Barcham Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Someone posted this over at MLP. Anyone know anything about it? Searched on the net and can't find anything other than this link to it. Looks great and makes me a feel a little disappointed that I just bought an Ultra II. Built in tuner, USB connectivity and a switchable nanomag with Probuckers to boot. http://www.gak.co.uk/en/epiphone-les-paul-ultra-iii-vintage-sunburst/49900 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 This thing sounds amazing. Can't wait to find out more info. Thanks for posting. EDIT: They have them up at Sam Ash too. http://www.samash.com/p/Epiphone_Les%20Paul%20UltraIII%20Electric%20Guitar_1565775 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcham Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 I would have thought they would hold off until the new Ubisoft game, Rocksmith, came out so that they could be bundled together. There seems to be an Epi tie in with that game as they feature a number of different Epis in their promotional videos. Looks like I might be selling my Ultra II and picking up one of these. I wish they had continued to offer the Quilt tops though. They were kind of a signature of the Ultra series but now they will just be run of the mill Flame tops. No mention of a satin finished neck either. Maybe I'll sell my Standard instead. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I'm loving the features on this thing. I didn't see anything about coil splitting, but that's about it and that's not a big deal to me anyway. Major GAS attack coming on.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Another thing that I think is cool about the Ultra's is that they are not copies of a Gibson version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcham Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 I like the idea that they are unique to Epiphone also. Nice to have something that Gibson owners can only dream of. Sure they have monstrosities like The Firebird X and the Darkfire, but nothing that compares to the Ultra II and now the III. Different enough to want to own one and not so complex that you need a course to get the most out of it. And they're still Les Pauls at heart. And they use standard off the shelf 9V batteries, too. :) I would have liked coil splitting though. That would have really opened up just about every possible sound combination that I could ever want. But I can surely get by without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I've got 2 Ultra-IIs, one in each colour option, but they've really outdone themselves with the feature set on these Ultra-IIIs, I hope the still only have 2 colour options, I wouldn't be able to afford more than that at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Looks nice, cool features, affordable......whats not to like? I would buy one in a heart beat if i could afford one right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcham Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 I've got 2 Ultra-IIs, one in each colour option, but they've really outdone themselves with the feature set on these Ultra-IIIs, I hope the still only have 2 colour options, I wouldn't be able to afford more than that at the moment. Oh-oh...looks like 4 new finishes. Sapphire Blue, vintage Burst, cherry burst and Midnight Ebony. All Flame tops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Oh-oh...looks like 4 new finishes. Sapphire Blue, vintage Burst, cherry burst and Midnight Ebony. All Flame tops. Bugger 'em, I'll have to go for one of the new colours, Sapphire Blue might be the one. I have arranged to go to Melbourne and add some Aussie flavour to my collection, 4 manufactures (I know of) are based there and one of Oz's greatest ever guitarists has .offered to take me around on a meet and greet so I can order one direct from the factory, I was supposed to have made the trip 18 months ago but ran out of funds first. As soon as my GT sells this will one of the first things I'll do with the proceeds, and the Oz Epi distributor (AMI) is based there also, I hope he knows someone there, if I can I'll snag an Ultra-III direct from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleWide Revival Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I know you will all be surprised that I covet the blue one. How do the Nanomag pickups sound in the Ultra II's? How do you make the switch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I know you will all be surprised that I covet the blue one. How do the Nanomag pickups sound in the Ultra II's? How do you make the switch? They sound pretty convincing, especially when playing caged and open type chords, barre chords, not so much. The nano/hum switch can be handled in several ways, there is a blend control in place of what would normally be the tone control for the bridge pup, it has two outputs also, so you can have the hums going to an electric guitar amp and the nano going to an acoustic amp (or any amps, according to your taste), it then sounds like 2 guitars playing at the same time, then you could throw an AB/Y box into the equation for even more choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabasgr68 Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 They sound pretty convincing, especially when playing caged and open type chords, barre chords, not so much. The nano/hum switch can be handled in several ways, there is a blend control in place of what would normally be the tone control for the bridge pup, it has two outputs also, so you can have the hums going to an electric guitar amp and the nano going to an acoustic amp (or any amps, according to your taste), it then sounds like 2 guitars playing at the same time, then you could throw an AB/Y box into the equation for even more choices. Hello! Barcham and RasTus: Since you both own the LP Ultra II, I would like to know how they compare in sound (talking about humbuckers here) with a LP Standard, since