The UAFX Dream '65 Reverb Amplifier is an amp-in-a-box pedal from Universal Audio that emulates a Fender Deluxe Reverb, the mid-'60s American tube combo prized for its cleans and breakup. It is a digital pedal built on a dual-engine DSP, and alongside the amp modeling it carries the two effects that made the original amp famous: a spring reverb and a vibrato1. Delicious Audio described it as "an authentic emulation of a Fender Deluxe Reverb, with several added features," delivering "bold cleans, sweet breakup, and divine spring reverb and vibrato"1.
Rather than modeling many amplifiers, the Dream '65 models just one, a 1965 Deluxe Reverb, and goes deep on it: three amp variations, three speaker options, a set of virtual microphones, and room modeling for tone fine-tuning23. It arrived in July 2022, almost exactly a year after Universal Audio launched the UAFX pedal line2.
A Fender Deluxe Reverb in a pedal
The Dream '65 is part of a trio of amp-in-a-box pedals Universal Audio added to the UAFX line in 2022, each modeling a single amplifier: alongside the Dream '65's 1965 Deluxe Reverb, the range covers a 1955 wide-panel tweed Fender Deluxe and a 1961/1963 Vox AC3023. Guitar.com noted that "the Dream and Ruby modelled a Fender Deluxe Reverb and Vox AC30 respectively"4, and GuitarPlayer grouped the Dream '65 among UA's amp pedals "based on Fender blackface amps"5.
Guitar World's reviewer called it "UA's pedal amp answer to the iconic Fender Deluxe Reverb, with one of the very best spring reverb recreations around, an evocative vibrato and three different boost modes"6. GuitarPlayer's reviewers, citing "significant experience with the unbelievable Dream '65 Reverb Amp Fender Deluxe modeler," ranked it among the reference points for UA's later amp pedals7.
The controls and amp variations
The pedal offers three amp variations, the stock circuit plus two common modifications13:
| Amp variation | What it does |
|---|---|
| Stock | The Boost knob adds clean gain, up to 10 dB to the front of the amp, with the amp tone unchanged12 |
| Lead | Removes the bright cap when the knob is above OFF, adding warmth at low boost settings and midrange from the tone stack lift as boost increases; Sound On Sound describes it as a Dumble-style mod12 |
| D-TRK | Known as the SRV mod: more midrange and significantly more gain from the preamp stages; vibrato is available only when the Boost knob is set to OFF1 |
Sound On Sound identifies the third variation as "D-Tex (a César Díaz-style tweak up, as done for S..." in its review, while Delicious Audio names it D-TRK; both describe the same SRV-associated modification12.
The vibrato's speed and intensity are controlled via two Alt knob settings, so the effect is reachable without dedicated knobs1. By default, the two footswitches select Live and Preset mode versus buffered bypass, and the right-hand footswitch can be reassigned via the app2.
Speakers and microphones
The pedal ships with three speaker options1:
- GB25: Vintage Celestion Greenback
- Oxford: Original Oxford 12K5-6
- EV12: Electro-Voice EVM12L
These can be replaced with additional free speaker modes added via the UAFX Control app1:
- Two-Rock 2x12 extension cab with Celestion G12-65s
- Vintage 1966 4x10 Fender Super Reverb cab with original CTS speakers
- Vintage 1968 2x12 Fender Twin Reverb cab with original JBL D-120F speakers
For microphones, the pedal draws on a selection of Shure SM57 dynamic, Royer R-121 and Beyer M160 ribbon, and AKG C414 capacitor models2. Mic, cab, and Dynamic Room Modeling technology allow for tone fine-tuning3.
The cab simulations can be bypassed, so the pedal works into a real guitar cabinet as well as for direct recording1.
Power and connections
Audio connectivity consists of four unbalanced jacks, two in and two out2. There is a true stereo path through the unit if you use both inputs; if you use one input and both outputs, the pedal runs two phase-locked instances of slightly different amps2. Power comes over a standard 2.1mm center-negative pedal connector, and a suitable power supply is not included with the pedal2.
The pedal connects over Bluetooth to the UAFX Control app on iOS and Android, a feature Delicious Audio called "pretty much unheard of" in a stompbox1. All presets reside in the pedal, but without the app only the most recently active one is accessible; the app provides User, Factory and Artist presets, backup and restore, and downloads of custom artist tones12.
What reviewers said
Sound On Sound's Dave Lockwood reviewed the UAFX amp pedals in July 2022 and was emphatic about the results2:
"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 I’ve ever heard."2
Dave Lockwood, Sound On Sound2
He also found the modeling delivered "proper tube-rectifier sag overall"2. Guitar World's assessment of the spring reverb as "one of the very best spring reverb recreations around" points players whose interest is mainly the reverb toward the pedal's place in the reverb pedal landscape, alongside UA's dedicated reverb pedals like the Golden Reverberator and Del-Verb Ambience Companion.
Videos
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MusicRadar
Universal Audio
Sources (7)
- UAFX Dream '65 Reverb Ovedrive, Delicious Audio, 2022-09-26
- Universal Audio UAFX Amp Pedals, Sound On Sound (www.soundonsound.com), 2022-07
- UAFX Amp-In-A-Box Pedals, Delicious Audio, 2022-06-16
- UAFX Lion review: UA’s most raucous pedal yet delivers the goods, Guitar.com, 2024-01-05
- “Giving rock and metal players an authentic emulation of the punishing 5150 amp”: Universal Audio's fifth amp-in-a-pedal creation, the Anti 1992, aims to emulate the Van Halen-loved Peavey 5150 amplifier, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2024-08-20
- Tone King Imperial Tri Tube Preamp review, Guitar World, 2025-07-02
- UAFX Enigmatic '82 Overdrive Special Amp pedal reviewed, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2025-02-26
