Ultraphonix MKII

4.92

Ultraphonix MKII

4.92

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Lifetime warranty

30-DAY money back guarantee return policy

Features include

Voiced alongside four Dumble™ ODS amps ranging from 1970's-1990's
Quintessential D*style tone, note bloom, & harmonic overtones
100% Analog Circuitry
Mechanical "True Bypass" Switching
Assembled in California
9VDC center-negative power operation (adapter not included)

Description

TURN YOUR AMP INTO A D-STYLE AMP

The Ultraphonix Special Overdrive MKII delivers the blooming midrange and screaming overdrive of the ultra-rare American boutique amplifiers that players have been coveting for decades. This overdrive emulates the the expansive midrange and strident cascading gain stages of the D*lightful amplifier this pedal is based on. When you turn it on, it will unleash your guitar's full-throated potential with an articulate attack and smooth sustain that's reminiscent of players like Robben Ford and Larry Carlton. If you're a tone chaser, the Ultraphonix MKII Specialized Overdrive pedal will help you achieve the D-style tone you've been dreaming of that doesn’t require a mortgage to purchase!

BASED ON "REAL DEAL" DUMBLE ODS AMPS!

The R&D for the Ultraphonix pedal took over four (4) years, and almost a half-dozen Dumble amplifiers! From 2012 to 2016, we got ahold of five (5) Dumble Overdrive Special (ODS) amplifiers to most accurately voice the Ultraphonix pedal, comparing to "real deal" Dumble amplifiers - many of these amps were owned and/or used by world famoud Dumble users. Knowing that these Dumble amps were customized to the player, our goal was to find the "X Factor" among a variety of Dumble ODS amps and distill the "D-Style" essence into the most authentic sounding and feeling "amp in a box" pedal - and we NAILED IT!

_{Mason Marangella (co-designer of Ultraphonix) circa 2015 with Dumble ODS and SSS}

ULTIMATE CONTROL OF YOUR OVERDRIVE TONE

Ultraphonix Special Overdrive MKII delivers the blooming midrange and screaming overdrive of the ultra-rare American boutique amplifiers that players have been coveting for decades. This overdrive emulates the the expansive midrange and strident cascading gain stages of the D*lightful amplifier this pedal is based on. When you turn it on, it will unleash your guitar's full-throated potential with an articulate attack and smooth sustain that's reminiscent of players like Robben Ford and Larry Carlton. If you're a tone chaser, the Ultraphonix MKII Specialized Overdrive pedal will help you achieve the D-style tone you've been dreaming of that doesn’t require a mortgage to purchase!

_{A/B Shootout with Dumble ODS #10 vs. Ultraphonix pedal (see full video on YouTube)}

VERSATILE CONTROLS TO SHAPE YOUR TONE

To help you create your ultimate tone, the Ultraphonix has extra gain-shaping controls beyond the original MKI version with Master Volume, Input Gain "Level", and Distortion/Saturation "Ratio". Players can fine tune their pickup outputs with the input gain "LEVEL" control to get the same reaction from the overdrive irrespective of using Single Coil or Humbucking pickups with up to 8dB of level compensation available. Plus, get additional presence and harmonic saturation using the "FILTER" knob for sculpting the upper-mids from 800Hz to 1.6kHz. Once you get the perfect mix of overdrive and EQ, use the "MASTER" volume control to set your final output level. No matter where you set it, this pedal will sound "wide-open" and "amp-like" at all volume levels.

33.3% SMALLER THAN, SAME AMAZING TONE!

Ultraphonix MKII is not only captures the same great tone of the original Ultraphonix, it's also one-third (1/3) smaller than the original with even more features than before with more control over your overdrive tone, EQ, and saturation.

Videos

Introducing the Ultraphonix MKII

Mason Marangella and Isaiah Sharkey Demo the New Ultraphonix MKII

Can This Replace Your D-Style Amp?

Mason Marangella Demos the New Vertex Effects Ultraphonix MKII

My FAVORITE Ultraphonix Settings!

Ultraphonix MKII By Vertex Effects! Is It Still King?! Dumble Overdrive Special In A Tiny Box!

VERTEX UltraPhonix overdrive // SHOOTOUT

Is this our Best Overdrive Yet?

The Perfect Overdrive for a Touring Musician

The Singer/Songwriter Approach to Guitar Pedals

Vertex Ultraphonix MKII Demo & Review | Fran Canales

Pedal vs REAL Dumble Amp

ReviewsTotal (38)

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I'm not sure what the secret sauce is in this pedal, but this pedal is in a league of its own. This thing plays like the 80K amp it sounds like. The dynamic range is crazy! It reminds you that the greatest tones come from your hands. The way it should be. There's no hiding behind this pedal. How you play is what you hear, so if you're having a bad night you'll know right away, but if you're on it this pedal lets you go almost anywhere. Oh, and if that isn't good enough, this pedal works with super high headroom clean amps as well as amps that are gainy. It takes a bit of the spike out of my tele and adds definition, and dare I say sparkle, to my SG. This pedal pulls the best you have out of you. What else do you want?

