Ultimate Chorus
Petersen
The fender ultimate chorus seems to have all that I want in an amp, and I
really like the way it sounds, but I would like to hear some different
opinions and experiences from UC owners before I go ahead and buy it. So,
what do you think about this amp.
drewd...@my-deja.com
What is best for you is based on the sound YOU want and how much you can
spend. Figure out you budget and then go shopping. Don't be in any rush.
Many people will tell you SS amps suck. I think these Fenders are
underrated. Note you are likely to get ones of these used pretty cheap
take you time and look. One amp I have is a Fender 112SE. if you take
the time learning how to adjust it, you can really get some nice tones
out of it. It sounds pretty good in a wide range of music. It has a
Fender tube-like quality and they never pushed that to their loss. Buy
from some local place you have some trial period if you can or rent one
or borrow one. Howver if you buy new and then sell you will take a
pretty big loss. I have seen perfect used ones go for $250.
-- best of luck -- drewdricks
In article <sQ1X3.1008$pf3....@news.uswest.net>,
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Stephen Traub
Petersen wrote in message ...
>
>The fender ultimate chorus seems to have all that I want in an amp, and I
>really like the way it sounds, but I would like to hear some different
>opinions
Sorry, I can't give a different opinion, I've owned one for about 9 months
and I have the same opinion about them as you.
The more I play it, the more I like it. You can play it quietly or loud,
pure, or with reverb, gain, or chorus and it does as well as any amp I've
played.
I've played many guitars through it from cheap Epiphones, to Ibanez
shredders, to Fender US Strats and Teles, Washburn semi-hollow body, full
body jazz guitars, Gibson, LP Studios, Gibson LP Standards, and Gibson
Nighthawks and others and they all sound good. It's a very powerful amp
capable of gigging as well as home play.
I've even played a few Gibson and Ovation acoustic/electrics through it and
they sound good too,
In fact, I've even play my keyboard through it and it sounds great.
For the money -- I assume in the $500 area new --, you can't get the power
(100+ watts), the speakers, (2- 12's) or the features (2 channels, chorus,
reverb, gain, footswitch) on may other amps that sound and perform as good
as this one.
I've got an old 1960s Ampeg Reverb Rocket Tube amp (I'm the original
owner) - no contest, the Fender has more range, a better sound and is more
powerful.
Tubes shmoobs: I've had 'em -- more money, more headaches, more fragile. I
don't hear a difference myself.
Steve Traub
twang
Stephen Traub wrote in message ...
I'm glad you like your amp. They get a lot of compliments.
But if you can't ehar the difference between tubes and solid state you've
missed something all pros, from working musicians to stars, and all amp
techs and designers, from the smallest repariman to the largest
manufacturer, have heard.
There MUST be a difference or you wouldn't have scads of amp modeling,
hyrbrids, add on tube driven preamps and effects, etc.
I think you should learn to hear what others are hearing, it's there, I
guarantee you.
As for fragility, it is true, but let's be reasonable. so long as you
transport it with care, you wont break anything. The tubes will wear out,
but tube amps last for years and years, continuing to perform as well as
ageing components can.
They are not, strictly speaking, any more money. A person who wants a tube
sound can find amps that sound just fine in his price range.
Chances are, a tube lover wants his doodads outboard, and while it's
costlier, perhaps, to have big tube watts.. it's not much.
Headaches? I guess you have to say that this is also partly true.
But it's rather like your wife or child for some.. the payback is way
bigger.
All that being said, and not to be critical but just to remind you that
without personal preferences like this artistic expression takes a decided
nose dive, I'd not hesitate to recommend several solid state amps, and
fenders ultimate chorus is a one of the better examples.
By the way... is there such a thing as a boutique solid state?
Twang!
Mike & Ali
called the Power Chorus.... It is exactly the same as the Ultimate except
for Red Knobs and a terrible effects loop. I had some fairly nasty problems
with it when I started giging with it on a regular basis. Basically the amps
mainboard was full of cold solders. After a few years of repairs here and
there, Fender replaced it with a new ultimate chorus.
