Grateful Dead Music Forum

For those interested:

http://www.fractalaudio.com/products-fa ... -ii-2.html

Some additional info from Cliff (the brain behind the Axe FX):
Price: $2199
Availability: Probably 2 weeks (be warned )

MAN! That just looks perfect. I still think the tube stuff sounds awesome, but it looks like they are coming closer and closer every year. I will have to see what the old ultra's are gonna be pawned off for as people rush for this. I would love to try it out personally if it is at a reasonable price. It will be interesting if the older models wind up holding value like a tube analog unit would... Very cool stuff from a very cool company.

I've been monitoring Ultra prices for quite some time. Before today, they sold easily around $2,000.

Today, following the announcement, there market was flooded with units for sale. You can now get one for $1,600. Very tempted....

mk

mkaufman wrote:I've been monitoring Ultra prices for quite some time. Before today, they sold easily around $2,000.

Today, following the announcement, there market was flooded with units for sale. You can now get one for $1,600. Very tempted....

mk

I betcha patience will save you more money than that.

Since I own two Ultras, I will likely sell one and try the new one out.

$1600 is what I was thinking, and, of course, it would include my custom direct Jerry patch and E-120 IR all ready to go. The one I would part with is just a few months old, never gigged with and still has the protective plastic on the display and factory box.

I can't imagine the 2.0 being that much better out of the box than the Ultra running 11.0 firmware, which includes the new version's improved power amp modeling, but I like the direct USB recording capability as it is my home studio unit and the future expansion potential.

Hear it here for the base tone with the Jerry wiring, 3 minutes into UJB tells you how it sounds ...

http://www.archive.org/details/pd2011-0 ... hnnydsset2

This system requires you to use a FRFR speaker system for optimal use? ie a QSC K12 or the like?

If you want to take advantage of all its capabilities, yes ... that's speaker IRs and power amp simulation, specifically. Some people run it into a power amp and guitar cabinet, but that's missing out on being able to dial in very precise power tube behavior (class a or class ab, bias, voltage starvation, negative feedback, etc., and the ability to switch through hundreds of speaker and cabinet combinations at the twist of a knob, not to mention how that cab was miked, where it was miked, the mic itself, mic distance, etc.

You can set up a basic amp block and get a wide variety of sonic palettes just by stepping through the cabinets ... 1x8 oval radio speaker like Jimmy Page used on early Led Zeppelin tracks, 1x12 open back, 1x15, 2x10, 4x12, 8x10 metal bass cone cabinet ... sky's the limit. People even set up acoustic guitar presets using an impulse response file from an acoustic guitar body.

I use K12s and K10s live and in my studio, they sound tremendous.

Another plus for the QSC is its two channels and 1,000 watts; I've used the second channel on my floor wedge K12 for my vocal monitor feed, and it works great on tight stages (or venues with crappy monitors).

I'm guessing Vic wins the G.A.S. gold medal. 2 Ultra's and undaunted about upgrading...you're my hero!
Just bought mine a few months back and they go and upgrade. The one thing that has really caught my eye is the USB capability. That would sure make things easier. Otherwise I'm not too worried about being screwed with my Ultra. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what this thing can do...I certainly don't need to to do more! But buying Vic's used with the Jerry patch already loaded...that, my friends would be a very good deal.

jester536 wrote: But buying Vic's used with the Jerry patch already loaded...that, my friends would be a very good deal.

or you could just ask Vic to send you a sysex file of his Garcia chain.