Universal Audio has launched its most ambitious pedal amp yet – the UAFX Enigmatic ’82 Overdrive Special, which is inspired by the legendary Dumble tube amps.
Few, if any, guitar amps carry greater mysticism than the ones that were crafted by the late Alexander Dumble. Used by everyone from John Mayer and Robben Ford all the way to Eric Clapton, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Joe Bonamassa, Dumbles are widely considered to be the most sought-after amps around.
However, they aren’t around very often and, as a result of this high desirability – and due to their sheer exclusivity – Dumble amps are completely inaccessible for just about every player.
That’s why Universal Audio’s Enigmatic is so intriguing: it looks to put faithful Dumble tones into a stompbox-sized, pedalboard-friendly package.
Now, this isn’t the first time a company has attempted to tackle this design brief. Over the years, we’ve seen the likes of J. Rockett, Crazy Tube Circuits, Mythos and many more all attempt to tap into the Dumble’s drive magic for a variety of pedals.
Universal Audio’s effort, though, looks to be a different kettle of fish altogether, with the Enigmatic going one step further and offering a handful of “legendary” mods, as well as fully fledged mic/speaker pairings.
It sounds like a comprehensive feature set for something so small, but we’ve seen Universal Audio successfully repurpose iconic amp tones into pedals in the past – such as Eddie Van Halen's Peavey 5150 – so, given this track record, the Enigmatic looks to be a serious bit of kit.
The Enigmatic was crafted after UA was given “exclusive access to numerous Overdrive Special” amps, with the firm insisting it has “perfectly captured” not just one Dumble, but enough examples to offer “the sound and feel of custom Overdrive Special amps spanning 30 years”.
Following the form factor introduced by previous UAFX pedal amps, the Enigmatic features six control knobs, three toggles, and two footswitches. These cover a wide array of tone-tweaking parameters, as well as Cab and Tone options.
In operation it offers nine mic/speaker combos, with the accompanying UAFX mobile app offering further opportunities for fine-tuning tone through “hidden amp tweaks, EQs, and mods found in original ODS amps from the ’70s–’90s.”
"With original Overdrive Specials, there was constant innovation in every amp," says Universal Audio Sr. Product Designer James Santiago. "Each circuit tweak revolved around the player’s touch, and the desire for tones that made their personal style musically speak.
"With Enigmatic '82, we're giving players of all genres the evolving magic that made these amps so legendary with more customization than we've ever put in a UAFX pedal.
UA has a pretty solid track record of recreating legendary amp tones, so the Enigmatic could easily shape up to be one of the better Dumble replica pedals on the market. Not only that, with the addition of extra mods and decades worth of Dumble tones on tap, UA has certainly positioned this as the Dumble amp pedal to beat.
The Enigmatic is available now for $399.
Visit Universal Audio to find out more.
