nikki-k
Member
TM has asked those with Axe Fx II pre-orders that are interested in updates to give them a call, or email.
Spaceboy
Well-known member
There should be units coming into TM today.f
A
Avenyr
New member
Tiki confirmed that they got them and that they are shipping them today and tomorrow.
The wait is over people
The wait is over people
Joeytpg
Active member
Maybe there should be an official Tone Merchants Sub Forums...... it'd nice 
Spaceboy
Well-known member
After between 6-7 months, I finally got my tracking number. 
th3m1ke
New member
So FedEx came the other day and delievered my unit, which I like to assume was in the last phase of the TM units. Sounds great but I do have some concerns and noticed a few things.
1) Faulty LED (it has a completely dead row of pixels from top to bottom. I know for a fact each unit is USUALLY run through QC before it ships).
2) Old Chassis (has solid white line under AxeFX II which is from the original batch of units)
3) Came loaded with Firmware v2.00 (for a unit that arrived on December 3rd, even if you factor in shipping time to Tone Merchants it should have Firmware v3 on it, which was PUBLICLY released on November 10th).
4) I emailed Fractal right away with a well detailed, and respectful email and they simply responded with "contact Tone Merchants to arrange for a new unit". Not further explanation or message.
Anyone else notice these things or have an issue that was on this TM shipment? Makes me wonder if I got a refurbished unit.
1) Faulty LED (it has a completely dead row of pixels from top to bottom. I know for a fact each unit is USUALLY run through QC before it ships).
2) Old Chassis (has solid white line under AxeFX II which is from the original batch of units)
3) Came loaded with Firmware v2.00 (for a unit that arrived on December 3rd, even if you factor in shipping time to Tone Merchants it should have Firmware v3 on it, which was PUBLICLY released on November 10th).
4) I emailed Fractal right away with a well detailed, and respectful email and they simply responded with "contact Tone Merchants to arrange for a new unit". Not further explanation or message.
Anyone else notice these things or have an issue that was on this TM shipment? Makes me wonder if I got a refurbished unit.
Ventura
Well-known member
Well.... Sorry to read this. I hope it's an isolated case and not an en masse product delivery with all the same or potentially same issues. That would suck. Rob's a good guy though - he oughta have this sorted out if you emailed him/called him directly to voice your concerns.th3m1ke":3jfmcq1q said:
Hard to say - I guess they'll be pouring into people's hands this week coming, and we'll know more.
Peace
th3m1ke
New member
Ventura":7cd40odd said:
Oh no, I would never blame Rob - it has nothing to do with TM at all and is definitely an issue on Fractals end. And it happened on Saturday (TM isn't open on the weekends).
Ventura
Well-known member
I hear ya, I'm just wondering if FAS sent a bunch of old stock to TM to give to their (as in TMs) waitlist peeps - which would suck.
What's this bit about the older chassis versus the newer chassis and the line under the name thing?? I've been out of the Axe-II loop for a while now, so I have no idea what the hell's going on...
Cheers,
Mo
What's this bit about the older chassis versus the newer chassis and the line under the name thing?? I've been out of the Axe-II loop for a while now, so I have no idea what the hell's going on...
Cheers,
Mo
G
gtr31
Well-known member
mine should be here ,this week ..Hopefully we do not have to replace the units again .I'm in Canada and that would be a PITA to say the least plus shipping costs.
From What I had heard they should have shipped with V3 ..
The is another forum member ,Nikki K and I think her's had V2 as well.
Maybe ask Spaceboy to he was in that batch. The firmware update is not a biggie really, but the old chassis is kinda strange.
I doubt it's a refurb but Fractal's comment of get them to get you a new unit is not the most reassuring.
From What I had heard they should have shipped with V3 ..
The is another forum member ,Nikki K and I think her's had V2 as well.
Maybe ask Spaceboy to he was in that batch. The firmware update is not a biggie really, but the old chassis is kinda strange.
I doubt it's a refurb but Fractal's comment of get them to get you a new unit is not the most reassuring.
th3m1ke
New member
edit: all taken care of.
Ventura
Well-known member
th3m1ke":15w88y9z said:Ventura":15w88y9z said:
That's what has me confused. All signs point to this being an old or refurbished model which I think would be a pretty shitty thing for Fractal to do especially since we've fallen victim to an obvious business disagreement for a while. This is obviously all speculation and hear-say so please take it with a grain of salt but with everything laid out on the table in front of me, it has me wondering.
gtr31":15w88y9z said:
Yeah the firmware alone wouldn't bother me - but when you add it all together of the old firmware, old chassis and defective LCD makes me wonder.
