Life Span of the Axe

FixXxer

FixXxer

Member
After seeing Samhill's clips I am conflicted on if to get this one day, but that said the Axe is a great processor for amp sims etc. Like any computer, the shelf life is typically 4-5 years then its time to upgrade the hardware.

Will this be the case this the axe FX? I can the software living on PC's etc like some of the studio tools for Mac's etc. I am just questioning the lifespan of the hardware.

2k is a lot to swallow for a 5 year then toss it or need to upgrade it. I guess its all relative though.

Thoughts?
 
Obsolescence is defined only by your own needs and want. My father used a 486 at his business for years, until it finally gave up the ghost. He then moved to a Pentium, same thing, used it for years. I forget what he's got now, but it's ancient, still does what he needs, therefore not obsolete.

Cliff used a powerful hardware processing system and continually updates the software so the features and functionality are improved and updated on an ongoing basis.

To your question, I would say that of course there's going to be something better to come along in 5 years. 5 years is a long time when it comes to technology. However, not buying now because you may want the latest and greatest widget in 5 years would seem silly, in my opinion. Were this my MO, I wouldn't be able to post on this forum because I'd be perpetually waiting for the computer that would never become obsolete.
 
I don't care about better, I am speaking about reliability.

Every CPU I have owned has blue sceened within 5 years.

That is normal day to day use, nothing crazy.
 
good point, computers really don't last that long, when used day in and day out. I am not sure how the axe will hold up, don't hear any news of axe's dying out yet, will be interesting to see since it isn't really quite like a desktop or laptop. Electronics when built good can have a very long life. I still have electronic gear and synths that have lived 16 years plus with displays and all.

I wouldn't make it a major hesitation, one of the coolest things is that they keep updating the unit itself, adding and tweaking (which also takes cpu space however).
 
FixXxer":khbz1pet said:
I don't care about better, I am speaking about reliability.

Every CPU I have owned has blue sceened within 5 years.

That is normal day to day use, nothing crazy.
Click to expand...

I've been overclocking my CPUs since 2001, and I have not once had one give up the ghost. RAM and hard drives yes, but never a CPU. In fact, there are some servers I have at work that are over five years old under constant usage and they are running just ducky.
 
Some of the things dying in pc's are all the moving parts...the hard drives, the cd players, etc... THis isnt going to happen in the Fractal unit...its all chip memory.... Once you see all the moving parts gone then suddenly its not so bad...how many calculators do you see dying or camera's that stop reading memory cards (obviously the lenses and stuff that move break all the stinking time) but you take away all the things that move and suddenly it seems like they last a LOT longer. I would bet the AxeFx lasts 15 years...although once its 2 model years old its only going to be worth 100 bucks. If you are a guy that likes flipping equipment and only taking a very small loss on it, thats not going to happen with the Axe...once the present unit is obsolete they are going to TANK in value....that is the nature of electronics. Eventually it will cost a 10th as much to make it, as the memory, processors, etc all come down in price...look at what a Pod ver 1 costs now compared to the latest one....eventually that will be the same for the Axe...just the nature of the beast.
 
A few eeproms have gone tits-up on a firmware update. All taken care of with a free gratis replacement eeprom from Fractal. I've never heard of a dsp going down... though I sure they'd take care of you if it did.
 
FixXxer":5g584lgs said:
I don't care about better, I am speaking about reliability.

Every CPU I have owned has blue sceened within 5 years.

That is normal day to day use, nothing crazy.
Click to expand...

I've not encountered this phenomena personally or in business, and I have experience with literally 10's of thousands of PC's in an enterprise environment. The only exception to this, although the symtom were initially system freezes and eventually the system wouldn't post, was due to this:

http://www.badcaps.net/pages.php?vid=4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

This affected a lot of computer manufacturers and was never really brought to light in the consumer and even business markets, likely due to the potential consequence of liability.

Some years back, I successfully negotiated the replacement of hundreds of systems based upon this defect, with the OEM. Most businesses and individuals never received restitution.
 
FixXxer":16jlf4ig said:
After seeing Samhill's clips I am conflicted on if to get this one day, but that said the Axe is a great processor for amp sims etc. Like any computer, the shelf life is typically 4-5 years then its time to upgrade the hardware.

Will this be the case this the axe FX? I can the software living on PC's etc like some of the studio tools for Mac's etc. I am just questioning the lifespan of the hardware.

2k is a lot to swallow for a 5 year then toss it or need to upgrade it. I guess its all relative though.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...


2K for 5 years is only really $33 a month. That's pretty cheap imo for what it does.
 
I bet 3 years from now, nobody here is using the original Axe FX in their rig...other than people like me who can't afford it now. :LOL: :LOL:
 
Im waiting for the axe fx that will have a real tube preamp manipulated digitally. Or maybe just dreaming about one... only time will tell.
 
Rogue":tnqw09pr said:
I just wonder what modded Axe FX's will be. You know it's just a matter of time.
Click to expand...

I've considered bringing the Savage Air Mod® back to market, but not sure I have the time. It's been years since I offered it.
 
Bob Savage":ueh0mrat said:
Rogue":ueh0mrat said:
I just wonder what modded Axe FX's will be. You know it's just a matter of time.
Click to expand...

I've considered bringing the Savage Air Mod® back to market, but not sure I have the time. It's been years since I offered it.
Click to expand...

I think the "Left Handed" mod would be a great one to bring back as well.
 
tweed":1a8goja2 said:
Bob Savage":1a8goja2 said:
Rogue":1a8goja2 said:
I just wonder what modded Axe FX's will be. You know it's just a matter of time.
Click to expand...

I've considered bringing the Savage Air Mod® back to market, but not sure I have the time. It's been years since I offered it.
Click to expand...

I think the "Left Handed" mod would be a great one to bring back as well.
Click to expand...

Because the LH mod always ends up sounding exactly like the Savage Air Mod®, it's no longer offered.
 
FixXxer":37pdr5ka said:
I don't care about better, I am speaking about reliability.

Every CPU I have owned has blue sceened within 5 years.

That is normal day to day use, nothing crazy.
Click to expand...


I wouldn't worry so much about this. Last I noticed, you can't download porn and spyware to the Axe-FX. :thumbsup:
 
I realize $2000 is quite a lot of cash, but it floors me how many people are worried about resale of tube amps, or digital equipment and then purchase a 20K+ car only to drive off and already lose a substantial amount of what the car is worth. Everything loses value, everything and everybody gets old and at one point or another becomes obsolete. I think the question regarding the Axe FX is will it allow you to do what you want musically and is it worth $2000 to you to use in a musical quest. Not base it on how much it will be worth in 5 years.
 
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