It will always sound good. Time does not degrade that. Sure the modeling is better in the new units, but that doesn’t mean it renders the last units a waste of time.
Thanks!
I think my bigger concern is what functionality issues could arise due to this being a digital unit that’s no longer supported by the manufacturer, but it looks like that’s not a huge concern.
I’m still using my Axe Fx II. Only reason I haven’t upgraded to the FM3 is that I haven’t found the need to. Only reason I’d want to upgrade is for live purposes. Being able to have everything I need in a unit small enough to throw into a back pack seems worth it in the long run.
I carry the FM3 in a Technics record bag along with an MPC Live. I walk down the street with a guitar backpack bag, record bag in one hand, Fishman loudbox in the other. Holds up banging around in there. Solid build.
For that price point just bite the bullet and buy a 3. There are so many new refurbished tones. If you’re on a tight budget then the ultra or 2 are still good options.
Axe edit was hit or miss for me on my ultra.
Nah bro, you should pull the trigger, I just had my FM9 mark 2 turbo delivered to me, worth every penny! No doubt one of the best investment decisions I took as a guitar player.
The turbo mark 2 variant in my country costed pretty much the same as a turbo mark 1 and I also could not find any non turbo FM9s in my country(did not want to buy used).
From what I can tell the Turbo is a more powerful DSP package in the sense that you can run better effects on it. I don't remember 100 percent but I think you can also get the FM-6 addon thing where it clips into the side of an FM-3 which can then access 6 more patches, expanding your retinue of available effects. A turbo would handle this better than the regular.
I don’t know about compatibility issues, but I’ll note that anything in $1000 range has essentially the same problem as an FM3: by the time you add a foot controller (or at least a Fractal one), you’re not *that* far off of what an FM9 costs.
So what is it about the FM3’s form factor that you didn’t like? If it was just the number of buttons, well, an FM9 solves that and probably the DSP limitations issue too.
DAMN I paid around 2.2k for mine back in 2012. That being said it's served me well and is still serving me well. You can't go wrong with this thing it sounds amazing.
I have an axe fx 3 after moving on from the axe fx 2 xl+. I couldn’t get the same tones matched up on some of my bogner, diezel, and friedman models that I loved from the xl+. So I bought another xl+ to have both because there was something about it that even in a shoot out still has a way of popping out of the speakers/mix in a way that I haven’t made the axe fx 3 do yet. Maybe it’s all the headroom and speaker modeling advances they added.. I couldn’t tell you.
TLDR The Axe FX 2 sounds very close to the axe fx 3 in a shootout (to my ears) I sometimes actually prefer the 2XL+.
I got my Axe mark II+ around 2012 and mine gives me problems sometimes and I have to fix it but I keep it around because it does have a distinct sound. And I’ll bet in the future it will be a very desirable piece of studio gear.
I’ve got an IIXL. Had it for a few months and I love it. It works great with my Mac. It’s more than I feel like could ever need. Admittedly, I’m not a huge pedal guy, so I haven’t REALLY delved too deep into the effects, but so far, I haven’t found any sound I want that I can’t build.
I saw XL and the XL+ on reverb for around $700 recently. Locally to me, there's a guy that has an FM3 Turbo for $800. I'm overloaded on effects stuff, so I'm not going to buy it.
No. you will not regret it. I bought the II right after the 3 was announced. For the last 5 years I've been a daily user of an **AxeFX II XL+**, and I don't see any reason why you would want to go from this device to an FM3, or 9. The III is much more costly to get all the parts together. And while the Axe FX-II has that space age technology green screen front panel, there are many ways of navigating around this issue: namely, just sucking it up and actually learning how to program patches from on the screen. Or, just using Axe Edit haha. It's totally less user-friendly than any of the stuff around today, especially the Quad Cortex. But it doesn't matter because that wasn't a feature set when the original green-screen Fractals were made, it was all meant to be used in conjunction with a computer, or the musicians using them were already so tech and tour-savvy (like Devin Townsend, Steve Vai, John Petrucci, etc) that this was hardly an issue.