And for those asking, here is the white line I explained. It was brought to my attention by someone else. The line was in a lot of promotional photos when it was first coming out, and hasn't been there for a while. Both are displayed on the FAS website.
Ya, I see this graphic line thingy being different - but what was the 'actual' change in the chassis? Any? Why did they have a line on one chassis and not a line on the other and invoke a different generation of enclosure - if this is what I'm to assume from this talk about "Gen1" chassis and "Gen2" chassis.
Thanks for the clarification - like I said, I'm out of the loop with all of this - just wondering...
Peace
th3m1ke
New member
And just for the sake of posting it, here is a shot of the LCD where you can see the clear vertical row of dead pixels. Seems like something that would have easily been picked up in it's final check. I could be wrong though.
Spaceboy
Well-known member
I also have the old chassis and firmware 2.0. It wasn't a problem to update, and there has been no display problems, but I'm curious what differences there are between older and newer models.
It doesn't really sit well that these could be restocks or an old batch that FAS didn't care to update before shipping to TM. We put money down and were waiting before the Axe FX II was released, and weeks before there was a wait list on the FAS forum, so why does it always feel like we're secondary customers?
Eh, I'm not having any problems, so I'm not going to bitch too much...
It doesn't really sit well that these could be restocks or an old batch that FAS didn't care to update before shipping to TM. We put money down and were waiting before the Axe FX II was released, and weeks before there was a wait list on the FAS forum, so why does it always feel like we're secondary customers?
Eh, I'm not having any problems, so I'm not going to bitch too much...
th3m1ke
New member
edit: all taken care of.
Ventura
Well-known member
Well, Rob and Staff will be available as of 11am PST tomorrow. I'd suggest calling and finding out what's happening. Certainly NOT stirring the pot, but I am very curious as well. Old chassis? Old firmware? And these are the 'general' concerns I have. The biggest issue I have is direct with your product received - clearly the display is hooped. For this kind of money, a row of pixels not working is bullshit. And it's not a FAS or a TM thing at this point in time until more information is rendered. Only at that time can a decisive conclusion or hypothesis be reached.
I do hope you get a new unit, brand new unit at that, no fuss no muss and no bullshit shipping fees or duties. The product your in possession of is not 100% operational. Simple.
And like I said before, I am NOT stirring the pot. Just a little sad that after all these months and resting our sides on that of the TM crew, that this has happened - and that FAS HQ speak so nonchalantly about a 'new' product that's 'somewhat defective' coming from their 'only' US supplier.
Keep us posted.
I do hope you get a new unit, brand new unit at that, no fuss no muss and no bullshit shipping fees or duties. The product your in possession of is not 100% operational. Simple.
And like I said before, I am NOT stirring the pot. Just a little sad that after all these months and resting our sides on that of the TM crew, that this has happened - and that FAS HQ speak so nonchalantly about a 'new' product that's 'somewhat defective' coming from their 'only' US supplier.
Keep us posted.
G
gtr31
Well-known member
It could just be a bad LCD that got by.
The firmware did not get released till Friday so it is possible If the units shipped that day or the day before then 2.0 would have been the one installed .
The chassis is a weird one though ,as they have not used that chassis since like September
So was it extra faceplates left over .or was the unit sitting maybe waiting for other parts .
It's obvious that You ,Spaceboy and Nikki all have the old chassis and 2.0 that likely the entire batch shipped to TM will be the same
Ill post when mine arrives this week but I would suspect the same
The firmware did not get released till Friday so it is possible If the units shipped that day or the day before then 2.0 would have been the one installed .
The chassis is a weird one though ,as they have not used that chassis since like September
So was it extra faceplates left over .or was the unit sitting maybe waiting for other parts .
