Is the II Leaps and Bounds Beyond the Standard?

If you're good with where you are at right now then the need to change is basically out of desire or curiosity. If there is something in the AxeFXII that you want or need then that makes it a matter of cost.

The only thing that I'll say here is that the AxeFXII is a lot more than just one or two new features or something; it's a whole hell of a lot of little things here and there that were improved upon over the first gen units and the sum of those parts is very impressive. I wasn't really blown away in terms of difference in sound until v5.0 came out either...not that it didn't sound good before, but there was still the need to use PEQ's and crap for me. Since then the sounds been there, it's just been a matter of making things easier or closer to authentic when starting from scratch.

As far as saying whether it was worth shelling out the $$ for the difference (after selling my Ultra) I can say without a doubt yes it was worth it. But as soon as money comes into question that makes it a very personal decision and if I didn't have the funds then of course I'd feel otherwise.

Its definitely a noticeable and measurable difference for me.
 
I have had my Ultra sine 09 and after owning my Axe II for the past few months, I gave my Ultra to my Son for his 18th Bday!
 
yek said:
They can use external IRs which is very important.QUOTE]
That's the BIG key right there for both units. When you have the right IR or combination of IR's for the amp model you're using, to me the feel and dynamics are there. I'm sure the II does that better or easier to do than the Gen1's but when I have the right combo(amp/IR) the response to pick attack, rolling the volume knob back...are there.
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For me the change to the II was most evident in feel and responsiveness of a variety of amps, not just high gain. I also think it's just more streamlined and efficient in its operation. I think if you're a high gainer, you can get pretty close with an Ultra, but if you want variety, user friendliness, and overall more power it's the II by a wide margin.
 
I agree with Fractal Audios Comment. The first difference i noticed is the quality of the Clean amp tones, far more superior to the ultra. Tis of coarse enabled far better drive block to go with them. They may be the same drive blocks as the ultra/standard but coupled with the clean amps they sound better.
 
The Ultra FM 11.0 is a great sounding machine, but doesn't compare to the II in terms of feel and depth. I ended up selling my Ultra a few months after purchasing the II, even though I planned on keeping it. I just never touched the Ultra again LOL. I use to TM with the Ultra, and find that the II is SOOOOOOOOOO much easier, faster and just as accurate in all cases and in some more accurate.
 
Man... I still think I've got to try it out before purchasing. It's not about me no trusting your word but more about how the new features will fit my needs. I feel like Standards/Ultras are underpriced in the use market at the moment also so I feel like I won't be getting my money's worth.

EDIT: I created a comparison clip request thread so we could get an honest review of the units side by side. Ofcourse this doesn't tell anything about the feel etc. but just the tone.
 
+1 on the clean tones right out of the gate they sound and feel much better then the first gen units, the new features alone are worth the cost.
 
Clark Kent - I was in the same boat and finally took the plunge a couple of weeks ago. I honestly am as blown away by the II as I was when I got my Ultra. It's been a long long time since I've felt this excited about playing my guitar. Last week I was miserable at work the entire week because I couldn't tear myself away from the studio until 3 AM each morning. I feel like with my Ultra I could dial in some killer tones, but had to really set my parameters correctly to do it. One thing I love about the II is that I almost feel like I can do no wrong. It's just dialing the tone you want rather than trying to dial a good tone (if that makes sense). The factory presets are killer. There are clean patches that I would likely never really use, as I gravitate more towards metal, and yet I've played them for hours because they sound so incredible. That plus the speed, convenience, etc - there's a feeling of improved work flow and it all boils down to a lot more time playing rather than tweaking, and being a lot happier while doing it.

At the end of the day, don't forget about Fractal's return policy. If for some reason I'm wrong, you can send it back. And FWIW, I wouldn't even bring that up if I didn't feel sure you would end up keeping the II. Hope that helps.
 
