Back to navigation


Legendary British Tones for Your Pedalboard





This article was


Written By





Our Product Research Team





Get to know them!





Want to plug into some legendary British crunch? If so, plug into the Universal Audio UAFX Lion ’68 Super Lead Amp pedal. It serves up one of the most realistic emulations of the legendary Super Lead we’ve ever heard here at Sweetwater. Moreover, this stompbox is really three amps in one: a Super Lead, a Super Bass, and the coveted Variac’d “brown” sound that erupted in the late 1970s. You also get three speaker options. You’ll be blown away at how closely the Lion re-creates the sound of a cranked tube amp recorded in a live room, thanks to UA’s unparalleled mic, cab, and Dynamic Room Modeling technology. Further, like all the pedals in UA’s UAFX series, the Lion allows you to bypass your amplifier’s preamp when the pedal is engaged via the special “4-cable” mode. If you’re craving greater control, the Lion sports Bluetooth compatibility to connect to Universal Audio’s UAFX app to edit hidden parameters and access artist presets. Finally, the Lion ’68 Super Lead also boasts state-of-the-art analog and digital circuitry, analog dry-through, and a high-quality buffered bypass.





Related Videos: UAFX Lion '68 Super Lead Amp Pedal





NOW PLAYING:


James Santiago of Universal Audio | What’s on Your Pedalboard?





Universal Audio UAFX Lion ‘68 Super Lead: Ferocious Character for All Styles





James Santiago Talks UAFX Lion Pedal Design, Development & Sound Modeling





Lion '68 Super Lead Amp | UAFX Pedals





Beyond the Gear: Universal Audio & Sweetwater





"That's Where The Music Is" - Universal Audio





Universal Audio's History


Three amplifier modes





The Lion '68 Super Lead Amp comes loaded with three different amp versions for a wealth of sonic possibilities. You not only get stock versions of the legendary Super Lead and Super Bass, but also the high-octane Variac'd tone harnessed by a certain trailblazing guitarist.





Lead: The definitive 1968 Super Lead sound. The original amplifier employed a bright cap in its preamp for an ear-grabbing aggressive bite.





Bass: The 1968 Super Bass sound. The original amplifier didn't include the bright cap, making it a great choice for bassists and guitarists alike.





Brown: The Variac'd "brown" sound. This is the hot-rodded hard rock tone that was born in the late '70s and ruled in the '80s.





Switch up your speakers





Part of the Universal Audio UAFX Lion '68 Super Lead Amp’s magic is found in the dead-on speaker/cab emulations, bolstered by Universal Audio’s Dynamic Room Modeling technology. The Lion comes loaded with three cab/mic/speaker settings, seamlessly matched to the three different amplifier modes. Guitarists looking to cover a wide sonic range will love experimenting with the different speaker and amp pairings; plus, when registering the Lion with Universal Audio, you get three more free cab sims to play with!





4-cable mode offers powerful channel switching





Each pedal in Universal Audio's UAFX series features a special "4-cable" mode accessible via the UAFX Control app, allowing you to bypass your amp's preamp when the pedal is engaged for incredibly realistic tube-style tones. By hooking your pedal up to both your effects loop send/return and the front of amp input, you can instantly switch between your amp's stock tone and your UAFX pedal routed straight into the power amp, effectively adding two extra channels to your amplifier. What's more, Universal Audio designed this feature with multiple pedal setups in mind ? you can connect any number of UAFX pedals in this configuration for multichannel madness!





UAFX Control app





Looking for greater control over your tone? The Lion '68 Super Lead is Bluetooth and USB-C compatible to pair with Universal Audio's powerful UAFX app. In addition to giving you greatly enhanced editing options, the UAFX app also includes access to artist tones, custom presets, and more.





Universal Audio UAFX Lion '68 Super Lead Amp Pedal Features:


Authentic end-to-end replication of the '68 Super Lead amplifier


3 amps in 1: a Super Lead, a Super Bass, and the Variac'd "brown" sound


3 separate speaker/cab/mic options for a wide range of different tonal flavors


3 bonus cabs are provided when registering the Lion


4-cable mode bypasses your amplifier's preamp when the pedal is engaged


USB-C port for firmware updates


Bluetooth-compatible for access to Universal Audio's UAFX app


Save and access presets using the right footswitch