Looking to buy Axe fx3 BUT!!!!!

I don't understand the constant worry of obsolescence. Maybe it's because I'm cheap and always a generation behind, but even my mk1 AxeFX II still has amazing potential, and I know someone that happily uses their standard from about a decade and a half ago, with no plans to get rid of. Modelling tech, especially FAS, is so good nowadays that it just doesn't get "obsolete." A laptop may get obsolete because it's not powerful to run the modern software you use, but in the world of audio, if it sounds good it is good. When the IV comes out (in a decade maybe?) the III won't suddenly sound bad. It'll still sound just as good as it did, which is the best modeler of its time.

Don't let fear of maybe something slightly better coming out in a decade stop you from getting something you'll enjoy now.
 
I never understood the worry about whether or not gear related purchases were going to retain value. Seems you can count on one hand what gear is a solid investment in that context. IMHO, the value is what you get out of it while you own it. Not what you get out of it when/if you sell it :p.

There are plenty of people making excellent sounding music with every generation of AxeFx today. It’s not an iPhone where Cliff is going to throttle you into submission so you buy the latest and greatest. Get it! Enjoy it! :)
 
iaresee said:
Credit card? Quadpay? PayPal? Afterpay? Plenty of options to do this yourself.
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I also think there's a return policy as well if you want to try it out?
Frosted Flake said:
I guess my fear of plunking down on the fx3/controller is both price and the fear of near-future obsolescence.
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Apart from your objection on price (which is understandable, I can only see this other objection. You prob have amps and other pedals way older than the Axe III - have those become obsolete? :)
 
Morphine said:
I never understood the worry about whether or not gear related purchases were going to retain value. Seems you can count on one hand what gear is a solid investment in that context. IMHO, the value is what you get out of it while you own it. Not what you get out of it when/if you sell it :p.

There are plenty of people making excellent sounding music with every generation of AxeFx today. It’s not an iPhone where Cliff is going to throttle you into submission so you buy the latest and greatest. Get it! Enjoy it! :)
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I guess i see it differently. if i wait some small but known quantity of time I can get all the latest widgets for approximately the same amount of money. I also get plenty of time until the next product comes out so i get my use out of the one i purchased. Like cars for example. The only way i'll buy a car at the end of a model year is if i get a significant discount.

Given Moore's Law is 18 months.. If I get 2 times that out of a product b4 I have to retire it or replace it with something newer...that puts me at having something like this for 3 years until I replace it with axefx4. if I have to replace it sooner with 4 because i dont want to eat into that new timespan with the axe fx4....

While i firmly believe that fractal is the way to go, I just hope i get 3 yeas b4 the new one comes out, which will force the value of what i currently have down for resale.
 
Psykopsilocybin said:
I also think there's a return policy as well if you want to try it out?

Apart from your objection on price (which is understandable, I can only see this other objection. You prob have amps and other pedals way older than the Axe III - have those become obsolete? :)
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I see your point... but we are on a digital modeling forum in the age of AI. so, frankly, yes.
 
Gearzilla said:
AX8 didn’t plummet. Took awhile for the IIs to drop off in value.

There’ll be people who buy a generation deep that will like a branded foot controller.
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In my country Axe-Fx II prices dropped a good bit the moment the 3 was revealed (not even available to buy) as many put their IIs on the market. AX8 was in a unique position as it did not have a replacement until the FM3 was launched.

While there are people who will buy a branded foot controller, you will take a massive hit on its price because the number of people willing to buy yours is smaller when it is one brand only.
 
There is one great thing about modelling too, expecially if you are in a covers band or a song writer. 1 box does everything, from preset to preset. No patch cables, tube fails or fancy tap dancing, no settings to remember, patching changes......just store everything per song per present.

Hit 1 button and you have 80s (it does a fantastic JCM800) , 90s, 50s, it really doesn't matter, it is there....with some tweaking.

The one thing I really love about modelling is this. I need a certain delay, chorus, overdrive. I no longer need to go on Amazon and buy them at whatever cost, then try to fit them on the pedal board, then provide power, cables and then figure out how I switch them all at the same time mid song.

This was my personal experience when I sold my Kemper and bought an amp (£700). I suddenly needed to buy a good pedal board (£200) a delay, chorus, trem and reverb (£700), then 2 overdrives (£220), now cables (£30) and power (£150), so far that's £2000 and a lot of headaches. Now throw in a boss pedal changer so I can route my pedals before and after the loop and that's £500......so all in all £2500 and I have 1 amp sound and a limited amount of options.......so I bought the Axe, tested it and sold most of my pedals and all of my amps (kept my Jubilee)

My experience has been nothing but positive. It's not the easiest device to program, I can do sod all from the front of the Axe (have not tried to be fair) but from an amp modelling and effects processor, perspective I have heard nothing better.
 
laxu said:
In my country Axe-Fx II prices dropped a good bit the moment the 3 was revealed (not even available to buy) as many put their IIs on the market. AX8 was in a unique position as it did not have a replacement until the FM3 was launched.

