Ready to buy.....but

I think your easiest lightest and cheapest choice would be an AX8 plus an EV5 expression pedal. Better than using the Boss as a midi controller for the Axe fx II.
 
all of these points are great and useful and helpful. Its pretty cool to see different points of view, all with valid points, yet everyone is still civil.
I started digging into my GT100 again after discussing this stuff to see just how much I used the dual amp stuff...and that would be a lot. Blending a Fender tweed sound with a Marshall 800 type amp for example creates some really nice unique tones...and that is just on the GT. I can't imagine what having the high end modelling of the fractal stuff could produce, on top of the already delicious preset tones I have heard on some youtube videos. I think I might wait that 6 months or so and go with the fxII and the MFC...so hard to stifle my need for immediate gratification though!!
 
ScotteeeRock said:
...I think I might wait that 6 months or so and go with the fxII and the MFC...so hard to stifle my need for immediate gratification though!!
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Good things come to those who wait. ;) In addition to being a guitarist, I do woodworking as a hobby. I've never regretted buying the best for my needs when it came to tools. But I HAVE regretted buying something less just to save a few dollars or to satisfy my need for immediate gratification. (And I'm an immediate gratification kind of guy bigtime.)
 
One thing to consider with the pedals for live use... if you start out with just expression pedals and cables to connect in to the Ax8 (or MFC-101 if you go with AxeFX II XL+), it is a tiny hassle to disconnect and reconnect everything when you move it for rehearsals or shows. I quickly desired some sort of platform to join the floor unit and pedals so you can leave them pre-cabled and ready to go, to make setup/teardown faster. That can be an extra chunk of change and a bit less portability that you didn't think about when first considering the system. Not a big deal in the long run, but worth factoring in.
 
I, too, was faced with the same quandry you’re facing. I ended up springing for the XL+. I just now finished my first session with my XL+ (arrived Friday) and omg what an amazing piece of gear. I have always been VERY audio-quality conscious and I’m blown away by this device. Expensive, yes, but clearly worth every shekel. I intend to buy a MMGT16 remote ASAP (I have to sell some more gear to afford it).

What flipped me to the XL+ was the fact that it has two 600MHz (I believe) TigerSHARC processors vs. two 450MHz dual-core ADSP 21469 processors in the AX8. My judgement is that the XL+ is simply a better processing platform (it should be for the cost) and will benefit from more/better FAS firmware updates on a long-term basis b/c the TigerSHARCs will provide more horsepower for same. I also don’t accept compromises very well and the XL+ simply has far fewer than the AX8.

I received a FAS comparison document on the two - if you haven’t seen it I can post it here or you can PM me.
 
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