Console 1 fader mkIII on Ardour

Hey all, I am in the market for a control surface and was wondering if anyone has tried getting the console 1 fader to work well on Ardour Linux without requiring any of the softube plugins. I read on non-linux forums that the raw MIDI controls are very limited. Curious to know if anyone has tried it? Especially, if anyone knows if all the controls can be mapped, as well as if any of the display functionalities work. I have looked at other control surfaces, but console 1 fader looks the most pleasing to me.

If there isnt a way to make it work, I am also curious about the support of SSL UF8, specially without their SSL 360 software. Also happy to hear recommendations for other decent looking control surfaces with motorized faders, extra bonus points if the information on the screen can be configured.