.
To me it seems like little kids being dumb ass little kids.
Fractal is a smalish company crated by a smart guy. Who happens to love guitars.
Sometimes folks seem to NOT understand that.
 
I think most of us understand that it isn't always practical or even reasonably possible to retrofit everything. Sure, it's great when new tech can be back-ported to old devices, but some people are acting sleighted as though they're somehow owed it. The mentality of entitlement, and people having no gratitude because they take everything for granted.
 
Contrary to a popular belief, bitching was invented way before social media, and has been a major driver of progress.

Bitching got us 40 hour work week, universal suffrage, electric guitar and digital gear.

On the other hand, there's not much bitching at Communist Party of China's gatherings, everybody agrees with everything.

Long live bitching.
 
Social media is a great tool for mob mentality to obliterate any perceived outlying threats to their hive mind stability.
The hegemonies of forum status quo get shaken and stirred with regards to ownership of each new product released for consumption.
Detach yourself and appreciate the humor in the whimsical forebodings of the “Fractallus Modellum Enthusiasmus” (Class: musician, Order: guitarist, Family: electric, Genus: modeler, Species: Fractal Audio Systems Customer)
 
It's society today. We're all spoiled. We want instant gratification and we usually get it. When we don't get it we feel like we're being cheated.

I think society was better when life was harder. I grew up with nothing. Most of us did. I remember one of the best "toys" we ever got was the huge cardboard box the refrigerator came in. We spent hours in that thing pretending it was a spaceship. We would spend hours playing baseball with a worn out ball or walk along the railroad tracks looking for smushed pennies we left the day before. We didn't have any fancy electronics or social media or much of anything. We ate government issued cheese and powdered milk. And yet we were happy.

I really think social media was one of the worst things to happen to society. It had the power to be a useful tool but that power has been abused in the name of greed. People's brains are being rewired intentionally to addict them to it so they can generate more advertising revenue. People are accustomed to getting hundreds of little dopamine hits every day and it's made them irrational and demanding. Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey will go down in history as two of the most evil pricks the world has ever seen (Sheryl Sandberg will be right behind them at the gates of hell).

Lean into it. ;)

I have to say that government cheese was some of the best I have had in my life. It was
always white, and we would get massive chunks my Mom would freeze. It made the best
Mac and Cheese. Or maybe I was just really hungry.

I can't say as many nice tings about the powdered milk. I can recall running out of
milk weekly and then would have to go to the powdered stuff and mix with water
to put on a bowl of cereal. No nostalgia for that. :)
 
Social media is a great tool for mob mentality to obliterate any perceived outlying threats to their hive mind stability.
The hegemonies of forum status quo get shaken and stirred with regards to ownership of each new product released for consumption.
Detach yourself and appreciate the humor in the whimsical forebodings of the “Fractallus Modellum Enthusiasmus” (Class: musician, Order: guitarist, Family: electric, Genus: modeler, Species: Fractal Audio Systems Customer)

Haha! Really?? Any other straw men you want to erect so you can burn them
down and then pat yourself on the back for all the stellar work you have done
on behalf of humanity? :)

Well played, Don Quixote. Well played.
 
If Fractal didn't create new products, there would be no income for the company. You can't live on free updates for long. I'm pretty damn thankful for buying my Mark 1 back in 2018. I sold it back in Apr. for a solid price and bought the Mk II version. It has plenty of power and works great for me. If I need to get 25% more, then I'll certainly sell it and get the turbo but for now I'm good. I could have just kept my Kemper for years when I first got it or my Helix but in the end, this product had the staying power for what it is. I just enjoy using it and understand it very well.

Changes can happen anytime. You buy a great new amp only to realize a month later, a newer and supposedly better version is out.

This is the way.
the-mandalorian.jpg
 
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Contrary to a popular belief, bitching was invented way before social media, and has been a major driver of progress.

Bitching got us 40 hour work week, universal suffrage, electric guitar and digital gear.

On the other hand, there's not much bitching at Communist Party of China's gatherings, everybody agrees with everything.

Long live bitching.
I had an old boss when I was a younger man that said:

I like to hear my employees bitch about things here at work. It means they still care.
 
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