Hi, Mat.
Thanks for your thoughtful response.
Matman said:
… It isn't that we EXPECT updates: it is simply that we are delighted by them. Through them, we've come to recognize that a huge added value of owning an Axe-Fx is that we are entreated to sheer unbridled joy several times a year. What we thought sounded and worked GREAT is suddenly made ~unexpectedly~ BETTER. Our sonic palettes grow. The GAS in all of us is relieved by a great influx of novelty, excitement, and kickass musical results.
I appreciate that. It's a nice perq. If I was an Axe-FX owner (to answer your PS, no I'm not; I've spent quality time with several owned by friends, so I'm not completely in the dark) I think I might enjoy those updates, too. OTOH, it's equally likely that I might be annoyed at some of the incompatibilities between firmware updates and existing patches. I suppose as long as I knew of any required adjustments before applying an update (and having seen that Cliff is an excellent communicator, I assume this information is provided) then I could defer an update until such time as I was ready to rework my patches.
And honestly, for many of us, a huge part of the thrill is simply BEING HEARD (See also "the social media revolution" for more on why being heard matters). We post. We PM, do polls, and suddenly our wishlist requests are granted (with astounding speed and generous add-ins). Naturally, when our cars and computers and 11Rs remain relatively stagnant in comparison, they take on a grayish lackluster hue; our titillation baselines have risen.
Understood. But there's a dark side to social media: the "tyranny of the outspoken". I think it's good that Cliff is responding to Axe-FX wish-list requests. In general, it's a win-win situation. But I have to wonder whether, over an extended period of time, a product that's continually evolving might "leave behind" some less-vocal portion of its user base. There's no objective measurement of "better" when it comes to competently-constructed musical instruments. Quality is a subjective measure that varies from observer to observer.
Yes, a community may very well form around a set of particular beliefs and - through the power of numbers and of sharing common interests and desires - have those beliefs reified through Cliffs implementation work. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. It's the same way that politics applies to all aspects of our lives.
Just, please don't assert that change - because it originates in the power of social media - is always for the best.
To be clear, I am *not* asserting that all of the updates to the Axe-FX wouldn't delight *every single* owner with *every single* improvement that has been delivered over the years. All I'm saying is that the process you've described is not *necessarily* guaranteed to thrill every Axe-FX customer over the long run.
There is also the fact that the Axe-Fx when I bought it (November 2008) outperformed the 11R when I tried it in the store (Jan 2010) in every regard.
This gets back to subjective vs. objective realities. I interpret your assertion not as an absolute, but rather as a preference based upon some specific cluster of attributes that maximizes the Axe-FX's value to *you*. An *almost certainly different* cluster of attributes maximizes the 11R's benefit to *me*.
My point, again, is that it really is not about updates, and we don't expect/demand them.
I can understand that. However, my first post was a response to assertions that 11R was somehow inferior because buyers could not count on receiving free upgrades to the firmware. To which I responded that if a buyer enters into such a purchase with full knowledge that the product will be "as-is" forever after, it's still possible to make an informed decision to proceed with that purchase based upon the state of the product *at that time*.
I can honestly say, had there been a feature freeze in November 2008, I'd still be 110% satisfied with my Axe-Fx, moreso than with any guitar gear I've acquired before, during, or after getting it. That retro-freeze is hard to wish for, because it feels so good to have had my own personal features added (18db filter slope in the delay, independent pan on the enhancer output channels, etc. etc. etc.) but I honestly believe it is true. Man, I tell you: we aren't greedy or needy...and an absence of upgrades would not violate some unwritten treaty... the Axe-Fx was/is simply too meaty!
I'll take you at your word. Still, my cynical side has to wonder how many Axe-FX owners would rise up with pitchforks and torches were Cliff to say "no more unpaid updates".
Yes, I fully appreciate that such a possibility is unlikely to *ever* cross Cliff's mind. But what about the day when (let's make that "if", because I have no idea how Cliff plans to grow his business) Cliff decides to cash out and the buyer implements different upgrade policies?
Point 3: That's cool. Most people don't talk about how Avid did more than fix bugs with 1.03. I can't imagine the core capabilities shifted enough to warrant me taking a second look though (or the world would have responded differently.) I am not dissing your gear-- just saying again in another way... it ain't about the updates.
Nor am I dissing the Axe-FX. I've said this before (and elsewhere): I really like the Axe-FX for what it is. It's just not something that meets *my* needs and expectations. As I noted above, I evaluate gear using a different cluster of attributes than (apparently) used by most Axe-FX owners.
In the end, these are all just tools that enable *us* to make music. The tools do nothing on their own. They require human and artistic input.
I firmly *do not believe* in the concept of "best" when it comes to MI gear. I've witnessed far too many accomplished musicians transcend the supposed limitations of their "inferior" gear to create outstanding music. I *do* acknowledge that there may be gear which is not suitable for its intended purpose, but that in and of itself does not make the device incapable of being employed in *some* musical context. (A cheap guitar with poorly-placed frets and a warped neck may by useless to a shredder, for example, but still may be entirely usable as a slide guitar.)
Again, thanks for the conversation.
