Frankly, FAS as a company is being VERY honest and communicative regarding new and older gear. I think it’s important to realize this, compared to what other companies might say or even acknowledge.
Much of what is in the III is due to new hardware, overall platform, and design. I think because it’s digital, it is very easy for us to say “oh just put the new stuff in the older gear - it’s digital therefore possible.” But when designing something new, it’s easier to work these new things in from the beginning. Just because it’s digital doesn’t mean it’s easy and/or even possible.
If this was a real amp or full analog hardware, I’d guess we’d have to physically replace a substantial amount in order to get all the changes that the 3 brings compared to the 2. And if it was fully physical, I don’t think anyone would expect it for free or expect it as fast. This is a concept I’ve brought up over the years regarding various things. I mean, it IS due to physical hardware that much of the differences exist. The replacement of hardware is exactly the Axe3 as it exists.
Code/digital doesn’t mean easy, and it doesn’t mean valueless. It’s a bit like the “where is the Axe made?” topic - majority of the product IS the code, and that should count heavily in that formula. Just testing things after the 3 was basically done, I easily spent 8 hours or more a day - I can’t imagine actually developing things, designing hardware, etc. all that goes in to it. Endless hours, long days. How do you put value on that?
Could some of the 3’s features be ported backwards to the 2? Perhaps. But some people are literally asking for everything to be ported, and also cumulatively among single feature requests by many, basically everything is being requested. It’s already been shared that some amp modeling is being worked on - that is generous if you ask me. We’ve had 6 or so years of amazing free updates on the platform, major breakthroughs and features. The Axe2 didn’t launch with Scenes - it was added in FW 9. Quantum modeling was developed and given to us for free. Let that sink in. Either of these truly could have warranted new hardware, or some other upgrade fee, but no. Free. Regardless if you had the Axe2 before these additions or after, the value of receiving them for free is the same. Other companies would not have handed those over, and talk in the industry told to me personally over the years is “FAS is crazy for giving that stuff away; they undervalue themselves by doing that.” Well it’s an added value that customers just love, and it is forcing the hand of others in the industry to at least contemplate updating and fixing things more than once a year, if that - the previous standard.
The requests will keep happening, and that’s fine. But I think to expect mini tuners to appear on the 2, or for a complete redesign of menus etc, is a little unrealistic. For things like Channels to be ported or all the dynamics, that stuff is most likely hardware limitations of the 2 - we would have had more than XY if it was possible from the beginning most likely.
I honestly don’t mean to single anyone out, but speaking generally since it was brought up, valuing the work that was spent developing the features of the 3 at “$100” just shows how undervalued things really are. And that’s not even counting the work and time it would take to actually translate it into the 2’s code/platform. Again, being digital it’s very easy to think “but it’s just code, just copy paste and it’s done.” 1, it doesn’t work like that - it’s not a Word document - and 2, digital requires hours of work the same as hardware, maybe more, and it’s the work that creates the value, not just the physical hardware.
It reminds me of a similar discussion here, and I may get the numbers wrong. But someone recently asked for an updated AX8, basically an Axe2 plus MFC all I one. He said “I’ll pay ANYTHING for it. I want it.” So I asked if he would pay $10,000 for it, and he was like “what? No! That’s way too much. I meant like $3500 max.” Anything huh...
The 3 now exists. It sounds the way it does and has the features it does due to a new platform. The Axe-Fx II was released in 2012 and the base platform is now 6 years old. The original model is a GREAT piece of gear still to this day and still has the latest updates as the latest Axe2 hardware - that’s amazing really. In my opinion it’s pretty unreasonable to expect much - if any - of the 3’s features to be ported back to the older platform. I’m not saying it won’t happen at all; again, Cliff and FAS are extremely generous, truly. But I personally wouldn’t expect it at all. After 6 years of free, substantial updates, new hardware has been produced. It’s pretty logical that it’s a different platform and that the substantial changes due to hardware shouldn’t really be expected in older gear.
There’s also the thoughts that if the 3 came out and he put every single feature of the 3 in the 2... why would anyone buy the 3?? I don’t think FAS is solely holding back on porting things because of that, but that’s pretty logical as well. Again, most of it is rooted in the new hardware creating new possibilities, but come on. To be disappointed that the 2 doesn’t get all of the 3 upgrades is a bit unrealistic.
We’ve been treated so well over the years with all FAS products, it might be a shock to some when new things aren’t free. It’s almost as if people expect a free trade of any Axe2 hardware with a new Axe3. Now that sounds crazy right? “Hey! Because you spent ~$2000 in the last 6 years or so, trade out devices for free!” No way, no one would expect that and no one is asking for that because it’s silly. But since the firmware is such a huge part of the device, to me that’s almost exactly what some requests sound like.
The Axe2 is great. If a 3 never ever came out, we’d still be using the 2 and loving it. The 2 will never sound worse than it currently does. It will never have less features than it currently does. However, it won’t magically have stronger/better hardware than it currently does, and that is the true limitation of the platform. Will FAS squeeze as much in as possible? As history has shown, yes, they will. But can it realistically have all the features that the 3 has? No. It’s not a 3.
