Buy FX ultra

S

superman

Member
Hi guys

I can get my hands on a new Axe FX Ultra kind of cheaply, almost half the price that it would cost to get a Axe FX II.
Ive seen som comments here, everyone is like "buy the FX II, buy the II BUY IT".

But the Ultra seems very good to, and for that price it seems like a super investment for me.
You have to connect it to computer via MIDI, its more problematic to use Headphones, the II got more power, gets new updates etc.

But the Ultra must still be great right? If you could get an Ultra for almost half the price of an Axe FX II, would u still get the FX II?

I mean, all FX:s are great, from the standard to the FX II. They have just been improved, and if you have to get the newest one, well sell it then and get another one, simple as that.
Well, I am very excited over purchasing the Ultra, but I have seen so many comments people recommending the FX II even though the Ultra is so much cheaper.

Well what do you have to say about it?
 
You didn't mention what is exactly "half price"
If it's your first AXE to be and you can do without the headphone + USB (sound card + software parameter edit etc..) etc., then yes – you should go for the ULTRA.
I'm a semi pro guitarist, I'm playing more than 20 years, I've been using multi FX since my day 1 and amp modeling since the first one was introduced, I went through TONS of gear by now, it take a lot to impress me with a new piece but when I got the ULTRA couple of months back and started digging it really deep, my jaws are smashed on the floor ! (I'm still trying to pick the pieces :lol ).

The only reason I would go for the II now is if I had spare money (won't happen) or I would HAVE to have the headphone jack and direct recording (that’s the only thing I really miss as I have a POD HD500 that does it and it’s a blast!)
 
Yes man I can live without those things, if you got a good soundcard, internal, it shouldnt be much difference from a direct USB?
My pod x3 got both headphone plugin and direct USB, idk why the ultra doenst have that regarding its newer and more expensive than the POD.
But I heard there was a way to use headphones? And yes its my first Axe FX.
 
The Ultra is an AMAZING piece of gear. Period.

Sure, the II has more processor power, but that's mostly for more accurate amp sims, and I don't have problems with the Ultra's amp sims. My hearing isn't good enough to find anything to dislike about the Ultra's tones.

Sure, the II is much easier to tweak (that's the one thing I really envy about owners of the II).

Sure, the II gets frequent updates... but I've had enough during all those years I've owned my Ultra. Every update meant new goodies, yes, but also days of effort to try to recover your tones. I was starting to get fed up with the constant updates, so the Ultra is now a mature product with rock-solid stability. (Of course, a counter-argument to that is that you don't *have* to install every update, but believe me, it's hard not to if you want to stay current).

I'm a very happy Ultra user, and won't consider a II until it stabilizes (a lot). And by then, Cliff might pull another "10..." on us all, who knows.

By the way, if you're feeding an Ultra's output to a sound card on your PC, chances are that sound card has headphone outs. That solves the headphones problem. And me, personally, I prefer to use my sound card's inputs rather than USB anyway.
 
I have an Ultra, and I'm fine with it. The MIDI is clunky, since I prefer to edit my patches on my PC, USB would have been nicer. But I don't care about recording interface, I have RME for that. But I do like the fact that AxeFX II has 50 user cab slots, but Ultra only has 10 -- I recently started using RedWirez IRs. But that's not enough for me to upgrade.

Maybe AxeFX III.
 
I have an ultra. It sounds excellent. I had guitarists complimenting my tone this weekend who play tube amps.
 
Okey guys, thanks for the answers. I have such a dilemma, I dont know if I should go with the Ultra, the FX II or the eleven rack.
The FX:S seems both great to play with, but recording?

A good question would be: How is Axe FX Ultra fairing in recording compared to elevenrack and FX II?

Cause the FX II can record several tracks and change tone on these tracks, so can the elevenrack in pro tools?
Can I do something similar in FX Ultra?
 
Go with the Ultra - especially if you're getting a great deal as you said. Look at it this way; work with the Ultra first - decide on a II down the road... if you're not satisfied, you'de easily recoup the Ultra investment.

I honestly don't think you'll be looking back....
 
SteveZ said:
Go with the Ultra - especially if you're getting a great deal as you said. Look at it this way; work with the Ultra first - decide on a II down the road... if you're not satisfied, you'de easily recoup the Ultra investment.

I honestly don't think you'll be looking back....
Click to expand...

Well, speaking of my previous gear (POD X3, som crappy amps) I guess my mind will be pretty blown by the ultra ^^
So yes I also think its the best idea. Then, the FX III might come out, and price drops on the II or something. But I will be satisfied for many years I can guess.

Just one question.
I know many pro musicians used the Ultra for Recording? It must be very good for recording right?
I know the FX II can record a dry signal and then change settings of tone for recording?

Can you do something similar in FX II?
 
superman said:
Well, speaking of my previous gear (POD X3, som crappy amps) I guess my mind will be pretty blown by the ultra ^^
So yes I also think its the best idea. Then, the FX III might come out, and price drops on the II or something. But I will be satisfied for many years I can guess.

Just one question.
I know many pro musicians used the Ultra for Recording? It must be very good for recording right?
I know the FX II can record a dry signal and then change settings of tone for recording?

Can you do something similar in FX II?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's great for recording because you don't need to learn how to mic an amp correctly.

Normally, you just plug the output of your AxeFX to the input of your audio interface, hit record... done. AxeFX II has the additional USB audio interface, so you can just plug directly into your computer and record. But, I don't know what the quality of the audio interface is. I use RME PCIe audio interface, which I'm pretty certain is better than most USB interfaces out there.

As far as the dry signal thing, I assume you're talking about recording your guitar dry, then have AxeFX process it afterward. You should be able to do what with all AxeFX models. It's just a matter of outputting the track to the input of the AxeFX (either the actual input 1/4" connection in the back or USB), then recording the processed signal in another track. If you don't like the tone, change the patch, and do it again. You do need a multi-track DAW program to do this.

Only difference is with AxeFX II, you can use the onboard USB audio interface, where with the older versions, you need to supply your own audio interface, then plug in the AxeFX using cables.

If you just want to play around, then the AxeFX II onboard USB audio interface comes in handy. If you want to do an actual home recording project, it'll probably better if you go buy your own audio interface.
 
The Ultra is a great p[iece of gear. If something happen to my II and all I could get was an ultra I would be OK with that.
 
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