How Long Before MFC's Available?

Just my thoughts here, FAS doesn't sell enough mfcs to build and operate a manufacturing facility, so they outsource. When the facility gets the order, the order has to wait it's turn for manufacturing, this would involve the manufacturer ordering parts and re-tooling the production line for a product run. China takes the majority of February off for new years and spring holiday. All of these things contribute to delays in getting product.
 
I've been eagerly awaiting availability since I got my Axe in late December. So far the gigs I've been playing I can get by with one patch per song, or two patches that I've been switching with an expression pedal, but I've got some rock band gigs coming up in April that involve lots of effects switching mid-song that I'll need a foot controller for. I've been avoiding buying another brand floorboard because I keep telling myself, "Oh, don't waste your money because the MFCs will be back in stock any time now..."
 
Coming from the Kemper camp who is without an FC, I was looking forward to having that issue resolved when I came over to the darkside..... damn the luck, so far!
 
I'm in the same boat. Came from Kemper thinking everything was available. As I see it he MFC does not exist and Axe Edit is vaporware. The poor guys here have been without for so long I almost feel guilty complaining. Oh we'll, cest la vive
 
tbrooks1060 said:
Give the Liquid Foot Pro + a look .... it's pretty impressive!
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Look all you want. They never seem to be instock either. A friend contact them about avalibility and they said they did not know. He made a comment about how could they not know to which LF said it is not like the MFC is in stock
 
When I e-mailed them in late Feb they told me they are expecting a shipment this month. Who knows when and who knows how many. I'm hoping they get them soon as I have money burning a hole in my pocket for one...hurry up and wait, I guess.
 
I have to say I'm worried. They've been saying "soon" on V10 for a while now, but I'm hearing only crickets in response to people asking about the MFC.:cry
 
ianx said:
Just my thoughts here, FAS doesn't sell enough mfcs to build and operate a manufacturing facility, so they outsource. When the facility gets the order, the order has to wait it's turn for manufacturing, this would involve the manufacturer ordering parts and re-tooling the production line for a product run. China takes the majority of February off for new years and spring holiday. All of these things contribute to delays in getting product.
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From my over 8 years now in China I can confirm that around Chinese new year there is easily a month or so where nothing happens. And when they start up production again they realize that components wasnt ordered before the holiday so everybody panicking to get things sorted.
Also for a lot of regions Chinese new year is when the workers get their yearly bonus, so there is a massive job-changing circus aswell. For the south province of Guangdong that I living in some factories perhaps get back 75% of their staff after the holiday, so apart from lacking perhaps components etc they also have to mass hire new staff and of course train them aswell if its any kind of "semi advanced" work that has to be done.

Now its mid March and things start for most part be back on track here.

My guess would be that if they got a container shipped before the holiday (early Feb), there should be units in stock soon. If they didnt, it probably would take another 2 to 2.5 months before its back in stock.
Just my 2cents based on from what I hear from my export business buddies here
 
You guys are wait-list newbies; I've been waiting since July!

I bought the Fractal and Got on the list last July. I got an email saying it was available on Sept. 19, the day after I sent in the Fall Semester payment for my two kids in college, so I couldnt buy it.

By December, I'd saved up enough again, but it was backordered.

So I paid the money, essentially getting myself a "gift certificate," to lock in the holiday sales price (which is actually still in effect), and got back on the list.

My second wait has lasted even longer than my first.

Until then, I'm just using pedals through a clean patch. What a waste of resources!
 
Ugh! That's an ugly history mongoose_eyeball, and not very encouraging. I have a Roland VG-99 and FC-300 controller pedal that are made for each other. I didn't want to waste my (very limited) time trying to get the FC-300 to play nice with the Axe FX but I finally broke down and had to do it. It was difficult to "figure it all out" for the first patch or two, even with the helpful wiki and other articles (thanks a ton guys - really shortened my learning curve), but once I understood the mind-set and paradigm of both, it was really easy to configure anything after that. I also had a Digitech FS3X (3-way foot-switch) lying around which, hooked up through the Roland FC-300, gave me an additional 3 midi foot-switches. So I have a total of 7 foot-switches and 2 expression pedals with my setup. Definitely not enough switches, but using that and the "Scenes" feature of the AFX I can manage. In case the info is useful to anyone else here, I set up 5 "dirty-amp" patches and 5 "clean amp" patches, each with a slightly different "character/sound" and then use the 7 switches to either switch in/out effects and change Scenes. That will give me coverage for at least half of all tunes I cover. I have a few special patches for particular tunes like "Bad Love/Clapton", "Highway Star/Deep Purple", etc. Since each of the 8 "Scenes" can have different effect blocks on or off, they can essentially be used as effect foot-switches by selecting one Scene or other. In some of my patches I have assigned two foot-switches to Scene Increment and Scene Decrement, leaving me with the remaining 5 switches to turn up to 5 effects on/off in that Scene. So, 5 switches plus 8 scenes actually gives me a total of 13 foot-switches. In addition to my two expression pedals (built into the Roland FC-300) I can get most of what I need to perform live. Yeah, its a hassle to have to do this, but in order to perform live with the AFX I have to have a functional midi foot-controller and I just can't stand going to a gig without the AFX when its sitting at home mocking me :)
 
