Newbie - buy discounted Axe Fx II or III??

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bugsysiegals

Member
I bought a Slash Signature Series Epiphone with Line 6 Pod X3 Live and Line 6 Spider Valve 212 several years ago and have only recently had time to start practicing on a more regular basis. I’ve been playing Rocksmith 2014, am getting fairly good on several songs, and my goal is to someday play at church.

That said, the $500 Pod X3 Live was pretty much a waste as I hardly used it and now it’s not worth much. I don’t want to make the same mistake again and I wonder whether it would be a waste for me to buy the Axe Fx III at this point, even if I continue to practice regularly, because I’m not skilled enough to take advantage of all it offers over the II, and by the time I’m skilled enough it would be down in price. Or perhaps it would be better to buy the III so as I get better over the next few years I’ll have a unit that outshines the II and won’t have to go through the process of selling it and possibly having it worth substantially less.

For those of you who have more experience who’ve been where I am now at one point in time, does it make more sense to get a good deal on a II while people are willing to discount theirs as they chase after the III or buy the III to begin with?
 
How close are you to being comfortable playing live at a performance? You don’t need an Axe-Fx just for that I’m sure. Do you have any experience with real amps? I think that is a better thing to learn first before going to something as expensive as an Axe or Helix, for example.

The things you learn from using a real amp translate directly to the Axe platform. I’ve seen too many people buy a modeler of some sort and have no clue what Gain or Treble does because they have never used a real amp.
 
Depends what you want out of it. I think good tone will help anyone regardless of skill level. As long as you plan to continue playing both are a good investment. If you can afford it I would recommend waiting for the three. If you want to save some money get a 2 and still have great tone minus the interface and other improvements.
 
chris said:
How close are you to being comfortable playing live at a performance? You don’t need an Axe-Fx just for that I’m sure. Do you have any experience with real amps? I think that is a better thing to learn first before going to something as expensive as an Axe or Helix, for example.

The things you learn from using a real amp translate directly to the Axe platform. I’ve seen too many people buy a modeler of some sort and have no clue what Gain or Treble does because they have never used a real amp.
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I do not intend to play live for several years and only intend to practice in my basement studio for now. I like the idea of the rack mounted gear as I have a Motu Traveler in my desk and I figure I can someday mount it in something portable.

I’d like to be able to dial in similar tones to any songs I learn from Rocksmith. As far as experience with amps is concerned, my experience is limited to the Line 6 Spider Valve modeling amp which on its lowest setting is playable but pretty loud for practicing.
 
I think you should get the III only so you don’t feel like you should have gotten the III later.

Other than that, both units will probably get you the same results if you are just practicing.
 
I don't think you need a ton of experience with REAL amps to benefit from an amp modeler. With the Fractal gear , at least you will hear what the actual amp is SUPPOSED to sound like , unlike the Line6 boxes and others that are out there.
I think having played a pile of different amps ; prior to owning Fractal gear , will give you an appreciation for how great it really is.
It's a great time to save money with a II. If you don't mind waiting on the wait list , and can afford it , the III is going to be the very top of the line unit for years. The II has been good enough to satisfy professional artists for years , and it currently has the best sound yet , so I would think it should meet your approval as well.
Kinda comes down to your budget , and your urgency to buy. You've got great options.
( Sorry for over use of the word GREAT )
 
1poorplayer said:
I don't think you need a ton of experience with REAL amps to benefit from an amp modeler. With the Fractal gear , at least you will hear what the actual amp is SUPPOSED to sound like , unlike the Line6 boxes and others that are out there.
I think having played a pile of different amps ; prior to owning Fractal gear , will give you an appreciation for how great it really is.
It's a great time to save money with a II. If you don't mind waiting on the wait list , and can afford it , the III is going to be the very top of the line unit for years. The II has been good enough to satisfy professional artists for years , and it currently has the best sound yet , so I would think it should meet your approval as well.
Kinda comes down to your budget , and your urgency to buy. You've got great options.
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If you are just learning guitar any decent hardware or software modeler or low priced two channel tube amp is fine.
FWIW- Jeff Beck did a CD using a Line 6 Pod for some of it.

Your gear is fine. Having an AXE FX II or AXE FX III will not necessarily make you a better player. They might make you want to play more which will make you a better player.
Your Line 6 stuff is decent and there are very usable amps and effects in it. I used their products for years.


That said- if you are looking to move into state of the art - there are plenty of nice deals right now on AXE FX II's.
The XLs and XL+ units will still get firmware updates for years and have more options than most people will use in their lifetimes.
 
Lkdog said:
If you are just learning guitar any decent hardware or software modeler or low priced two channel tube amp is fine.
FWIW- Jeff Beck did a CD using a Line 6 Pod for some of it.

Your gear is fine. Having an AXE FX II or AXE FX III will not necessarily make you a better player. They might make you want to play more which will make you a better player.
Your Line 6 stuff is decent and there are very usable amps and effects in it. I used their products for years.


That said- if you are looking to move into state of the art - there are plenty of nice deals right now on AXE FX II's.
The XLs and XL+ units will still get firmware updates for years and have more options than most people will use in their lifetimes.
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The OP's question was - Axe-Fx II or III , not whether or not he NEEDED it to learn to play guitar.
 
