Axe FX 3

guitarfishbay

Clarky said:

I'm wondering what the price of a used Axe-FX II will be in 6 months..

Hopefully affordable. So I can get a spare XL!

Jonathanthomas83

Clarky said:

I'm wondering what the price of a used Axe-FX II will be in 6 months..

I dread to think how much I'll lose on mine when it goes.

gibsongretschfan

Clarky said:

I'm wondering what the price of a used Axe-FX II will be in 6 months..

There are no bargains in this world anymore 

Jonathanthomas83

Jonathanthomas83 said:

FarleyUK said:

Very interested in getting one, but it's a stupid amount of money, for not much of an improvement over my AX8.

I'm not sure it's not 'much of an improvement'. As @ToneControl says, it's not an improvement yet, but will be over coming years. Whether of course you use the extra horse power, is a different story, in that case it may not be an improvement at all. Which is kind of where I'm at. I rarely use full power on my XL, I just find myself wanting when it comes to looping and a few other bits. But that won't warrant the outlay at the moment. When they model an Electric Mistress or better the already awesome DMM, or create some amazing reverb that I won't be able to get with my measly XL...that's when I'll be wanting the upgrade.

Re:this ^^^

this...

"Not content with just repackaging our algorithms, almost all our industry-leading effects have been updated to take advantage of the increased processing power."

"It actually does sound a little better. The extra DSP horsepower means that we didn't have to make compromises in some of the algorithms. The amp modeling algorithm is very similar but there's a few places on the II where we had to make compromises to get the algorithm to run within the allotted time.

Also the III has a higher internal oversampling rate and a higher bit depth on some calculations (64-bit vs. 40-bit)."

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/does-it-sound-better-than-the-axe-fx-2-xl.134811/

So maybe it is a bit better from the off then. That higher bit depth will make a bit of a difference too, probably.

dindude

Is the case that you’ve got a G66 middle man mark up which doesn’t exist in the US (as direct from Fractal?)

Roland

Clarky said:

I'm wondering what the price of a used Axe-FX II will be in 6 months..

It will hold for a while because the Axe3 isn’t available yet.

Prices for STD and Ultra sloped off once the replacement had been around for a few months, but didn’t die. Two years ago Ultras were still selling for around £600. That’s probably because people aspire to join the Fractal ranks, but can’t afford/justify the flagship.

Fractal are aiming the 3 at the upper end of the market. They’re not chasing volume sales, so there is no point pricing the 3 so low that it immediately undermines the resale price of the II. I’d be more worried about the price impact of many second hand IIs coming onto the market. That will be in two tranches, from early buyers on the waiting list, and then people who can’t or don’t want to buy immediately.

I guess it depends on what happens to the AX8. If there’s a replacement which rivals the capabilities of the II then things could be quite different.

FarleyUK

Jonathanthomas83 said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

FarleyUK said:

Very interested in getting one, but it's a stupid amount of money, for not much of an improvement over my AX8.

I'm not sure it's not 'much of an improvement'. As @ToneControl says, it's not an improvement yet, but will be over coming years. Whether of course you use the extra horse power, is a different story, in that case it may not be an improvement at all. Which is kind of where I'm at. I rarely use full power on my XL, I just find myself wanting when it comes to looping and a few other bits. But that won't warrant the outlay at the moment. When they model an Electric Mistress or better the already awesome DMM, or create some amazing reverb that I won't be able to get with my measly XL...that's when I'll be wanting the upgrade.

Re:this ^^^

this...

"Not content with just repackaging our algorithms, almost all our industry-leading effects have been updated to take advantage of the increased processing power."

"It actually does sound a little better. The extra DSP horsepower means that we didn't have to make compromises in some of the algorithms. The amp modeling algorithm is very similar but there's a few places on the II where we had to make compromises to get the algorithm to run within the allotted time.

Also the III has a higher internal oversampling rate and a higher bit depth on some calculations (64-bit vs. 40-bit)."

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/does-it-sound-better-than-the-axe-fx-2-xl.134811/

So maybe it is a bit better from the off then. That higher bit depth will make a bit of a difference too, probably.