To make a long story short, It is one of the best sounding clean amps I have
ever had the pleasure of using. What I to this day don't like about them is
a very sensitive volume knob... (from zero volume to very loud with no in
between, less than rugged construction, less than solid parts and pots
(jacks and pots will need to be replaced if your gigging with it a few times
a week), a weak overdrive regardless of type of guitar or pick ups (It
never gets past heavy blues), and a total lack of low end when you move its
open back away from a wall (something that can't be avoided when playing in
some places. It always amazed me at how different this amp sounded in
different environments. I have used other open backs, and they all seemed
more consistent than the Ultimate Chorus.
Anyway, I am a Fender lover tried and true. I own all fender gear and have
so for the last 12 years. But I recently traded my second and last Ultimate
Chorus in on a pair of Roland GC-408x amps. I really like these things live
and in studio. They are solid state, but the sound they reproduce is
cleverly deceiving, (even to those who generally know the difference... I
only knew they didn't have pre amp tubes by lack of that neat smell they
often give off in close proximity). These guys get loud (8 8" speakers x 2
cabinets in stereo for a total of 16 speakers). They cost the same if not
less than an Ultimate, have a closed back for more balls, tough and rugged
construction, and of course sit higher so you hear what the amp sounds like
in your face and not below your knees.
Stephen Traub
twang wrote in message ...
>
>Stephen Traub wrote in message ...
>>
>>Petersen wrote in message ...
>>>
>But if you can't ehar the difference between tubes and solid state you've
>missed something all pros, from working musicians to stars, and all amp
>techs and designers, from the smallest repariman to the largest
>manufacturer, have heard.
>There MUST be a difference or you wouldn't have scads of amp modeling,
>hyrbrids, add on tube driven preamps and effects, etc.
>I think you should learn to hear what others are hearing, it's there, I
>guarantee you.
I see you need to justify the extra hassle and cost of owning a tube amp and
I'm not saying some people don't think they get a better sound from tubes,
but your argument that I should hear something better from tubes that I
don't hear is falling on deaf ears.
Steve
Richard
>
> I see you need to justify the extra hassle and cost of owning a tube amp and
> I'm not saying some people don't think they get a better sound from tubes,
> but your argument that I should hear something better from tubes that I
> don't hear is falling on deaf ears.
I think that was the very point he was making, although he was trying
to be nice about it (the deaf ears part). Note: -> :-)
By all reports, the Ultra Chorus is a great amp. Nobody's saying
otherwise. May you enjoy it in good health.
In my own experience, I used a Roland JC-120 for about a year. It was
a loud, clean amp. I thought it sounded great.
Then I plugged the same rig into an old Twin Reverb one night. The
Twin Reverb, as you may know, is another loud, clean amp.
I sold the JC-120 the very next day. The difference in tone quality
was too great to ignore.
Nobody is saying that you have to come to a similar conclusion about
SS and tube amps. The Ultra Chorus may well blow away a JC-120; hell,
it may well blow away a Twin Reverb. Life is strange that way.
--
Disclaimer: These are simply some of my personal opinions.
UPDATED 10/7/99 http://home.earthlink.net/~huddler
Matt777
I got a SS Fender Princeton Chorus amp shortly after I got my first guitar.
Two years later I can't stand it any longer. I hate this Solid State piece
of garbage. I can tell the difference.
The most noticeable thing is that tubes sustain much longer and the gain
sounds great compared to sounding like crap on a SS.
I must be crazy, because I feel it is wrong for companies to pass off SS on
unsuspecting people who know nothing about guitar yet and then have to sell
their SS crap to get a real amp later. and as always (unless you play Jazz
or something... I guess SS works good for that).
>> I see you need to justify the extra hassle and cost of owning a tube amp
and
>> I'm not saying some people don't think they get a better sound from
tubes,
>> but your argument that I should hear something better from tubes that I
>> don't hear is falling on deaf ears.