1poorplayer said:
The OP's question was - Axe-Fx II or III , not whether or not he NEEDED it to learn to play guitar.
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I did answer his question.
He doesn't need to buy either. There is nothing wrong with his Line 6 gear. If you have never used it you might not know. He thinks it is bad because it is 9-10 years old. The Line 6 gear from that era was not that far behind the Axe Standard and Ultra modeling.

If he wants to buy the Axe Fx gear by all means have at it and if he has the cash, get an Axe 3.
I also stated that there are great deals on Axe 2s right now and reality is they are likely more hardware than he will ever use.
 
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bugsysiegals said:
...and my goal is to someday play at church.
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If you really want to someday play in church, get to know the people who are playing there now. That will open doors for you. Don't worry that you're "not good enough." You're good enough to share your dreams with them. And no one felt like they were good enough the first time they played with other musicians.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

I’ve not been overly thrilled with the tone from either of my Line 6 products. As I watch videos of the Axe Fx there seems to be way more clarity than I hear from my Pod or Spider Valve thus my thought to sell them, move to the Axe Fx, and play through my HS8 monitors if I need to play louder than headphones.

I’m not in a hurry and can wait. I just wonder if at this stage I’d be better to buy a discounted II with intention to sell it in a few years for the III or to go straight for the III now. Perhaps the discount on II and what I can resell and buy the III for down the road makes more financial sense, or perhaps not.

How low might these XL’s sell for?
 
Rex said:
If you really want to someday play in church, get to know the people who are playing there now. That will open doors for you. Don't worry that you're "not good enough." You're good enough to share your dreams with them. And no one felt like they were good enough the first time they played with other musicians.
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I’m already helping to run the sound board and they know I play drums and a little guitar. They already said they’d love to have more guitar, I’m just waiting until I feel good enough to not be like Marty Mcfly on stage strumming all the wrong strings sounding like an idiot. LOL.
 
bugsysiegals said:
I’ve not been overly thrilled with the tone from either of my Line 6 products. As I watch videos of the Axe Fx there seems to be way more clarity than I hear from my Pod or Spider Valve thus my thought to sell them, move to the Axe Fx, and play through my HS8 monitors if I need to play louder than headphones.
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If you're not happy with the sound of your current gear, that's reason enough to move on.

Here's my take: You're wondering whether to get an Axe II or spend the extra bucks for for an Axe III. You just recently started to practice seriously. You may not even know whether you'll stick with it. Why not get an AX8 instead? You'll still get state-of-the-art amp modeling, and you'll save yourself $700. You can decide later whether you want the extra horsepower of the Axe III.


bugsysiegals said:
How low might these XL’s sell for?
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Ask someone who claims they can predict the stock market. :)
 
bugsysiegals said:
I’m already helping to run the sound board and they know I play drums and a little guitar. They already said they’d love to have more guitar, I’m just waiting until I feel good enough to not be like Marty Mcfly on stage strumming all the wrong strings sounding like an idiot. LOL.
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Brother, what are you waiting for? If you wait until you feel good enough, you'll still be waiting when someone else runs the sound board at your funeral.

Go ahead. Ask to sit in on a rehearsal. If it makes you feel better, you can tell them that you suck like a room full of Hoovers. Then go and do your best. Whatever happens, I guarantee you'll have fun. There is no experience like the thrill of playing with other musicians.
 
The AX8 would be my first pic for Bugs too , Rex ( It WAS- for me personally ) .I didn't mention it because he said he liked the idea of a rack mount.

What a great way to get into Fractal gear !
 
Between the two choices you mentioned, I'd go with a used XL+. You'll save a good-sized chunk of money, and if you do decide to sell it in the future, the resale value should be pretty close to what you pay now. (I'm guessing within $100 - $150 or so, but that's just a a guess.)

That said, for the eventual plan of playing at your church, I'd suggest taking a long hard look at the AX-8. It'd be much easier to take back and forth between home and church, and being an all-in-one solution, you wouldn't need to also buy a foot controller for your XL+ or III. And it still has the power and great tones of the XL+, which at the present time, is the best you can buy. The AX-8 would serve you for years to come, even if Fractal stopped releasing new firmware for it tomorrow. I know you like having rack-mount stuff at home (I do too), but hauling a rack and foot controller around can get old quickly. The AX-8 is nice and compact, but still stuffed with big tones.

And I'll second Rex's suggestion to just dive in and let the folks at church know you want to play, even if it's just at rehearsals for now. The best way to learn something is to just get in there and do it. And you'll likely have a lot more fun in the learning process. Plus, playing with musicians who have more experience than you can speed up your learning time a lot.
 
If you are sold on Fractal, I'll also suggest the AX8. I play weekly at Church with an AX8 and it's fantastic. Can't beat the floor unit form factor for ease of use and quick setup. I was using the AxeFXII and sold it after getting the AX8. There are limitations, you can only run one amp at a time and the CPU is not as powerful, but the sound is on par with the AxeFX II.

If you have the money available, and you plan to stick with guitar, the AxeFX III will serve you well for years to come. But so with the AxeFX II.

In the end, the best advice is probably to buy the best unit you can responsibly afford. I never recommend going into debt for gear.

Good luck!
 
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