With the II, I'm just a little uncomfortable buying a product that could radically change for the better at some random time in the future with a new firmware release. I would want the better firmware, but would likely have to do some tweaking to account for some changes with my patches.
Okay, first... yeah the nerve of those Fractal bastards, sitting around and working to improve things, to introduce NEW FEATURES and take into account USER REQUEST.... IE; its not bug fixes for an incomplete product, and offering it all at the irresistible price of FREE. Just ruins my whole week when I log onto the forum and see Cliff did it again....makes me so mad I ever bought the stupid thing I could punch a wall!
Second, yes my entitled friend, you might have to do a little tweaking if there is a radical improvement. That is life for most everyone on the planet who owns an Axe, with the except of maybe a few A list rock stars that can probably get on the phone and tell M to fly out, update their firmware and retweak everything. I'm sure the amount of time Cliff and Co put into improving the firmware is 10:1 the amount of time the user has to spend tweaking it, and again, you don't have to update it if you don't want to.
Finally, you do realize how silly your fear of upgrading because something better might come along with regards to consumer electronics is ?? Lets go ahead and say that in X months the II is at the end of life, nothing more can be changed (though we've heard Cliff say that before and yet here we are lol). So you go and get your II, and your seemingly happy. But then boom, you go to your computer and see the Axe III announcement. Radically improved modeling and effects, all running based around the latest epiphany Cliff has when hitting hit head falling off the toilet for the Nth time. Well uh oh, you just bought a product that could radically change for the better, and maybe the III can import II patches, but surely they will require a little tweaking, so yet again, your back to possibly having to do some work.
Essentially your only option is to either never buy any electronics, hope Cliff announces he's sold the company is and going to go live on Mars, because the path of improvements is never going to stop. There is always going to be something else coming along, Axe III, Axe IV etc etc, OR....... do what most of us do and simply update when it makes good sense!
Crazy concept huh ?
If your in the middle of recording an album, keep the unit as it is. If your in the middle of a tour, keep the unit as it is. If your really busy with other stuff in life such as kids, work etc, keep the unit as it is. Spend your time player.
If and only if, you have some time to work on your tone, upgrade. Maybe you'll have 2 or 3 updates worth of stuff to enjoy checking out. Its just like analog pedals, amps etc. Most of us at some point choose to redo our pedalboards, and usually that time isn't in the middle of a tour.
Its when we are done with one, or before heading out. It too takes a little tweaking when that occurs....can't get around that part either