Sell AX8 for AxeFXII, or wait for III....

ChainOfThought

ChainOfThought

Experienced
I love my ax8, but I don't play live and I would get much better use out of an axefx. I rehearse weekly with another guitarist, we pretty much play death metal. He plays through a regular MkIV rig & I run the ax8 through a matrix & some cabs. So far for recording I've been mic'ing his cab & running out2 from the ax8 through a cab block & into the interface. So here's what I want to do...

My guitar runs through the main input through Drive > amp > chorus > reverb > delay > [cab > out1 + straight to out2]
+
DI from other guitarist runs through drive2 > amp2 > cab2 > out3

I think this is pretty basic for an AxeFx2 yeah? Even a Mk1 should be able to do this without too much huffing & puffing? The recordings are just for getting the rehearsals 'down on paper' easily, so the tone doesn't have to be 100% perfect or anything...so I'm not worried about having room for EQ's and filters and all that madness.

Of course I'm super tempted to try and wait for an axefxIII instead, but with gear I've sold so far + selling the ax8, I could pretty easily snag an AxeII-mk1, or maybe luck out on an XL+ and I think it would absolutely do the job I need it to until sometime in the future when the III is both easier to get, and easier for me to afford.

Guess I'm just seeing what the opinions are on this corner of the board, since I know most on the AX8 section will say keep the ax8 it does everything you need it to...to which I constantly reply 'yes, its the absolutely perfect live tool...BUT I DON'T PLAY LIVE' which usually just gets more replies of 'but its so much more portable and so perfect for gigging' until we're all blue in the face.

So, ideal scenario would be buy an AxeFXIII like its no big deal...not gonna happen.
Second best would be buy an AxeFXII and keep the AX8...chances of this are slim but I'm trying to make it happen.
And then the toss-up is sell the AX8 for an AxeFXII, or keep the AX8 until I can afford an AxeFXIII (might be another year or two to be able to purchase outright without selling anything)
 
Yeah thats why I'm so tempted haha. I've seen XL+ as low as 1300-1400, Mk1 as low as 1100$. Having to balance between 'I already have a perfect sounding rig why do anything different // An AxeFX2 will make so many things so much easier with regards to recording etc // I want the newest latest and greatest and I want it now'
 
But, but, the AX8 is perfect for all of your gigs! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Sounds to me like the AFX II would be a nice step up for your needs, and it truly is a buyer's market for those right now.
 
You should hold off until I list my Axe-FX II Mk1 for sale and then buy it immediately after I list it for sale.

Just trying to help. LOL!!
 
Haha, yeah, I'm pretty sure the II is what I'm gonna go for. I'm trying to sell off a few other random things to raise the funds to keep the ax8, but if it comes down to it, I'll probably just try and sell the ax8 to drum up the funds and grab whatever I can. Definitely would prefer an XL+/MFC package, but the lowest I've seen that priced is 1750, 1100ish for a Mk1 by itself will be a lot easier to come up with.

Anywho...thanks for the input. I guess its basically a no-brainer anyways.

edit: feel free to pm me the price you're each thinking about listing & if you know when you might throw it up...if its just what I'm looking for then it might just give me the goal to build up to & we can call it a mutually beneficial plan ;)
 
I’m in precisely the opposite boat - have an XL and MFC rig, but don’t utilize it for recording at all. The thought of lightening the load by not lugging a rack to gigs is really appealing.

If the AX8 was available when I bought the XL, I probably would have gone that route. But after a few years with it, I’m afraid to change - kind of a paralysis by analysis scenario.
 
Yeah I'm afraid to sell the ax8 outright to swap for an XL/MFC, so I'm trying to offload enough other random gear so that I can afford to have both of them....but then at the same time I'm kind of guessing that I'll end up not using the ax8 much at all after I have an XL anyways.

Also, paralysis by analysis could be the name of my first solo album hahahaha
 
I found that after I got my AX8 I actually hardly ever powered up my II rig, unless I had something very specific I needed it for. The AX8 form factor, and the per preset foot switch assignments, had me typically just plugging into it more times than not.

Its as convientant as just plugging in a cord, flipping a switch, and having some great tones right at my feet. My II was in a rack so I had to power it all up, patch in either my wireless or cord, choose if I wanted to monitor through my studio monitors or into my analog mixer which then routes into my CLR's as well, and then I'd typically want to open Axe-Edit, get out the MFC etc etc.

In the middle of a project its not a problem at all, but lately I've been trying to clean up the music area of my home, so not as much stuff is left laid out as I used to. AX8 I just lean up on its side next to my desk, nice and out of the way, and its just go "grab and go" I can take it over to buddies places etc.

Certainly lots to be said for a II or III still, but the AX8 all in one form factor has proven to be pretty handy for casual type usage.
 
Yeah, see I run my rig at a rehearsal space through a poweramp & cabs. So I already have the rack to power up, nothing new there. I typically carry the AX8 home so I have to plug in power & in/out cables there. I pretty much set up every preset the exact same anyways, so per-preset switching isn't an issue for me. Etc Etc...

It would be really nice to keep the AX8 and have it for home use, moving into a new house in a few weeks where I'll finally have a dedicated music area. But I'm also honestly just as good using an old combo amp I have instead, so keeping it or selling it is really no big deal, just makes the at-home practicing more fun if I can keep it.

And the very specific thing I need it for, is being able to run my normal signal through the poweramp & cabs, also run me through a cab block and into the computer, also simultaneously run a DI signal from the other guitarist through the other amp & cab blocks straight to the computer.

Portability also isn't a great issue for me. If I do get an axe2 with MFC, I would just about never bring the MFC home from the rehearsal space, only reason for that would be if there's any programming or anything I would need to do at some point without killing time at the space. Carrying a 4u rack isn't much different to me than carrying the ax8 pedalboard, and the setup/teardown is about the same...2 or 3 cables and a power switch. If I were gigging, it'd be one thing, but I'm not, so its not really a thing for me.

I'm 100% on board with all the greatness that is the ax8 and understand why its so perfect for so many, but for me the axefx just fits my needs better. If I can keep the ax8 it would be phenomenal, but not for any justifiable reason...just for the sake of having a better sound at home & being able to duplicate my rehearsal rig at the house.

I think I just convinced myself to go ahead and post the AX8 for sale hahaha. //apologies for ramblingo_O
 
I also love my AX8 but having owned it for all of 5 weeks I was tempted by an secondhand Axe FX 2 and MFC 101 at a price I just couldn’t ignore so made the jump at the weekend.

I’m in the UK and it seems prices of the FX2 are falling slowly in response to the 3 coming down the pipe. AX8 prices do seem to be holding up really well so my total cost to upgrade to what I’d like to think will be my only rig for the next few years was a couple of hundred pounds so I’m happy.
 
If money isn't a big issue, do note that Axe 3 is future proof, so go for Axe 3.
Axe 2, while it does sound great as is, will make you wonder what it's like having the next gen unit all the time...
 
Wound up selling and committing to buy an XL+ with mfciii and anther ev1. Can't pass up the deal I'm getting.

I was definitely tempted to wait for the 3, but without knowing how much the switch will cost and the unit itself already well enough over budget that I couldn't quite commit to it. Anyways the 2 does absolutely everything I need it to and I love the tone already. Eventually I'll upgrade, but I think there's a pretty good chance I won't take a loss at all when it's time to sell again anyways.

Now I just have to kill time until Saturday morning when I meet the seller.
 
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