Will the Axe FX II XL+ have updates now?

HarrySound said:
I really wouldn't worry about it. I'm still not convinced the III is worth the upgrade unless you make a living somehow from it.
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I don’t make $1 from doing anything musical but feel the III was every bit worth the cost.

The flexibility of 4 input and output pairs, channels, the vast cpu allowing stuff like multiple reverbs, the big screen, all and all makes for fantastic bang for the buck. I think my II was $2199 when I bought it and the III cost $2499. Essentially $300 more expensive for a massive upgrade is 100% worth it, imo. Granted one can get a II cheaper used these days, but still... FAS could of priced the thing at like $4000 but they barley raised the price over what the II’s originally cost. That’s pretty cool in my book
 
lqdsnddist said:
I don’t make $1 from doing anything musical but feel the III was every bit worth the cost.

The flexibility of 4 input and output pairs, channels, the vast cpu allowing stuff like multiple reverbs, the big screen, all and all makes for fantastic bang for the buck. I think my II was $2199 when I bought it and the III cost $2499. Essentially $300 more expensive for a massive upgrade is 100% worth it, imo. Granted one can get a II cheaper used these days, but still... FAS could of priced the thing at like $4000 but they barley raised the price over what the II’s originally cost. That’s pretty cool in my book
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Whether it's worth or not, we should look at prices as they are right now, not on what the price was when Axe 2 was the king of the hill.
Axe FX II is going for around 1000-1500 Dollars (Ebay price, as it is no longer sold by fractal)
Axe FX 3, no one is selling it used, so it's about 2500 Dollars. (I saw one used on Ebay, and it was still 2500).

The difference in price currently is huge. Like, a thousand dollars.
However, the difference in Amp modelling is still hard to notice.
So, is it worth it, for mainly far more horse power and a hugely better UI? Well... up to you.
 
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The III certainly has more potential at the moment, but the II is a great unit for recording or gigging. It has plenty enough options to satisfy all but the most convoluted setups. The switching delay is minimal and I barely notice it. I know the audience doesn't have a clue. Even with no more updates, the II blows all the other competition out of the water. The fact that Metallica use it should be proof enough that it is the best you can get. No matter what you might think of them now, their live sound is top notch and Big Mick is one of the best FOH engineers in the business. They can afford any gear they want and they went with the Axe II. You don't buy a boutique amp then want an update, because it doesn't need one. Same with the II. At $1000-1500 it's a steal.
 
FreeMind said:
Whether it's worth or not, we should look at prices as they are right now, not on what the price was when Axe 2 was the king of the hill.
Axe FX II is going for around 1000-1500 Dollars (Ebay price, as it is no longer sold by fractal)
Axe FX 3, no one is selling it used, so it's about 2500 Dollars. (I saw one used on Ebay, and it was still 2500).

The difference in price is currently is huge. Like, a thousand dollars.
However, Amp modelling currently sounds almost the same.
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Well I had mine listed for $2200 for over a week here (before i changed my mind) and not one taker. Wait list ended day before my FS ad, bad timing lol

So now we can say it’s less “huge” at $700...

But then we could also say a $900 Ax8 sounds like a II and depending on the price point, is nearly the same difference in relative prices. Is a II an equivalent price jump better than a Ax8 than a III is to the II?

All and all it’s silly semantics and used prices have such an arbitrary range it’s kind of meaningless. I mean I saw a Ax8 for $750 once and I’ve also seen them for $1399. Sold mine for $1100 when they were out of stock.

Totally to each his own, but I haven’t really seen anyone buy a III and say it’s not “worth it”. It sounds better, does more, will be supported long into the future. Is that worth $1000? Or $500 etc? No one can answer that, but for me, it was by far a yes.

After owning a III I have zero desire to ever use a II, though the II is a great product and can make lots of people very happy, as can a Ax8 or even a $299 amplifire box, if one really wants some “bang for the buck”
 
lqdsnddist said:
Well I had mine listed for $2200 for over a week here (before i changed my mind) and not one taker. Wait list ended day before my FS ad, bad timing lol

So now we can say it’s less “huge” at $700...

But then we could also say a $900 Ax8 sounds like a II and depending on the price point, is nearly the same difference in relative prices. Is a II an equivalent price jump better than a Ax8 than a III is to the II?

All and all it’s silly semantics and used prices have such an arbitrary range it’s kind of meaningless. I mean I saw a Ax8 for $750 once and I’ve also seen them for $1399. Sold mine for $1100 when they were out of stock.

Totally to each his own, but I haven’t really seen anyone buy a III and say it’s not “worth it”. It sounds better, does more, will be supported long into the future. Is that worth $1000? Or $500 etc? No one can answer that, but for me, it was by far a yes.

After owning a III I have zero desire to ever use a II, though the II is a great product and can make lots of people very happy, as can a Ax8 or even a $299 amplifire box, if one really wants some “bang for the buck”
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In plenty of fields, some people are willing to pay thousands of dollars for a 1% improvement...
 
lqdsnddist said:
I don’t make $1 from doing anything musical but feel the III was every bit worth the cost.