Randall Ireland

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Randall Ireland

I just got this puppy. It says what it is and it is what it says. Love my tube amps but lugging a Dumble clone around isn't working for my back. I got a Fender Tonemaster Deluxe for the weight issue but it didn't have what I was looking for in the tone department. This guy does it! I got the Carlos Santana, David Lindley sound and more. I'm keepin this one its worth it.

ERIC STETS

The Ultrphonix is the best overdrive I have ever used! I use this pedal as my main drive now, stacked with the Vertex Steel String you just can't go wrong! The harmonic and touch sensitivity of this pedal is unreal!I've had a few people ask me how I'm getting such an awesome tone... I don't think there's too many of these in New Zealand, and I simply say "check out Vertex Effects". Not only the pedal but the after market support and customer service is brilliant too!! If you haven't got one yet, go get one!! Stop reading this and hit "Buy Now" Do it!! Thank uncle Mason later, it's just that good!! 5 Stars from me!

Marcel Merrix Stannard

This pedal is fantastic I am an overdrive freak and have many pedals and this one has gone way up to the top of the list, it sounds equally amazing with strats and les Paul’s, I am very happy with this purchase

John

For many years I have been looking for a sound similar to Carols Santana in his studio recording of Samba Pa Ti. I tried many pedals, I bought even original ZenDrive and still I have not been able to get even close. It's funny that even Carlos Santana's today guitar sound is muddy and unpleasant to me. I have been looking for a sound that has overdrive but clean overdrive without distortion hitting my ears, all pedals when get into overdrive sound like distortion and lack that purity of the sound as Carlos Santana had when he recorded Samba Pa Ti. Then by pure luck I came across Vertex UltraPhonix and I just could not believe it, this pedal gets me so close my dream sound. It is probably the purest overdrive pedal that is available these days on the market. I highly recommend it. I would love to try Steel String which probably offers similar purity, it's next on my list. My advise to Carlos Santana: get Vertex Ultraphonix and get back to your best sounding years of early 70s.

Henryk Chrostek

Great sounding pedal, became my №1 low gain OD, instead of vintage ProCo Rat. However pedal have some downsides. 1. Kinda cheap on/off switch, it feels cheap, BUT i never have any issues with switch, maybe its just my taste 2. Soft screws on bottom of the pedal. Its not an issue if you use a power supply, but can be pain in the ass if you use batteries. Mine have one broken screw and i couldn't open the pedal. But since i use power supply on my pedalboard i move along with it. Summary: Very nice organic OD that stacks well with other pedals, but quality could be better a notch. Mason did a great job, really enjoying using this pedal

Evgen Kunichkin

Sounds very natural. Awesome pedal!

Van Ramos

This is such a great pedal. The tone truly delivers that D-style sound. I sent about 2 weeks playing with it before writing the review. I tried all the suggested settings, and I found that the knobs have a very wide range, so you do notice a difference when turned. Really able to dial in the tone to suit the amp / taste. For me the pedal best suits my needs at a lower gain setting... but regardless of where I set it, man, the tone is fantastic!

Tom Sutton

My main OD pedal now ... sounds great

Garry Cheung

Amazing pedal. After using the steel string which is the core of my clean tone (steel string into fender 65 DRRI) and stacking this on top makes for a killer sound. I told mason how much I loved the steel string and he recommended I try the Ultraphonix stacked on top into a fender amp. He stated it was one of his favorite tones. Well it’s also one of mine. I love the combo and it’s built like a tank. Straight forward controls that don’t get in the way. This is a permanent pedal on my board.

Michael Stewart

I was looking for Santana's Supernatural sound from a D-Style pedal and having owned other pedals Zendrives, Kinglsey, Ethos, Dumkudo etc. Finally I have found the tone in this pedal!!! Super smooth, not compressed and discreet tone for soulful & melodic music. It inspires me to play and not tinker with its minimalistic layout. Love it!

Vaibhav Mittal VaMi

I wish I had had this pedal while at the Juilliard School. My father is a studio owner and former studio musician, so I have been able to try out some great guitars, amps, and pedals. Among my peers, I have also tried several great distortion pedals, the Vertex Ultra Phonix is the best I have ever tried or heard, warm and smooth. I have just finished a new recording with "Innocent Alex," using a Fender Deluxe Reverb, 1979 Gibson 347, and 1961 Gibson ES 175. The sound is far beyond my expectations, and I plan to use it on all studio sessions and gigs here in L.A.

