Anytime you see John Mayer on stage, you're going to see a wall of guitar amps. John has insisted that his tone requires "pushing air" and that only real amps can cut it for his work with Dead & Company. Still, there's one modeler he names as worth your attention.
"I really like the UA Enigmatic pedal," Mayer reveals in a new interview with Guitar World. "I think if you’re a young guitar player, that’s money well spent."
The UA Enigmatic '82 Overdrive Special, to give it its full name, is undoubtedly a serious piece of kit. "That signature silky smooth distortion and surprisingly great clean channel make it a brilliant choice for a variety of guitarists," writes Guitar World reviewer Matt McCracken.
The pedal models the sound of the Dumble Overdrive Special, one of the world's rarest and most valuable boutique amps.
At $399, however, the Enigmatic may be out of reach of many young players. While we wouldn't question John's judgement on matters of tone, we think young players might be better with one of the more affordable modeling amps with built in speakers and a wider range of tones.
Still, if Mayer says the pedal sounds good, he should know. With Dead & Company he is using multiple Dumbles onstage: "I really like the Small Special," he explains, "and then there was an Overdrive Special and maybe a Dumble-modded Bandmaster, I believe."
Back in 2023, the Edge confirmed he had switched out his tube amps for Universal Audio’s UAFX pedals at U2’s Sphere residency.
To read the full interview with John Mayer and Bob Weir, head over to Magazines Direct to pick up the latest issue of Guitar World.
