Is Fractal Gear Expensive? It's a Matter of Perspective

TG3K

TG3K

Fractal Fanatic
I hear from a lot of my guitar player friends that the Axe-Fx is too expensive for their tastes. I'm sure we've all heard it. And yet, many of these same people will be waiting in line to buy this.

OK, I get it that it's a special anniversary set, and the pedals are adjusted by hand to replicate the 40 year old originals, but really? $900 for three stomp boxes?

I have a pro player friend who I believe owns every pedal Robert Keeley ever made. Great products, indeed. But I have to roll my eyes a bit when he tells me the AFX is too expensive for him.
 
In the guitar world, reproductions of vintage "originals" are more desireable than modern implementations of quality. Imagine how much more they could charge for them if they dragged them across the parking lot to "relic" them. :)
 
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Let's see... 200+ amps, hundreds of cabs, dozens of effects, ability to modify, etc. I'm pretty sure that the price tag of all of that gear in the real world would be a bit more than the Fractal. Personally, if my FAS gear went kaput... I would buy it again.
 
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I first saw the Axe-Fx back in 2010. I saw a bunch of people raving about it on a forum. Had just sold my junky Link 6 Pod Pro rig and upgraded to a Mesa Rectifier that I really liked. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the price. Swore I would never buy something that expensive... Ended up with an Axe-Fx II only a year later. :laughing:
 
I bought the Boss PH-1 when it was introduced. Totally authentic vintage. It was the worst phase shifter I've ever owned. I thought the EH Small Stone blew it away. Boss made pedals that were mechanically fantastic, but I hated the way many of them sounded.
 
Funny about the axe is when you watch a rig rundown or something like that and the GAS kicks in you just start your ax8/axe fx and program a preset with the stuff mentioned. Before owning a fractal it was all about researching the stuff looking at prices and then selling a lot of the stuff after testing.
All other people still think modelling is bad because it's modelling. They even deny to test it. Instead they buy expensive pedal and convince themselfes they are worth their price.
I never understood metalhead playing a clean fender amp with 2 or even 3 distortion pedals in front but these guys exist everywhere.
 
It was my experience with building & modding analog circuits that was partially responsible for my switch to Fractal. There is nothing in *any pedal ever made* that could make it cost >$20 to manufacture in volume. Most could be built in for <$10. There is nothing in *any tube head ever made* that could make it cost >$350 to manufacture in volume. Most are built for a lot less.

Everything else is marketing. Voodoo & "authenticity" will always have a market. It plays to our vanity. There will always be a camp that says, "Modellers are just fancy computers right? What's authentic about that, Yech!!"

My GAS is gone, and my soldering iron has stayed mostly cold for the last 4 years. That is priceless. Thanks, Cliff!
 
That it's worth it is self evident. It's not even debatable.

Whether you LIKE it or not is another issue. Others will disagree, and say that their amp combo with a few pedals blows it away. I haven't seen that instance where I've actually agreed with them. But as a reference, I read an interview with Sister Hazel's Ryan Newell (who used to be an endorsee), and he said that AMP/Pedals just felt right to him. It's not an indictment on Modelers, just what he's comfortable with. I suspect most naysayers and 'ticket shock' complainers are the same way...but are less inclined to admit it.

And then there are those who say 'If I spent that much money...it should bloody well program itself to my sound'.... Sigh. Heavy sigh. Kiloton sigh.
 
I can totally understand if someone just prefers the sound and feel of a real amp and cab. We all dial everything in to feel right to us, and if you have *the one* that inspires you, then have at it! But I think that between FAS, Kemper, Helix, Amplitube, Softube, Bias, etc nowadays that anyone who dismisses modeling w/out actually trying it is just missing the point. Try it with an open mind. If it's not for you, then it's not.

Even if I just added up the amps and fx I actually use regularly - 8-10 amps/cabs, 5-6 drives, assorted fx - it would still cost WAY more to buy those real world. If I had access to all those devices and could dial them in just where I wanted them, maybe I'd prefer them over my AFX - or maybe not. But I'm inspired almost every time I plug in. There may be another level of tonal awesomeness that I'm just not even aware of, but so be it :)
 
I don't have any experience with the fractal units but I want a fx ii xl... I was recently given a truck (for work only) by my employer (city water dept.) I am planning to sell my truck (main ride) to fund the purchase. I'll just use my wife's car otherwise. I think fractal gear is expensive and my wife definitely lets me know when she sees me researching haha. I'd say it's at least desirable enough to pay the large price tag, but with everything built in you can easily spend way too much chasing other gear so maybe it's worth it. If it turns out to work for me then I'll be selling my cab, 7 string, and some pedals to fund a foot controller and frfr solution.
 
