Very bad news

The best part is that he can always continue to build one-offs, and just for fun (I hope, for his sake).
 
I feel partly responsible which sucks because Alan is a friend.
I don’t feel that way at all. The notoriety, he (and any entrepreneur) wanted. The headaches that come from dealing with customers, dealer and individual, he didn’t. That’s what drove his decision and you were no part of that. That sort of stress and crappiness just isn’t for everybody, and if anyone knows those headaches well, it’s you.

I hope there’s someone out there who might partner with Alan in some way to keep his amp designs alive. I can tell you the Tucana 3 I have is a masterpiece of design and tone. I can easily see them becoming a Dumblesque everyone-wants-and-no-one-can-find sort of amp. I’m glad to have one and, like many here, my Axe Fx was the gateway. You did the man a service.
 
Real amps have been on the way out for a long time now. Maybe it won’t ever completely die, but I think it will go the way of record players. Physical space and resources are just a premium these days and the entire world is changing constantly.

As I’ve always said, I view the Axe-Fx as a project that will keep amps alive for future generations who won’t ever have the chance to play real ones. Finally someone is doing modeling right and most accurately and preserving the history forever.

I disagree. Walking into any guitar store shows you what's selling, amps outweight modelers by 50:1. You're partly correct though, space is an issue or concern for some or many, thus the smaller amp market is heating up. Marshall, PRS, Bogner, EVH, Mesa, Orange etc. etc. are all killing it with their smaller amps and I don't see that declining for some time. Modellers are cool though.
 
I disagree. Walking into any guitar store shows you what's selling, amps outweight modelers by 50:1. You're partly correct though, space is an issue or concern for some or many, thus the smaller amp market is heating up. Marshall, PRS, Bogner, EVH, Mesa, Orange etc. etc. are all killing it with their smaller amps and I don't see that declining for some time. Modellers are cool though.
It shows what they want you to buy. That’s all.
 
Oh? I thought it would be more about supply and demand, like most typical businesses work.
Sure. But if you go to a store and amps are prominently displayed, you might think that’s what you SHOULD buy, if you’re new to gear

Music stores have ordering minimums to carry brands. Regardless of your sell through, if you want Marshall in your store for example, you may need to buy $20k a quarter or something. With that, you’ll definitely push those amps.

More and more venues want less people in the band and a quieter stage. This is what actually determines the gear needed for professionals.

Remember that stores - especially big chains - have objectives and those are usually set by the gear they’re forced to buy from the manufacturers. They usually push what they need to get rid of and not necessarily what’s best for you. I was GM of a big local music store for years, went to NAMM meetings for all the big brands. Marketing and customer perception is a huge part of the process.
 
It's a tough business. I hadn't heard of Carol-Ann amps til the Fractal stuff. I have an endorsement with a company that makes amazing dumble style amps. Anyone that plays them is amazed. Even with that, they struggle to keep up with sales and production. Not everyone is a Fender or a Vox, and these small companies do struggle.
 
You do something because you like to do it and you’re good at it. You love doing it. Then it becomes a business and it feels like someone is sucking out your soul through your eyeballs. Even playing music professionally is like that for me. I often tell people “you don’t pay me for playing, you pay me for everything that has to be done before and after.”

Personally , I had to scale the amount of work to something I enjoyed. I’ve played a lot more in the past, but the excess just took the joy from it. I hope Alan can rediscover the joy of doing what he does so well. Maybe have the day job pay the bills and roar into the night/weekend fun. That’s where most businesses start, and some are best to remain. He‘s a good guy, and a brilliant tone designer. I hope we see him return to it, even if only as a custom builder.
 
I often tell people “you don’t pay me for playing, you pay me for everything that has to be done before and after.”

There should be a business section in the AxeFx wiki where this quote SHOULD be enshrined.
 
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