What's with all the haters?

Fabio KTG

Fabio KTG

Fractal Fanatic
I'm sick to death of seeing people criticise the Axe Fx, when most, if not all have never seen one in person, let alone dedicated 3 months to explore it's endless possibilities.

I'm good friends with the likes of Misha, Chimp Spanner, TesseracT, Monuments. The opinion seems pretty divided, as far as pro musicians go. As for the rest, it's all POD POD POD POD BLOODY POD FFS.

They argue that they could have 3 Pod HD Pro's for 1 Axe Fx 2, and they tone comparison is barely comparable.

I've already paid for mine, I'm just waiting for it to ship from G66 (Europe). It does make me wonder if the perceived majority are right in their speculation.

I could have 2 Pro's and still have enough for a Mackie HD.

Any thoughts?
 
I could sell my mark V and buy like 20 roland cubes, yet sound quality doesn't get better the more you have.

There is a reason for the price tags ya know?
 
In addition, none of the POD enthusiasts acknowledged the fact that if you run two amps with effects, you get a DSP limit warning. I mean WTF?

The Axe Fx is over engineered and slays the competition, which is why it is the price that it is. There's been more revisions of the firmware, hardware and algorithms in 4 years than Line 6 has done in 10 PLUS you have to pay Line 6 for more amps etc. Money for old rope if you ask me.

Jealousy if you ask me
 
This argument has gone on in music technology since forever. It's a pointless argument, because he bottom line is - if you can't hear the difference, then you won't understand the difference. And if you can't hear the difference, then why are we even talking about music?

I've just paid $4500 for a Bees Neez Tribute microphone, which is a very credible clone of the $9000 Telefunken U47 (which I just couldn't afford).

You can buy 25 Rode NT1s for that price and they look similar. But it sounds way better than any other mic I've ever owned.
 
Sometimes I wonder why I got a Canon 7D when all the cameras even in my 3GS does the same thing, take a photo.
 
ask youself this, or them... if money were no object, what would you buy. $2200 is a stack of cash, get $2200 in cash and look at it... crazy. There will always be haters on the price alone... regardless of product. Just say pod it up dude.. all you :)
 
If the Axe FX came out 10 or 12 years ago it could have saved me roughly $30,000. I have spent so much $$$$$ searching that elusive tone and versatility. This year I have sold all my past gear. Triaxis, MKIIC+, MKIII's, G Force, GCX's, 2:90, 20/20, whammy pedal, 535-q's, 2120, m-2000, D-two, 4x12 recto cab, a pair of 1x12 recto cabs, system mix plus, ISP decimator, GRX-4's, CFX-4's, DS-1's, TS-9's, Egnater Tweaker, carvin legacy's, AG Stomp, and probably even more than that that I cannot remember now.

Case in point... I now have ALL off the attempted flexibility and versatility and much more in my 2 rack space Ultra and soon to be Axe FX II.

Some people are just plain stupid. Sure $2000 is a big price, but only if you stop there and do not think about all the peripheral gear you'll absolutely NEED if want to use real amps. Not to mention if you are stupid enough to compare the Axe FX to some LIne Sux products. Considering how many light years beyond the Axe FX is the price tag isn't really all that much more expensive.

Anyone who disagrees with me will be shot on site. I won't see that here though, will I?

Just like what's his name said above, "one preamp to rule them all." FAS has done more for guitar players in the last 5 or 6 years than EVERY other company has since the beginning of time!!!

shotgunn


I'm a djent djent meedley meedely meedely type player...

Sent from my iPod.
 
Good point shotgunn. And here's the kicker to beat them all: The AxeFx can create sounds you didn't even know you could make. Ranging from simple to overly complex effect configurations, from the grungiest of tones to the sweetest cleans with amp & cab combinations one would probably never buy or think of combining (or experience for that matter). Hands down this box rocks the socks off of what's out there, albeit, with a little learning curve ... but I'm a geek :roll
 
I had a Pod HD and now i have an Ultra (and a Standard for sale).
I know that who has NEVER tried an axe fx might say "Yes, cool sounds but... i can have them by
-using som external IR (so no live rig);
-some compressors/distortions;
-some reverb;
-some dealy;
-some bla bla".

I had both and the difference is clear: the Axe Fx sounds and feels al 98% like a Tube amp (and i have/had many), the Pod sounds and feels like a Boss distortion pedal (and i had a pair just because i hate pedals). Obviously they can say that people cannot hear the difference. Once again i think that i have my rig and my sounds because i love playing guitar and this is the first thought that i make when i buy something.
Otherwise i'd have stucked with my 150 € Samick guitar and my 50€ Park by Marshall transistor amp.
It Italy we say that's the same story of the Fox and the grapes. If they can't afford it, it's not good.
 
As soon as cost becomes a consideration then a whole different set of values which has nothing to do with sound or quality skews any comparison into the realm of meaningless and just flat out incorrect. It's like people that swear up and down they have an Epiphone that will slay any Gibson and that they'd take it over every other LP out there. I ask them if someone took them to a store and offered to buy them any guitar off the rack if they'd take the Epiphone over every other Gibson then? If they're honest they'll say of course not and even when they try to say they wouldn't they pull some line like "well I'd take the Gibson and then sell it and buy a bunch of other stuff" which just reinforces the fact that it has more to do with money and less to do with the actual measurables they claim to use in their comparison.