Price is never a matter of taste, and vice versa.

When I hear someone say anything is too expensive, all I have to do is ask how much money they literally burned or pissed away on cigarettes or beer in a given year. There's your Fractal fund right there.

Cigarettes cost an average $5.51/pack in the U.S in 2014. A pack a day smoker therefore spends an average $2,011.15 per year (2,016.66+ on a leap year, the next of which will be 2020).
 
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I've had single amps that cost more. It's a silly argument, or at best uninformed. To each his own. I've no problem with someone who likes a $100 amp and two $50 pedals any more than I mind someone riding a bicycle to work. But don't insinuate I'm wasting money on my truck and Axe FX... it's worth it to me!

And btw... I can say I have an Anniversary model. I've had mine for over a year. :)
 
cronerror said:
It was my experience with building & modding analog circuits that was partially responsible for my switch to Fractal. There is nothing in *any pedal ever made* that could make it cost >$20 to manufacture in volume. Most could be built in for <$10. There is nothing in *any tube head ever made* that could make it cost >$350 to manufacture in volume. Most are built for a lot less.

Everything else is marketing. Voodoo & "authenticity" will always have a market. It plays to our vanity. There will always be a camp that says, "Modellers are just fancy computers right? What's authentic about that, Yech!!"
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I fully agree. But you try to tell that to other people and they will become angry. When you into a hype the last thing you want to hear is that your expensive emperor wears no clothes. I told people those things, I quickly learned to keep my mouth shut. I'd sooner say that I'm a member of ISIS then tell people who are passionate about their boutique gear what's inside all those those expensive things they hold so dear.

As for Fractal Gear being expensive, it is. It bloody is. Is it worth it? Yeah, but it's still expensive. Unless you earn decent money.

Thing is, a €300 overdrive pedal is expensive too, so is a boutique pedal board. But you don't buy that all at once. You buy in incrementally, thus the pain is felt less then the €3500 I had to shell out for an Axe FX and MFC all at once. Again, totally worth it. Money well spent. But still a big pain because to me that's like three months worth of salary.

And ironically it was even more expensive because I was not buying €300 overdrives, I built them for less then €20 in parts. Most of my pedal board was DIY.
 
It is all about perspective indeed....I told a couple of players who were checking my AX8 out last weekend that I consider the Fractal offerings the best bargain and bang for your buck ever. The AX8 really blew a few guys away by it's sound, versatility, portability, ease of use live....and simple, quick, clean, setup (and teardown).

Ultimately any FAS system is waaaay cheaper (and infinitely more simple, versatile, and easy to use) then a conventional rig (tube amp, cab, pedals, cabling, etc.) IMO/IME....so no, I don't consider anything from FAS to be too expensive, quite the opposite in fact.
 
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Check out the price of the John Mayer PRS J-MOD 100 amp head ......... now for what it is I think that's expensive ....... and a complete rip off IMO Mr Smith. That company should be re-named PTB
 
For the price of a pack of smokes and a cup of coffee you can have an Axe-FX II XL+ and save a child.

Unless you earn decent money.
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I know plenty of people that make jack squat money but they're still outside on their break smoking them cigarettes talkin' about how they have no money.

And it's Friday night and those same dudes are at the bar or the club, getting faced on overpriced Bud longnecks and not getting laid anyway, when they could have a XL+.

It's all about the choices you make.
 
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USMC_Trev said:
For the price of a pack of smokes and a cup of coffee you can have an Axe-FX II XL+ and save a child.

I know plenty of people that make jack squat money but they're still outside on their break smoking them cigarettes talkin' about how they have no money.

And it's Friday night and those same dudes are at the bar or the club, getting faced on overpriced Bud longnecks and not getting laid anyway, when they could have a XL+.

It's all about the choices you make.
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Thing is though, those are very small reasonable costs on a daily basis. Yeah, together they add up over time, but when you're living on a tight budget your plan would mean denying yourself a lot of life's pleasures that make life bearable for a long time. It's all about choosing between instant and delayed gratification. And its hard living like a monk when all your friends aren't. Because humans are after all social animals.

So, yeah, while totally worth it, Fractal gear is expensive as shit, unless you have extreme dedication or plenty of disposable income. Hell, if I could I'd order two more, a backup in my rack, and one at home, so I don't have to haul my rack up 3 stairs (as I got no elevator in my building). But I just don't see it happening in the foreseeable future.
 
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