Axe-II Ownership in a Nutshell

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This is PRECISELY why I have steered WAY clear of the Axe and the Kemper. It just seems too damn complicated and refined for rock and roll - all those 1's and 0's and all.....
 
You and many, many others... Look, the immediate argument is "no one is forcing you to upgrade", but ultimately, with each new FW upgrade, there's more improved betterer realerer stuff in it. So it's not really ever a "complete" package, in my perception. Get a beautiful amp, nice cab, couple of stomps - boom - it's complete. The rest is talent, dedication and commitment.

I'm happy with my AF2. I am. But for chrissakes man, lay off the constant finagling and just leave well enough alone for, well, at least a week or so :lol: :LOL:
 
Kemper had so many firmware updates when I had it. It was getting tiresome and then there were issues with each one. At one point, the unit wouldn't restart and I had to do a complete wipe and start all over again. Then there was the constant tweaking of some patches. I felt a bit overwhelmed with the sheer amount of amps in the unit and the ones that I put into it. I don't need 1000 different amps. I need 4 good consistent tones for the work that I have to do.

True....you don't have to update but as everyone knows, you are always wanting to see how it will improve. Still a great unit. I may get another one but at this point, there is no reason to. I have what I like and it sounds much better to my ears.

:)
 
You don't have to upgrade.
There a few upgrading from Version 5 to 11 currently because the new AxeEdit works with it.
Granted the desire to try the new amps is always there.
But if I am gigging then I would leave the firmware as is.
Saying all that, I have gone back to tube amps and Analog pedals...
 
Welcome to Machine, sorry I've been listening to allot of Pink Floyd recently.

Relax and enjoy your black box! :rock:
 
I want knobs
1 knob = 1 function
Guitars amps, analog or digital synths, pedals, whatever
FUCK menus, scroll wheels and hidden functions
 
Business":myt75lfk said:
FUCK menus, scroll wheels and hidden functions
Click to expand...

YES. Fuck those scroll wheels and hidden functions. Damn them to hell! :uzi:
 
LOL....I hear ya. Cliff will never rest. Ya gotta respect him for it though.....but it can get dizzying sometimes.

That said I love my Axe II & tube amps. Great time to be into guitar gear shit!!! lol
 
rlord1974":2mgt4hus said:
This is PRECISELY why I have steered WAY clear of the Axe and the Kemper. It just seems too damn complicated and refined for rock and roll - all those 1's and 0's and all.....
Click to expand...
The Axe and the Kemper are really very different boxes. Not trying to sell you on one or the other, just laying it out there.

I was an EARLY Axe FX owner (March, 2008), and I lived through the constant FW updates, where EACH FIRMWARE UPDATE F'D UP YOUR RIGS. That sucked hard. And since the Axe shipped premature and still sounded kinda crappy (for the money), the FW updates were really needed. But it still sucked to have to rewrite your presets every month.

The Kemper was good out of the box. There were a few quirks here and there, but mine sounded great from the first minute. It was much better than the Axe, and I'd never go back. And Kemper FW updates don't change your presets, so that's a big friggin' improvement over Fractal right there.

And lastly, the Kemper has LOTS OF KNOBS TO TURN :) Seriously, that was a big plus for me. I gig my gear, and if I need to make an EQ, gain, or volume change during a set (or even during a song), I can do it with the Kemper. With the Axe? Forget it.
 
When I had my Axe II I had firmware 7 and never updated it... 10 had come out and I still didn't even care, I never used Axe Edit and was gigging heavily with it.... so I wasn't about to do anything that required me to re-work all my patches... so no, you really DON'T have to update haha...
 
squank":99jgccmf said:
rlord1974":99jgccmf said:
This is PRECISELY why I have steered WAY clear of the Axe and the Kemper. It just seems too damn complicated and refined for rock and roll - all those 1's and 0's and all.....
Click to expand...
The Axe and the Kemper are really very different boxes. Not trying to sell you on one or the other, just laying it out there.

I was an EARLY Axe FX owner (March, 2008), and I lived through the constant FW updates, where EACH FIRMWARE UPDATE F'D UP YOUR RIGS. That sucked hard. And since the Axe shipped premature and still sounded kinda crappy (for the money), the FW updates were really needed. But it still sucked to have to rewrite your presets every month.

The Kemper was good out of the box. There were a few quirks here and there, but mine sounded great from the first minute. It was much better than the Axe, and I'd never go back. And Kemper FW updates don't change your presets, so that's a big friggin' improvement over Fractal right there.

And lastly, the Kemper has LOTS OF KNOBS TO TURN :) Seriously, that was a big plus for me. I gig my gear, and if I need to make an EQ, gain, or volume change during a set (or even during a song), I can do it with the Kemper. With the Axe? Forget it.
Click to expand...


Got to agree here. I love tube amps and the KPA. All I need is 4 great tones too. I have that and a whole lot more. I don't need 1,000 profiles and certainly wouldn't play them all. I don't feel like I am wasting the KPA just because I don't use them all.
 
I personally really enjoy getting the firmware updates! For me I love tweaking and turning knobs and seeing what new amps or features were put in there. The best part for me is it does not cost any more money than my original investment.

Ironically, this is a major reason I have stayed away from tube amps. If I got one, I am stuck with it until I find someone to buy it. Then I would have to go and find another one, and maybe I would get the amp I wanted, but the tubes would be bad, so I would have to swap those out. Then I would have to find a different cabinet cause the one I have doesn't play nice with my new amp. But I can see what people would enjoy about that process I suppose, it just isn't for me.
 
A new NAD every few months is a brilliant marketing strategy.
 
It's an incredible unit. If I was producing a lot of guitar-based music, I probably wouldn't bother MICing up an amp & cab ever again.
Owning one was a learning experience, in that it made me understand how little I personally needed as a guitar player.
If I produced a lot of music & I could afford to, I'd own both a valve rig & an AxeFX. As I'm just a keen player with limited needs, the valve rig & stomp box setup suits me better.

For me, Much of the fun & self development in tone-searching is in saving up for & exploring the depth of an amp or FX unit one at a time. In doing so, you're having to be very particular about what sound you want & you'll audition amps & FX in stores & on the net over a period of time. The Axe kinda just gives you everything straight off the bat. There are pros & cons to that I think.

As with anything. If it sounds good, does what you need it to & it inspires you as player then go for it.
 
Meh I've done one update in six months ,no big deal. Trick is to wait till the smoke clears before you update, make sure there are no bugs first. ;) But yeah gotta agree too many updates.
 
Hm. I really like my Axe. The FW upgrades don't bother me at all...but I don't gig either. So there's that. I haven't had amp GAS since I sold the last tubezz map I had after getting the A2. I've been having LOTS of fun "discovering" new amps! :)
 
This is exactly why I bought a Rhodes Gemini. All the little toggle switch settings go into pedal preset memory. Not too complex. Set fat, voice, bright, whatever... Dial in gain and you have 2 volume levels set... Guitar volume...

Go. Life is simple with about 10 really great tone choices easily at hand.

Whatever floats your boat at the end of the day.

It's only fun if you can do it live without a panic attack. If my amp had to reboot? No... Last time it would ever feel electrons passing thru it.
 
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