Fryette Pittbull Ultra Lead Guitar Amplifier Head (120 Watts)

From its introduction in 1995 up until its discontinuation in 2017, the Pittbull Ultra-Lead had long been the flagship of the Fryette amplifier line and customer demand and desire for the Ultra-Lead to be reissued has never waned. The result of an uncompromising three-year labor of love, the Pittbull Ultra-Lead II is a fully reimagined touring and recording tone machine, specifically designed to be the centerpiece of your playing and gigging environment. With this breakthrough product, Steve Fryette has created an innovative testament to the future of tube amplification.

Fryette prioritized the most popular features and functions of the original Pittbull Ultra-Lead and then added a compact, lightweight form factor, flexible three-channel topology, a graphic EQ and super dynamic 120 watt power amplifier. Next, they incorporated the smoother harmonic balance of the former sister-ship, the Pittbull Hundred CLX and imported its personality into the Ultra-Lead platform by way of a Patent Pending power tube blending technology that extracts peak performance out of mixed pairs of EL34 and 6550 power tubes. Finally, Fryette developed a switching and signal processing platform that offers a stunning array of sonic possibilities in a slick, intuitive sound modification system that can be managed via the onboard LCD display or operated remotely via a custom graphical user interface.

"Many amp manufacturers view legacy product reboots in the most literal way possible, offering as… read more accurate a reproduction as possible, given modern regulatory limitations. In view, that approach is just uninspired and assumes that a great tube amplifier can't be truly innovative. Fryette believe that the Pittbull Ultra-Lead origin story was about moving beyond, and that is just as true today as it was in 1995" commented Steve Fryette.

Features:

- An innovative testament to the future of tube amplification
- Super dynamic 120 watt power amplifier
- Compact, lightweight form factor
- Flexible three-channel topology (Clean, Rhythm, & Lead channels)
- Graphic 3-Band EQ with Presence & Depth controls on Rhythm/Lead channels
- Power Tube Blending Tech takes the best of EL34 & 6550 mixed pair power tubes
- Switching & signal processing platform that offers a stunning array of sonic possibilities controlled via the onboard LCD display

Analog Soul, Digital Precision
The breakthrough here is what Fryette call "semi-digital control." They haven't touched the analog soul of the amp--the tone stacks and voicing remain purely in the tube domain. However, Fryette replaced the cluttered "sea of switches" with a sleek digital interface. This allows you to manage the amp's massive 120-watt power section with surgical precision. It's the ultimate hybrid: the raw, tactile feel of a cranked stack with the recallable convenience of a modern rig.

Tonal Architecture: Power Tube Blending
Inside the chassis, Fryette patent-pending power tube blending allows you to become a tonal architect. You can now blend the mid-range growl of EL34s with the massive headroom of 6550s to create a custom harmonic profile. As Steve noted during the launch, the goal was to take the legendary Ultra-Lead platform and "import the personality" of their most beloved circuits into one uncompromising machine.

Built for the Modern Workflow
Ultimately, the Ultra-Lead II is about removing the barriers between your hands and your speakers. They've handled the heavy lifting so the technical complexities disappear:
- Global Buttons: Rather than cluttering the front panel with a sea of switches, individual functions are grouped into global buttons that can be assigned to any of the three channels and recalled instantly.
- Unlimited preset locations: create and store as many presets as you like.
- The Graphic EQ: A cornerstone of the Pittbull sound, the graphic EQ is now recallable and controllable via digital management, without converting the actual audio signal into digital -- ensuring the signal path remains pure.
- Power Tube Blending: The Ultra-Lead II incorporates a Patent Pending power tube blending technology. This allows players to blend the characteristics of different tube types--like EL34s and 6550s--extracting peak performance and a "smoother harmonic balance."
- Analog Cabinet Simulation: Great for clean tones
- Software interface: for graphic computer control.

Modern Interfacing: USB and IR Loading
Recognizing that the centerpiece of a rig must now interface seamlessly with workstations, the Ultra-Lead II features an integrated IR Loader and USB-C connectivity.
- High-Resolution IRs: The onboard loader operates at up to 96kHz and supports IRs up to 500 milliseconds, eliminating the need to "massage" IRs to get them to sound natural.
- Direct Recording: You can record directly into a DAW via high-speed USB.
- Silent Practice & Tracking: The amp includes a built-in one-watt power amp (derived from the GPDI). This allows you to drive the IR loader and the full preamp/EQ section for silent recording without firing up the 120-watt power section.

The Bottom Line
This is more than a reissue; it is a return to form for a flagship icon, proving that the future of tube amplification isn't about replacing the past, but evolving it. Weighing in at about 20 lbs. in a svelte, 2U rack space package, the Pittbull Ultra-Lead II is designed for the player who demands the tactile feel of a high-voltage tube amp but requires the precision of modern digital recall. It is a tool built to let you "forget about all that and just play."
The Pittbull is back, and it's smarter than ever.

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