FractalAudio said:
The standard and Ultra are great. IMHO, the II is far more realistic in terms of sounding like a tube amp but that doesn't mean it sounds "better". The original Axe-Fx had it's own vibe that proved to be very popular for certain musical styles.

So I think it depends on what types of music you play. If you do the drop-D chugga stuff then it may not be much of a tone improvement since the original Axe-Fx kind of became a benchmark for that tone. If you do stuff that requires vintage sounding amps or a wider range of styles then perhaps the upgrade is worth it.

Personally I never use my Ultras anymore. The I/O stuff, Tone Matching and built-in IR capture are, for me, invaluable. I've also found that I can dial in any Ultra tone on the II but the converse is not always possible.
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I disagree about the heavy tones but completely agree about everything else you said. I play mostly heavy music and for me the Axe II is night and day better than the Standard. Honestly, I was hoping not to be blown away by the Axe II's sound and keep my Standard, but that didn't happen :) . I had had my Standard for over two years and absolutely loved it, but every model, every cab, and every effect on the Axe II sounded so much better to me. That along with all of the new features - Tone Match (which is AWESOME), USB, Quick Controls, to name a few, and ALL of the additional amps/cabs/effects, make it well worth the upgrade IMO. The Axe II is also extremely easy to dial in authentic sounding patches. What took and hour or more with my Standard, literally takes a few minutes to dial in with the Axe II. Tone Matching is also unbelievably easy to use and the results are amazing!
So yeah, I'd definitely recommend the upgrade. :)
 
I play clean to medium gain and I find the Axe II WAY beyond the Ultra for those sounds. That said, I loved my Ultra and it sounded great. The II is just so immediate though. I can tweak advanced parameters to get further towards what I want to hear, but I can also adjust it just like a real amp and get there most of the time. With the Ultra, I loved it as soon as there was gain involved, but truly clean never quite got there for me. Not so on the II. It's there. Also, much improved reverb, rotary, tape delay, etc etc. And the promise of more to come.

Plus all the useability features. USB, global blocks, knobs on the front, ethernet, the Lemur editor (awesome). It's a no brainer for me, but I could afford it, so lucky me. I was also able to sell the Ultra for 75% of what I paid for it 2+ prior to selling, so that helped a lot.
 
Okay, once I have the money... I'll most likely get the II. Meanwhile I'm more than happy with the II. Just today I did some impulses of my Orange 4x12 cabinet and it feels like a whole different unit again. :)
 
I'm pretty sure I've done enough match EQing myself... being the one that introduced the technique to this forum and all. :D
 
As few have mentioned I really believe IR's make a huge difference. As long as the unit can accept custom IR's I think it can sound fantastic! I'm able to say this after I tried out some of OwnHammer's Beta Irs. They literally either make or trash the tone
 
I´ve got a standard and the two. And i have to agree to Cliff: I don`t think in the gainy genre you`re playin` plus you do EQ-Matching and shoot yout own IRs you will get much more better tone from the II. The GEN1 are very good machines! I feel like Cliff say: Clean to midgain, crunchy on the edge... all there, where you`re really looking for details on response and dynamic - in this territorium the Axe-II is in the meanwhile (FW6 and above) so much better, that you will feel it in the first second you`ll plug into it. But this is not your ballpark, right? So, knowing you DO all the stuff which can increase results tonewise, the gap between the II and the GEN1 could be for (especially YOU!) not that big ...

On the other hand: You can do now IR Capture & EQ-matching in seconds, where the whole create sine, match in ozone, create wav IR, convert it to syx ... is so time-eating .... i have done it on my own also with the standard. Now, with the Axe-II it`s all soooo easy, much faster workflow. Especially you would benefit from the 50 User slots (Cab named user slots!) ...

So, it`s really hard to give recommendation ... In my opinion you will not win sooo much on better tones, because we all know how you work, how you sound. But on the other hand, because (!) you work with EQ-Matching and CAB IRs so frequently, exactly these parts would save you MUCH time in the future ...
 
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