I think the way you came at this is the opposite of the way most people get to. What I mean is that you said right away that you have played many real Tweed Deluxes - so you already have that ‘in the room’ sound in your head, and that’s what you were expecting/hoping for when you turned on the pedal. I think most potential customers will be the opposite - they have never played through a real Tweed Deluxe, but they have heard the sound of them on recordings… so, they are actually chasing the mic’d sound you’re talking about, and - in theory anyway - should be immediately satisfied with what they hear.
Hey man, I'm loving the channel! The Joyo reviews were especially cool! It's not often you see TH-camrs put out videos that high in quality talking about cheap gear like that. That's definitely a niche I've been searching for, so I hope you'll keep reviewing cheaper pedals that you like for us frugal folks! :)
I just got a bunch of $100-$150 pedals that sound amazing that I am going to review. Not super cheap but not boutique either. I think I have a new Joyo coming as well. I’ll be sure to always dip my toes into every price category.
I’ve been using the woodrow a lot. Some things I’ve realized: - it sounds bright alone but to me in a mix it’s perfect; clear and not overly bright - “edge of breakup” is the iffy zone because of the crackle. but if you feed in a bright enough tone, it kinds melds w the crackle and sounds good - cleanest cleans sound excellent and raw - cranked sound is just super rad overall it’s got a uniquely high fidelity while managing to be organic. super cool.
Do small differences really matter? nope. This is when "perfect" is the enemy of "done". Spend more time playing and less time fiddling. Once the show starts and you're in a band mix, close enough IS perfect and playing is 10x more important than tone.
“People cant hear the difference anyway…” Gosh Im tired of that statement. No they don’t but its not about that - its about INSPIRATION. If your tone inspire you, you play better are more creative etc. Why go for 80%…?
@@goswo 80% of what? I never told anyone to dial their tone to any percentage less less than "inspiring". I don't disagree with the statement on inspiration. But honestly it takes me less than two minutes to dial any tone tone I may be looking for, on any device where I don't have saved presets. The thing is I know a lot of people tend to throw away too much time obsessing over small tone nuisance when what they actually need to spend time on is pocket, technique, etc. My advice to any aspiring electric guitarist is to spend 10% of your guitar time on tone and 90% on practice. If fact... few things are more "inspiring" than a few weeks practicing what you know with a metronome and no amp/pedals
As a Lanois fan (especially when he fuzzes out both with and without a pedal-bit also can roll back the volume and get chime-tones), and a lover of my Rivera S120 4x10 channel 2, this thing is the closest I’ve heard to those aesthetics. I am super appreciative of this video and it feels like it was made just for me and my search for a portable modern solution apart from my 100 lbs amp.
I appreciate that you posted this as the journey you were on instead of recutting it to show only your final appreciation of the Woodrow. Anyway, it was an honest and fun video to watch. And it convinced me to add a Woodrow to my Dream and Ruby, which I love. And it’s good to know you’re a reliable ask if I need help moving at some point.
Thanks for watching. I thought it would have been dishonest to not show the mindset change, and also that it might be similar to what other guitarists have felt! Let me know when you're moving and Ill check my calendar! haha
I swear the whole UAFX line up is great sounding pedals with the stupidest feature set they could have chosen. Your videos got me interested in the Strymon Iridium again and I feel it's just so much better as a practical digital pedal. Just throw in some nicer IRs. The UA stuff sounds more realistic but that "warts and all" approach just has undesirables that would be nice to be able to dial out on a digital unit.
It is very interesting. Bc I love the sound of these UA pedals almost all the time, but the times I don't I really don't. I understand chasing the realism but I would just love the option to turn any of the realism off as well. Cheers!
Fantastic video. I love the clean and breakup tones you're getting out of this. I wish it were possible to assign different reverbs to that Room control though. I don't think I'd need anything more than this to go out and play shows! Fantastic playing
@@SuperdangerStudios Your videos have really helped me this week, in two ways. Firstly thinking more about how to build the tones I want on record. Building backwards from the speaker is helping me get what I really want. Secondly the thumb-over style is something I'm going to work on. Those voicings suit a lot of what I write but that's given me somewhere further to go. Thanks for such great insights. Huge fan of what you're doing.
Strongly considering these pedals, I think pairing them with a Two notes CAB M speaker sim pedal would make it too notch (with a good amount of speaker type/mic placement capabilities)
I’ve been on a years long, maybe 3 or 4, journey of love hate with UAD’s Tweed Deluxe amp sim. From Apollo to the Woodrow. Once you get used to it and your ears know what to expect, it’s wonderful. Stupidly overpriced pedals though. Not worth the hefty UAD tax.
The UAD version was the only amp sim I ever thought sounded good. They got the midrange immediacy attack and room right. Sounds amazing to my ears. The iridium and other clone amp sims are trying to be finished recordings. Dream 65 is in that category. The Woodrow and Ruby are pretty raw in a good way.
idk, if its the only pedal that really gives you the sound you want, it might be worth it. My favorite digitally created tones are coming out of the Tonex app, I didnt even like digital guitar tones before that came out.
Great video. What sound is that tone coming through? In other words what studio monitors are we hearing this from? I have this pedal and what drives me crazy so far is that the sound and levels vary greatly depending on what system it's coming through. Thanks.
I am monitoring through my Yamaha HS7s but what you are hearing is the recording direct into logic. I add a little room reverb to make it feel less stiff and more in the room. What do you typically use it with?
I’m really looking forward to this. I can understand the love/hate relationship with it. There are a lot of sounds in it that I don’t like, BUT I’ve found some sounds that I do like. Driving it I can get a cool old school Muddy Waters Rollin’ Stone kind of a sound, and combing with my Flint and Deco, I can get some really cool sounds from early Blue Note to rockabilly. I don’t really crank the gain on it, so I’m curious if I can get some ideas from you for other tones. My favorite speaker sim is the standard one actually. It sounds great when turning up the tone knob.
i have had to work more on this pedal to get desirable tones on this pedal than almost all other pedals combined. That being said, the tones I did achieve were very good. I loved the first speaker sim as well, the celestion blue. Is that the one you are talking about?
@@SuperdangerStudios I like the Blue and stock Jensen speakers the best. For the bonus cabs, I think I like the Bassman best, but mostly stick to the Blue and stock Jensen.
Un ladrillo complicado y caro. En directo no me gustó . para grabar en casa si . En directo mejor el mooer preamp pequeño. Dos canales reales el canal limpio una delicia. añadir mis pedales y realmente sonaba muy real prefiero el mooer y su precio 90€ genial.
I might have to add the Woodrow to my collection. Never really connected with digital amps until i tried the Dream 65. Its a fantastic modeler. I ended up buying the Ruby 63 as well, but rarely use it. Not really my cup of tea, but every now and then its nice to dial in that chimey clean tone AC's are amazing at. I do like how the Woodrow is still in that Fender clean ballpark, but with more mids
Awesome videos Alex, much appreciated. Woodrow has had a new lease of life for me with Treble Boost in front and into an Ox Stomp > PA. So much fun to play.
Wow thanks so much for the super thanks, Robin! Really appreciate it. Stoked that you’re digging the Woodrow. It’s a really special pedal for sure. I gotta try a treble boost in front now!
@@SuperdangerStudios Pleasure Alex - keep up the excellent work & maybe setup a patreon if it suits you (I was looking for that on your profile). Treble Boost into all of the UA pedals works really well. It shows just how much like real amps these pedals really are!
$400.00 pedal that sounds like an amp that be bought from Joyo for $500.00. Not selling, gee, that's too bad! Being fesceious but, yeah, pretty expensive experiment!
Haha yeah it’s definitely at the higher price range. Some people love it though. I’m going to try a stereo mix of it soon bc I heard that recent TPS video w them combining it w a Ruby and it sounded amazing.
Yeah, I don't understand the point of the room knob on really any amp modeler, whether it's the uafx, iridium, whatever unit has it. Never found a use for it, and it doesn't make it feel any more like an amp in a room. As for UA modeling the speaker crackle and stuff, I actually kinda like it. The uafx amps are very much the good, the bad, and the ugly from their real amp counterparts. The iridium may be more polished, but it's missing some of that raw sound from the uafx pedals.