standards are solid body and Ultras are Chambered. Is there a big difference? I mean, do you think that something of that solid body sound is somewhat lost in the ultra? or simply they sound different but not bad either? What about sustain, is it affected, or nothing noticeable between a standard and an ultra II? And one final question to define an opinion: Do you like your ultra´s sound; do you feel that you need a standard and ultra for getting the sounds you like, or the ultra suits you well and enough? Sorry for so many questions... but hope you don´t mind spending five or ten minutes of your time sharing your thoughts here. This LPUIII seems to be a very good guitar to have, more so if you only can have just one guitar. Cheers! Sabas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 The only 2 Epi LP's I have are both Ultra-IIs, but I have 3 Gibbys, a '71 Recording, a Robot and a Gold Top Supreme, an Ibanez '77 Custom Agent, and a few others, the Ultra-II can rock with the best of them and dirties up real nice when you roll off the tone a tad. As for sustain, I really think that chambered thing's a myth, I have a hollow body that'll sustain the pants off most guitars, and you can't get any more chambered than that, LOL. I think it has more to do with the obvious contact points the strings have with the guitar, bridge, nut and tuners, if you have good quality components and a good set-up on a well constructed guitar you'll get the sustain. I did replace the standard nut with a Tusq XL on the one I play the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 They need to make a Dot Ultra... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 They need to make a Dot Ultra... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I just saw the other thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl00dsm0k3 Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 whats the usb for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabasgr68 Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 whats the usb for fl00dsm0k3: According to manufacturer description: "The third output is USB. Using a USB cable (included), you can plug directly into your computer and use guitar applications such as Native Instruments GuitarRig 4LE (software included) to play your guitar through a variety of simulated amplifiers and effects and listen through your computer speakers or headphones." And RasTus: Thank you for your comments! Having so many guitars yourself, I think that certainly you can tell if there´s a siginificant difference in sound, so I´ll take your words (meaning: Ultra II can rock!). What about weigh? 9 lbs? more? less? And since Ultras are contoured, are they more comfortable than traditional LPs? Thanks again!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I've no idea of weight, I bought some scales but they don't measure anything less than about 15 - 20 lbs. The body cut does make it a bit more comfortable, and the satin necks make them a real pleasure to play too. Put it this way, you've got a lot more chance of getting a Standard's sound out of an Ultra than getting a tenth the Ultra's sound out of the Standard, if that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The.Traffic.Lights Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I've no idea of weight, I bought some scales but they don't measure anything less than about 15 - 20 lbs. Stand on them with a guitar, then without, and then get the difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Stand on them with a guitar, then without, and then get the difference I've done that, but I don't get repeatable results, I think they're crap, have to get a better set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabasgr68 Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Thanks RasTus, it really makes sense what you say. The.Traffic.Lights: yes, that way you can have guitar´s weigh. but well, it´s not that important. What I wanted to know is if Standards and Ultras (in this case, Ultra III) were really different guitars one to each other, and though they are indeed different, I think that you will not loose the LP feeling and sound with the Ultra, which is what I´m looking for. Sabas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalep Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 It is not very clear to me here. Which Burstbuckers are the ProBuckers modeled after here? BB1, BB2, BB Pro? I assume from the description BB2 and BB3 from the description. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcham Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 Thanks RasTus, it really makes sense what you say. The.Traffic.Lights: yes, that way you can have guitar´s weigh. but well, it´s not that important. What I wanted to know is if Standards and Ultras (in this case, Ultra III) were really different guitars one to each other, and though they are indeed different, I think that you will not loose the LP feeling and sound with the Ultra, which is what I´m looking for. Sabas. I find my Ultra II is very similar in sound to my Standard so no worries about being able to get some great rock tones out of the Ultra. They both have the stock pups but the nanomag really makes all the difference. It can really open up the sound but can get pretty dirty on it's own. The Standard is considerably heavier and the Ultra II fits about in between my Standard and G-400 in weight. Right now I'm on the hunt for a used Crate CA15 or CA30 acoustic amp so I can plug things in stereo and to give the nanomag a real test as to it's acoustic sound. The belly cut makes it a lot more comfortable to play sitting down though, and the lighter weight is nice too. I was considering picking up an Ultra III but now that the Ultra 339 is on the way, I'm thinking of going in that direction instead. Just waiting on pricing to make up my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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