Lake Jiroudek

Sounds great easy to dial in. Love the response and interaction with my volume knob. I can get Larry tone to Slash tone all out of this box. Highly recommend it.

Tim Yanes

Very pleased with the Ultraphonix. It is just what I was looking for. Just a little hotness to the guitar. I play a Princeton Reverb special edition with 12" speaker. Very clean and beautiful sound. This gives me a little distortion and more powerful sound. I would call it a mild OD pedal. I'll be trying some of thier other pedals. Oh yeah, I got it on sale. Very happy with it.

Tony Mag

Well first of all without knowing what does Dumbell sounds like in real life I just ordered this OD. It is cleanish to mild overdrive and it is very simple to control. The filter acts as treble to more girth (not bass) controll which does not alter much of your original sound which I found quiet useful. It has mid punch but not like Ts9 or something which is very sweet. I have a Marshall amp which does not have nice clean tone like Fenders, so I use this pedal with about 8 O'clock and turn the volume high as needed and put the freq. to 3 or more o'clock. Now I have the sweetest clean which is a bit punchy and with a strat I can bring SRV sound without sweating. And with the gain at maximum you have overdrive which is cleanish but with lots of bite without sounding thin or shrill. I wish that this pedal will stop my GAS for fender amp. SO NICE.

Dany Deguita

This pedal is a must try. There are many great videos of this pedal but it sounds even better live. 6 out of 5 Stars.

Tim Lee

I currently own a Zen Drive, a J. Rockett "The Dude", and have owned a Custom Tone Ethos Pedal (resold for at a profit). All promoted as Dumble ODSs in a pedal. Despite being happy with what I have, I could not pass up a Black Friday sale on the the Ultraphonix. The Zen Drive and Dude are great pedals. The Zen Drive has been my main overdrive for leads for years and the Dude replaced my TS808 for a drive boost/rhythm crunch. They both can be Dumble-ish, but the Ultraphonix is truly a Dumble in a box. What is really amazing to me is that it is the simplest of any the other devices that are designed approximate a Dumble Overdrive Special or even the real thing, yet it actually accomplishes that goal. Moreover, it is not just the tone, but the behavior - that extra bit of sustain without being overly driven that makes the Dumble ODS special. I didn't really need another OD pedal, but I could not be happier that I did.

John Eremic

If you're looking for THE American overdrive sound, this is the right pedal for you. I've been looking for this kind of "creamy but still solid" sound for a while. The Ultraphonix nailed it: the first to hear sound that come out of this little box make me feel good when I play a riff. In addiction it reacts nicely and naturally when you move the knobs. I like it a lot. What else??? A must to have in your pedalboard!

Raffaele Bellan

I loved the Vertex Ultra Phonix from the moment I plugged it in. The thing I like best is it doesn't sound like a Pedal, it just makes my Amp come alive, and sound 10 time better, with much touch sensitivity, and response to the Guitar's Volume Knob.

Brian Melsom

Excellent sounding overdrive. Even better because I caught it on sale !

Fred Martucci

Not a pedal guy, have been through too many over 50 years of playing, still not afraid to try one once in a while, but almost always end up selling them. This pedal will stay! Great replication of power tube overdrive, keeps the low end intact, doesn't throw the whole EQ off into left field, subtle on the EQ and great on the overdrive harmonics. Finally! Using it with handbuilt mid-60's circuits blackface Vibroverb, Super Reverb and Vibrolux, PRS Custom 24.

Mike Robbins

Could be my favorite OD ever. This thing just sings. Exceptional tones. Thanks.

Jason

A great sounding pedal with it's own signature sounding built in EQ where I did not have to tweak the controls of the amp in order to get "The Sound" for a beautiful smooth and fluid sounding singing leads. It inspires me and my playing. Also, it is well built, just like the amazing Vertex Boost, and they both are occupying a permanent spot on my pedal board! Thank you Mason for your superb contributions to the pedal world!

Armond H

A truly magical distortion, and I have many, too many! Always found myself going back to my 80's RAT, nothing else was cutting it. This little guy is a game changer, will probably end up as my "go to" distortion. Only problem is that everyone in the civilized world wants one, took a while to get to me ( left it to my nephew in my will just in case). The wait was worth it! Buy one! Thank you VERTEX for the ULTRA PHONIX!! (dumble be damned!) JB

Johnny Blood

Absolutely worth the wait... amazing sounds effect want to order again another one...