Right? What's the deal w the room? And I do like the crackle here and there, but I wish there was an option to turn it off as well. Since it's digital, should be pretty straightforward. Maybe a firmware update in the future? haha who knows. Cheers!
I enjoyed your review and I am glad that you are now enjoying the pedal. It is my favourite from their amp sim range and I am lucky enough to own a real tweed deluxe and it is my favourite amplifier. I originally bought the amp to get the blue note jazz sound. I love the warmth in the midrange and the slight crunchiness which I much prefer to the super clean sterile sounds used by many for jazz. I also use it for other styles and love it for blues. I often put the amp through more modern speakers and it works well with my THD 2x12 which gives it much more headroom. One feature that is missing in the pedal is the strange interaction between the instrument and mic channels. For example you can plug into the the instrument channel and then turn the volume control flat out on the mic channel and you will get a fabulous clean sound. On the pedal both channels are bridged and so you can’t do what I have just described. To be honest this is not a major issue as you can find great clean sounds from the pedal. I use the pedals with a line 6 powercab which works well live.
Thanks so much. I am dying to get my hands on a real tweed again. Hopefully I can own one within the year. I'd like to see what the UAFX pedals sound like through a fryette powerstation and a 1x12 g12h or Celestion Creamback. Cheers!
Probably the most honest review I’ve seen online. Thank you. I do have the Woodrow and you’re absolutely correct… When you hit that sound that is perfect then you’d be hard-pressed to do it any better even with an actual amp. It just takes a while to get there. Huge supporter of universal audio, and I have a lot of their stuff, but you are correct on a lot of your rants… They could’ve done a few more things to make it a little bit more usable, but maybe the beauty is in the struggle!
Basically they did too good of a job modelling this. Lol. Tweed amps past the edge of distortion sound terrible. The speakers break up like crazy and the bottom farts out completely. That’s what they’ve modelled here. The cleans of this pedal are super great. I think you’re trying to put too much gain into this pedal and expecting something to happen that doesn’t happen with real tweeds
The clean on those pedals sound beautiful, but substantial amount of breakup drive sounds absolutely awful on all UAD pedals. When you crank it more it gets a bit better but imho, those pedals are worth only as a clean platform.
You stated that the "sound in the room" is what we're chasing, which is sadly only something a guitarist is ever going to hear. I bought the UA Ruby and also found this to be true. It's a great sound and as close to a real AC30 as you'll likely ever get without an AC30. But I tried to gig the Ruby through monitors. There's just something the mic'd sound can't capture. The attack and energy of the amp pushing the real guitar speakers in the room with you. So, I have my AC15 behind me, and the Ruby is what the audience hears through the FOH. This way, I get both, don't have to worry about mics, and I can dial more Ruby in my monitor if the AC15 isn't enough volume for the venue.
Hello :) I'm new to guitar and gear for it and I'm confused. Would this work with an amp like Boss katana 50? or does it need a different type of speaker? The sound @ 8:05 made me want one so bad :)) great play
This is an amp simulation pedal so you’d go out of the Woodrow pedal into the power amp input on the back of the boss katana. It would sound really good but the speaker on the boss katana is much more low end than a typical tweed.
I was checking out this video again and thought it was worth mentioning that some of the artist and factory presets have a completely different reverb algorithm. Larger, wider, etc. So I tend think of my starting point as a particular preset’s reverb and tweak the amp and cab from there.
Hi! Just discovered your channel, that's a great review! Instant subscription. I use to own a 78' Princeton Silverface, that I sadly sold a few years ago (still regreting it...) So when I heard about these UAFX pedal, I immediately listened to the Dream 65 one, to see if it was an good option. It clearly is. Then came here for curiosity, just to check what the Tweed sound is. And... WOW!!! That fingerplayed, warm, VERY dynamic clean sound at the begining was a revelation! And all the overdrive panel is a wonderful bonus. Bye Dreamy and welcome Woodrow 🙂
Yes the Iridium is super flat which makes it ideal for pedals but the Woodrow really comes alive. I think a lot of it comes from the speaker emulation bc when I use the ox stomp with the iridium it sounds really similar!
As usual, a GREAT Video Alex! I definitely love the Woodrow '55, but I'm torn between it and a Dream '65. I'm a Songwriter/Singer who plays drums, bass guitar, keyboards, and now I'm an admittedly novice Stratocaster player as well :) My genres are Pop/R&B/New Country/Jazz/Funk, and either the Dream or Woodrow will be the only "amp" I have, which in turn will go directly into my UAD Apollo. If it's relevant, I have a pedalboard that has a StroboStomp HD, a Wampler Ego V2, an Archer iKon, a MXR Chorus, a Supro Tremolo (which I will sell if I go with the Dream), and a Keeley Halo. Well, that's the wind-up and the pitch Alex, so what's you valued suggestion?
Thanks so much for watching!. Sounds like you have a great setup. I would recommend the dream over the Woodrow bc it’s much easier to get a wide variety of sounds for your genre. Also I wouldn’t get rid of your tremolo pedal just get as the tremolo functionality on the dream is hidden behind the alternate knobs and it can be tricky to manage at times. The Dream handles overdrive and modulation just a bit better in my opinion and the spring reverb is perfect on it. Hope this helps!. Let me know how it goes! Cheers, Alex
UA if you are watching, my wish for an update would be for you to give us the Strymon Iridium trick for the reverb and let us hold both switches down and turn the knob to change between a few room sounds (ideally from your modeling of famous studios, although anything would be appreciated). The reason I want it this way and not with the app is that I’m worried that over time if app development is discontinued we will lose access to all of those features. I bet you could increase sales with more usable reverb. FWIW, I wouldn’t mind a few different spring reverb settings on the Dream as well since we don’t have control over the reverb parameters, but it’s a much more essential upgrade for the Woodrow IMO.
I had a bassman tweed amp before and I love it so much sold it long time ago it was a big regret. After watching you woodrow review I think I decided to get one of this amazing box. Thanks for a great detailed review.
Thank you so much. I was at first convinced the Woodrow would be the one for me, but opted for the Dream when I heard about the tricky aspects you mention. Now giving Mr. Woodrow another serious thought ...
Very very good video. I really enjoy your honesty. I recently got a Dream 65 for quiet stages, however I find myself using it in more situations than I planned. It sounds fantastic. And I’m a self confessed ‘amp guy.’ I didn’t really want to believe it was that good, but the consistency of sound is a massive positive for me at this stage. I am glad I didn’t get the Woodrow though haha. Anyway, thanks for the great video and fantastic playing.
Thanks so much for the kind words. The Dream is so insanely good. Nailed the tone. The Woodrow required much more patience. The Dream is literally plug and play. Cheers and thanks for watching!
@@brandoncharles4781 To me, I think the Dream 65 is more of a blank canvass in terms of amp sound. The Woodrow sounds very much it’s own thing, which I don’t think I could personally use in a variety of situations. I don’t think it sounds as good as the Dream 65. But that’s just what my ears are drawn to.
I have all five of the UAFX amp pedals having a lot of fun and getting a lot of inspiration they are definitely heading in the right direction for modeling. I hate the option paralysis of the big boards. These amp pedals have more than enough options. I totally agree with your rants. It’s the same stuff I’ve noticed things that could possibly be corrected with an update??? I hope the guys at Universal audio see this video and do the right thing with the next updates I love your channel. You’re definitely next level TH-cam Keep up the good work
Room is there to give the feeling of 50's records. The records were recorded live and the whole band was in the same room. So it's not what they could have done, it is there because they wanted it to sound like guitars in 50's records.
Cool video. Having said that, I can't stand the sound and havn't heard one single video on youtube that makes this pedal sound good. Sounds farty, bass heavy, just non usable in my humble opinion. I have owned a few hand wired tweed deluxes so not talking out of my arse....this just doesn't sound anything like a tweed deluxe. Epic fail on UADFX's part. The Ruby and Deluxe seem to be way better sounding pedals. Cheers!
