The Week in Gear 62 | Fender Ultra II | Fractal gets Affordable

[@windslipper]

Thanks Andy you are the Best! I never miss an episode. Keep it up, Mate.

[@81realtime]

Just played the Ultra strat and tele. Amazing necks. Strat very modern. Tele has my favorite neck pickup of all time.

[@MrJingles021]

I look forward to these videos every week. British humour is the best.

[@quantumvox8424]

The best thing was the Disher thing! awesome ❤‍🔥

[@saarangnarayan123]

I'm so excited for the VP4! The 4 effects at a time isn't really an issue if you really think about it; there aren't many times one would keep more than four effects on at a time. There is an optional always on noise gate and parametric EQ along with the 4 available blocks. With gapless switching between presets and eight scenes within each preset and four channels in each of the four blocks (so that's 16+2 effects in one preset alone), there's a lot you can do with it. I'd love to pair one with my IR-X some day; but boy oh boy is that IR-J really sweet lookin' and sounding! The kicker is I don't need any of these because I love my Axe Fx III 😂

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Ha ha you had me going right until the last sentence. Thanks for this dude, the gapless switching is worth far more to me than more than 4 effects

[@dmac3316]

Tell me more about this “Strat-o-caster” thing lol. Solid vid 🤘

[@stefanhennig]

Haven't had my coffee, yet, So I got pretty much stoked reading the words "Fender Ultra" and "affordable" in the headline. Well, yes, but no. Time to get the coffee...

[@trevorarthurson6815]

I love my 2008 American deluxe V neck Strat.

[@amaj7313]

Does it love you.

[@trevorarthurson6815]

Sometimes.

[@MrJingles021]

I feel like the Ampero 2 is almost what a lot of people want Line 6 to release

[@dbmabe]

The Poly has a Doctor Who vibe.

[@dylano6033]

In marketing was honest: Introducing the FENDER ULTRA II SERIES - We really tried this time guys...honest! (okay we lied its just a strat) No doubt they're great instruments...but the hype around them compared to what they actually are is insane.

[@mknewlan67]

Please keep being smug, love the puns.

[@douglaspate9314]

The Ultra II look awesome. Slightly cheating, I'm going to buy the Player II version on the Strat HSS TCB. I'll get it about 10 Nov when it arrives at my distributor contact in Europe

[@NeungView]

I'd like to pay 443 Euro more just because of where I live - Not! Don't these marketing geniuses realise that the internet has been invented and that I can check the price abroad? So, not buying that! Thank you Fender for making this an easy choice.

[@joermnyc]

Note that the American price does NOT include tax/VAT, that may be why the Euro price is such a huge jump, VAT is included.

[@demokraatti]

Too many production guitars have necks that are too thin for me. Fortunately I have found my Fender Strat already. Eric Johnson Strat has a nice meaty but comfortable neck carve which among some other nice factors makes it my favorite guitar.

[@retromacman620]

I guess my gripe with the VP4 is I'd really need to try it. I think if you consider Fractal higher quality than Helix, than this is a well priced alternative to a HX stomp. Fractal is often held in higher tier... but that's subjective and Line 6 will more than do the job for many... but the Vp4 has so many algorithms...

[@peterhall4852]

Only 69 drives!What am I supposed to do with that?

[@TheGuitarGeek]

😂

[@peterhall4852]

@@TheGuitarGeek Andy, I hear the Fender Viagra(in blue) is needed for thicker wood.

[@akwamarsunzal]

I love Week in Gear but.... Andy, come on, must try harder.... There is nothing in this episode that I need to rush out and buy! My wife loves you though! 🤣

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Hahahaha

[@markdeloria20]

Those Fender Ultra IIs piqued my interest... especially the blue & red finishes. Bit out of my price range, though. One can dream.

[@mattcarnevali]

Along with running 4 effects in a row, what do you think is the typical pedal board size of the “average player” (home and local gigs)? 6-8 pedals, 10-12?

