Selling AXE MK II and MFC for an AX8. Is that a vibe?

Rexxyboy

Rexxyboy

Member
2 years a happy AXE FX II and MFC owner for daily home studio use and gigs, love the thing.
Should i take the plunge? Does it sound identical? I can work around only having one amp block and less CPU. The convenience of taking one less heavy case to gigs is a bonus. I'll miss the headphone jack, but i can work around that with a passive headphone amp. I have a Matrix GT1000 amp and the 2 x 12 Matrix cab.

Help me decide Obiwan, you're my only hope!
 
If you'll still be carrying the GT1000 around in a rack, the Axe-Fx II only adds 14.75lbs to that rack.

The MFC is 10lbs while the AX8 is 11.5lbs. So switching from the Axe+MFC to the AX8 is a net weight loss of 13.25lbs. Only you can decide if that's worth the loss of CPU, dual amps, and USB audio interface.
 
I'm in the process of making the switch.

I'll be able to cut my rig down to guitar in one hand, pedalboard (AX8 + EV-1) in the other and maybe a messenger bag over the shoulder with some extra leads and guitar stand. Setup time should also be faster too as I just need to take the lid of the pedalboard and plug everything in.

Bonus is not having to find a spot for the rack unit whilst still being able to run the necessary leads. A couple of times I've been limited as where I wanted to place the rack I couldn't due to the midi/guitar lead not being long enough to reach back to the rack. Another bonus is being able to tweak easily as everything is on the floor right in front of you. With the AFX I like to hide the rack out of sight, but then it becomes a mission to make adjustments.

I did toy with the idea of trying to streamline my AFX rig with a lighter rack case etc, but I still would've struggled to get it down to one load in/out without a trolley, plus I really liked the idea of having everything accessible in front of me and also doing away with the comms cable between MFC and AFX as that is yet another cable to potentially cause issues and carry a spare.
 
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Many people seem to overlook that the CAB block is severely crippled in Ax8. You can only load IT's and add proximity. Preamp simulation, air, de-phase, and microphone simulation are all missing.

I never had these options, so I don't miss them, but if you use these things, it's worth considering.
 
Rexxyboy said:
2 years a happy AXE FX II and MFC owner for daily home studio use and gigs, love the thing.
Should i take the plunge? Does it sound identical? I can work around only having one amp block and less CPU. The convenience of taking one less heavy case to gigs is a bonus. I'll miss the headphone jack, but i can work around that with a passive headphone amp. I have a Matrix GT1000 amp and the 2 x 12 Matrix cab.

Help me decide Obiwan, you're my only hope!
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I switched from a Mark2 to AX8. I use it for live shows and dont use very many effects. Just the standard drive, delay, reverb, and maybe a pitch shifter. So the CPU limitation has not bothered me yet. I go straight to the board. If this sounds like you then the AX8 is the way to go.
 
IMHO If you don't care about the built in sound card and tone match block and better CPU on Axe FX II it's the way to go :)
 
Smittefar said:
Preamp simulation, air, de-phase, and microphone simulation are all missing.
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I've never used these in my AFX.

Mic simulations are redundant, IMO, as they are baked into the IRs. The preamp simulation is handy for recording more than live application, IMO. I believe you can add dephase via Cab Lab by exporting an IR with it baked in.
 
I would like to have de-phase in the box. With Mokes acoustic simulator, he supplies IR files with 6 different de-phase settings, and I think it makes a huge difference for the applicability of the IR. I like the ones with low de-phase settings for finger picking, and the ones with higher de-phase settings for strumming. Same thing, if you have a slightly harsh IR (usually not a problem with new commercial IRs). It is a bit cumbersome to switch between the IRs and what if you didn't export the one with the perfect de-phase setting, then you have to go back to CabLab - Would be much nicer to have the option in the box.

I have no need or want for the other things.
 
wcfieldskx said:
Sold off my MKII and MFC last year and bought the AX8. The AX8 works much better for me and it's cheaper...
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I sold my AF2 XL last year as I love carrying less stuff every week and that's why the AX8 is my best choice. Still, I do miss my AF2 from time to time (faster response, more CPU, audio interface).
 
if you have the coin keep the II and buy the 8. then you can have an A rig set up at home and a B rig for travel. Best of both worlds!
 
I did the switch from Axe Fx II to AX8. I did have to work a bit to get the same set of preset that i had in the Axe. But I did it and the only thing I really miss is having 2 Pitch blocks. The ease of having only 1 "box" is just worth it if you gig a lot. The ease of setting up the Ax8 vs. the Axe and MFC is also a factor where AX8 wins. Very easy and flexible to assign the foot switches.
I did add my H9 to my board for Pitch and sometime a few other effects.
 
I switched over. I used the mic sims on my ii often so I stopped using cabs that I would normally use mic sims for. I miss global blocks like crazy but it was not a deal breaker for me. I knew I would possibly have some CPU issues because my main preset was over built. I had a plan in place and when I go my Ax I was able to get up in running literally in 10 min. If I were doing studio stuff all the time I would keep my ii. I basically only play live so I don't regret making the change. I have all the killer tone I need
 
brokenvail said:
I miss global blocks like crazy but it was not a deal breaker for me.
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This will be the one thing I know I'll miss. Being able to adjust amp EQ or delay mix and have it save across all presets has been a massive time saver during rehearsal, but I'm sure I can manage, especially as there are dedicated knobs on the AX8.

I hope that one day they can implement at least a global amp block.
 
dbun said:
This will be the one thing I know I'll miss. Being able to adjust amp EQ or delay mix and have it save across all presets has been a massive time saver during rehearsal, but I'm sure I can manage, especially as there are dedicated knobs on the AX8.

I hope that one day they can implement at least a global amp block.
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Cliff once said that he would explore the possibility of having it at least for Amps. That was before the security scare and so much other stuff so it prob got lost one the shuffle. I hope used it more for effects than amps but I known global blocks are a dead horse so I leave it alone
 
I sold my Axe II and picked up an AX8. I like having a single integrated unit more than having preamp sims or dephase options I never used.

It sounds great, and I love being able to turn knobs to get things done. I haven't even installed the editor on my Mac yet (!!) something that I could never say about my Axe II.

Ideally, I'd have both. But I took the thousand dollar difference (including the MFC) and put it into a new guitar. :-D
 
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