Haha I know what you mean. If you have played the real thing this pedal does not really compare. That being said it does offer an interesting sound. Just not what I would expect at all. And you’re right, the Ruby and Dream are really faithful replications. I think the tweed is almost impossible to replicate. There is something magical that happens there that is really hard to model.
Hey man! Thanks for these incredible reviews of the new uad pedals, great playing also 🙏🏻 Did you notice that sort of digital clipping (dunno how to call it) on all uad pedals? I use iridium but recently grabbed dream65 for a test - great dynamics and feel overall but that fizz/clipping on the breakup and overdriven tones drives me nuts! At first i thought that dream 65 had an issue but after listening tons of vids I now think that clipping is everywhere (dream, wooddraw, ruby)
Yes I am aware of it! That crackle or clipping is part of the authentic sound of the amps I am told. Every time I bring it up I get comments saying “ITS AUTHENTIC” to which I respond, “I dont care it doesn’t sound good!” haha. There are ways around it but it is there on all settings.
Thank you. I HATE that frying bacon crackle that a lot of sims have. It's probably accurate in a way I guess, but it's what I always tried to get rid of in the studio.
I just fully stepped into the digital world, I have had a DAW for a while and messed around with some free software for a few years, and if you have some patience, I think you can get by with just a guitar a cable and an interface. But I am a guitar player in 2023 and I just have to buy the next bigger and better thing. I hated digital amps until I tried Tonex, now I am swapping cabs and amps like crazy. I think the next thing in line for guitar sound will be captures that are adjustable. It may be a while before we get that in a nice easy to use box. I get why people would like the UA amps in a box, we dont NEED all of the tones, just a few really good ones! Heck, even after you find an amp tone you like, you have an almost infinite amount of IRs lol I like the process of it all, but I could see people getting option paralysis very easily though.
First ever seeing this channel. Subscribed! Wonderful video and appreciated the delve into the psychology of the mind of a guitarist! A dangerous place…😂 I’m a huge fan of the UA pedals. Have the Ruby and the new Lion and LOVE them. You have to really spend time with them though, kind of like a Mesa Mark amp. Like feeding a squirrel from your hand,..🤷♂️ Anyway, will check out more videos…
I want to want that pedal, but im so concerned I won't like it. I'm not a fuzz guy at all. But I really want THAT vintage clean tone. For overdrives, I have a Wampler Pantheon Deluxe. Gives me plenty of drives you tweak.
This is one of the most insightful guitar videos I’ve ever seen - genius. (Oh and I’m a new convert to UAFX pedals in my live rig so this has a few “ah-ha” moments for me.). Well done 🤘
This is by far the best analysis I’ve seen of this pedal. I get what you are saying about the ‘fizziness’ of the sound. I’m trying to dial in a Neil Young type sound and all I can hear is the artificial fizz sound. It’s actually quite annoying. It’s all I can hear now. I’m not sure about the pedal now. It sort of sounds amazing but I can’t seem to find a sound I’m happy with it.. And I totally agree with what you said about the ‘room’ knob. What’s the point of it ? I would rather they offered a proper reverb option or a selection of ‘room’ types. Another thing, I think the pedal heavily compresses your input signal. When I run a reverb pedal at a very low level before the Woodrow, it’s super loud from the get go which leads me to believe that there is an in-built compressor ratcheting up the signal; the more drive you dial in, the more compressed the input signal is, which is not how a 5E3 (or at least my 5E3) behaves. Sure the reverb gets louder but it’s not the entire sound. Q - were you running your reverb before or after the pedal in the recording ?
One thing that really helped w the fizz is using a third party IR instead of the built in speakers. Other people gripe that it's not as authentic but what matters most is if you like it! I really like the York Audio ones obviously. But lots of great ones out there. I was also running reverb after the Woodrow. I think you're right, there's a comp in front of the Woodrow but I think it might be in all the UAFX pedals. Cheers!
Your videos really are the best. When I see you reviewing a product, I know that it will be the most in depth video that exists based on real experience. Clone yourself so you have more time to review things please.
EVERY other review of this pedal, or the Dream, or the Marshall one, EVERY ONE of them, aside from this one, has an enormous gulf of volume between the spoken parts and the playing parts. Thank you for being the first and only guy to not do that. Everybody doing every guitar video from now on, take a dadgum note: keep the volume consistent.
I'm trying to search for someone that has run one of these UAFX pedals using the '4 cable method' into a Marshall combo via the FXloop. It would be great if my DSL20 had a clean fender channel. (fyi, I have a Vintage 30 speaker in my combo). Unsure what the poweramp in the marshall would do to the Woodrow tone though.
Yeah i haven't seen many people use the uafx pedals that way. And to be honest, I am sure it sounds good bc I was running them into the front of my amp the other day (minus the speaker sim) and it sounded great. Ruby, Dream, and Woodrow all sounded great and imparted the unique tones of the pedals no problem.
Could the room effect on this pedal be achieved with just a slapback echo? It sounds pretty similar to my dd-3 with a short delay. Thanks for the great vid.
I'm tired of hearing all of the critical feedback about this pedal. Frankly, it's an awesome pedal. All Fender amps are geared toward clean and low-gain sounds, so why is the expectation somehow different for this than the Dream? Sure, Neil Young likes to crank them, but that's not a very common sound in general. I use this to make a perfect 2-channel Fender with a fat bluesy low-gain Blonde Bassman tone (like McCready on Yellow Ledbetter) on one channel and punchy bright Brown Vibrolux clean (like Knopfler on Sultans) on the other. I run a RevivalTrem into it for the gain, and it's an awesome pairing. Sounds far more like a real amp than the Iridium even with the YA IRs. Don't get me wrong, the Iridium is great at sounding like a pedal that sounds like an amp, but the Woodrow just sounds like an amp. So people just need to be clear on what they're looking for. If you want the scooped, tight negative feedback clean sound, get the Dream. If you want a rounder, bluesier, more saggy and organic clean sound, get the Woodrow.
Exactly. I think people were confused on what they were trying to get. I think the pedal sounds better into an amp than on its on DI. But it provides an amazing tweed experience. Lots of tones to unearth on it. Cheers!
I have to qualify your comment at 31:20 about the interactive volume controls. The actual 5e3 volumes and tone are linked before the phase inverter. Plug into the bright channel WITHOUT using a jumper, then turn up the unused normal volume around 3 o'clock to 5 o'clock. Flabby bass energy is shunted to ground. You will hear a much better edge-of-breakup than just bright volume at 2-3 is. Heavy grit is reduced--much smoother, more responsive to the energy you put into the strings. Woodrow won't do that. And unfortunately, that's the best part of a 5e3. And alo why it's not on boards.
I love these pedals. I think UA nailed it on all four. I don’t perform on stage and not sure I would like it live. For recording they are very cool and sound fantastic. IMO
For the price of this you could have an IK tonex pedal that does a more accurate model of a bassman, the other amps UAD makes you purchase a separate DSP pedal for, or any other amp or speaker under the sun (plus reverb, EQ, compression...)
That’s true! The tonex wasn’t available when I bought this. I use amplitube as well and am familiar w their tone/algorithm and I think they both do a great job. And yes it’s probably cheaper to just have a tonex but where’s the fun in that? Haha
Yeah I am not doubting that it's authentic, just wondering why that is included. Would love to be able to turn it off. That's all. 62? Is that a 6g3 deluxe?
Appreciate the walkthrough and great playing. I’m actually hoping this captures the recorded sound of a 5E3 through a Blue from the “The Drop” by the Spin Doctors. Regarding the rants: I’m curious if the latency is simulated “sag” but assuming you can tell the difference. And to your Simpson reference, if Santiago didn’t give us the cone cry we’d complain about “something missing”.
Wow! Thanks so much for the super thanks. And yes, the drop is a great track. It can get that tone for sure but it might need some eq and room added in post to get it exactly like it. And you’re right the sag was playing a factor but I didn’t know when the latency stopped and the sag started. Either way, it’s noticeable but not a deal breaker. Agree w the cone cry but I’d love to be able to turn it off in the options! Thanks again!
