UAFX WOODROW ’55

Ragged glory

The Fender 5E3 narrow panel Tweed Deluxe amps made between 1955 and 1960 are beloved by players including Billy Gibbons and Neil Young, and yet, the more vintage vibe of the Woodrow means it is probably going to remain the dark horse of this trio next to the other two pedals. UA has already had success with a plugin based on Fender’s original and here the original amp’s separate instrument and mic volumes are represented on the control panel. And understanding the sweep and relationship of these is vital to unlocking the Woodrow’s potential. To simplify, the Instrument Volume dials in some dirty gain while the Mic Volume offers low end warmth.

UA help to negate the one amp pedal/£350 price critics by offering a good amount of versatility around the Woodrow blueprint; the six cab models all bring distinct character, but the boost section brings an even more enhanced Tweed experience. A stock boost, EP-III based on the Echoplex tape echo’s preamp section and KP-3K based on a Korg SDD-3000 delay are carefully curated mods that offer warmth, higher end and mid boost, respectively.

The gamut of gain is great for rootsy Americana cleans to scrappy Neil Young all the way to self-imploding fuzz when cranked with the boost. The room reverb offers authentic studio ambience that feels great for vintage blues, and the sensitivity to playing of this pedal goes beyond pick dynamics and responds well to your guitar’s controls. Just like an amp! It also stacks well with our Klon-style Wampler

Tumnus overdrive. Don’t overlook this pedal.