It's obvious that You ,Spaceboy and Nikki all have the old chassis and 2.0 that likely the entire batch shipped to TM will be the same
Ill post when mine arrives this week but I would suspect the same
Ventura
Well-known member
Ya, honestly I've not received mine yet - it's scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I had my 1st one direct from FAS about 2.5 or 3 months ago. I sold that one off and decided to wait for the TM batch. Now, as for the firmware, I don't think anyone is going to unpack a shipment awaiting the gates from NH to CA that's probably been in the shipping zone for, what, a month already? There were some hitches with TM and FAS, that's been discussed to death - and now "a batch was received" and TM (thanks to Tiki) got the orders out the door as soon as they received them. So ya, my guess is these were alotted to TM quite some time ago. A few things needed to get hammered out - and boom - the supply chain resumed. So firmware's not a problem, maybe. As for the chassis - well, all I can say is I'll see what shows up tomorrow and post.
But the LCD is bum. A new one is deserved - as hey, they QC check every one of them before they pack 'em up - right? Right!
EDIT/PS: I've also been using an Ultra in the meantime as a standalone modeller and an FX unit for the last little while. I've already sold it, but the dude who bought it was away on a work assignment and just said to hold it till he got back at xmas time. So I've not been without...
But the LCD is bum. A new one is deserved - as hey, they QC check every one of them before they pack 'em up - right? Right!
EDIT/PS: I've also been using an Ultra in the meantime as a standalone modeller and an FX unit for the last little while. I've already sold it, but the dude who bought it was away on a work assignment and just said to hold it till he got back at xmas time. So I've not been without...
th3m1ke
New member
edit: all taken care of.
nikki-k
Member
Wow. Just.. wow.
I am truly torn. I am enjoying my Axe-Fx II far more than I expected to; I expected to really like it, and perhaps "love it" as I spent time digging in and figuring it all out. But I did not think it would really feel so good within a few days of playing with it.
That said...
The forums there scare me, I got one of the old chassis apparently (completely forgot about the white line thing), and mine has wobbly Output knobs, and a fan that is a horror show. Mine had ver 2.00c, and I updated to ver 3.02. I actually liked getting the old version, since I could compare the pre-3 and then ver3 (pretty wild). When I saw the firmware version, and the date... the first thing that went threw my head was, "Oh shizza.. I got one that was sitting on a shelf for months." I am trying to figure out what the "coding" is for the serial numbers; cannot figure if it is "I" or "|" characters.
I will shut up now.. probably just dug myself a (support) grave with this post (sigh). Their forum scares me, I always fear I will be lynched, or banned for a misstep..
Edit to add: the unit I got has no scratches or signs of use. The replies from Cliff indicate a return to having the white line, so cool on that. I would have liked to have seen that announced or at least posted somewhere.
I also had no idea there was a "sticky knob" issue; mine do not feel "sticky" (in operation or texture, lol), they simply wobble (Output 1 more so than 2). I either need a replacement fan, or direct permission (and proper specs/approval) for an appropriate, quieter replacement. I saw on their forums that users were given permission, but if that post(s?) were to disappear... I will call Rob at some point this week; I would like to have the full story on the support side of things. It would be nice to be able to directly address Fractal, even if any subsequent physical transaction would be required to be done with TM.
I am truly torn. I am enjoying my Axe-Fx II far more than I expected to; I expected to really like it, and perhaps "love it" as I spent time digging in and figuring it all out. But I did not think it would really feel so good within a few days of playing with it.
That said...
The forums there scare me, I got one of the old chassis apparently (completely forgot about the white line thing), and mine has wobbly Output knobs, and a fan that is a horror show. Mine had ver 2.00c, and I updated to ver 3.02. I actually liked getting the old version, since I could compare the pre-3 and then ver3 (pretty wild). When I saw the firmware version, and the date... the first thing that went threw my head was, "Oh shizza.. I got one that was sitting on a shelf for months." I am trying to figure out what the "coding" is for the serial numbers; cannot figure if it is "I" or "|" characters.
I will shut up now.. probably just dug myself a (support) grave with this post (sigh). Their forum scares me, I always fear I will be lynched, or banned for a misstep..
Edit to add: the unit I got has no scratches or signs of use. The replies from Cliff indicate a return to having the white line, so cool on that. I would have liked to have seen that announced or at least posted somewhere.
I also had no idea there was a "sticky knob" issue; mine do not feel "sticky" (in operation or texture, lol), they simply wobble (Output 1 more so than 2). I either need a replacement fan, or direct permission (and proper specs/approval) for an appropriate, quieter replacement. I saw on their forums that users were given permission, but if that post(s?) were to disappear... I will call Rob at some point this week; I would like to have the full story on the support side of things. It would be nice to be able to directly address Fractal, even if any subsequent physical transaction would be required to be done with TM.
