“The articulation is sensational even with the overdrive knob cranked, and every note rings true no matter what you’re playing”: Universal Audio UAFX Enigmatic ‘82 Overdrive Special pedal review

Guitar World Verdict

Dumble tone veneration aside, the UA Enigmatic is a superb amp simulator that delivers creamy overdriven tones alongside a brilliant clean channel that takes pedals well. It’s much more than just a vehicle for blues licks too, giving plenty of versatility for a variety of playing styles.

Pros

+Deliciously smooth overdrive sounds

+Surprisingly good clean channel

+Versatile tone shaping

+Easy to dial in a variety of sounds

Cons

-UAFX Control app wouldn’t work on my Android phone

-Slight delay when channel switching

-Could be too specialist for some

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Universal Audio UAFX Enigmatic ‘82 Overdrive Special: What is it?Based upon arguably the most famous of Alexander ‘Howard’ Dumble’s designs, the Universal UAFX Enigmatic ‘82 Overdrive is the latest in a line of iconic amps made minute by the California company. Much more than just another Dumble-style overdrive pedal, this fudge-colored amp emulator looks to give us guitarists access to some of the most fabled tones of guitar history.

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Ratings scorecardTestResultsScoreBuild qualitySalted caramel-hued solidness ★★★★1/2UsabilityHardware great, app connectivity not★★★★SoundsExcels at blues and beyond too ★★★★1/2OverallSurprisingly versatile ★★★★1/2

$279 / £229
A great option for Dumble tone seekers, although technically it’s more of an overdrive pedal than an amp simulator. It’s only available new in the single format, but we prefer the dual version which you can still pick up secondhand. Like the UA Enigmatic, it also has a jazz/rock switch for dual voices.

Wampler Euphoria Overdrive

$199 / £159
Another Dumble-style overdrive pedal – sorry, there just aren’t that many Dumble amp simulators out there – the Wampler Euphoria Overdrive offers brilliant touch sensitivity with lots of tone control. It pairs nicely with other stompboxes too, giving you plenty of articulate overdriven tones.

$699 / £519
If you really want a full-on Dumble amp simulator that isn’t the pedal we’ve just reviewed, the Line 6 HX series has a Grammatico GSG100 model, which is an amp based on Dumble designs from the 80s. It’s a brilliant-sounding amp model amongst many in the HX stable, likely overkill if you just want one sound though.

Read more: Line 6 HX Stomp review

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Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at Guitar World. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on guitars, amps, pedals, modelers, and pretty much anything else guitar-related. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites including MusicRadar, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog. A regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and writing and recording in bands, he’s performed everything from jazz to djent, gigging all over the country in more dingy venues than you can shake a drop-tuned guitar at.