Question for ya: Have you put a treble booster like a Rangemaster in front of any O these amp pedals? I'm especially interested in how the Iridium responds. I believe in one of your other videos you stated that the Woodrow did not respond well to external drives n boosts?. I just sprang for an Iridium so I'll find out when it gets here. Pretty sure I saw some vids about the Iridium doing well with drives but I don't recall treble boost being mentioned.
I don’t actually own a treble boost style pedal. Only an Octavia, a jordan fuzz, and a Mythos Golden Fleece. IMO the iridium takes fuzz well but usually when it’s stacked with an OD.
It's driving me nuts that nobody has put out a 1963 Vibroverb sim. My favorite amp of all time and they cost at least $10000 haha. Thanks for the video!
Oh man that’d be so cool to have a great sim. I think Origin Effects Revival Drive can get a little bit close with a good IR. But yeah, nothing really centered on that sound. Thanks for watching!
My playing style is probably not conducive to this pedal. Love your playing and the different sounds you coax out of it though. Gave my son a Dream pedal as it’s easier to operate but this quirky pedal is perhaps the most fun to mess with. Thanks for the awesome vid 🙏 ❤ love from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 ❤
Great gift for your son! And yes this pedal is a very tricky pedal at times but rewards experimentation. Thanks so much for watching and the kind words. Cheers!
Hey Alex, recently stumbled across your channel & have been lovin it - Hi from across the pond btw, hope you’re very well! Great channel, thanks for putting it together.
I really enjoyed the video. The only thing I would say is that while I would agree with most of what you say, I’ve found the speakers really depend on the guitar you are using. I’m playing a lot with a 1979-80 Yamaha SG800 these days and find the stock Jensen speaker actually suits it best for most applications, perhaps because that guitar is so thick sounding (I thick Frusciante described the Yamaha SGs as having almost an organ tone). I also agree it can be a frustrating pedal, and if it wasn’t so pricey I probably wouldn’t have spent the time to try to find good sounds on it. I also agree that I wish they had given us more options for the room.
I actually want some of the crackle. That’s what I miss on the ACS1 which smooths out the sound too much. The ACS1 attenuates stuff above 10kHz WITHOUT the IRs engaged. Which is fine for some cleans and low gain stuff, but really dampens higher gain distortions too much when compared to my real amp
I really wish they had added a headphone jack. I realize, I can use it with my interface and use that headphone, but itd be nice to be able to just use the pedal like the Iridium.
What speakers are you listening to the guitar on? Monitors or some kind of frfr? I’m new to ampless. I’m playing my board through a practice amp and into a 2x12. Not totally happy. Thanks for the insight.
Does it feel like you are playing an amp or an Overdrive/Fuzz? Really interested in this pedal but I don't know much how I'd use those flubbier fuzzy sounds. I also don't know why they didn't make a Marshall Super Lead or JCM pedal. Would have been the perfect 4th pedal for the lineup.
They gotta have a Marshall style pedal in the works right now. Right? Also I’d say this pedal feels like an amp at low gain and like a fuzz at higher. But that’s how I interpret it. I think the Dream feels like an amp all around.
@@SuperdangerStudios Thanks, that answers my question. The Woodrow is cool, but I think a Marshall style- UA pedal would be way more useful if done correctly. So, I am holding out hope! The idea of having a 55' Tweed in a box seems awesome, but its just not versatile enough I think.
As musicians, we all have to play the room whether practicing, performing, or live recording- a lot for just for how it feels to us while playing perhaps. We all know that feeling of "how's the room? Sound-good for hearing yourself and the band?" There can be overwhelming variables that are then stacked on top of way too many choices to shape the tone we're hearing in our heads. In the end, if given a $50 guitar and a $20 amp, we still have quickly set aside the quality or our personal biases towards the gear), play well, and sound great especially in front of an audience. It's not always a pleasant experience but, any chance to play music is always good for the soul.
![Universal Audio Lion, Woodrow & Ruby With Tore Mogensen [Forget Direct - Do We Love 'Em Loud?]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KmywiRhRndE/mqdefault.jpg)
![Universal Audio Lion, Woodrow & Ruby With Tore Mogensen [Forget Direct - Do We Love 'Em Loud?]](/img/tr.png)
FYI- there is a firmware update that fixes the volume issue. I had this same issue and it was immediately solved after the update.
Oh wow good to know! Thanks
When’s the UAFX Lion video coming??❤
Dude I wish I had it right now! I’m reaching out to everyone i know to see if I can get my hands on it.
@@SuperdangerStudios awesome! Good luck! Can’t wait to see a nice long video from you
So impressed with your production. Don't think anyone else is doing the kind of in-depth, thoughtful work that you are doing. Great stuff!
Wow thank you so much. Thrilled you enjoyed it! More to come!
I think the way you came at this is the opposite of the way most people get to. What I mean is that you said right away that you have played many real Tweed Deluxes - so you already have that ‘in the room’ sound in your head, and that’s what you were expecting/hoping for when you turned on the pedal. I think most potential customers will be the opposite - they have never played through a real Tweed Deluxe, but they have heard the sound of them on recordings… so, they are actually chasing the mic’d sound you’re talking about, and - in theory anyway - should be immediately satisfied with what they hear.
Man! The way you "tell the stories" it is amazing. Really really good youtube material. Congrats!
Thanks so much! More to come. Cheers!
Hey man, I'm loving the channel! The Joyo reviews were especially cool! It's not often you see TH-camrs put out videos that high in quality talking about cheap gear like that. That's definitely a niche I've been searching for, so I hope you'll keep reviewing cheaper pedals that you like for us frugal folks! :)
I just got a bunch of $100-$150 pedals that sound amazing that I am going to review. Not super cheap but not boutique either. I think I have a new Joyo coming as well. I’ll be sure to always dip my toes into every price category.
I’ve been using the woodrow a lot.
Some things I’ve realized:
- it sounds bright alone but to me in a mix it’s perfect; clear and not overly bright
- “edge of breakup” is the iffy zone because of the crackle. but if you feed in a bright enough tone, it kinds melds w the crackle and sounds good
- cleanest cleans sound excellent and raw
- cranked sound is just super rad
overall it’s got a uniquely high fidelity while managing to be organic. super cool.
Great insights. Agreed on All of your points. Really unique and beautiful sounding pedal.
Do small differences really matter? nope. This is when "perfect" is the enemy of "done". Spend more time playing and less time fiddling. Once the show starts and you're in a band mix, close enough IS perfect and playing is 10x more important than tone.
“People cant hear the difference anyway…” Gosh Im tired of that statement. No they don’t but its not about that - its about INSPIRATION. If your tone inspire you, you play better are more creative etc. Why go for 80%…?
@@goswo 80% of what? I never told anyone to dial their tone to any percentage less less than "inspiring". I don't disagree with the statement on inspiration. But honestly it takes me less than two minutes to dial any tone tone I may be looking for, on any device where I don't have saved presets. The thing is I know a lot of people tend to throw away too much time obsessing over small tone nuisance when what they actually need to spend time on is pocket, technique, etc. My advice to any aspiring electric guitarist is to spend 10% of your guitar time on tone and 90% on practice. If fact... few things are more "inspiring" than a few weeks practicing what you know with a metronome and no amp/pedals
I like to fiddle. But I don’t like being overwhelmed by 10,000 choices. Just some limited choices as you would have on an amp is awesome.
As a Lanois fan (especially when he fuzzes out both with and without a pedal-bit also can roll back the volume and get chime-tones), and a lover of my Rivera S120 4x10 channel 2, this thing is the closest I’ve heard to those aesthetics. I am super appreciative of this video and it feels like it was made just for me and my search for a portable modern solution apart from my 100 lbs amp.
Stoked this video was helpful for you! It's a great little pedal, just takes a bit of time to find your tone you're off to the races.
I appreciate that you posted this as the journey you were on instead of recutting it to show only your final appreciation of the Woodrow. Anyway, it was an honest and fun video to watch. And it convinced me to add a Woodrow to my Dream and Ruby, which I love. And it’s good to know you’re a reliable ask if I need help moving at some point.
Thanks for watching. I thought it would have been dishonest to not show the mindset change, and also that it might be similar to what other guitarists have felt! Let me know when you're moving and Ill check my calendar! haha
I swear the whole UAFX line up is great sounding pedals with the stupidest feature set they could have chosen.