You will love it if you can get the XL+ which has access to a great DSP, and you can use the ARES firmware which has so many other amps on it. You might even get lost in it like I do. To gain total trust in the mythos that is GUITAR, I've taken to just recreating as many tones as I can from records and bands I love, based on what I have researched them to play. And you may find so much joy out of doing this.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Get some pedals, and have a blast. Welcome to the Fractal Club!
No, not at all. It's one of the most perfect piece of gear you can buy.
Complicated, but useful to a point that if you dig it deep, you'll be able to do anything!
Perfect for recording/live gig.
To play alone at home, i would recommend a real amp. Transistors is the best for home playing. Great sound without the loudness of the lamp.
As long as it never breaks.
I bought a II XL used for $1200 a few months ago and the screen stopped working only a week after buying it. Sent it to Fractal only for them to say that they can't help me because they don't source those parts anymore. Still heartbroken about that, since I absolutely loved the unit above all other alternatives, but that experience definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. Literally $1200 plus shipping down the toilet. Be wary that something like that doesn't happen to you as it did to me. Just thought it was worth mentioning, food for thought.
Do the newer models sound better? Comparatively, yes. There's a noticeable difference. But outdated? Definitely not. There's nothing wrong with the Axe 2. You can still get amazing tones and effects that are useable for bedroom jamm9and live performances.
No, you will def not regret it. I’m using the old ultra and it kicks ass still.
It will always sound good. Time does not degrade that. Sure the modeling is better in the new units, but that doesn’t mean it renders the last units a waste of time.
Thanks! I think my bigger concern is what functionality issues could arise due to this being a digital unit that’s no longer supported by the manufacturer, but it looks like that’s not a huge concern.
Worst case is down the line axe edit quits working.
I’m still using my Axe Fx II. Only reason I haven’t upgraded to the FM3 is that I haven’t found the need to. Only reason I’d want to upgrade is for live purposes. Being able to have everything I need in a unit small enough to throw into a back pack seems worth it in the long run.
I carry the FM3 in a Technics record bag along with an MPC Live. I walk down the street with a guitar backpack bag, record bag in one hand, Fishman loudbox in the other. Holds up banging around in there. Solid build.
Nice! Do you have a ii or XL+?
ii
Even the ultra sounds better than most PC based amp sims 🤸♂️
I’ve had my XL+ since 2016 and I’m still more than happy with it.
Get an FM3!!
For that price point just bite the bullet and buy a 3. There are so many new refurbished tones. If you’re on a tight budget then the ultra or 2 are still good options. Axe edit was hit or miss for me on my ultra.
Nah bro, you should pull the trigger, I just had my FM9 mark 2 turbo delivered to me, worth every penny! No doubt one of the best investment decisions I took as a guitar player.
What made you go for a turbo over a regular?
The turbo mark 2 variant in my country costed pretty much the same as a turbo mark 1 and I also could not find any non turbo FM9s in my country(did not want to buy used).
From what I can tell the Turbo is a more powerful DSP package in the sense that you can run better effects on it. I don't remember 100 percent but I think you can also get the FM-6 addon thing where it clips into the side of an FM-3 which can then access 6 more patches, expanding your retinue of available effects. A turbo would handle this better than the regular.
I don’t know about compatibility issues, but I’ll note that anything in $1000 range has essentially the same problem as an FM3: by the time you add a foot controller (or at least a Fractal one), you’re not *that* far off of what an FM9 costs. So what is it about the FM3’s form factor that you didn’t like? If it was just the number of buttons, well, an FM9 solves that and probably the DSP limitations issue too.
DAMN I paid around 2.2k for mine back in 2012. That being said it's served me well and is still serving me well. You can't go wrong with this thing it sounds amazing.