Yes all of that POD stuff can make some neat sounds and we know that you can use it for all kinds of things. But the difference between the AxeFX and the off the shelf store bought things goes far beyond being able to make a decent sound or two. When I try to explain to people the difference I tell them that the POD's and 11R's are more like a few amps and a pedalboard and you spend time trying to dial it in to sound good. Basically you are given a model of a simple rig and you have to tweak it to optimize it. The AxeFX is like an entire studio of amps, cabs, effects, a router and a console and you take all of that and create the sound that you want to hear. The difference being that with one you take what you got and try to reduce the level of suckiness vs creating the sound that's in your head. To some people that doesn't register, to others it makes sense and still doesn't matter....then there's the people here on this forum that understand that and want that.

Doesn't make anyone wrong, just means that there is a different set of goals and needs. I don't want them to dictate mine and I shouldn't expect them to change theirs.

But the number one thing is that arguing with someone that has no first hand knowledge of something is an exercise in futility and leads to frustration and bitterness. I find that explanation of why something like parallel routing or multiple cabs or user IR's are advantageous for my use and leave it at that. You aren't going to force someone to see your point by yelling at them just like they aren't going to convince you otherwise by doing the same.

But the biggest thing for me is basically why should I care about what someone else uses or buys? It has zero impact on my ability to do what I need to do. Arguing over something that subjective leads to unneeded stress and actually feeds the whole anti-Fractal argument and creates more animosity. The product speaks for itself.
 
Another viewpoint to at least consider: No one will ever agree with everybody on anything.

I hope that everyone feels their chosen gear - that works for them - is the best gear in the world. They've every right to feel that way.

The kicker is that it doesn't make them right. It doesn't make them wrong. It's a subjective opinion and everyone has one.

And it's ok if they want to hate on something else; even if it's wrong from your perspective.

I've spent a lot of time over the years engaging people on the Internet that wanted to 'hate' on my gear when they have had zero first hand knowledge of it. Some of the guys 'hating' have never heard, seen, touched or used an Axe-FX, Rivera, Bogner, PRS, Hamer, Melancon, etc., etc., yet wanted to tell me what I have and how their gear is superior. The red flag for this is the phrase, "....well, I heard some clips that...."

:D

IMHO, and this is important to note, my HONEST opinion at this juncture is that it is ok. Let it go. Just ignore it. Note your disagreement and walk away. Why?
  • You will never convince someone otherwise once they have formed their opinion unless you can get them in person to learn they are wrong first hand for themselves
  • It's a waste of your time and effort to even attempt
My Dad has a saying I grew up hearing, "You can't fix stupid." If someone wants to form an opinion from 'clips' on the Internet about something they cannot check out firsthand and then proceed to go on the Internet slamming the gear they have based their opinion on through third-hand information.... well, you can't fix that with some argument or your own clips. Their mind is made up. You may as well debate politics or religion with someone you can't see...

...which is also why on Forums I own or run there is no political or religious debate allowed. Once someone's mind is made up on certain subjects, there is no convincing them otherwise and any effort to do so is time and effort better spent on more productive pursuits.

Like playing your guitar.

IMHO, YMMV.
 
If all you have ever driven are Beetles, F150's, Mini's, or Focus'es...you cannot ever, EVER understand the difference between them and stepping into and driving a top-of-the-line Ferrari or Lamborghini. Need I say more?

Let them hate.. Ignore. Smile inside. Move on.
 
Fabio KTG said:
The opinion seems pretty divided, as far as pro musicians go. As for the rest, it's all POD POD POD POD BLOODY POD FFS.
Click to expand...

As Scott Peterson posted over in TGP - it's all about fun! Btw. I have an Axe-Fx (MkI since 2008) and a POD (HD Bean) - so what? Yeah I'm not a pro musician - so I'm no good, huh? That is something what makes me think, were the true haters are? Everybody has their own opinion and as long we all get to play and have our fun when doing it, it's all good.

As far as I can tell 1st hand is that the tones on a POD HD are pretty well (but far away from what an Axe can do....). It's just more portable and some sounds are also really impressive (Gibson EH185 tone). Just as an example - there are many (mostly german boards who belive to get my axe tones with a POD 2.0 - so what? I never heard any tone from them - instead much blahblahblah, because their computer was brocken or they don't know how to upload a sound to soundcloud or similar - excuses, just excuses - I don't call them haters, they might just being unable to play better as my "usual crappy hobby-playing attitudes" - so what? I'm not gonna take them serious, I just had a good laugh....

Relax and enjoy the show.....and have a good laugh sometimes too
 
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The problem with people liking Pods is this: Most if not all of them have never play guitar through a good tube amp. They know nothing about the magic and feel of a tube amp!! They think since the Pod replicate tube tone, this is like the ral deal! They get use to the sterile and dull sound, linear digital signal comming out of it. so, if one of them try an Axe fx, my guess is he expect to get the same feel and response he gets out of a Pod in a better way. But this ain't the case obviously, because he then experience something completly different he is not use to, which is awesome tone and feel, and he goes...wooooh, this sucks, dosen't feel like my beloved Pod!! You get my point here??!! If you've only played your Peavey Bandit all your life, and think it sounds good...good for you!!
 
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