Your videos got me interested in the Strymon Iridium again and I feel it's just so much better as a practical digital pedal. Just throw in some nicer IRs. The UA stuff sounds more realistic but that "warts and all" approach just has undesirables that would be nice to be able to dial out on a digital unit.
It is very interesting. Bc I love the sound of these UA pedals almost all the time, but the times I don't I really don't. I understand chasing the realism but I would just love the option to turn any of the realism off as well.
Cheers!
Fantastic video. I love the clean and breakup tones you're getting out of this. I wish it were possible to assign different reverbs to that Room control though. I don't think I'd need anything more than this to go out and play shows!
Fantastic playing
Thanks for watching! Agreed, would love a little flexibility on the room reverb. Ah well! Still a great little pedal.
@@SuperdangerStudios Your videos have really helped me this week, in two ways.
Firstly thinking more about how to build the tones I want on record. Building backwards from the speaker is helping me get what I really want.
Secondly the thumb-over style is something I'm going to work on. Those voicings suit a lot of what I write but that's given me somewhere further to go.
Thanks for such great insights. Huge fan of what you're doing.
Strongly considering these pedals, I think pairing them with a Two notes CAB M speaker sim pedal would make it too notch (with a good amount of speaker type/mic placement capabilities)
I’ve been on a years long, maybe 3 or 4, journey of love hate with UAD’s Tweed Deluxe amp sim. From Apollo to the Woodrow. Once you get used to it and your ears know what to expect, it’s wonderful.
Stupidly overpriced pedals though. Not worth the hefty UAD tax.
Right? Why is it so hard to figure it out? Took me months to understand this pedal.
The UAD version was the only amp sim I ever thought sounded good. They got the midrange immediacy attack and room right. Sounds amazing to my ears. The iridium and other clone amp sims are trying to be finished recordings. Dream 65 is in that category. The Woodrow and Ruby are pretty raw in a good way.
idk, if its the only pedal that really gives you the sound you want, it might be worth it. My favorite digitally created tones are coming out of the Tonex app, I didnt even like digital guitar tones before that came out.
I have trouble believing anything from tonex or ik media could sound real after playing irig hd a few years ago.
@@TimMilliken Its literally free to try.
Great video. What sound is that tone coming through? In other words what studio monitors are we hearing this from? I have this pedal and what drives me crazy so far is that the sound and levels vary greatly depending on what system it's coming through. Thanks.
I am monitoring through my Yamaha HS7s but what you are hearing is the recording direct into logic. I add a little room reverb to make it feel less stiff and more in the room. What do you typically use it with?
I’m really looking forward to this. I can understand the love/hate relationship with it. There are a lot of sounds in it that I don’t like, BUT I’ve found some sounds that I do like. Driving it I can get a cool old school Muddy Waters Rollin’ Stone kind of a sound, and combing with my Flint and Deco, I can get some really cool sounds from early Blue Note to rockabilly. I don’t really crank the gain on it, so I’m curious if I can get some ideas from you for other tones. My favorite speaker sim is the standard one actually. It sounds great when turning up the tone knob.
i have had to work more on this pedal to get desirable tones on this pedal than almost all other pedals combined. That being said, the tones I did achieve were very good. I loved the first speaker sim as well, the celestion blue. Is that the one you are talking about?
@@SuperdangerStudios I like the Blue and stock Jensen speakers the best. For the bonus cabs, I think I like the Bassman best, but mostly stick to the Blue and stock Jensen.
Un ladrillo complicado y caro. En directo no me gustó . para grabar en casa si . En directo mejor el mooer preamp pequeño. Dos canales reales el canal limpio una delicia. añadir mis pedales y realmente sonaba muy real prefiero el mooer y su precio 90€ genial.
I might have to add the Woodrow to my collection. Never really connected with digital amps until i tried the Dream 65. Its a fantastic modeler. I ended up buying the Ruby 63 as well, but rarely use it. Not really my cup of tea, but every now and then its nice to dial in that chimey clean tone AC's are amazing at. I do like how the Woodrow is still in that Fender clean ballpark, but with more mids
The Woodrow is unlike any other pedal I have tried. Really fun and very unique tones. But it can always do a solid clean tone as well. Cheers!
incredible editing, playing, explaining, demonstrating. subbed within the first few minutes
Awesome, thank you! Welcome to the club!
Awesome videos Alex, much appreciated. Woodrow has had a new lease of life for me with Treble Boost in front and into an Ox Stomp > PA. So much fun to play.
Wow thanks so much for the super thanks, Robin! Really appreciate it. Stoked that you’re digging the Woodrow. It’s a really special pedal for sure. I gotta try a treble boost in front now!
@@SuperdangerStudios Pleasure Alex - keep up the excellent work & maybe setup a patreon if it suits you (I was looking for that on your profile).
Treble Boost into all of the UA pedals works really well. It shows just how much like real amps these pedals really are!
$400.00 pedal that sounds like an amp that be bought from Joyo for $500.00. Not selling, gee, that's too bad! Being fesceious but, yeah, pretty expensive experiment!
Haha yeah it’s definitely at the higher price range. Some people love it though. I’m going to try a stereo mix of it soon bc I heard that recent TPS video w them combining it w a Ruby and it sounded amazing.
Yeah, I don't understand the point of the room knob on really any amp modeler, whether it's the uafx, iridium, whatever unit has it. Never found a use for it, and it doesn't make it feel any more like an amp in a room.
As for UA modeling the speaker crackle and stuff, I actually kinda like it. The uafx amps are very much the good, the bad, and the ugly from their real amp counterparts. The iridium may be more polished, but it's missing some of that raw sound from the uafx pedals.
Right? What's the deal w the room? And I do like the crackle here and there, but I wish there was an option to turn it off as well. Since it's digital, should be pretty straightforward. Maybe a firmware update in the future? haha who knows. Cheers!
I enjoyed your review and I am glad that you are now enjoying the pedal. It is my favourite from their amp sim range and I am lucky enough to own a real tweed deluxe and it is my favourite amplifier. I originally bought the amp to get the blue note jazz sound. I love the warmth in the midrange and the slight crunchiness which I much prefer to the super clean sterile sounds used by many for jazz. I also use it for other styles and love it for blues. I often put the amp through more modern speakers and it works well with my THD 2x12 which gives it much more headroom. One feature that is missing in the pedal is the strange interaction between the instrument and mic channels. For example you can plug into the the instrument channel and then turn the volume control flat out on the mic channel and you will get a fabulous clean sound. On the pedal both channels are bridged and so you can’t do what I have just described. To be honest this is not a major issue as you can find great clean sounds from the pedal. I use the pedals with a line 6 powercab which works well live.
Thanks so much. I am dying to get my hands on a real tweed again. Hopefully I can own one within the year. I'd like to see what the UAFX pedals sound like through a fryette powerstation and a 1x12 g12h or Celestion Creamback. Cheers!
Did you ever get to try this?@@SuperdangerStudios
@@TheStevem12065 i actually tried it through my boss katana power amp input and it sounded great
I'll do a video on it soon
Probably the most honest review I’ve seen online. Thank you. I do have the Woodrow and you’re absolutely correct… When you hit that sound that is perfect then you’d be hard-pressed to do it any better even with an actual amp. It just takes a while to get there. Huge supporter of universal audio, and I have a lot of their stuff, but you are correct on a lot of your rants… They could’ve done a few more things to make it a little bit more usable, but maybe the beauty is in the struggle!
Thanks man! It was quite a journey with this pedal! But you're right, when you find the tone in this pedal it is unbelievable.
@UniversalAudio Get him a Lion and pay him to review it!
His reviews on the other UA amp pedals where by far the best.
Yes!
Basically they did too good of a job modelling this. Lol. Tweed amps past the edge of distortion sound terrible. The speakers break up like crazy and the bottom farts out completely. That’s what they’ve modelled here. The cleans of this pedal are super great. I think you’re trying to put too much gain into this pedal and expecting something to happen that doesn’t happen with real tweeds
I use my ruby with a line 6 Powercab 112+. Sounds amazing and I get that room sound I’M looking for.
