Now that the III is out, future support for the II??

W

woodbutcher65

Inspired
I'm sure this is a question that many Axe-FX II users have considered.

At what point can we expect that further development on the II will stop, with all future development being focused on the III instead?

Sure, who wouldn't want a III if they could afford it? But I've never yet put together a patch that even pushes near the CPU limits on the II so it'd be an indulgence I neither can justify nor afford at this time.
 
Such questions will continue to pop up, because many forum members don't follow every discussion and don't visit the forum on a daily basis. I couldn't have provided those two links @yek posted, I would have had to look for them for maybe hours.

Would it make sense to create a closed thread which provides such links? This thread would be sticked to the top of every subforum, so maybe such threads wouldn't get posted in the first place. Additionally we would have an easy to find thread to link to in case they still pop up.

Just an idea :)
 
axifist said:
Such questions will continue to pop up, because many forum members don't follow every discussion and don't visit the forum on a daily basis. I couldn't have provided those two links @yek posted, I would have had to look for them for maybe hours.

Would it make sense to create a closed thread which provides such links? This thread would be sticked to the top of every subforum, so maybe such threads wouldn't get posted in the first place. Additionally we would have an easy to find thread to link to in case they still pop up.

Just an idea :)
Click to expand...

If someone doesn’t see several other threads in the same topic which are on the first page of the forum sti, why would they be any more likely to the closed thread ?

It’s essentially a question of if one just posts a new thread or if one first looks for the information. Certainly at times one can search and find nothing, especially if discussed long ago, but in this case it would be pretty hard to miss with just a quick glance so unlikely to make a difference.

That all being said, I don’t think there is a concrete idea of exactly where the II will stop. Cliff seems to still be updating things, but also said he’s unwilling to add some III features even if it’s technically capable. So has he said he won’t ever touch it again and it is what it is ? No, but there also isn’t a promise of 2 more years, so to speak
 
@woodbutcher65 may not be familiar with the search function, as a new member.

Go to the search window in the top right of this page, and enter Support II III and you will get a bunch of posts relating to support where the II and III are mentioned. I think it'll answer your questions better than a post here might. You can vary the search until it gets what you want.

Development will eventually cease for the platform, but keep in mind that doesn't make it like a "Mission Impossible" message... it won't self destruct then. It will continue to sound as good as it does at the last firmware from then on. Considering that it sounds awesome right now, it will continue to sound awesome from then on. As I've pointed out before, my 1964 Super Reverb hasn't seen anything from Fender in well over 50 years. It still has as many usable tones as it did when they last saw it. That's a good way to think about this.
 
It was not my intent to create a superfluous thread. I did look around for what might be the same subject and didn't see it. Close? Yes. But not the same one. I'm not asking specifically if Axe III firmware will be ported to the II so I didn't go into that topic. However if I do have that question, I know that topic already exists.

Thanks for the informative links. I'll read them all the way through.

Now, as for firmware updates, when I got my II (very recently) I'd already installed fractalbot and gotten the quantum 9.04 firmware downloaded to my computer. As soon as I powered up the II and spent a minute verifying that it was working, I plugged in the cable, hit the button and did the firmware update. The process was as easy as it could be. My only concern was the possibility of the power company choosing that time to interrupt power to my house. But that didn't happen.
 
woodbutcher65 said:
It was not my intent to create a superfluous thread. I did look around for what might be the same subject and didn't see it. Close? Yes. But not the same one. I'm not asking specifically if Axe III firmware will be ported to the II so I didn't go into that topic. However if I do have that question, I know that topic already exists.

Thanks for the informative links. I'll read them all the way through.

Now, as for firmware updates, when I got my II (very recently) I'd already installed fractalbot and gotten the quantum 9.04 firmware downloaded to my computer. As soon as I powered up the II and spent a minute verifying that it was working, I plugged in the cable, hit the button and did the firmware update. The process was as easy as it could be. My only concern was the possibility of the power company choosing that time to interrupt power to my house. But that didn't happen.
Click to expand...
So you are asking about device support, not updates?

If so, I would guess at least 3 years from the time the last new Axe Fx II is sold. I think this because they offer an optional 3 year warranty.

However, my suspicion is it will probably be longer.
 
To find a company with as much customer support as FAS is rare. Historically, FAS has demonstrated a tremendous focus on past customers, and present customers. That should assure them of future customers. As the platforms have evolved, FAS has faithfully demonstrated ongoing support for their older platforms. Yes, eventually, they stop releasing updates for the old platforms, but it has never been sudden or unexpected. Personally, I think FAS customer service goes to 11. That's more than 10 idinit? It goes to 11.
 
There may also simply be an upper end of what Fractal can realistically do to keep upgrading the 2. Cliff was already highly generous in working overtime to develop parallel updates for the original/MK II and the XL/XL+. To expect him and the company to now have three separate development processes to accommodate machines that are now the better part of a decade-old is unrealistic.
 
profusion said:
To expect him and the company to now have three separate development processes to accommodate machines that are now the better part of a decade-old is unrealistic.
Click to expand...

I don't necessarily consider it unrealistic as he seemed to indicate there may be more development.
 
Last edited:
Jason Scott said:
I don't necessarily consider it unrealistic as he seemed to indicate there may be more development.
Click to expand...

Undoubtedly, but I doubt it will be anything like the pace of prior development, where every XL+ update also had a corresponding Mk I/Mk II upgrade (even if not with all the features). I expect that there will only be a few more significant upgrades for the 2...and that's okay. It's not like it has any real weaknesses at this point. If anyone isn't getting great tones out of the 2 at this point, it's certainly not the fault of the machine.
 
Hi Musikron,

You are going to LOVE the II - OMG - just the differences in the last 5 years have been amazing. let alone the difference between the Ultra and the current version II.
Thanks
Pauly

Musikron said:
Soon as it’s left alone I’ll buy a IIxl. Don’t wanna deal with updates myself. Still on an ultra because I hate the updates. And afx3 is years off for me because of that. One mans treasure is another mans trash. I’m happy.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom