IT DRIPS! - exploring the TC Electronic Combo Deluxe 65 - and obvious Comparisons to the UA Dream 65 

Absolutely nailed it with the description of the UA being a more pleasant, post processed studio sound, while TC is exactly what I'd expect to hear coming out of the real amp. That was my reaction to other Ampworx pedals I got to try - "yup, sounds like standing in front of that amp" BYOSF; bring your own studio finessing

"Does it drip?" is the new "Will it chug"

It may not be as pristine as the UA, but at that price, it’s a winner. That apostrophe in the wrong place, though, is killing me.

There actually sort of is a bright switch on the Dream 65. It’s on by default but if you switch the boost toggle to “lead” it removes the simulated bright cap in the vibrato channel. You need to have the lead boost knob slightly above 8 o clock for it to work

Great job Ryan - I really appreciate this video. Been sitting with a true spring in my cart for ever trying to not buy the surfy bear, then trying to true spring by buying the UA Dream 65, a 100 videos later didn’t do it. Now I know I can get the TC and get a good reverb, with a little bit of extra. Freaking awesome. You’re the man. What a blast, cheers broksy

TC is more natural, UA is more like a studio recording. Well described and showcased!

That hizumitas into the dream was great for both guitars. Also I appreciate your drip quest despite personally not caring about the drip. Any drip quest videos I always watch!

Great videos. I appreciate how you always test reverb pedals for the surfy sound. Most of everyone else’s videos are ambient noise.

great video man. you keep getting better and better. thanks for keeping it up.

The testing cab sims with FUZZ tip was gold .... I always have a problem evaluating them. I'll definitely try it next time. THANX!

The UA sounds much more like I remember the amp sounding like last time I played one at a good volume. That warmth and bass is a massive part of that amp’s sound IMO.

Very cool pedal and very affordable. I have an original 1965 Fender Champ and have always been hooked on that era of Fender amps. If I didn’t already have a Boss Fender ‘65 Deluxe Reverb pedal, I’d definitely buy one of these. Hell, I might still buy one! Thanks for the review; great job!

I just recently got my '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb amp and it is like a dream come true. My only problem when I chose that one was that I was also looking at a '65 DRRI and having to choose was making me a little nuts. Now with this TC Electronic Combo Deluxe '65 I can enjoy a little more of both the worlds I wanted to explore. BTW, I agree that the headphone jack is a major Plus. Great demo! Great pedal! and thanks to the Patreons for paying the freight that got this review done. When I do order, I'll be sure to go to Sweetwater through your link.

I ordered one of these today. This is probably the best video I've seen demonstrating the Deluxe 65. I have the Jims 45 and have found some tasty tones but I think this is the one for me. Nice to hear a bit of Dick Dale and Link Wray too.. Thanks for sharing.

I would mic the TC putting it through the insert of an amp and get whatever sound I want THAT way. The drip it has is amazing and the dynamic response is pure magic.

I’m digging those knobs!

it’s simple, the thumbnail says “drip”, i click

I bought a Topanga just recently but for the price of this one, it's a good deal, love the variety of modes and settings. It is drippy indeed.

Wow…I much prefer the Drip on the TC Electronic compared to the UA. It sounds way more natural. Good job TC!

Great review! Fantastic Shirt!!!!!

And actually for recording, I could see myself taking out a lot of that low end that makes me favor the Dream in this comparison, so the TC might actually be better for my purposes

I was hearing a theremin type sound in my in ears at my last gig. After watching this I have figured out it was my Dream pedal not getting the proper power after i redid my pedal board. Thank you!

It drips alright, but the lack of tremolo is mind blowing. We can never win, there's always something.

With the gain up, that is a cracking Learning To Fly (Pearl Jame) tone. Lush. Does the bright switch only effect the reverb algorithm?

Thank you Joey!

Dream sounds like an actual Deluxe Reverb. It's spring doesn't sounds detached probably because they implemented it within the signal chain properly (before and after the preamp stage). But also the spring sound cascades properly unlike in the TC. Surprisingly the TC reverb does seem to emulate the spring chassis resonating at higher gain volumes (so does the Dream). I can't imagine confusing the TC for the real thing. Dream clearly stands above in terms of emulation and by a decent bit.

I got mine tonight. I use a pedalboard into a quilter amp head into a cab. I have intention of using it that way rather than direct into a PA. I like my dirt pedal (OCD) and have no need to do anything different for a dirty sound. It’s my clean sound that needs more clean. I wanted this pedal to get me closer to a clean fender tone with good reverb and quality EQ adjustments. The pedal sounds good. I didn’t realize how good it sounds until I A/ B it on and off. This pedal clean verses the clean straight into the quilter. This pedal can get a very thin Fender tone or a very fat and rounded fender tone. The EQ works good. The reverb is good but it is not great. It gets in the way of the tone actually after 5-6. Not in a good way. The bypass mode works great. No color at all. Here is the big surprise. The OCD pedal sounds great going in front of this pedal. It brings out some great sounding presence and slightly compresses it in a good way. I will use it for my dirt tone. I don’t like how bright the pedal is. Even with the bright switch off, the reverb rolled down for the darkest tone and the treble setting way down … it has a treble frequency that is giving it a harsh sound. It can be dialed down to taste but the harshness is still there. This may vary with different guitar pickups and cabs. I have to try the direct to PA out and see how it sounds. Overall I think it is gig worthy. It is built well and great looking. Trying to use the pedal in two channel mode to get a clean and dirt out of it did not work for me. The pedal does clean well. It does the edge of breakup very well. But I don’t think most will want to use it for a dirt tone on its own.

