New Axe-Fx III & FCB1010 Owner: Upgrade Chip?

Ugly Bunny

Ugly Bunny

Power User
Just got my FCB1010 yesterday and started learning to program it. I actually got a decent setup already, with a few frustrations. I've heard/read a lot about upgrading firmware chips. Some say you need to, some say not. What are the pros & cons? It seems like basic functions work fine...

Three questions:
1) What is the best/most recent chip and where should I buy it from (domestic, reputable source if possible) and how much am I looking at paying?
2) The FCB1010 manual mentions about "if you're on firmware 1.4..." or whatever... how can I find out what firmware I'm on - does it matter?
3) So, uh... Should I get the upgrade chip?

I'm sure I'll have more questions, but that's it for now.
 
I'm not sure how the Axe III works with the midi....but two popular eprom chips are the Uno and Eureka. I'd suggest a quick search on these here on the forum or on google to see the main differences. I've had Uno and currenty have Eureka which i really love. They're very cheap ($20-$40 if i recall) and easy to install. FCB1010 stock can be a bit of beast to program so having those eproms are worth it
 
I guess I don't really need "full control" - but if there's something I want to do that I just randomly think of, I don't want to be held back, you know?

I remember when I was learning Dream Theater's Breaking All Illusions, there's a part that goes from heavily overdriven to clean, sparkly, and phased - back and forth several times in quick succession with no rest in the notes:



Starts at 5:00 if it doesn't start there automatically for you. Anyway, I started to wonder how I could do that with a pedal board. It couldn't be done. First, I'd have to change amp channels on my Mark V. Then, I'd have to step on a compressor and phaser. I ended up getting a GT-100 and was suddenly able to do this all with one tap! This is a long way of saying that, while I don't require too many weird, specific, or nuanced controls, I also don't want to struggle with things. But I guess struggle is good - I can't believe I learned how to program an FCB1010 in one short evening (~2.5 hours); granted, I've still got quite a ways to go, but I could play a gig with the way it is now :)

Anyway, thanks for your responses. I think I'll try the UnO first and then the Eureka if I think it can do more/better. Hell, I may not even bother installing any since it can already do just about everything I need it to do!
 
decreebass said:
I guess I don't really need "full control" - but if there's something I want to do that I just randomly think of, I don't want to be held back, you know?

I remember when I was learning Dream Theater's Breaking All Illusions, there's a part that goes from heavily overdriven to clean, sparkly, and phased - back and forth several times in quick succession with no rest in the notes:



Starts at 5:00 if it doesn't start there automatically for you. Anyway, I started to wonder how I could do that with a pedal board. It couldn't be done. First, I'd have to change amp channels on my Mark V. Then, I'd have to step on a compressor and phaser. I ended up getting a GT-100 and was suddenly able to do this all with one tap! This is a long way of saying that, while I don't require too many weird, specific, or nuanced controls, I also don't want to struggle with things. But I guess struggle is good - I can't believe I learned how to program an FCB1010 in one short evening (~2.5 hours); granted, I've still got quite a ways to go, but I could play a gig with the way it is now :)

Anyway, thanks for your responses. I think I'll try the UnO first and then the Eureka if I think it can do more/better. Hell, I may not even bother installing any since it can already do just about everything I need it to do!
Click to expand...

If you use the Uno chip, definitely get the Control Center editor. It's going to add $15-20 to your total cost, but it's well worth it.

Also, to answer your question about how you would perform all those changes, the answer is scenes ;)
 
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