That is a great idea. I should look into that. How is the speaker on the powercab?
I hooked mine to a Headrush 108. It sounds great
The clean on those pedals sound beautiful, but substantial amount of breakup drive sounds absolutely awful on all UAD pedals. When you crank it more it gets a bit better but imho, those pedals are worth only as a clean platform.
Yes the drive on these pedals is very specific. Everyone will argue that it’s authentic and that’s totally true but it’s definitely not for everyone!
The crackle is what makes it sound real tho.
You stated that the "sound in the room" is what we're chasing, which is sadly only something a guitarist is ever going to hear. I bought the UA Ruby and also found this to be true. It's a great sound and as close to a real AC30 as you'll likely ever get without an AC30. But I tried to gig the Ruby through monitors. There's just something the mic'd sound can't capture. The attack and energy of the amp pushing the real guitar speakers in the room with you. So, I have my AC15 behind me, and the Ruby is what the audience hears through the FOH. This way, I get both, don't have to worry about mics, and I can dial more Ruby in my monitor if the AC15 isn't enough volume for the venue.
Dude that's a great setup! I gotta try that sometime. Best of both worlds!
Hello :) I'm new to guitar and gear for it and I'm confused. Would this work with an amp like Boss katana 50? or does it need a different type of speaker? The sound @ 8:05 made me want one so bad :)) great play
This is an amp simulation pedal so you’d go out of the Woodrow pedal into the power amp input on the back of the boss katana. It would sound really good but the speaker on the boss katana is much more low end than a typical tweed.
@@SuperdangerStudios thank you
I was checking out this video again and thought it was worth mentioning that some of the artist and factory presets have a completely different reverb algorithm. Larger, wider, etc.
So I tend think of my starting point as a particular preset’s reverb and tweak the amp and cab from there.
I saw that, and then I saw the ox stomp came out. Solves the problem in a diff way too. But not sure if I wanna fork out $400 for speaker sims.
Hi! Just discovered your channel, that's a great review! Instant subscription.
I use to own a 78' Princeton Silverface, that I sadly sold a few years ago (still regreting it...) So when I heard about these UAFX pedal, I immediately listened to the Dream 65 one, to see if it was an good option. It clearly is. Then came here for curiosity, just to check what the Tweed sound is. And... WOW!!! That fingerplayed, warm, VERY dynamic clean sound at the begining was a revelation! And all the overdrive panel is a wonderful bonus.
Bye Dreamy and welcome Woodrow 🙂
haha great to hear. Thanks for the sub! The Woodrow is a very special pedal for the right guitarist. It sounds like it'll be right up your alley!
Iridium is so sterile. Woodrow has that life and natural unevenness.
Yes the Iridium is super flat which makes it ideal for pedals but the Woodrow really comes alive. I think a lot of it comes from the speaker emulation bc when I use the ox stomp with the iridium it sounds really similar!
Bro, the tweed sound can be solved. Get the us super block by quilter.
I played one finally. Sounded amazing. Actually recorded it and gonna do a short video on it.
How is your reverb setting on Valhalla? Sounds perfect nice!
Thanks! I use the large room setting on a bus around 30%. and sometimes i use a studio A preset in parallel as well.
As usual, a GREAT Video Alex!
I definitely love the Woodrow '55, but I'm torn between it and a Dream '65. I'm a Songwriter/Singer who plays drums, bass guitar, keyboards, and now I'm an admittedly novice Stratocaster player as well :)
My genres are Pop/R&B/New Country/Jazz/Funk, and either the Dream or Woodrow will be the only "amp" I have, which in turn will go directly into my UAD Apollo. If it's relevant, I have a pedalboard that has a StroboStomp HD, a Wampler Ego V2, an Archer iKon, a MXR Chorus, a Supro Tremolo (which I will sell if I go with the Dream), and a Keeley Halo.
Well, that's the wind-up and the pitch Alex, so what's you valued suggestion?
Thanks so much for watching!. Sounds like you have a great setup. I would recommend the dream over the Woodrow bc it’s much easier to get a wide variety of sounds for your genre. Also I wouldn’t get rid of your tremolo pedal just get as the tremolo functionality on the dream is hidden behind the alternate knobs and it can be tricky to manage at times.
The Dream handles overdrive and modulation just a bit better in my opinion and the spring reverb is perfect on it.
Hope this helps!. Let me know how it goes! Cheers,
Alex
UA if you are watching, my wish for an update would be for you to give us the Strymon Iridium trick for the reverb and let us hold both switches down and turn the knob to change between a few room sounds (ideally from your modeling of famous studios, although anything would be appreciated). The reason I want it this way and not with the app is that I’m worried that over time if app development is discontinued we will lose access to all of those features.
I bet you could increase sales with more usable reverb. FWIW, I wouldn’t mind a few different spring reverb settings on the Dream as well since we don’t have control over the reverb parameters, but it’s a much more essential upgrade for the Woodrow IMO.
Agreed!
I had a bassman tweed amp before and I love it so much sold it long time ago it was a big regret. After watching you woodrow review I think I decided to get one of this amazing box. Thanks for a great detailed review.
Thanks for watching! Oh man I would love to own a tweed Bassman. I think you’ll dig this pedal man. Cheers!
when you start making "the face" then I think they got you
Haha absolutely!
Thank you so much. I was at first convinced the Woodrow would be the one for me, but opted for the Dream when I heard about the tricky aspects you mention. Now giving Mr. Woodrow another serious thought ...
It really is such a unique pedal! Nothing else like it on the market.
I never had an amplifier pedal that could get an exciting rude mood. The Woodrow is scary expressive and responsive to volume control. Great playing!
Thanks for watching! The Woodrow is a really interesting pedal. Nothing like it out there. Cheers!
No one wants the crackle! It’s poop in my sweet tea.
Haha!
Very very good video. I really enjoy your honesty.
I recently got a Dream 65 for quiet stages, however I find myself using it in more situations than I planned. It sounds fantastic. And I’m a self confessed ‘amp guy.’ I didn’t really want to believe it was that good, but the consistency of sound is a massive positive for me at this stage. I am glad I didn’t get the Woodrow though haha.
Anyway, thanks for the great video and fantastic playing.
Thanks so much for the kind words. The Dream is so insanely good. Nailed the tone. The Woodrow required much more patience. The Dream is literally plug and play. Cheers and thanks for watching!
Why are you glad you got the dream instead?
@@brandoncharles4781 To me, I think the Dream 65 is more of a blank canvass in terms of amp sound. The Woodrow sounds very much it’s own thing, which I don’t think I could personally use in a variety of situations. I don’t think it sounds as good as the Dream 65. But that’s just what my ears are drawn to.
@@JonMackenzieGuitarist I was leaning towards Woodrow but now I want the Lion...
@@brandoncharles4781 yeah the Lion looks/sounds awesome.
Hey, great presentation. You’re a gifted communicator.
Thanks so much! I kind of ranted in this video but happy that didnt detract from the message.
Sounds awesome to my ears.
I have all five of the UAFX amp pedals having a lot of fun and getting a lot of inspiration they are definitely heading in the right direction for modeling. I hate the option paralysis of the big boards. These amp pedals have more than enough options. I totally agree with your rants. It’s the same stuff I’ve noticed things that could possibly be corrected with an update???
I hope the guys at Universal audio see this video and do the right thing with the next updates
I love your channel. You’re definitely next level TH-cam
Keep up the good work
Hi Alex! What IR Loader do you use?
I use bias fx 2!
@@SuperdangerStudios Do you use it with your Dream '65 as well Alex? If so, what's you final conclusion on the Dream versus the Iridium?
Room is there to give the feeling of 50's records. The records were recorded live and the whole band was in the same room. So it's not what they could have done, it is there because they wanted it to sound like guitars in 50's records.
What’s the song at 8 min?
Just me messing around. Kind of sounded like Old Love by Clapton now that i listened back.
The latency is real.
Yup!
This is a special amplifier, amazing!
Its a great pedal! Lots of tones!
