With the news of TigerSharcs stopping production, what does that mean for the Axe Fx?

rich2k4 said:
With computers, I would still get all the OS updates for many many years. If I knew a new Windows OS was coming out next year (which is always known, well in advance) I would wait before I buy. But even if I didn't wait, OS's get updates for many years even after a new OS comes out.

In this case, it is unknown whether the Axe Fx 2 will be replaced by this time next year. $2000+ is spent on the unit and it may be possible that you will only have updates for only a year.

If I could get reassurance that this happening is highly unlikely, I'd feel better about it. However, getting that reassurance will probably not happen.
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On The Gear Page forum, Cliff Chase stated that ADI has given them plenty of notice and will continue to produce parts for a couple of years. Additionally, he stated that they have enough working capital to purchase enough DSP's to last for 20+ years of Axe-FX's if need be.
 
FractalAudio said:
It's not an exaggeration. Fractal Audio is an extremely successful company with a perfect balance sheet and financials that most companies can only dream of.
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:) I certainly can sense how successful you all are, and if I don't say so I'm very, very thankful for it. My response was intended to relate to the amount of chips. Having a little supply of chips would make sense, but what I thought was exaggerated was of having a 20-year supply of chips. If chip tech starts to hold its value like that, bows and arrows will regain some of their value as well.

I'm beginning to research purchasing chips for my own products... It seems like kind of a land mine to me. If I could treat them like an precious heavy metal investment... Such as an Axe FX II...
 
rich2k4 said:
It seems whenever I am ready to make a large purchase, I show up during news like this. TigerSharc chips seem to be stopping production. I speculate that this is probably why the Axe Fx has been out of stock for a while.

But what does this mean for the future of the Axe Fx in general? I would really hate to spend $2000+ if it looks like it is heading towards being obsolete in a year. It is known that the company seems to be heading towards a VST Plugin direction. I also read a comment by Cliff this morning on TGP that suggested that he and the team are in contact with the company that produces the TigerSharcs and are inquiring about their new DSP line. This further suggests research is being made toward the possibility of a new unit/new design.

I'm starting to think it is best to perhaps try to get a used AF2 unit as cheap as I can, to avoid investing too much in case a new unit is in the works.

Thoughts?
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If mine broke, I'd find some way to get another Axe-Fx II. I admit I'm a penny pincher and the Axe-Fx II is one of my most expensive purchases and I'm glad I made it. Also, if you search for a used one, you'll see that even the original Axe-Fx Standard and Ultra are still selling for a decent amount. A lot more than my Mesa Boogie Triaxis and 290 power amp with all new tubes.

I say you only live once. Enjoy it while you can.
 
GotMetalBoy said:
If mine broke, I'd find some way to get another Axe-Fx II. I admit I'm a penny pincher and the Axe-Fx II is one of my most expensive purchases and I'm glad I made it. Also, if you search for a used one, you'll see that even the original Axe-Fx Standard and Ultra are still selling for a decent amount. A lot more than my Mesa Boogie Triaxis and 290 power amp with all new tubes.

I say you only live once. Enjoy it while you can.
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It took me a year of skrimping, saving and non stop talking about it to my wife (I think that part put it over the top) to finally get my MKII. I immediately turned around and insured that thing and my guitars against failure. Should it die, I get a new one :) ... bring on the broken pipe in the basement. It's XL time! lol
 
Sounds like Fractal planned well ahead. Good product management + good vendor relationships equal goodness for us...the customers. 20 years is a very nice pad to both utilize for next gen and/or buy time to help and/or influence the creating of new tech. Meanwhile, technology marches on so who knows what's in store.
 
vangrieg said:
That's a shame. Hopefully it's not plan A to keep using the same chip for 20 years. :)
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His statement doesn't necessarily imply they will but that they can. The idea that there's working capital to purchase enough DSP's to last 20 years should put fears regarding production ending any time soon to rest.
 
vangrieg said:
Hopefully it's not plan A to keep using the same chip for 20 years.
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I seriously doubt it. Technology doesn't stand still for very long. It's not a matter of if, but when the Axe-Fx III will be released.
 
HarrySound said:
I might well be underestimating things but surely we are at least close to diminishing returns.
I think the cabinet/speaker simulation and IR tech is really the only thing that could make a giant in the future.
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disagree. There are still a few things that need some improvement. The transition from dirty to clean by backing off the volume control on the guitar is still not exactly like the real amp. There is still room for improvement. In terms of being obsolete, we can only hope that they continue to support the existing user base when they switch over to a new processor. I'm guessing they will settle on a new CPU architecture and then port all their existing algorithms to the new CPU. At that point, will they continue to support the older hardware? Only time will tell...
 
Lifetime buys are commonplace as chips reach the end of a run, but then again, the next thing is next for a reason.....

Planned obsolescence is also a factor that consumers sometimes have to work around.

Don't know the details in this case.
 
Honestly who gives a flying f*@$ at a rolling donut whether a chipset is discontinued after you buy the thing that it's in. It doesn't matter one whit. It's not like the chip climbs out of the box and goes to the retirement home leaving an empty socket.

Stop with the hair pulling and teeth gnashing and just enjoy the damn box. If it breaks in the warranty period it'll be fixed. If it's outside the warranty period, go to the used market. Chips rarely, if ever, break. The board is what's gonna go.
 
USMC_Trev said:
Honestly who gives a flying f*@$ at a rolling donut whether a chipset is discontinued after you buy the thing that it's in. It doesn't matter one whit. It's not like the chip climbs out of the box and goes to the retirement home leaving an empty socket.
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From what I've seen, the concern from at least some owners (and potential buyers) was that if the DSP is no longer available, the unit would ultimately be discontinued and development would cease.
 
Jason Scott said:
From what I've seen, the concern from at least some owners (and potential buyers) was that if the DSP is no longer available, the unit would ultimately be discontinued and development would cease.
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And if we never get another update we still have 200 great amp models, tons of IR's, and what will continue to be a darn fantastic guitar modeler.

I don't understand how the prospect of future updates affects the tones and enjoyment one can get today
 
lqdsnddist said:
I don't understand how the prospect of future updates affects the tones and enjoyment one can get today
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It doesn't. However, from a prospective buyers point of view, if I thought a product that cost upwards of $2,000 may be discontinued a year or two from now, it might give me serious pause before purchasing it.

That said, it's not an issue so it doesn't matter.
 
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