[@andsoistopped]

Yes. Four isn’t much.

[@rogermoore2798]

I've got a 2013 Deluxe Strat.....and the only difference appears to be the quarter sawn neck, heel contour cut away in the body and different noiseless pups. Think I'll stick with my 2013 Deluxe.

[@purplerocket666]

like this a lot, but also miss Dan 😪

[@gavriloprincip11]

..everyone should be wearing black turtlenecks and dad jeans alone on a stage reviewing the Fender Ultra

[@UncannyAdam]

not really sure what the folks saying there's not enough on the Ultra II really want... there's not much that can change on a modern premium strat/tele that wasn't already there in the first ultra range as a, for lack of better word, standard production model without it verging into custom territory. Do we really upgrade guitars like phones? I would doubt it very much. Glad they chose the Meteora as an option as the Avalanche White one is giving me GAS

[@drewk6614]

Finally a Friedman product with a name that isn't some bad taste, boomer humor innuendo.

[@retromacman620]

The Ultra II looks great, and I love the Ultra 1, but...the upgrades don't seem enough to call it a new thing, just send mostly like new, although very cool colors. Personally I'll wait and see what they do with Player Plus, because of they update that series too, it'll be pretty similar and comparable quality. The mexican Fenders are stellar lately. Also, the current player plus has the simpler 12" radius neck, and I kinda prefer that to the compound 10-14. I have a Charvel with 12-16...and it honestly isn't as much my thing as my Fenders

[@PaulCooksStuff]

It was a typo on the press release. They missed the dot in Ultra 1.1. The proof reader has been sacked.

[@PooNinja]

If it’s good enough for Larry Mitchell its fractal enough for me.

[@PooNinja]

I love the keyboard and mouse input jacks on the poly 😂

[@smokedkarma5034]

Fractal already did an FX unit years ago that was better had more than 4 options at once.

[@CORZCDM]

Your the best youtuber ever

[@olssong7941]

@@CORZCDM You have low standards

[@PaulCooksStuff]

Until Fender launch the Ferris II anyway

[@AJett35]

Wut?

[@SamBrockmann]

It's kind of amazing. Fender has basically been making the same guitar for 70+ years. Now, sure, the wiring and electronics are more advanced. But c'mon, Fender. How about trying new things? No. Ok. The Ample sounds cool. Gotta check out that video.

[@UncannyAdam]

Genuine question, as I agree with the sentiment over selling essentially the same basic product for 70 odd years, what else in a Fender Strat/Tele could be changed while remaining a Fender Strat/Tele though? Like, as a premium guitar what else can they change about it when they've upgraded the hardware and electronics... Would love to see more of the Alternate Reality or Pawn Shop type ranges, or new/unused shapes (would love the Marauder to make a comeback) - at least they gave us a premium option for the Meteora though

[@SamBrockmann]

​@@UncannyAdam, why does it have to remain a strat/tele?

[@sagittated]

Literally added a new model.

[@fantomas9240]

Ultra II, the only upgrade is the quatersawn neck and new generation of pickup. The compound radius and the D (too thin) shape were there on ultra one.

[@andybown68]

And even then, the pickups are merely revoiced. You’ll either prefer them or the older ones depending on taste.

[@sagittated]

Different tuners, different nuts, different bridges, different pick guards, different carves (on the tele), a new model for this line, ebony fret board, glowy side dots... And also quartersawn necks and new pickups.

[@fantomas9240]

​@@sagittated​ my bad. That's right. But lots of features used by several brand for many years. In a nutshell, the ultra let me cold.

[@teknomanning]

Leave the thin necks to Charvel

[@2dazetake]

Ultra 2 should have a humbucker in the bridge, probably a route for one hopefully under the guard, whats the improvement a reissue.

[@andreapasillas5803]

The Fender Ultra II is available in Sinister Red with a humbucker in the bridge position.

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Umm….