They're hardly likely to state it sounds exactly the same though, are they? And I would be VERY dubious about just how 'different' it sounds compared to the FX2 / AX8 TBH, especially in a blind test.

Just annoys me that you not only have to shell out for the FXIII - you also need to get the footswitch as well. And a rack case. That's a crazy amount of money.

Yeah, part of me is jealous as it's a case of 'ooh, new shiny toys' - but the reasonable part is thinking that for that amount of money, plus the extra gear needed, it's just not worth it yet (for me, anyway!).

Clarky

DavusPG said:

That's a good point....

On the subject of pricing, the mark up for us Europeans is a bit annoying.

In the US the 3 will be the same price as the 2XL which is $2499

On G66 the 2XL is currently €2299, yet when I asked yesterday they reckoned it's likely to be €2800?

Supply and demand I guess

maybe a big chunk of that is a G66 mark up... they have to make money too

Clarky

I'd be seriously considering a backup Axe-II vs new Axe-III

Roland

There will be several people here willing to sell you their II to fund their 3

peteri

Interesting point.

I'm a recent (well since last summer) AX8 adopter, as others have said - since then I have zero interest in pedals, not one bit. I've bought guitars, but nothing else.

I've put myself on the waiting list for the III and will almost certainly get it - but maybe return it if I don't get on with it.

What interests me very much is:

a. The increased amp slots over the AX8, plus channels - that feels a lot more intuitive for me and I just love the idea to be honest!

b. I'm completely into the Fractal platform, so why not have the flagship? In all seriousness, I doubt I'd hear any immediate difference, but already in the move from 8.x to 9.x I've heard a real improvement in some models, I want as much of that as I can get

c. I've held off on the old rack platform, because to me - the foot controller footprint and functionality of the AX was the best, the new foot controllers address that

d. Putting the III in a soft rack case and having the controller in a pocket of the rack will be interesting to see, for transport I have my AX8 mounted on a pedaltrain with a King of Tone, expression pedal, external looper pedal and power supply - it's not as light as I hoped/wanted, it might be the rack ends up more portable

I think it's amazing development, intrigued to see when the other (FX, AX) platforms get updated, but it seems to me that the price to change whilst high isn't mad relative to what I would spend on pedals in a year and will give me many more years use - if I adopt early

DefaultM

This is awesome. I decided to buy an XL so that I can have my original just for gigging, went online to look at prices and saw this. They're going to be a lot cheaper now.

guitarfishbay

Given they supported 29 free major updates on the II from 2011 to 2018 including through the era when other companies were charging for extra packs I think it’s fairly safe to think this should have a long and well supported lifespan.

Jonathanthomas83

FarleyUK said:

They're hardly likely to state it sounds exactly the same though, are they? And I would be VERY dubious about just how 'different' it sounds compared to the FX2 / AX8 TBH, especially in a blind test.

Just annoys me that you not only have to shell out for the FXIII - you also need to get the footswitch as well. And a rack case. That's a crazy amount of money.

Yeah, part of me is jealous as it's a case of 'ooh, new shiny toys' - but the reasonable part is thinking that for that amount of money, plus the extra gear needed, it's just not worth it yet (for me, anyway!).

Yeah you're right, it's not going to sound vastly different at the moment...but it will, inevitably.

It is a crazy amount of money, yes, ludicrous even. But can be easily justified if you're the type who spent a lot of money on gear before becoming a Fractal convert. Seems that @peteri and I may fall into the bracket...costs justified, IMO. Though, I'll still hold off...unless @Clarky makes me an offer I can't refuse on my XL! ;-)

Clarky

Jonathanthomas83 said:

FarleyUK said:

They're hardly likely to state it sounds exactly the same though, are they? And I would be VERY dubious about just how 'different' it sounds compared to the FX2 / AX8 TBH, especially in a blind test.

Just annoys me that you not only have to shell out for the FXIII - you also need to get the footswitch as well. And a rack case. That's a crazy amount of money.