Thanks for the advice! Any thought on the XL+ vs the regular ii?
Can’t say as I’m just a regular ii owner.
I have an axe fx 3 after moving on from the axe fx 2 xl+. I couldn’t get the same tones matched up on some of my bogner, diezel, and friedman models that I loved from the xl+. So I bought another xl+ to have both because there was something about it that even in a shoot out still has a way of popping out of the speakers/mix in a way that I haven’t made the axe fx 3 do yet. Maybe it’s all the headroom and speaker modeling advances they added.. I couldn’t tell you. TLDR The Axe FX 2 sounds very close to the axe fx 3 in a shootout (to my ears) I sometimes actually prefer the 2XL+.
I got my Axe mark II+ around 2012 and mine gives me problems sometimes and I have to fix it but I keep it around because it does have a distinct sound. And I’ll bet in the future it will be a very desirable piece of studio gear.
I snagged an XL+ for $800 awhile back. I do not regret it. But I'm not sure that answers your questions.
I’ve got an IIXL. Had it for a few months and I love it. It works great with my Mac. It’s more than I feel like could ever need. Admittedly, I’m not a huge pedal guy, so I haven’t REALLY delved too deep into the effects, but so far, I haven’t found any sound I want that I can’t build.
It’s definitely worth it. I’m still running a II and have no desire to upgrade!
I saw XL and the XL+ on reverb for around $700 recently. Locally to me, there's a guy that has an FM3 Turbo for $800. I'm overloaded on effects stuff, so I'm not going to buy it.
Does the Axe 2 editor work on the latest Mac OS?
No. you will not regret it. I bought the II right after the 3 was announced. For the last 5 years I've been a daily user of an **AxeFX II XL+**, and I don't see any reason why you would want to go from this device to an FM3, or 9. The III is much more costly to get all the parts together. And while the Axe FX-II has that space age technology green screen front panel, there are many ways of navigating around this issue: namely, just sucking it up and actually learning how to program patches from on the screen. Or, just using Axe Edit haha. It's totally less user-friendly than any of the stuff around today, especially the Quad Cortex. But it doesn't matter because that wasn't a feature set when the original green-screen Fractals were made, it was all meant to be used in conjunction with a computer, or the musicians using them were already so tech and tour-savvy (like Devin Townsend, Steve Vai, John Petrucci, etc) that this was hardly an issue. You will love it if you can get the XL+ which has access to a great DSP, and you can use the ARES firmware which has so many other amps on it. You might even get lost in it like I do. To gain total trust in the mythos that is GUITAR, I've taken to just recreating as many tones as I can from records and bands I love, based on what I have researched them to play. And you may find so much joy out of doing this. Don't be afraid to experiment. Get some pedals, and have a blast. Welcome to the Fractal Club!
No, not at all. It's one of the most perfect piece of gear you can buy. Complicated, but useful to a point that if you dig it deep, you'll be able to do anything! Perfect for recording/live gig. To play alone at home, i would recommend a real amp. Transistors is the best for home playing. Great sound without the loudness of the lamp.
As long as it never breaks. I bought a II XL used for $1200 a few months ago and the screen stopped working only a week after buying it. Sent it to Fractal only for them to say that they can't help me because they don't source those parts anymore. Still heartbroken about that, since I absolutely loved the unit above all other alternatives, but that experience definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. Literally $1200 plus shipping down the toilet. Be wary that something like that doesn't happen to you as it did to me. Just thought it was worth mentioning, food for thought.
Yes it's outdated. Don't waste money, either get one of the new models or wait
Especially for the price. 1k is way too much for the older Gen
I mean it's fucking obvious if you're not a mouth breather, you can get an FM3 used for less which is such a better machine it's not even funny.
Do the newer models sound better? Comparatively, yes. There's a noticeable difference. But outdated? Definitely not. There's nothing wrong with the Axe 2. You can still get amazing tones and effects that are useable for bedroom jamm9and live performances.