Upgrade AX8 to III?

I love my AX8. It is so convenient and sounds amazing. But the III definitely sounds better to me.
I'm gigging my III for the first time this Thursday night at a big show at the House of Blues in Houston. Figured this is the perfect gig to make it's live debut. It has sounded incredible at band practice so I'm excited to put it through it's paces live on a big stage along with the FC-12.

But after gigging the AX8 for the last 3 years I'm not looking forward to lugging around a rack case. As soon as an AX8 II or whatever it will be called is out I will be buying it and the Axe III can stay at home.
 
Just found out Valvetrain came out with a 20 watt Tube cab as well as a 50 watt to compete with Friedman ASC series. Anyone tried the Valvetrain? thx
 
You might want to start a new thread in the Amps and Cabs section. This thread is about going from the AX8 to the AxeFX III
 
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Just found out Valvetrain came out with a 20 watt Tube cab as well as a 50 watt to compete with Friedman ASC series. Anyone tried the Valvetrain? thx
this post is off-topic in this thread, FYI. it's like going to a tea party and asking about nascar. start your own thread in the Amp and Cabs sub-forum.
 
However, the lack of a foot controller caused me to hold on to the AX8. And eventually, I began to question whether I even needed the III. There's no doubt it's the better sounding unit, but the all-in-one form factor us a huge convenience. I thought seriously about selling the III on more than one occasion.

I too am frustrated waiting for the FC. That and I think I'll personally miss the global preset on the MFC101. I may re-buy a used IIXL and sell my III. Thinking about it strongly.
 
Love my AX8 and it's served me faithfully for years. However, there is no way I would go back to it from the III except as a backup. On the Axe III, I can darn near do everything I need in a single preset AND do it better. I was carrying the AX8 on a fairly large board with two EV-1 pedals and a Shure GLXD. My new setup feels lighter in my hands with the III (GLXD & PSM300). I carry an FC-12 and 2xEV-2's in a backpack. My backpack is definitely heavy, but worth it.
 
Love my AX8 and it's served me faithfully for years. However, there is no way I would go back to it from the III except as a backup. On the Axe III, I can darn near do everything I need in a single preset AND do it better. I was carrying the AX8 on a fairly large board with two EV-1 pedals and a Shure GLXD. My new setup feels lighter in my hands with the III (GLXD & PSM300). I carry an FC-12 and 2xEV-2's in a backpack. My backpack is definitely heavy, but worth it.
I get that....you have a FC and that is awesome. I play in a cover band and I barely have my MFC101 doing what I need to get by. It was such a PITA to get it to this point, I'm literally scared to mess with it. TONS of things that I could do, that I can't because of the piece mealed deployment to an already late FC controller to the market. The II was great and this delay is making me think that I may rather have a grand back in my pocket and not fork over even more for a FC. Again Fractal can do and has always done what they want and probably their best. But I'm frustrated to not have my peanut butter for my jelly sandwich....I had that with the II and the MFC101. I'll probably not sell it, but if a reasonable IIXL is listed, I may just do that. Another miff point is the III being listed for $250 less, a month after I bought mine, and as a sale that continued into a permanent sale. Just luck of the draw and is what is....but still frustrating as a decade user of Fractal. Again free market and all, but blows big time.
 
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I finally decided to commit to the AxeIII/FC-6 setup. Sold the AX8 a couple days ago.

I may end up wishing I hadn't done that, but I couldn't justify keeping both solutions. Riding the wave of continued FW development on the AxeFX III is too addictive for me. Had I sold the III, I know that in a few months of watching new FW come out with new improvements would have been looking at used AxeFX III's again... Better to just stick with it now.

But depending on what FAS does with an AX8 successor, I can see myself going back to an all-in-one solution...
 
I can't commit to the III right now. My CLR comes tomorrow, I just bought an amazing K-Line Tele and I'm building a 1x12 and bought a Mini Jubilee to have a reference amp in the house... I want to run through all of the Marshall mini heads in quick succession, build my patches using the AX8 and CLR, then move them on their way.
After that, maybe the III who knows?
 
Sold the AX8 and the III should be here next week. Still on the wait list for the FC but decided to use my RJM Mastermind PBC temporary until my turn comes around for the FC. We'll see how the PBC works. I haven't seen anyone using one yet so I might be breaking new ground.
 
I still can't commit. My CLR still hasn't show up so I've been playing through my Adam A5 nearfields and with the new K-Line Tele (and my Gibson R4 Black Beauty) it's clear to me the AX8 is perfect for what I want and need at home and in live gigging situations. I'm proud of myself for practicing restraint, although the CLR lands tomorrow, I bought a Mini Jube that lands Tuesday, I have a JDesign 1x12 on order and a Creamback NEO waiting and I just bought a Fryette Power Station 2.... I'm going to be VERY busy for the foreseeable future.
As you see me post gear in the classifieds here, TGP and Reverb you will find out what worked out well and what didn't LOL.
 
I still can't commit. My CLR still hasn't show up so I've been playing through my Adam A5 nearfields and with the new K-Line Tele (and my Gibson R4 Black Beauty) it's clear to me the AX8 is perfect for what I want and need at home and in live gigging situations. I'm proud of myself for practicing restraint, although the CLR lands tomorrow, I bought a Mini Jube that lands Tuesday, I have a JDesign 1x12 on order and a Creamback NEO waiting and I just bought a Fryette Power Station 2.... I'm going to be VERY busy for the foreseeable future.
As you see me post gear in the classifieds here, TGP and Reverb you will find out what worked out well and what didn't LOL.
I wish I had that much restraint.
 
I am still holding off upgrading to the Axe III. In the first place because I don´t want to carry a rack again. Then the wait for the FC, especially in Europe. Maybe my old eyes can´t read the scribble strips anyway? Better get a III and RJM ? Wait for the AX8 successor which will drop in Europe maybe 2020 ?
All this talk about how good the III sounds is feeding my GAS.
 
Well restraint is pretty easy right now given the Axe Fx III is out of stock :-(, I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger and here are my reasons:

1. I can mount the unit in the rack with the PA head. This means one less thing to carry (already bringing the PA head) and fewer cables to run on stage since it can stay wired up in the rack.

2. I can run more than one instrument through the Axe Fx III at the same time, even further reducing the haulage for a gig.

3. I can also use the Axe Fx III for vocal effects, and turn those effects on/off via the FC6/12 (or what ever I wind up using). Yes, the PA head I use (Soundcraft Ui24r) has excellent built in effects, but unless there is a dedicated sound person, it isn't really practical to say turn an echo on for the chorus and back off again at the verse. The Ui24r also doesn't do auto harmony or stuff like that.

Now of course there is that voice in the back of my head going "yeah, and it is going to sound and feel even better than your AX8", but I'm trying not to think of that and make the decision based on more concrete gains. But I guess it is all academic until Fractal gets them back in stock....
 
I wish I had that much restraint.

This is the first time in the history of the internet that anyone ever accused @Gasp100 of having restraint when it comes to gear acquisitions! :p

I used the III with in-ear-monitors for the first time Sunday. I definitely noticed the increased clarity and responsiveness. Overall, it just seemed to sit in the mix better without stepping on other instruments.

It was also the first run with the FC-6 and I struggled with that a bit. I don't quite have the layouts configured the way I want yet. I definitely miss the extra switches I had available on the AX8, but the FC-12 seemed too big when I was considering which one to order. The FC-6 is going to work out once I get use to a couple extra button clicks, but I still may end up switching to the FC-12 down the road.

I did not enjoy having the extra rack compared to the AX8...
 
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