While there are people who will buy a branded foot controller, you will take a massive hit on its price because the number of people willing to buy yours is smaller when it is one brand only.
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Not if they are buying my Axefx 3 at the same time.

That’s what I did with the Axefx 2 and MFC101. Cost me $600 to “rent” that rig for 3+ yrs (<$200/yr).
 
Frosted Flake said:
I guess i see it differently. if i wait some small but known quantity of time I can get all the latest widgets for approximately the same amount of money. I also get plenty of time until the next product comes out so i get my use out of the one i purchased. Like cars for example. The only way i'll buy a car at the end of a model year is if i get a significant discount.

Given Moore's Law is 18 months.. If I get 2 times that out of a product b4 I have to retire it or replace it with something newer...that puts me at having something like this for 3 years until I replace it with axefx4. if I have to replace it sooner with 4 because i dont want to eat into that new timespan with the axe fx4....

While i firmly believe that fractal is the way to go, I just hope i get 3 yeas b4 the new one comes out, which will force the value of what i currently have down for resale.
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You may get 2 years, you may get 5 years+ before the next iteration is released. I think the important take aways here are that the sounds you’re getting with the 3 won’t suddenly be unusable when the 4 comes out. And by no means do you have to replace it with the current version unless you simply HAVE to have the latest and greatest gadget at any given time.

A buddy of mine has a similar approach to purchasing stuff and more often than not he winds up with nothing. Won’t buy it when it’s released cause he will never buy a new product at new prices. Waits for a sale. Sale pops up, won’t buy it then cause he suspects the sale means the next upgrade is due to be released soon. New version comes out, won’t buy it cause it’s new and new pricing. Will wait for sale… also won’t buy the old version cause now it’s old and outdated. Never ending loop!

To each their own obviously. But given how often this subject comes up, I don’t think there’s any amount of input people here can provide that will ultimately make people change their perception of value and product cycles.
 
You’ll see many of the people on the forum upgrading through the Axe-FX/Axe-FX Ultra/Axe-FX II/Axe-FX III chain. Over the past 12 years, I’ve owned the last three in that series, and upgrading twice cost me very little because I take care of my gear, and the resell value is so high.

I never at any point felt at any point that my investment had depreciated; the constant R&D and firmware upgrades keep me feeling (as someone else said) that Christmas comes every other month. That constant astonishment at what Cliff & Co. keep achieving may be largely invisible to a new potential customer, but it quickly became continuous added value we’ve all come to rely on.

I started a lifetime of of major electronic music/instrument purchases back in the early ’70s, and I've never stopped. It’s been nearly 50 years, and in that entire time not a single company, even others I’ve loved, has come close to the constant dividend of added value that Fractal’s products continue to display.

As you spend more time on the forums, you’re going to see a lot of very satisfied customers. Fractal Audio is waaaay mere reliable than the stock market.
 
I think any analogy related to cars isn't a good one. Buy the newest, latest, and you risk getting stuck with teething problems, not to mention the depreciation hit as soon as you drive it off the lot. Neither is true with AF3.

Plus, the processing power doubled from the Axe2, the preset storage just doubled from the Mark I, and even when stringing lots of effects together, you still have a nice cushion before you'll start to run into CPU use instability issues. Therefore, I seriously doubt the AF3 will get eclipsed any time soon (and eclipsed is really too strong of a word anyway.)

I too was hesitant on dropping over 2 grand on this unit. But when I compared it to all the effects I'd need to purchase separately to do what I wanted it to do (be a multi-effects unit; the modelling is icing on the cake for me), it was an easy decision.
 
Fractal values never plummet. Go look at the value of a use Axe Ultra.
I dare you to find another piece of digital gear that holds it's value as well as the Fractal line up.
 
Realistically you're looking at at least another 2-3 years with the current spec and as many others have said, Fractal stuff certainly keeps its value. I think you'll be waiting forever if you're second guessing its longevity. The number of tonal options is unrivalled so I would take the plunge as soon as you can. Good luck!
 
On the topic of the next Axe, my guess is the III MkII will be around for awhile, with possibly another mid generation update before the IV. The II had the II, the MkII, the XL, and the XL+, so Fractal may follow the same cycle with the III.

I think the Axe is the greatest music gear purchase I have ever made! I am inspired to play every day, and I think that alone makes it worth the price to me personally.
 
Funny — we get a post like this about every 90 days. Dive in. The water is super-fine and you won’t regret it for a second — unless, of course, you’re in a committed relationship and available time to play is a factor in maintaining that relationship… 😉
 
laxu said:
Only the resale value will plummet if a new product gets released. The old ones will sound just as good as they ever did.

I can't recommend the FC foot controllers due to their high cost and the fact that they will only work with Fractal units, with no guaranteed support for an Axe-Fx IV.
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I CAN recommend the FCs, I have an FC 12 and it's easily the best foot controller I've owned (previously owned Ground Control Pro, MFC-101, a few others). It's pricey, but you get what you pay for with Fractal.
 
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