It's funny how everyone dumps on the Gen1 units now, even here. When these units were current people were selling their boutique tube amps because they had found "it" with the Gen1s. They were talking about how they did not miss their old amps or that they were collecting dust because they had found a unit that not only sounded great but also felt great. Now, suddenly, they're "lacking", LOL. Wonder what people will say about the II when the next wizbang thing comes out.
FWIW, I play both my Ultra and II regularly. I LOVE my Ultra. It is SOOO dialed in. I am constantly d*cking with the II because half of my patches are out of date. All of my patches are named "something FW18,F19,Q1,Q2,Q204,FW12,etc" I probably have patches dialed for eight or nine different versions on it right now. I'll bring up a preset and think, does this sound funky because my ears are tired or because something changed? It is fun but it is the Neverending Story. It is an amazing unit but even though it has gotten easier to dial the never ending change causes much wheel spinning.
For base tones, I find that the Ultra is MUCH more work to dial up front but it is never going to change on you, this is both bad and good. It is rare for me to have a patch that does not have a PEQ somewhere in the chain, use of 'Advanced Parameters' is much more common, I almost never touch them on the II unless I am experimenting for fun on the Ultra it can be a necessity. It tends to sound more similar from model to model than the II. The II feels a *little* more 'alive' for lack of a better word. But, now that it is setup it is instant gratification. I fire it up and boom, it is there, right where I want it no guess work. Most of the II advantages disappear in the config I use it in: Ultra->Power Amp->Guitar Cab. A lot of the improvements in the cab section are not needed because I use the real deal. The real cab gives a real amp in the room experience and feel. But of course it can make great recordings, too. I used to run a tube preamp->tube power amp rack rig. The Ultra + SS Power Amp crushes any config of my tube rig (as does the II).
The II has better features. The II is more up to date. The II continues to improve. The II is WORTH the extra cost and the time investment.
That said, the Ultra and Standard are the best units you can possibly buy for what they go for on the used market. They are worth way more than the asking price. I would literally take them over any similarly priced product out there and could happily use them forever in their domain. They do not get enough love/respect anymore, IMHO.
If the tone is crushing today it will be crushing tomorrow or ten years from now, IMHO.
). Anyway - fxII is out of my price range, and for now i dont have a chance to try Fx , so here comes my question - is it still worth the money, and does it also have the feel of the real thing while playing ?
