The goal of the Ultra-II was to create a more versatile guitar that was capable of not only real Les Paul tone, but also acoustic-like qualities but without adding a lot of controls and changing the overall appearance of the Les Paul. Unlike other instruments that attempt to create a completely new guitar design, Epiphone went about this differently by starting with a proven, electric guitar design and adding to it. The guitar was £600 new 15 years ago!!
The Ultra-II is all Les Paul. Its pair of Alnico Classic humbucking pickups combined with traditional LP design let's you rock like famed Les Paul players. However, the Ultra's body is strategically chambered to not only reduce the weight, but to add subtle acoustic overtones. Taking advantage of this design, Epiphone teamed up with the premier German acoustic pickup maker, Shadow to take the Ultra to the next level. The result is the Ultra-II.
At the heart of the Ultra-II is the NanoMAG pickup. Referring to its small size and its composition, the NanoMag is a completely new kind of magnetic pickup that combines 3 Samarium-Cobalt magnets with on-board, active electronics to produce a low-impedance pickup with absolute linear response and an uncharacteristically wide frequency range. Voiced specifically for the Ultra-II, the NanoMAG is embedded in the fingerboard after the 22nd fret. Positioned at this harmonic-rich sweet spot, the NanoMAG is able to capture all the harmonics - from the lowest to the highest - with incredible accuracy and all with ZERO noise or artificial coloration. This again is different from all other acoustic pickup technology.
Front mounted controls for the Ultra-II remain in the standard LP locations. However, function is changed to Neck Volume (magnetic), Bridge Volume (magnetic), Master Tone and NanoMAG volume. Controls specifically for the NanoMAG, as well as the 9-volt battery compartment are discretely mounted on the back of the instrument on the control cavity plate. Using the back controls, you can set the treble, bass and gain of the NanoMAG. Once you find the settings you want, you generally won't make many changes to them. However, the control is there if you need it.
The Ultra-II also adds true stereo outputs that allow you to either combine its Alnico Classic humbuckers with the NanoMAG output or, separate the two for mixing possibilities. Both options allow the use of standard 1/4" instrument cables. With this, the player can route the magnetic pickups to a standard electric guitar amplifier and the NanoMAG to an acoustic guitar amp or the PA. Using the front mounted volume controls, unlimited blending and mixing of the two signals is possible.
If you want a versatile, professional instrument that's capable of both Les Paul crunch and real acoustic-like tones, the Epiphone Ultra-II is it!
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