[@2dazetake]

@@andreapasillas5803 thanks for the reply back,now I'm interested.

[@andsoistopped]

I would have thought it would have been less too.

[@KingCraby]

Am I missing something? Hasn’t the Ampero 2 been out for a while? What’s new?

[@LumaTo]

It's a different model configuration. The Stage and Stomp were out first - this would be the middle-of-the-road option.

[@Mig-El_Romed]

I do like thin necks

[@nieko3038]

How popular are those Meteora’s? Never seen one in the wild.

[@retromacman620]

I like the shape, and the player plus models play nice... but I feel they're really a bit generic in pickup configuration...

[@nieko3038]

@@retromacman620 Just watched Rabea Masaad playing the Ultra 2 Meteora. I do like how it sounds. I do prefer humbuckers.

[@retromacman620]

@@nieko3038 I thought the player plus sounded good and played nice, it's just the humbuckers on that one made it have that very "Fender humbucker" tone, which is great, it's just not for some maybe as unique as say a Jazzmaster tone. Fender seems to be using it as their more modern HH style model. Works for that. I personally love the texas tea finish, and I'd like to see the Avalanche in person.

[@jjulch]

Hotone Ampero seems better than most for the price.

[@mattcarnevali]

I don’t get the Texas tea or Mocha burst finishes

[@Thurston86]

Itchy finger! Hahaha 🤘😬👽👽👽🤙

[@southernpanda33]

The only issue I have with the Fender Ultra II is that us lefties don’t have a Tele this time. And we have crap colors. Okay, so two issues. 😂

[@TheGuitarGeek]

😂😂😂 I’m sure there must be a third, do you like thin necks?

[@southernpanda33]

@@TheGuitarGeek I do, actually. Although, nothing felt quite like the ‘61 Strat I once owned. That guitar played like butter. Super comfy neck.

[@davidkastin4240]

Yup, only a Strat available SSS in only 3 colors for us lefties. I'm so done with Fender and Squier. There's not enough choices.

[@cgeraghty1000]

Love your videos, thank you. Also, grow that hair back out ;)

[@Smart-Alex]

I do like that red Ultra strat! Wait, this comment isn’t negative… delete delete delete :)

[@victorthomsen8520]

Holy Spirit here😊

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Oh… time for you to get busy!!! 😂😍

[@PooNinja]

Holey spirits are liquor made from swiss cheese 🧀?

[@Michel-r6m]

Stratocaster is a silly name, it will never work 😉

[@joek81981]

Its hoo-tee-OH-nee.

[@joermnyc]

Ultra Meteora needed the whammy bar... then I again I could just grab a used Mexican one with a whammy bar for a LOT less than $2000+!

[@Intheflesh79]

I've been shot two different times

[@pandahamlid]

How did i get here first? ❤🤘

[@southernpanda33]

Because I was working on cars until just now 😂

[@Alan-zf2tt]

Every one seems to rave about this Ultra II (I prefer ultra aye-aye for reasons that will become apparent). I think - meh ! - aye aye ! the big F should have released this product 20 years ago !!! EDIT @13:00 ish Don't worry Andy! The big F will have the necks you want to the speccs you want aye-aye for another couple of thou including fitting. As for the old neck - well you can always use it aye-aye on the bbq

[@fantomas9240]

more more more more... The market is going silly. Who needs 120 reverb, 69 drive, 150 amp type... Create your own signature sound instead of copying this and that... Too many choices on gear today. Established brands, small brands, micro brands, "amazon/aliexpress" brands... Result ? I don't buy anything anymore. The gear market make me think about the mechanical watches market, same brand behavior, results ? The market is going down every year

[@spenky]

incredible. the strat is a strat but with a higher price.

[@fawkesandhound]

Every Strat release is a reminder that you should have bought a Strat last time before they raised the price.

[@aaronlee4769]

How the black woman next to Bloomberg? Sour faced the whole time.