I have a feeling this new device is going to generate a lot of buzz on the forums and elsewhere!
People are attached to Fryette and its products, and naturally, an evolution of a legendary amp with a strong added feel will please some and disappoint others—that’s life…
Personally, the new design interests me, but I’m still waiting for reviews and technical information before ordering it.
Questions:
Will the effects loop be switchable via MIDI when changing channels?
Can the amp be played without a speaker when using an IR?
What will the total weight of this beast be?
Will the fan (because I assume there will be one) be noisy like on the LXII? (This could be a problem for home studio use.)
Dave, all of the nonsense aside, here’s a devil’s advocate-style question (maybe more than one) for you.
For those that simply can’t stomach the thought of the digital EQ, why wouldn’t putting something like the Ibanez Pentone 5-band PEQ in the loop accomplish roughly the same thing in an analog fashion?
Is there a world where Steve considers releasing the UL with a simple analog EQ panel or even just a blank panel, and no EQ or IR?
What sort of long-term steps has Fryette discussed to help future-proof the amp? Like if it’s 20 years from now and Fryette has disbanded, is there a way to have a parts stock or let people buy replacements for potential points of failure?
The general consensus here is no based on the very low likelihood that this feature would get used. This is validated by many players who purposely disabled the loop function on footswiches, Also supported by the fact that you can bypass most midi enabled effects that have their own bypass function. We’re not unmovable on that though, so now’s the time to make your pitch!
Yes. The IR loader is fed from either the main amp output or the internal 1W power amp (as found in the GPDI) and is user selectable. So it will operate when the big bottles are placed on standby.
21 pounds as it sits now. With an aluminum top cover and power tube bracket (like on the PS-100) it could go to 19.
A fan similar to the PS-100 fan will be used and is very quiet.
If it is possible to add remote switching to the fx loop with just a firmware tweak or something that could be a very useful feature for players that aren’t running full midi rigs. Me personally I use the switchable loop on my amps quite a bit with some stomp boxes mounted in a rack mount tray.
For example on my current Mesa mark iv rack head (sacrilege I know) I tend to keep an always on delay and reverb in the loop sitting on a shelf in the rack and I generally assign that to automatically turn on the loop when I switch to cleans. When on the lead channel I can turn the loop on remotely to add that delay and reverb to a lead tone. I have a few friends that gig that run similar rigs using the assignable and switchable loops to minimize tap dancing without going to a full midi setup.
Not having a midi switchable loop isn’t a deal breaker for me but since you asked for people to make their case I figured I’d give my 2 cents since there are real use cases for it.
@DavidPhelge one noticeable difference in terms of the controls, other than the obvious GEQ/Screen, is the absence of the Master Volume. It appears that volume is controlled at the channel level. I am curious if the decision to omit the Master Volume was based on lack of real estate or was it found that the control didn’t make that much difference?
You’re referring to the Global Master on the OG UL. The problem with that was that people didn’t understand that it was a global volume control, not a master volume as typically understood to be something you use to get distortion/overdrive.
Because of that, people would routinely turn it down way too low (like 9:00) and then try to turn up the clean channel which had no master. That caused the clean channel to clip the EQ, which resulted it a ratty brittle distortion that people associated with that channel. On the overdrive channels it limited volume which made people think it had no real power. That is still a problem when someone picks up a used UL.
Now the clean channel has it’s own master and the issues associated with setting the global volume too low are gone.
I´m with you there and @pascal Great points! I have the same. All effects on the world on clean and orange would be a gate (because of the in-ears of my band mates) and red would be like @Myampslouder is describing for leads and without a gate.
I like the idea of the “digital EQ”… i can have 3 different EQ settings or even more … Our producer will like that
Absolutely yes on beibg able to bypass the effects loop with presets on the amp.
Some of the effects I have color the sound a lot even when on bypass. Being able to bypass at the amp eliminates this.
Sometimes I turn on several analog pedals in the loop. Being able to bypass all of them at the same time on the amp effects loop is very useful. It eliminates hitting 4 pedals instead of one.
Fair questions, if a little more involved to respond to. I’ll get to them shortly, but just wanted you to know we’re on it. The specs and features list will be available in a day or so, and that will cover everything better than the one post at a time method.
I’m sure you appreciate that we have repairs and spare parts to get out over the next several days…
Yes. The OGUL had one set on the rear panel, applicable to all channels. The things that define channels (and therefore virtually different amp behaviors) are frequently more subtle than tonestack settings.
The Presence and Depth controls, along with the various channel modifying switches and buttons on the OG do a lot to refine channel voicing. This is going to be too long an explanation to post now, but the idea is to be able to tweak the basic channel voicing in a way that they are related sonically, which is really what players in our experience generally strive for. The GEQ is there to put the icing on the cake.
That much sonic sculpting power is what diminishes the need to save presets of tone control and gain control settings. This is the goal since even though programming settings seems like a no-brainer, there is significant tonal degradation in making the signal processing work even moderately well.
Thanks for the detailed feedback. And yes i see the GEQ as “the icing on the cake” too… and fortunately i have people around me who know how to use it in the overall mix of our sound.
I barely ever use the GEQ so the A/D/D/A conversion doesn’t really bother me… and anyways I know well and good that I would fail that Pepsi challenge anyways. I use a Helix for most of my effects. PA’s are almost all using digital mixers and powered speakers with DSP. One more round of conversion is not going to be a noticeable difference IMHO as far as what the audience hears, and in terms of feel… I guess I’m skeptical that any human would be able to reliably tell the difference based on that one factor.
It does raise my eyebrow that they were able to fit that much into such a small form factor. THIS is the reliability point I want to see play out for a couple of years before I buy in. I’ve seen enough tube amps and rack gear have issues with ventilation and overheating. From a functional standpoint, does 2U really mean 4U or more with spacing factored in for adequate dissipation? The LXII is 1U and I’ve heard nothing negative about their reliability or heat dissipation which is a good sign, but this is another ambitious step. My GP/DI gets pretty hot and has a fan in it for a reason… and the ULII has that same 1W power amp circuit for silent recording…
Then add an the digital screen and all of the small circuitry that goes with that… will it be able to handle the heat in the long run? Will it handle the set changeover while it’s still hot being picked up/put down or (if in a rolling rack) being rolled over cables and uneven surfaces?
I’m interested to hear it and hopefully play one in person. I’m sure the parts are rated to handle everything. Fryette is clearly trying to position this towards the practical needs of gigging musicians and well aware of real-world conditions and scenarios that this product will need to endure… but this unit represents uncharted territory. It’s a gamble. Skepticism is warranted.
If the ULII sounds good, proves reliable, and the practical value proposition bears out without any major “gotchas”, then this feature set is very appealing to me. MIDI channel switching is such a no-brainer feature these days and was something I was really excited to be included in the next gen UL when the rumblings started. The weight and being 2U and rack-able are just really practical as is the IR out (which has become a common offering on flagship high gain channel switchers) and ability to operate silently for recording or quiet stages with IEMs.
Yeah well you could have made this product AND given your loyal customers the amp they have wanted for so long now.
I waited for years for a Pittbull UL to go with my Deliverance. Excited every time it was mentioned on the malcontents. I have no interest in this product and will now go buy something from another manufacturer.
Unfortunately you feel our voices aren’t important or valid. I wish Steve great success and hope you catch the new market you are aiming for. I sadly won’t be one of them.
I’m super excited for it as well, it’s going to have to sound awesome for me to part with $3999. I realize the cost of everything is up, but my GPDI/IR and PS2 are going to have to be dethroned for me to pull the trigger on the PU2.