Cool video. Having said that, I can't stand the sound and havn't heard one single video on youtube that makes this pedal sound good. Sounds farty, bass heavy, just non usable in my humble opinion. I have owned a few hand wired tweed deluxes so not talking out of my arse....this just doesn't sound anything like a tweed deluxe. Epic fail on UADFX's part. The Ruby and Deluxe seem to be way better sounding pedals. Cheers!
Haha I know what you mean. If you have played the real thing this pedal does not really compare. That being said it does offer an interesting sound. Just not what I would expect at all. And you’re right, the Ruby and Dream are really faithful replications. I think the tweed is almost impossible to replicate. There is something magical that happens there that is really hard to model.
Hey man! Thanks for these incredible reviews of the new uad pedals, great playing also 🙏🏻
Did you notice that sort of digital clipping (dunno how to call it) on all uad pedals? I use iridium but recently grabbed dream65 for a test - great dynamics and feel overall but that fizz/clipping on the breakup and overdriven tones drives me nuts! At first i thought that dream 65 had an issue but after listening tons of vids I now think that clipping is everywhere (dream, wooddraw, ruby)
Yes I am aware of it! That crackle or clipping is part of the authentic sound of the amps I am told. Every time I bring it up I get comments saying “ITS AUTHENTIC” to which I respond, “I dont care it doesn’t sound good!” haha.
There are ways around it but it is there on all settings.
Thank you. I HATE that frying bacon crackle that a lot of sims have. It's probably accurate in a way I guess, but it's what I always tried to get rid of in the studio.
Right? I get that it's authentic but would love the option to turn it off.
I just fully stepped into the digital world, I have had a DAW for a while and messed around with some free software for a few years, and if you have some patience, I think you can get by with just a guitar a cable and an interface. But I am a guitar player in 2023 and I just have to buy the next bigger and better thing. I hated digital amps until I tried Tonex, now I am swapping cabs and amps like crazy. I think the next thing in line for guitar sound will be captures that are adjustable. It may be a while before we get that in a nice easy to use box. I get why people would like the UA amps in a box, we dont NEED all of the tones, just a few really good ones! Heck, even after you find an amp tone you like, you have an almost infinite amount of IRs lol I like the process of it all, but I could see people getting option paralysis very easily though.
First ever seeing this channel. Subscribed! Wonderful video and appreciated the delve into the psychology of the mind of a guitarist! A dangerous place…😂 I’m a huge fan of the UA pedals. Have the Ruby and the new Lion and LOVE them. You have to really spend time with them though, kind of like a Mesa Mark amp. Like feeding a squirrel from your hand,..🤷♂️ Anyway, will check out more videos…
Love the UAFX pedals. Really fun sounds out of them! Been digging the ox stomp lately. Thanks for watching and subscribing!
You never show up on memorial day.
I must have had the wrong address bc I definitely showed up somewhere haha
@@SuperdangerStudios Well I'll be watching out for you next time.
I want to want that pedal, but im so concerned I won't like it. I'm not a fuzz guy at all. But I really want THAT vintage clean tone. For overdrives, I have a Wampler Pantheon Deluxe. Gives me plenty of drives you tweak.
For sure! It’s a very specific pedal w a very specific sound. You might like the Dream or Iridium better!
This is one of the most insightful guitar videos I’ve ever seen - genius. (Oh and I’m a new convert to UAFX pedals in my live rig so this has a few “ah-ha” moments for me.). Well done 🤘
So happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
I love the Catalinbread Foundation Overdrives.Easier on the price, yet still great.
I actually am getting the formula 55 this week! Can’t wait to try it out!
This is by far the best analysis I’ve seen of this pedal. I get what you are saying about the ‘fizziness’ of the sound. I’m trying to dial in a Neil Young type sound and all I can hear is the artificial fizz sound. It’s actually quite annoying. It’s all I can hear now. I’m not sure about the pedal now. It sort of sounds amazing but I can’t seem to find a sound I’m happy with it.. And I totally agree with what you said about the ‘room’ knob. What’s the point of it ? I would rather they offered a proper reverb option or a selection of ‘room’ types. Another thing, I think the pedal heavily compresses your input signal. When I run a reverb pedal at a very low level before the Woodrow, it’s super loud from the get go which leads me to believe that there is an in-built compressor ratcheting up the signal; the more drive you dial in, the more compressed the input signal is, which is not how a 5E3 (or at least my 5E3) behaves. Sure the reverb gets louder but it’s not the entire sound. Q - were you running your reverb before or after the pedal in the recording ?
One thing that really helped w the fizz is using a third party IR instead of the built in speakers. Other people gripe that it's not as authentic but what matters most is if you like it! I really like the York Audio ones obviously. But lots of great ones out there. I was also running reverb after the Woodrow. I think you're right, there's a comp in front of the Woodrow but I think it might be in all the UAFX pedals. Cheers!
Your videos really are the best. When I see you reviewing a product, I know that it will be the most in depth video that exists based on real experience. Clone yourself so you have more time to review things please.
Haha I wish I could put out these caliber of videos more often. Just a ton that goes into it. I’m working on a solution to that though.
Get a Mesa California tweed and UAD ox for your room sound.
EVERY other review of this pedal, or the Dream, or the Marshall one, EVERY ONE of them, aside from this one, has an enormous gulf of volume between the spoken parts and the playing parts. Thank you for being the first and only guy to not do that. Everybody doing every guitar video from now on, take a dadgum note: keep the volume consistent.
Thank you! Gotta make sure the guitar is ripping!
I'm trying to search for someone that has run one of these UAFX pedals using the '4 cable method' into a Marshall combo via the FXloop. It would be great if my DSL20 had a clean fender channel. (fyi, I have a Vintage 30 speaker in my combo). Unsure what the poweramp in the marshall would do to the Woodrow tone though.
Yeah i haven't seen many people use the uafx pedals that way. And to be honest, I am sure it sounds good bc I was running them into the front of my amp the other day (minus the speaker sim) and it sounded great. Ruby, Dream, and Woodrow all sounded great and imparted the unique tones of the pedals no problem.
Could the room effect on this pedal be achieved with just a slapback echo? It sounds pretty similar to my dd-3 with a short delay. Thanks for the great vid.
Absolutely! A good inverse slap is really similar to a bright room!
I'm tired of hearing all of the critical feedback about this pedal. Frankly, it's an awesome pedal. All Fender amps are geared toward clean and low-gain sounds, so why is the expectation somehow different for this than the Dream? Sure, Neil Young likes to crank them, but that's not a very common sound in general.
I use this to make a perfect 2-channel Fender with a fat bluesy low-gain Blonde Bassman tone (like McCready on Yellow Ledbetter) on one channel and punchy bright Brown Vibrolux clean (like Knopfler on Sultans) on the other. I run a RevivalTrem into it for the gain, and it's an awesome pairing. Sounds far more like a real amp than the Iridium even with the YA IRs. Don't get me wrong, the Iridium is great at sounding like a pedal that sounds like an amp, but the Woodrow just sounds like an amp.
So people just need to be clear on what they're looking for. If you want the scooped, tight negative feedback clean sound, get the Dream. If you want a rounder, bluesier, more saggy and organic clean sound, get the Woodrow.
Exactly. I think people were confused on what they were trying to get. I think the pedal sounds better into an amp than on its on DI. But it provides an amazing tweed experience. Lots of tones to unearth on it. Cheers!
I have to qualify your comment at 31:20 about the interactive volume controls. The actual 5e3 volumes and tone are linked before the phase inverter. Plug into the bright channel WITHOUT using a jumper, then turn up the unused normal volume around 3 o'clock to 5 o'clock. Flabby bass energy is shunted to ground. You will hear a much better edge-of-breakup than just bright volume at 2-3 is. Heavy grit is reduced--much smoother, more responsive to the energy you put into the strings. Woodrow won't do that. And unfortunately, that's the best part of a 5e3. And alo why it's not on boards.
Ah that makes sense. Thanks for sharing!
I love these pedals. I think UA nailed it on all four. I don’t perform on stage and not sure I would like it live. For recording they are very cool and sound fantastic. IMO
Totally agree!
It took almost half the processor power to do that one amazing room convolution. It sounds pretty real to me.