Yeah, part of me is jealous as it's a case of 'ooh, new shiny toys' - but the reasonable part is thinking that for that amount of money, plus the extra gear needed, it's just not worth it yet (for me, anyway!).

Yeah you're right, it's not going to sound vastly different at the moment...but it will, inevitably.

It is a crazy amount of money, yes, ludicrous even. But can be easily justified if you're the type who spent a lot of money on gear before becoming a Fractal convert. Seems that @peteri and I may fall into the bracket...costs justified, IMO. Though, I'll still hold off...unless @Clarky makes me an offer I can't refuse on my XL! ;-)

is that a horse's head in the bed sort offer you can't refuse?? lol..

I'll make a guess that I very much doubt I could hear the difference between the II and III
for exactly the same reasons that I was never great at spotting the difference between the II and the real amps..
I doubt a human could hear the difference between 16-bit and 24-bit let alone 40-bit and 64-bit
iirc, beyond 12-bit the resolution is beyond human hearing
if there are small differences in tone I'm guessing it'll be because the compromises they had to make with the II they didn't need to make with the III

I will be getting a III some day in the future but it'll not be for tone reasons

guitarfishbay

DIMENSIONS
Width: 19.00in (482.6mm) 
Height: 5.16in (131.1mm)
Depth: 11.530in (292.87mm) including front handles and rear jacks
Weight: 15 lbs 2.4 oz (6.87 kg)

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-iii-dimensions-and-weight.134793/

Roland

Clarky said:

I'll make a guess that I very much doubt I could hear the difference between the II and III
for exactly the same reasons that I was never great at spotting the difference between the II and the real amps..

Cliff said [https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/xl-becoming-obsolete.134736/ post 14]

“It actually does sound a little better. The extra DSP horsepower means that we didn't have to make compromises in some of the algorithms. The amp modeling algorithm is very similar but there's a few places on the II where we had to make compromises to get the algorithm to run within the allotted time.

Also the III has a higher internal oversampling rate and a higher bit depth on some calculations (64-bit vs. 40-bit).”

Clarky

Roland said:

Clarky said:

I'll make a guess that I very much doubt I could hear the difference between the II and III
for exactly the same reasons that I was never great at spotting the difference between the II and the real amps..

Cliff said [https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/xl-becoming-obsolete.134736/ post 14]

“It actually does sound a little better. The extra DSP horsepower means that we didn't have to make compromises in some of the algorithms. The amp modeling algorithm is very similar but there's a few places on the II where we had to make compromises to get the algorithm to run within the allotted time.

Also the III has a higher internal oversampling rate and a higher bit depth on some calculations (64-bit vs. 40-bit).”

I'm not saying there won't be a difference at all...
I'm saying that I doubt that I will be able to hear it [cos my hearing is not great] and that I doubt that the difference [for those that can hear it] will be due to the bit depth

FarleyUK

Clarky said:

Roland said:

Clarky said:

I'll make a guess that I very much doubt I could hear the difference between the II and III
for exactly the same reasons that I was never great at spotting the difference between the II and the real amps..

Cliff said [https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/xl-becoming-obsolete.134736/ post 14]

“It actually does sound a little better. The extra DSP horsepower means that we didn't have to make compromises in some of the algorithms. The amp modeling algorithm is very similar but there's a few places on the II where we had to make compromises to get the algorithm to run within the allotted time.

Also the III has a higher internal oversampling rate and a higher bit depth on some calculations (64-bit vs. 40-bit).”

I'm not saying there won't be a difference at all...
I'm saying that I doubt that I will be able to hear it [cos my hearing is not great] and that I doubt that the difference [for those that can hear it] will be due to the bit depth

Looking forward to all the cork-sniffers with the inevitable "OMG sounds sooooooo much better than my FXII Ultra!".

Self-confirmation bias is awesome

Jonathanthomas83

Like @Clarky and many others, if I buy this, it won't be for tone purposes...the Axe FX II does everything I need tone-wise, it's the extra horsepower and increased capabilities that attracts me to this.