Universal Audio UAFX Dream '65 Reverb

The Universal Audio UAFX Dream '65 Reverb is a digital amp-in-a-box pedal that models a 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb, one of three amp pedals Universal Audio added to its UAFX line in 2022¹². Alongside the modeled amp it carries a spring reverb, vibrato, boost modes, and mic, cab and room modeling, so a player can get a recorded-amp sound straight into a pedalboard or an audio interface. It was announced at a list price of $399 USD, available for preorder as of 16 June 2022³.

What it is and what it does

The Dream '65 is part of a trio of UAFX amp pedals Universal Audio built around specific classic amplifiers; Sound On Sound's Dave Lockwood described the company's approach as "less is more," with each pedal modeling just a single amplifier type². In this case the subject is the 1965 Deluxe Reverb, and Delicious Audio describes the pedal as "an authentic emulation of a Fender Deluxe Reverb, with several added features"¹². Those added features include three speaker options and three amp versions, the stock circuit plus two common modifications, which Delicious Audio says capture "the sparkling cleans and rich overdrive of the popular American amp"³.

The reverb engine is a modeled Fender spring reverb. Lockwood notes that the '65 Deluxe actually carries two modeled spring tanks if you use both outputs, since each amp has one². Guitar World's Connor Flys, reviewing a related UAFX pedal, called the Dream '65 "UA's pedal amp answer to the iconic Fender Deluxe Reverb" and singled out "one of the very best spring reverb recreations around" along with an "evocative vibrato" and three boost modes⁴. At GuitarPlayer, Jimmy Leslie cited "significant experience with the unbelievable Dream '65 Reverb Amp Fender Deluxe modeler"⁵.

Mics, cabs and room modeling

Beyond the amp itself, the pedal models how a Deluxe Reverb is captured in a studio. Delicious Audio describes the feature set as "Mic, cab, and Dynamic Room Modeling technology allow for tone fine-tuning," along with "legendary mic/speaker pairings, boosts, and amp mods"¹³.

The mic choices, per Sound On Sound, are drawn from a selection of studio standards²:

• Shure SM57 dynamic
• Royer R-121 ribbon
• Beyer M160 ribbon
• AKG C414 capacitor

The speaker options, per Delicious Audio, are three¹:

Presets and the UAFX Control app

Presets live in the pedal itself, managed over Bluetooth through the UAFX Control app on iOS and Android, with User, Factory and Artist presets and backup and restore via the app². Lockwood notes a practical limit: "All the presets actually reside in the pedal, but without the app, you can only access the most recently active one"². Delicious Audio adds that the app lets you "Download custom artist tones, recall and archive your presets"¹.

Connectivity and power

Audio connectivity is four unbalanced jacks, two in and two out, and the pedal runs stereo¹². Power comes from a standard 2.1mm center-negative pedal connector, the common pedalboard standard, but a suitable power supply is not included with the pedals². Lockwood also flags what the pedal leaves out: "There's no MIDI or external control, no effects loop and no headphone output"². Players who want MIDI preset switching will need to look elsewhere; the pedal's switching is footswitch and app only.

What reviewers said

Sound On Sound's verdict is the most detailed on record. Lockwood wrote that "UA's Dream '65 Reverb-Amp is capable of some of the finest, most detailed and, above all, most playable emulations of a recorded amp sound" he had heard, with "proper tube-rectifier sag overall"². Guitar.com, reviewing the UAFX line, grouped the Dream with its siblings: "The Dream and Ruby modelled a Fender Deluxe Reverb and Vox AC30 respectively"⁶.

For players weighing it against Universal Audio's other reverb pedals, the Dream '65 sits apart from the dedicated reverb units like the UAFX Golden Reverberator and the Del-Verb Ambience Companion: it is an amp pedal whose reverb and vibrato come from the modeled amp, rather than a standalone reverb effects unit. See the site's Reverb Pedals page for how those compare as a group¹³.

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