--
Matt
Seattle, Washington
----------------------------------------------
Joel Meyer
the first year and a half I was happy with it. As my ear developed I began to
realize a few things. First, (note: I play a Gibson LP Custom, high-output
pickups) the amp sounded dead/flat/(insert appropriate adjective here) below a
certain volume. When I turned it up it sounded better, but was still very
plain/sterile. Secondly, the amps distortion just doesn't really cut it. After 2
years I still couldn't really dial in what I was looking for. So now I have a
Fender Twin Reverb (thanks to recommendations made by people on this ng) and I
notice how much the Ultimate Chorus lacked even more. Some positive things about
the amp: versatile, I guess (if you don't mind buying alot of foot pedals). It's
got a really nice set of casters that make it easy to move (unlike the Twin
Reverb), I've even ridden it down a shallow slope on pavement :-) Good luck
finding what you're looking for.
These are just my opinions,
Joel
--remove double dot's to send email
Richard wrote:
> According to my newsreader, str...@shore.net posted...
> >
> > I see you need to justify the extra hassle and cost of owning a tube amp and
> > I'm not saying some people don't think they get a better sound from tubes,
> > but your argument that I should hear something better from tubes that I
> > don't hear is falling on deaf ears.
>
Gwydion & Aisha Elderwyn
Aisha
Matt777 <matt7...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:80opfu$f0j$1...@ash.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> Here I go again on my anti-SS crusade....
>
> I got a SS Fender Princeton Chorus amp shortly after I got my first
guitar.
> Two years later I can't stand it any longer. I hate this Solid State
piece
> of garbage. I can tell the difference.
>
> The most noticeable thing is that tubes sustain much longer and the gain
> sounds great compared to sounding like crap on a SS.
>
> I must be crazy, because I feel it is wrong for companies to pass off SS
on
> unsuspecting people who know nothing about guitar yet and then have to
sell
> their SS crap to get a real amp later. and as always (unless you play
Jazz
> or something... I guess SS works good for that).
>
> >> I see you need to justify the extra hassle and cost of owning a tube
amp
> and
> >> I'm not saying some people don't think they get a better sound from
> tubes,
> >> but your argument that I should hear something better from tubes that I
> >> don't hear is falling on deaf ears.
pastis
and power. The sound is warm. This is the best amp for the price.
Petersen wrote:
> The fender ultimate chorus seems to have all that I want in an amp, and I
> really like the way it sounds, but I would like to hear some different
> opinions and experiences from UC owners before I go ahead and buy it. So,
militant_monk
I have an Ultimate Chorus, and LOVE it. The onboard stereo chorus is
honestly better than most chorus pedals I've heard. I do have a couple of
comments on it, though:
- the distortion is...unsatisfying. I play mostly hard metal-ish stuff,
though; it just isn't powerful enough for *me* personally. If you're
going to be using the amp's distortion, I'd suggest getting an EQ pedal to
boost the low end and the treble. I use a Boss PQ-3B (Bass Parametric
Eq). Or get a distortion pedal.
- the clean channel sounds amazing, but turn the volume above 5 or 6 and
it begins to distort a little. Not a problem for me, though; I almost
never have to turn it up that loud (when playing clean, anyway). The UC
will drown out a drumset with the volume around 3 or 4.
- no external speakers jack.
- *something* in this thing is rattling when I play loud. I can't for the
life of me figure out what it is, but it's probably just something loose
in mine.
- there's a loud POP when you turn it off, unless you switch it off really
quickly. Just a minor annoyance.
- Fender strats, ironically, don't sound that great through the UC. Any
guitar with humbuckers sounds awesome, though.
But those are just about my only complaints. Otherwise, this thing is the
best amp I've found for the money (130W RMS, 2x12 for $450, new). I
really like how there are separate volume and tone controls for each
channel, and like I said the chorus is amazing.
Hope this helps. There are also lots of reviews of this thing at Harmony
Central (http://www.hamonycentral.com/)
Peace
"~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery,
None but ourselves can free our minds."
...Bob Marley