Considering buying a FX8

G

Gold To[

New Member
Hi. I am considering purchasing a FX8 mark ll. I current play worship music and smaller venues. My current pedal board is a Rockboard with stop box arrangements, Boss EQ, Boss chorus, Boss delay, Tube Screemer, Flanger, Compresor etc.. thru a Marshal DSL 40. Most of the effects where bought within the last year. I am looking at a used FX8, locally priced from a private individual at $800.00. It would be great if I could get the following questions answered or be led to a post that has any of these topics. I apologize for the ignorant questions...
  1. What is the current software version and how do I find out from the current seller what version is on the unit?
  2. How do you purchase upgrades?
  3. Is the $800.00 a resonable price?
  4. Is the FX8 a good unit for lower volume church's and venues?
  5. I have down loaded the owner manuel, but what should I expect for a learning curve in using the FX8?
  6. My current pedal board vs. FX8. What would you do?
  7. Questions to ask the seller?
thank you for any and all replies.
 
$800 is not crazy high ($1000+) like I have seen recently. As long as the unit is in physically good condition and will be properly packaged when shipped I'd say that is a fair price. Ask the seller if they have any humbuster cables that they'd be willing to include with the sale because you will want two of those if you are going to do the 4 cable method.

It doesn't matter which firmware is on the unit currently since you can easily download the most recent one for free from Fractal.

The FX8 is great for all volume levels. Your amp will determine the overall volume and this is essentially a digital pedal board replacement, so if you like your amp for the current volumes you need then you should be good to go.

It is pretty easy to get up and running with the FX8. There are a ton of parameters for each effect type that can be a rabbit hole if you want to tweak, but you can easily drop in a few effects with the stock settings, tweak a few standard parameters, and never need to adjust it again if you want. I would suggest that you read the manual cover to cover. I have read it five times and I still refer back to it on occasion. YouTube videos are a great resource for learning as well. The effects in the FX8 are mostly same as those in the AX8 and the AxeFX II, so videos about the effects in those units contain information that translates well to the FX8.
 
I picked up a used FX8 Mark II earlier this year for under $700--it included Humbuster cables. Since the FX8 is discontinued, they can be difficult to find (i.e. pricing tends to favor the seller).

I absolutely love the FX8. It replaced all my pedals and more...

Learning curve is a bit steep at first, but after some tinkering you will very quickly get the hang of it. Download FX8-Edit on your computer and make adjustments via USB. There are some nuances you have to work through when saving configurations to your blocks, but again, a bit of tinkering and you'll figure them out. I keep my settings organized in an excel spreadsheet. As has been said already, view some tutorials online--there are some good tips there. The manual is actually pretty decent as well. You should also download the manual for the AXE-FX II--it describes the effects in better detail.

The possibilities are nearly endless for configuration. You can use it like a traditional pedal board or use Scenes (like I do). If you need to do any channel switching on your amp, and your amp provides MIDI or 1/4" external switching jacks, the FX8 can do it. Mine is configured to do switching via the 2 onboard relays (1/4" jacks). The amp channels can then be assigned to your Scenes and you can change effects and amp channels in one stomp. No more tap-dancing--I could not hand my money over fast enough.

Bottom line: The FX8 is great piece of gear.
 
Great replies everyone! As for the Humbuster cables, I am not sure the seller has these. What is the big advantage to them? Basic 1/4" jacks are not enough? Where can you get Humbesters?
Hopefullly going to look at the unit this weekend.

thanks again...
 
The humbuster cables reduce hum caused by ground loops.

Fractal sells them on their site. Sometimes you can find someone selling some online. Page 4 in the owner's manual shows you how to build them yourself--if you're familiar with a soldering iron, there's not much to it. Since they run about $20 for a 15' cable, building them yourself is the most economical, especially if you need longer runs.
 
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