Jeniffer Takada

Absolutely worth the wait! I owned servel D-style pedals (zendrive, simble, Shinjuku, wampler...) The best part of Ultraphonix IMO, it is the easiest to use. About the sound, others are just overdrives, but Ultraphonix is The Overdrive! The sustain is incomparable, It is different to all the other boost or OD pedals I have played. The breakup response is different, ultraphonix has its own frequency, it is so volin like and has a gorgeously singing tone. I also own the Steel String Singer, ultraphonix has a more agressive sound, while SSS remains clean to low gain. Both pedals deal with dynamic and pick volume very well. Some says bad reputation about Vertex, I personally not feeling good about their past. But as many artist explained, they have learned about their fault. Now they put their effort and providing great products to the market.

Koeman Hawkins

I got mine in no time at all and I started to test it as soon as it was out of the box. I don't have to adjust the guitar amp as this gives me the tone and brightness I need. I am a very happy customer ..... Now for my Spanish speaking readers .... èste efecto es lo mejor què yo he comprado, para tocar Jazz y Rock les aconsejo la compra, mùy buèn producto

Hector Hernandez

In my opinion it is absolutely the best OD pedal! It really does what it promise to do: the Dumble tone! Impresssive fat, warm, singing tone. I am amazed at it. Can't stop playin'.

Jimmy Troccoli

I waited 3 months for delivery of this pedal, and I definitely think it was worth the wait. It's responsiveness is unlike any overdrive I've ever used, and the promise of new discoveries in how it highlights my playing style makes me even more eager to explore it. Thanks!!

Frank Jones

AWESOME Sound !!! But in my case, it took time..... I am satisfied enough with this tone.

Hiroyuki Kimura

Received my Ultraphonix pedal 2 weeks ago and loving it. Simple layout, but very responsive!! Thanks Vertex!

Abraham Cummings

I’ve just spent since 10.30 or so this morning getting to know this little pedal, which I originally ordered direct from Vertex, but ended up getting from Andertons Music in the U.K. I’m absolutely blown away. The lack of boxed instructions may make some buyers a little tentative, but after some work with my Gibson RD Artist (a high output active guitar) and my Marshall MF 350 (valve preamp stage with a super crystal clean channel) I can only say this is the best £200 or so I spent on any pedal. Immediate learnings are pretty obvious. To keep parity in sound levels, lose volume as you gain gain. Some of the sweetest sounds are found close to the lower end of gain, where the sudden richness of tone when you kick the pedal on frankly takes your breath away. At one end, so musical and subtle. At the other end, a blooming and super saturated but smooth distortion. The RD Artist pushes tone out from super rich bass to telecaster bridge treble. And the Ultraphonix OD handles it all. At safe sound levels, my amp never sounded so good. And it only sounds better as you pile on the power amp volume. Have I found a Dumble in there yet? Well without a direct comparison I’ll never know. What I do know is this is one mean little pedal that makes an already magnificent amp head and 4X12 cab sound priceless at ridiculously low volume. Gain on preamp amp set low, and volume set high. So all the heavy lifting so far is in the pedal. I tried it with higher gain on the amp and the saturation started to get a bit sharper and more edgy. As a relatively early adopter in the U.K. I would recommend this to anyone with a decent clean channelled valve amp, which I believe is the intent of Vertex. I wasn’t prepared to disregard all of the negative hype about Mason’s past exploits until I actually gave the pedal a full driving test. Now I have my Ultraphonix OD.

Brian Towell

I think it's great it reminds me of the Royal Overdrive but BETTER...little more gain and I can EQ in the tone much easier...overall sound I would take the Ultraphonix

Wayne P.

Received the pedal after waiting 6 months for it. The silver medallion on one of the knobs was loose in the bag and I had to glue it back on. The pedal feels well built and has a good sound. I put it to the test through my Mesa and it did well. My Fulltone Fulldrive ran neck and neck with the Vertex and they both seem very similar to me. Overall a good pedal. I will use it on my secondary pedal board.

Stephen Bradley

The pedal is SPECTACULAR! Really a beautiful sound ... playing it through my 59 hi powered tweed twin ... strat, tele, 335 all VERY good!

Bob B.

Yesterday was the first time I used it in a gig and still busy trying out the Ultra Phonix!! Wow so many sounds to create with this black wonder.I put it in my Roland Jazz chorus 40 watt,and no problem creating a sound that come’s so close to Larry Carlton or Robben Ford.Even close to Santana sound,and my new black friend is so very transparent and Quiet. Vertex,thanx for this great great pedal!!!!

Rolf Blans

I've had all the "Dumble" style pedals way back to the Zendrive, Burn Unit, Royal Overdrive, and this one takes take cake. Even with 3 knobs, I can get feedback at bedroom levels and overtones I can't get with my other D style pedals.

Nate T

great pedal, i should not have not watched this, now I have to have one

Woody Leduc

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