Yeah, I love Fractal and their products (I own the Ultra and Axe II) and I have an idea of how much effort they put in to making sure their products evolve and I appreciate that effort very much.
It would have been nice to be able to purchase the MFC with the Axe II and have the Axe-Edit up and running, I think that some sort of communication from Fractal would be nice, so I can spend less time on the forums "investigating" and "speculating".
I think a company putting out such an awesome and revolutionary product like the Axe FX II would be prepared to supply to companion pedalboard for each Axe FX II. I can't even use my Mission Engineering pedal for my wah because I need the pedalboard.
I'm sure the MFC's would sell if they made them...........Just venting not hating, so don't hate me :)
 
They did make them... They also sold. This is why they're making them again ;)

In all seriousness though, It happens. Fractal is still a small company so they don't want to (speculatively speaking) or can't (again, speculative) sink too much capital into their MFC. Build a run, sell it and build another. Cliff has done it right thus far and had his fair share of hiccups. Its the nature of the beast and believe me, He'd rather this situation than mountains of MFCs sitting in storage waiting prospective buyers. This isn't Line6 with world wide distribution.


I desperately NEED an MFC so I'm in the same boat you guys are. I'm just remaining creative on which patches I use and making due for now. I'll just appreciate the MFC all the more when it is available. I'll also hopefully have enough dough saved up for a Wah controller pedal and some labels. If not, Life goes on.

Cheers fellas!
 
PlaysARobin said:
They did make them... They also sold. This is why they're making them again ;)

In all seriousness though, It happens. Fractal is still a small company so they don't want to (speculatively speaking) or can't (again, speculative) sink too much capital into their MFC. Build a run, sell it and build another. Cliff has done it right thus far and had his fair share of hiccups. Its the nature of the beast and believe me, He'd rather this situation than mountains of MFCs sitting in storage waiting prospective buyers. This isn't Line6 with world wide distribution.


I desperately NEED an MFC so I'm in the same boat you guys are. I'm just remaining creative on which patches I use and making due for now. I'll just appreciate the MFC all the more when it is available. I'll also hopefully have enough dough saved up for a Wah controller pedal and some labels. If not, Life goes on.

Cheers fellas!
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You are being too nice! Actually, Cliff's management of the MFC has been a marketing/business disaster. For starters he NEVER should have given Axe Edit away for free. This could have been a steady revenue stream to help provide capital to keep the Chinese building MFCs. While its "honorable" of him to offer it for free it only hurts him in the end by "cheapening" his overall platform. A smart business man always has a pipeline funded by capital by a guaranteed source. Historically this is how companies go "belly up"...IMHO
 
PlaysARobin said:
They did make them... They also sold. This is why they're making them again ;)

In all seriousness though, It happens. Fractal is still a small company so they don't want to (speculatively speaking) or can't (again, speculative) sink too much capital into their MFC. Build a run, sell it and build another. Cliff has done it right thus far and had his fair share of hiccups. Its the nature of the beast and believe me, He'd rather this situation than mountains of MFCs sitting in storage waiting prospective buyers. This isn't Line6 with world wide distribution.


I desperately NEED an MFC so I'm in the same boat you guys are. I'm just remaining creative on which patches I use and making due for now. I'll just appreciate the MFC all the more when it is available. I'll also hopefully have enough dough saved up for a Wah controller pedal and some labels. If not, Life goes on.

Cheers fellas!
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I need one big time as well .. I have already done 4 gigs with the Axe in the last 6 weeks and tonight will be my 5th gig with Axe and no controller.

I am using "Scenes" to get me through the gigs -- easier to turn a dial than to be "button" dancing.

Hopefully I will get the email soon that there is an MFC at Fractal with my name on it!

In the mean time I will be be "turning the dial".
 
vkc said:
For starters he NEVER should have given Axe Edit away for free. This could have been a steady revenue stream to help provide capital to keep the Chinese building MFCs. While its "honorable" of him to offer it for free it only hurts him in the end by "cheapening" his overall platform. A smart business man always has a pipeline funded by capital by a guaranteed source. Historically this is how companies go "belly up"...IMHO
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Clearly you are a marketing genius.

He can't NOT give Axe Edit for free.

Why??

Because every time he updates the FW (which everyone will want right away), people will have to buy a new version of Axe Edit as, clearly, the old Axe Edit is not forward compatible. How upset would you be if you spent money on a product and then six months later would have to pay for a NEW product (or have to pay to update it) all over again so you can use it with the latest firmware update?

But really, until you own a company like FAS, you really have no idea what you're talking about. Neither do I for that matter so take whatever I say on this topic with a grain of salt. I'm sure they appreciate the marketing lesson given by you, oh wise and powerful Oz of Marketing.
 
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