The flexibility of 4 input and output pairs, channels, the vast cpu allowing stuff like multiple reverbs, the big screen, all and all makes for fantastic bang for the buck. I think my II was $2199 when I bought it and the III cost $2499. Essentially $300 more expensive for a massive upgrade is 100% worth it, imo. Granted one can get a II cheaper used these days, but still... FAS could of priced the thing at like $4000 but they barley raised the price over what the II’s originally cost. That’s pretty cool in my book
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Unfortunately these are strange political times so your $300 is my £600.
The III is undoubtably an upgrade but the Axe Fx II does the same as what it did 6 months ago when even a trained ear couldn’t tell the difference between a real amp And the modeller.
 
soundroi said:
Ouch. So no more improvements, finished product. Coming from the constant updates of the kemper, this is weird. Wondering if I should have gone for the III then.:(
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Yeah if constant updates are a big deal to you; you totally bought the wrong model at the wrong time, you probably should have researched it if it is going to affect your experience.

FWIW, at the peak, the II was getting updates so fast, I considered switching platforms, it was genuinely annoying. But now I am not expecting substantial development releases. As others have noted it is straight up killer and hardly needs anything.
 
As much as firmware updates are exciting, Let's just not forget that a lack of firmware updates was never an issue for any Tube amp owner.
We are so spoiled...
 
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FreeMind said:
In plenty of fields, some people are willing to pay thousands of dollars for a 1% improvement...
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1% aaahhhhhhh NO.

There is no reason to list all the features of the AF III, I have also seen your post's for a while now. Seem like a intelligent enough person, to me. (and enjoy some of your post's BTW). So I'm sure you are up to speed on the AF III.

And I can see were you have been bantering a bit with @lqdsnddist .

But 1%, that's just not fair or correct.
 
6L6C said:
1% aaahhhhhhh NO.

There is no reason to list all the features of the AF III, I have also seen your post's for a while now. Seem like a intelligent enough person, to me. (and enjoy some of your post's BTW). So I'm sure you are up to speed on the AF III.

And I can see were you have been bantering a bit with @lqdsnddist .

But 1%, that's just not fair or correct.
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That's not what I meant :)
What I meant was: Since people are willing to pay thousands when it's only a 1% improvement, the fact that some people are willing to pay a thousand more for what the Axe 3 provides is completely understandable.
 
FreeMind said:
Back in it's prime, Axe 2 was getting an update every month or so.
Was always very exciting. Miss those times.
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I wouldn't use the phrase "in it's prime". That implies that the II, in all its incarnations, is over the hill and obsolete. I think it's better to call it "mature" and "proven". The II series is in its prime right now. The III is now going through all the things that we went through over 5 years, and what the Standard and Ultra dealt with before that. Note that, just given the traffic in their sub-forums, that Standard and Ultra drivers are still out there and using their gear. And heir history only goes back 10 years.
 
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Roland said:
I’m glad that the product is now mature, and I don’t have to update firmware every few months. The update was easy. Reworking patches was a chore.
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No one forced you to update.
I don't see how that's a problem for ya.

USMC_Trev said:
I wouldn't use the phrase "in it's prime". That implies that the II, in all its incarnations, is over the hill and obsolete. I think it's better to call it "mature" and "proven". The II series is in its prime right now.
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Axe FX firmware project is very usable and stable and the best it's ever been.
However, it's unfinished and it's possible that it's now abandoned or will be abandoned soon.
Such projects don't ever get finished, they only get abandoned.
When that happens, it's called Abandonware or sometimes Deadware. This is the most mature the software gets, sure, but can death be called "the prime"? Especially if Axe 2 was once the king of amp modelling, and now it isn't?
 
FreeMind said:
If it needed nothing, there would be no reason for Axe 3 to exist.
There were plenty wishes in the wishlist that were hanging around forever, and only fulfilled in the Axe 3.
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I think that you misunderstood my quip. I was referring only to the what the Axe-FX II XL can accomplish within its feature set.
 
FreeMind said:
In plenty of fields, some people are willing to pay thousands of dollars for a 1% improvement...
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Yeah, but that's usually because there's tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands to be gained by getting that 1% improvement. If you're a pro athlete a 1% improvement can mean the difference between 1st and 2nd place. Which can easily be the difference between havin to live off a grant and lucrative sponsorship deals.

Thousands of dollars for 1% more performance for a little analog sustain on your guitar sound, that's not really worth the money its printed on.

FreeMind said:
No one forced you to update.
I don't see how that's a problem for ya.



Axe FX firmware project is very usable and stable and the best it's ever been.
However, it's unfinished and it's possible that it's now abandoned or will be abandoned soon.
Such projects don't ever get finished, they only get abandoned.
When that happens, it's called Abandonware or sometimes Deadware. This is the most mature the software gets, sure, but can death be called "the prime"? Especially if Axe 2 was once the king of amp modelling, and now it isn't?
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They say that art abandoned is art finished. When do you decide that something is truly finished? Is it by choice of your part? Was the choice made for you by others? Or is it never finished because you're on of those obsessive tinkerers? In that sense just because the Axe 2 is being abandoned doesn't mean its dead. And does constantly updating something make it truly better? Was Star Wars made better by George Lucas constantly tinkering with the old movies?
 
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