@JoeGamble any news @DaddyPoopie is asking.
Well, more than just daddypoopie is askingâŚ
Would we get more timely updates if we used our real names?
I canât be the only one asking. Iâm growing more and more frustrated that we cannot seem to get a very simple answer to the question.
Not a single official update has been given. We only get âwe hopeâ updates via our given dealers.
Itâs honestly ruined what was a really fân awesome announcement.
Are there any updates?
Update from axe palace (just got it) is expecting 7/10
Youâre not the only one whoâs asked this (Iâd suggest reading some of the previous posts). But with all due respect, I donât think youâve quite picked up on Fryetteâs approach to what is arguably the most iconic product theyâve developed and one weâve all been waiting on for nearly a decade: silence.
Thatâs been the answer from day one. Build massive anticipation, keep everyone guessing with the occasional subtle hint, and delay the release until the amps are actually ready. Havenât you noticed thatâs been the pattern all along?
Is there a lack of transparency? Absolutely. Is most of the information coming through dealers rather than Fryette? Constantly. Has the excitement turned into frustration? Of course. But weâre all adults, and weâll get over it.
Neither you nor I would probably run a company this way weâd likely go bankrupt or get fired. Steve Fryette, on the other hand, has earned a reputation strong enough that it can essentially say, âPay for it and wait until itâs ready.â
I just hope that when the Pittbull UL II finally lands, it blows our minds and makes all the uncertainty and all the bottles of whiskey weâve gone through while waiting worth it. If not, then youâll be right: theyâll have let an incredible announcement fizzle out.
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Thank you. Very helpful
Hi everyone,
I donât have an official news but just wanted to acknowledge all your comments and frustrations. Iâm going to ask some from shop to take a look at the thread. Iâm not involved in marketing or communications for Fryette so itâs not my place to decide how they want to communicate with the outside. Iâll see if I can get some news.
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I still ordered my future UL II last week from my local dealer.
Iâm going to be patient.
I strongly believe in the potential of this amp, and despite the extremely premature release announcement and the lack of communication from Fryette,
(I 100% agree with Ricardo)
I prefer to wait a little longer to get a reliable and truly finished amp, rather than seeing an improved and flawless UL II 2.0 released six months later (hello frustration for the customers of the first seriesâŚ). This high-end equipment is still more complex than a âsimpleâ tube head.
I think theyâre taking their time to release something flawless and as good as possible.
But just better communication would be great.
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Hey everyone.
Weâre watching, and for sure we do appreciate the feedback, anticipation, and occasional venting.
While we have been asked about reviving the UL for probably a decade, there hasnât always been a firm commitment to do so. So we havenât broken a promise on that front as much as weâve just been listening to, and sometimes acknowledging that conversation. So that should be put into itâs proper perspective.
Basically, what people want, or say they want, and what a company can or should do about it is necessarily going to be a long convoluted conversation. Weâre happy to have that conversation, but at some point, as you often point out, the rubber has to meet the road. When that time comes, what happens next is entirely dependent on how we interpret whatâs going on outside our sphere of influence.
For a long time, it was assumed that we would do just like everyone else is doing and release a reissue. Anyone who knows us knows that as soon as a trend emerges, weâre more likely to buck that trend than jump on. In doing so, the conversation here becomes, if not that, then what? Thatâs a good thing because it gets everyone into creative mode and hopefully a new direction appears. Thatâs what happened with the UL, and now you know how we chose to answer that call.
Without a doubt, the UL project challenged and expanded everything we know about amplifier design and production. The current evolution started a little over 3 years ago and we were able to show significant progress at this last NAMM, to the point that we felt a release date was imminent. That turned out to be a premature expectation, not because of a failure so much as an appreciation of how far weâve progressed and how much more we had to do in terms of engineering and dealing with the current state of the market, production costs driven by the tariff fiasco, and so on.
At NAMM, more than a few of our industry friends looked at the UL slack-jawed, and one well respected builder called it âa phenomenal achievementâ.
Unfortunately, it wasnât quite ready for primetime, and here we are. Iâm not going to be able to provide technical detail about whatâs going on now, but suffice to say weâre mostly occupied with fine tuning the design on one track while proceeding with parts acquisition and production planning in parallel. Those things take their own time to resolve and meanwhile Steve will occasionally take advantage of that lull by putting ideas sitting on the back burner like the Valvulator Mini into production. We were all surprised by that since he never even once mentioned he was working on it.
On top of that, the demand for our current product line has increased dramatically in the last 3 years, so weâre pretty busy here to put it mildly, and weâre adding staff to help meet this demand. Thatâs where weâre at for the time being.
Thanks for listening, and apologies for not answering all of your questions. Please bear with us for a little while longer. I didnât say youâre going to be blown away, because that would be an understatement.
Weâll post new info the minute we have something exciting to share.
Cheers,
Dave
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Thanks for taking the time to address everyoneâs concerns around the ULII.
I appreciate the explanation and understand the challenges involved in the project. That said, the issue for me has never really been the delay itself, but rather the gap between the initial launch expectations shared at NAMM 2026 and the current reality in terms of how information has been handled.
I also hope this update isnât just a reaction to recent frustration, but the start of something more consistent as the project moves forward. Even when thereâs no major news, regular updates go a long way in keeping things clear for those of us already committed.
Iâll leave it here for my part and look forward to future updates and, eventually, seeing the first units reach the dealers.
Cheers
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Fryette is arguably as good as it gets when it comes to the actual product design and execution⌠and if the Power Stations mean anything, theyâre pretty damn elite when it comes to finding and filling an unmet market need.
Their communication and management of expectations have not been so good. Itâs ten years history but the GP/DI Kickstarter seems like itâs repeating itself to some extent.
It would be not surprise me if the ULII was finally ready for release in 2028. Hopefullyâwhenever it comesâIâll still have the coin.
In the meantime, Iâll continue to enjoy my Sig X and CLX + EQ at my rehearsal space, and maybe get a couple of Fryette Synergy modules to use live.
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Thank you for the status update. Itâs really appreciated.
Given your update, is it safe to say that the estimated shipping date of 7/10 is not feasible?
We missed March, because two critical parts suppliers missed their projected arrival deadline.
Until the new completion date is established from those suppliers, weâre not going to project a new date.
Thatâs not unusual im manufacturing. Normally, manufacturers donât say anything about a new product release until itâs on the dock ready to go. When we got to NAMM, everything was on track - and then it wasnât. While that doesnât mean itâs going to be a super long wait, we have not and will not project a revised date until those suppliers come through.
When we have reliable new updates, youâll be the first to know.
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Hi Dan,
So, is âthe signal is converted from analog domain, into the digital domain and back againâ before or after the effects loop?