Is it possible to use the woodrow as a amp/cab sim after my tube preamp pedal and go straight in the PA? As a travel-friedly guitar rig solution?
Absolutely. It takes pedals at low gain really well and sounds great out of a FRFR speaker/ PA.
I think the crackle is high frequency content. Some IR’s will remove it. UA speaker sims have higher frequency response.
Ah interesting. You’re right re: third party IR too. York Audio IRs sound really good through it.
For the price of this you could have an IK tonex pedal that does a more accurate model of a bassman, the other amps UAD makes you purchase a separate DSP pedal for, or any other amp or speaker under the sun (plus reverb, EQ, compression...)
That’s true! The tonex wasn’t available when I bought this. I use amplitube as well and am familiar w their tone/algorithm and I think they both do a great job. And yes it’s probably cheaper to just have a tonex but where’s the fun in that? Haha
I started running it through my 78 Princeton reverb and it's absolute gold with my tele!
Excellent man! Sounds like a good setup
That crackle is EXACTLY what my '62 Deluxe does, it`s just the way these old amps start to overdrive at a certain volume.
Yeah I am not doubting that it's authentic, just wondering why that is included. Would love to be able to turn it off. That's all.
62? Is that a 6g3 deluxe?
Appreciate the walkthrough and great playing.
I’m actually hoping this captures the recorded sound of a 5E3 through a Blue from the “The Drop” by the Spin Doctors.
Regarding the rants: I’m curious if the latency is simulated “sag” but assuming you can tell the difference. And to your Simpson reference, if Santiago didn’t give us the cone cry we’d complain about “something missing”.
Wow! Thanks so much for the super thanks. And yes, the drop is a great track. It can get that tone for sure but it might need some eq and room added in post to get it exactly like it. And you’re right the sag was playing a factor but I didn’t know when the latency stopped and the sag started. Either way, it’s noticeable but not a deal breaker. Agree w the cone cry but I’d love to be able to turn it off in the options! Thanks again!
Question for ya: Have you put a treble booster like a Rangemaster in front of any O these amp pedals? I'm especially interested in how the Iridium responds. I believe in one of your other videos you stated that the Woodrow did not respond well to external drives n boosts?. I just sprang for an Iridium so I'll find out when it gets here. Pretty sure I saw some vids about the Iridium doing well with drives but I don't recall treble boost being mentioned.
I don’t actually own a treble boost style pedal. Only an Octavia, a jordan fuzz, and a Mythos Golden Fleece. IMO the iridium takes fuzz well but usually when it’s stacked with an OD.
I really really dislike any speaker cry. Without it, it sounds cool like a Pignose amp.
Wish it had the option to turn off!
It's driving me nuts that nobody has put out a 1963 Vibroverb sim. My favorite amp of all time and they cost at least $10000 haha. Thanks for the video!
Oh man that’d be so cool to have a great sim. I think Origin Effects Revival Drive can get a little bit close with a good IR. But yeah, nothing really centered on that sound. Thanks for watching!
I’m surprised they didn’t make the pedals 30lbs for realism
Lol
Another great video. Hope you made your test with the UAFX output in stereo? Sound is bigger and wider. 2 algorithm are used. One for each output.
I did not know that. I did this all in mono, but I'll do a video on the stereo capabilities soon. Thanks for the info!
First time watching your channel! Great video and great playing, subscribed!
Awesome, thank you for watching. More to come!
My playing style is probably not conducive to this pedal. Love your playing and the different sounds you coax out of it though. Gave my son a Dream pedal as it’s easier to operate but this quirky pedal is perhaps the most fun to mess with. Thanks for the awesome vid 🙏 ❤ love from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 ❤
Great gift for your son! And yes this pedal is a very tricky pedal at times but rewards experimentation. Thanks so much for watching and the kind words. Cheers!
When you speak make this video interested. Cant wait this UAFX DEMO 👍
Great! Hope you liked it!
the green back is my sound
it's such a good sound!
So you think this preamp could be used as a clean sound amp for pedal platform? A lot of demo video are focused on more over driven sound.
I think the dream is a much better option for a pedal platform. The woodrow is awesome but I don’t think it’s best used as a pedal platform.
Hey Alex, recently stumbled across your channel & have been lovin it - Hi from across the pond btw, hope you’re very well! Great channel, thanks for putting it together.
Awesome! Thank you for watching! More to come!
what i noticed with the latency is that I can hear the string sound acoustically and when I play a real amp, I can't.
Right! Me too!
I really enjoyed the video. The only thing I would say is that while I would agree with most of what you say, I’ve found the speakers really depend on the guitar you are using. I’m playing a lot with a 1979-80 Yamaha SG800 these days and find the stock Jensen speaker actually suits it best for most applications, perhaps because that guitar is so thick sounding (I thick Frusciante described the Yamaha SGs as having almost an organ tone).
I also agree it can be a frustrating pedal, and if it wasn’t so pricey I probably wouldn’t have spent the time to try to find good sounds on it. I also agree that I wish they had given us more options for the room.
You're right re: the speakers. Between my SC245 and my tele, the speakers react really differently. Still a great pedal even with it's quirkiness!
Damnit now I want one lol! Sweet tone! Nice Playing as well! Worth a sub..
Awesome thanks for watching!
I actually want some of the crackle.
That’s what I miss on the ACS1 which smooths out the sound too much. The ACS1 attenuates stuff above 10kHz WITHOUT the IRs engaged. Which is fine for some cleans and low gain stuff, but really dampens higher gain distortions too much when compared to my real amp
I hear ya. I just want the option to turn it off in certain situations. It is definitely authentic though.
@@SuperdangerStudios fair enough, I wish they had a low pass filter to kill it if needed
@@ZachariahConnor Ah good idea. Again, since it's digital I figure they would be patching with firmware updates for most requested features.
I really wish they had added a headphone jack. I realize, I can use it with my interface and use that headphone, but itd be nice to be able to just use the pedal like the Iridium.
Agreed!
I use it clean mostly for stereo fx. Sometimes as a wet dry wet with my Princeton as the centre. Works great for that.
Great setup! Sounds like an awesome combo w the Princeton
you kmow what i found out you need to make your own pedal, because you never all the way in on any pedal
haha its true. I do need my own pedal!
I just ordered this pedal yesterday, as I'm a classic rockabilly fan
Perfect! Let me know how you like it.
What speakers are you listening to the guitar on? Monitors or some kind of frfr? I’m new to ampless. I’m playing my board through a practice amp and into a 2x12. Not totally happy. Thanks for the insight.
Does it feel like you are playing an amp or an Overdrive/Fuzz? Really interested in this pedal but I don't know much how I'd use those flubbier fuzzy sounds. I also don't know why they didn't make a Marshall Super Lead or JCM pedal. Would have been the perfect 4th pedal for the lineup.
They gotta have a Marshall style pedal in the works right now. Right? Also I’d say this pedal feels like an amp at low gain and like a fuzz at higher. But that’s how I interpret it. I think the Dream feels like an amp all around.
@@SuperdangerStudios Thanks, that answers my question. The Woodrow is cool, but I think a Marshall style- UA pedal would be way more useful if done correctly. So, I am holding out hope! The idea of having a 55' Tweed in a box seems awesome, but its just not versatile enough I think.
Thanks for the video! I just went and bought one! I LOVE it!
Glad I could help! Enjoy the tones my man!
Roll this . . . Alex seems kinda indecisive and whimsical.
Haha it’s true.
As musicians, we all have to play the room whether practicing, performing, or live recording- a lot for just for how it feels to us while playing perhaps. We all know that feeling of "how's the room? Sound-good for hearing yourself and the band?" There can be overwhelming variables that are then stacked on top of way too many choices to shape the tone we're hearing in our heads. In the end, if given a $50 guitar and a $20 amp, we still have quickly set aside the quality or our personal biases towards the gear), play well, and sound great especially in front of an audience. It's not always a pleasant experience but, any chance to play music is always good for the soul.
Agreed! Thanks for watching!
My absolute pleasure!@@SuperdangerStudios
That thing sounds sick. Takes time sometimes to pull tone.
It’s a great pedal that rewards persistence!