Save up for AX8 or wait for Axe FX 3?

WeepingRed said:
I'm aware of that, but nobody likes the metal zone. I'm just wondering because I actually have an HM-2 for my metal solo project and it'd be nice to have everything inside the Axe FX, but I guess a couple more cables won't bother me too much.
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I actually always like that pedal...I playa lot of styles from blues to shreddy stuff. And I know this pedal gets a bad rap, but there is a reason its in fractalville....
 
Brucegregori said:
I actually always like that pedal...I playa lot of styles from blues to shreddy stuff. And I know this pedal gets a bad rap, but there is a reason its in fractalville....
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I do have one in real life actually, right next to my HM-2 in fact and I gues it really doesn't sound AS bad as people make it seem. I might find a use for it. I've always kind of wanted to try the At the Gates thing where they use an HM-2 as a boost for the Metal Zone, but I need another power supply for that so I might try it with Fractal's version when I get whichever Axe FX product I end up getting.
 
Stratman68 said:
Perhaps the reason you like (need?) 2 amps is because of the VST you have. IOW, one amp and you can have 2 cabs in the ax8 may be even better. JUst sayin
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It's mostly just because I like having 2 different sounds playing at once, admittedly, I've never actually used that for recording so It's mostly just for my own amusement, seeing what weird sounds I can get with different effects on each amp and stuff. I did recently find out that you can use 2 cabs in one block on the AX8 so that's not an issue for me anymore.
 
Stratman68 said:
Perhaps the reason you like (need?) 2 amps is because of the VST you have. IOW, one amp and you can have 2 cabs in the ax8 may be even better. JUst sayin
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I agree...two amps are really good for twins...the eric johnson thing..
But not as good for dirty sounds...to my ears. But two cabs work for sure.
I like having two amps on a preset for different scenes, though. This makes foot tapping much easier. And with the III, and the channel feature, you could almost use a single preset for a show. I just made this preset with an acoustic tube pre amp, a twin, and mesa mark iv. A pretty great all purpose rig.
 
WeepingRed said:
I'm aware of that, but nobody likes the metal zone. I'm just wondering because I actually have an HM-2 for my metal solo project and it'd be nice to have everything inside the Axe FX, but I guess a couple more cables won't bother me too much.
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If you do not like the metal zone you can always add external effects to the axe fx!
 
reini said:
If you do not like the metal zone you can always add external effects to the axe fx!
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I've just googled that, I had no idea it was a feature. So you can have your real pedal as a block in the chain? That's pretty cool.

Never mind, I misread the section.
 
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Brucegregori said:
That would be kind of cool..I have never tried if tone match works this ways just for a pedal...
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I doubt tone match works for a pedal, but I suppose you could get a tone pretty close if you EQ'd a distortion pedal just right. I was just curious, and after reading about it on this forum, I'm nowhere near the only person that wants an HM-2 model in the Axe FX. Either way, I own the real thing so it doesn't really matter. It'd just make things a little easier.
 
WeepingRed said:
I doubt tone match works for a pedal, but I suppose you could get a tone pretty close if you EQ'd a distortion pedal just right. I was just curious, and after reading about it on this forum, I'm nowhere near the only person that wants an HM-2 model in the Axe FX. Either way, I own the real thing so it doesn't really matter. It'd just make things a little easier.
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No I don't think it would but imagine...!

You could run a pedal into a generic clean amp (ala satriani vintage) and capture the pedal (mostly) sound
 
I vote for a used XL plus. They can be had for under $1400 right now. In addition to more hp and dual amps you’ve got tone match and you don’t need an outboard interface to pipe it into your work station. I don’t see the value dropping much more than that so you should be able to get all your money back when you’re ready to upgrade to the 3.
 
Brucegregori said:
No I don't think it would but imagine...!

You could run a pedal into a generic clean amp (ala satriani vintage) and capture the pedal (mostly) sound
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Yeah, that sounds like an interesting idea, I might try that one day.

Tahoebrian5 said:
I vote for a used XL plus. They can be had for under $1400 right now. In addition to more hp and dual amps you’ve got tone match and you don’t need an outboard interface to pipe it into your work station. I don’t see the value dropping much more than that so you should be able to get all your money back when you’re ready to upgrade to the 3.
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Yeah, I guess I could get at least the majority of my money back. The problem is, there's no used XL plusses on sale in the UK, I've looked on Gumtree, eBay, even Reverb and I can't find a single one in the EU. Maybe that'll change when I can actually afford one, but right now it seems impossible.
 
You are absolutely right ... but you have to keep in mind that in Europe the price for an used XL+ is more than $1300! By the way: G66 is selling B-Stock units for 2100 Euros (including a 3 year warrenty). So if you do not need a warrenty I personally would go for a used XL+!
 
You could probably get a forum member to ship one out of the US to you when you’re ready. I’m sure there will be a bunch for sale over the next year
 
Tahoebrian5 said:
You could probably get a forum member to ship one out of the US to you when you’re ready. I’m sure there will be a bunch for sale over the next year
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I would do that but I really don't want to have to deal with customs charges and tax if I can avoid it. If I can't find a used XL+ I'll just go save up for the AXE FX 3.
 
Tahoebrian5 said:
I vote for a used XL plus. They can be had for under $1400 right now. In addition to more hp and dual amps you’ve got tone match and you don’t need an outboard interface to pipe it into your work station. I don’t see the value dropping much more than that so you should be able to get all your money back when you’re ready to upgrade to the 3.
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WeepingRed said:
I would do that but I really don't want to have to deal with customs charges and tax if I can avoid it. If I can't find a used XL+ I'll just go save up for the AXE FX 3.
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Even on used gear we have to pay 25% tax and customs fees to imported goods - it might be a bit different in the UK, but you have to add shipping and insurance for the delivery. So in my opinion if you want a used XL+ the price in Europe is about the same if you include all extra costs.
 
reini said:
Even on used gear we have to pay 25% tax and customs fees to imported goods - it might be a bit different in the UK, but you have to add shipping and insurance for the delivery. So in my opinion if you want a used XL+ the price in Europe is about the same if you include all extra costs.
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On top of shipping costs, we pay 20% VAT, plus handling fees AND customs charges so I would seriously rather avoid all that hassle, unless customs charges were included in the sale price but I'm not really sure how that works. People on eBay do that all the time but it always ends up being like £200-400 more than if I just bought it somewhere else so it's really not worth it.
 
You have range of opportunities here to chose from: Axe Fx II, AX8 and the new III. If you look for a floor unit AX8 is your best option, Rack mount units Axe Fx II and III are the best in regards of the ultimate sound and memory for future upgrades. However, for live you will need to have a pedal board MFC III or the new one for Axe Fx III not released yet. It is yours to choose base on your current and future use/ needs. Good luck with your choice!
 
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