What, no two Princetons? Unsubbed.

Hi Ryan! First of all very nice (and detailed) review of these two nice pedals! Any chances for you to test#compare the Benson Preamp versus the Jackson Audio Silvertone Twin Twelve? Ps: waiting for my UA Dream 65 on my mail box! 🎉🎉🎉

Great review. Will we see a drip check of the new boss ME 90?

Quick question: can you use the two outputs (to amp, DI with cab sim) simultaneously? I'm thinking of using this live with a low watt combo on stage, with the cab sim signal going to FOH and the out (without cab sim) into the amp for a bit of on-stage monitoring. Many thanks!

On a scale of 1 to 10 (where 1 is a felt padded room and 10 is a Surfybear) where do you rank the reverb of this pedal?

OH MY GOD - That shirt is so awesome!!!

Thanks Will 👍

If you used a ir in your daw and not from the pedals then how close would they sound is my question

Can we get an update video after the recent firmware update? I’d like to hear the difference in cab simulator and headroom. Great video as always!

Curious what a Bass would sound like through this. I sometimes run my Bass through the Deluxe model on my Vox ADIO Air GT

Perfect! Now I can have real surf drip from my Spark amp at a reasonable price! I have asked Positive Grid if they were ever going to come out with an update to add real surf drip reverb to the Spark and was told they were working on it.

I wish that Fender would create a pedal in this form factor that takes the electronics out of their ToneMaster Deluxe Reverb and puts it in to a single pedal.

I'd like to see you compare these two with the spring setting on the EHX Ocean's 11 or 12. How does the drip compare?

Fantastic demo, thank you so much !! Each their own but... ended up selling my UA Dream 65, also my tc combo deluxe 65 , I play every night in a country band with no amp, straight to the P.A. in both pedals I needed to use a eq pedal to fine tune the sound and make it sound like a deluxe amp, but both pedals have a big lack of HIGH freq. yes they both can sound High but not high enough like a the Amp which is crucial that freq to get the twangy sound on a telecaster... both pedals are great , I prefer the UA for many reasons... but at the end I tried the new Kemper Player and man... that's the one so far that got closer to the real deal, I can get all the highs and even more ... Kemper player is more expensive but man at the end of the day what u want is to have the best sound and forget about keep buying stuff to get the sound you have in mind. The little Kemper player it's been already 6 months in my pedalboard and it works like a charm.

I wonder how much of the difference is because of the IRs I’d love to see a comparison with them going through the same cab sim

The second you strummed on the UA I was like yeah, that’s a Deluxe Reverb. I have a Silver Face DR for reference

Sounds awesome! I'd love to hear how it compares to the oceans 11

I want them to add that drippy spring ‘Verb to their TonePrint library, so I might add it to my HOF.

The tc combo 65 might be the reverb/amp sim for me, just to run into the champion 100 with a tr2. I’m not a purist but love the vintage tones and drips and chugs of that era. That dream does sound amazing though 😅

Thank YOU Laura Garcia !!!!!!! 😊🙌🏽

Hi! Great demo,, it actually drips... I'm wondering if is possible use the reverb as a standalone effect without engaging the "amp effect"

i have that gretsch baritone, minus the bigsby. arrived damaged but decided to keep it as is less a few schackles!

Thank you Tim Raffa for the Video

Interesting branding. 65’ as opposed to ‘65? Was that to avoid copyright infringement?

really miss the AmPro sea chrome Jazzmaster for pedal demos :(

Through my earbuds, listening to this demo,I'd say there's something about the reverb on the dream that kind of softens the brightness. Like you said: there's more separation on the TC, the UA seems to have reverb that surrounds the sound of the tone, kind of warming it and softening the shrillness. With all that, I do have the TC and I run it through a cab simulator and into my daw and I like recording with it. I run an Ibanez tube screamer in front of it often and it sounds good 👌

Im impressed with the tc!

Wow! Good job TC! And it's affordable! I'd buy it if I didn't already have a Pod GO which also has drippy reverb.

I tried a UA Dream for a while and it just had a smallness to the sound. I couldn’t dial it to sound anywhere near as full or present as the amps I had mic’d up. Even running the Dream into the loop return of an amp didn’t do it either. Also, with humbuckers it was nearly impossible to get a decent full clean sound. It went back from whence it came.

Thanks for the comparison. 😎 Do you notice latency with either one of those pedals?

I got the Jims 45 for the crunchy tones on both channels and it sounds amazing for punk rock. However I was thinking about getting the CD 65 for my clean tones and it drips. Only downside is No swapping IR's but for the price I can't complain. Thanks for the video Ryan and keep playing that drippy surf music.

Exactly my topic 🙂 I am running ampless - and always ask myself: does it need such a stereo, power hungry, everything smoothing out amp sim - or does a half price, simple, single amp sim pedal do the job? I hear the arguments go here most of the time in direction of the UA Dream (for it's ribbon mic simulation ?), but at least in my earphones I mostly prefered the more rough and simple TC over it. Feels like the CabSim won the comparison, not the amp. And that I AM more on the brittle side of sounds in my preferences 🙂

How does this compare to the Flamma Preamp and Cab pedals?

Can you use the TC as just a reverb pedal/overdrive/eq…without the amps and cab sim?

Bro, I love that shirt. Is that some of YOUR merch? And does it come in black?

Which amp was the Dream set on Stock or one of the two modded versions?

Thank you, Joe Terwillegar, Andrew Bimson, and Mike Oxbig!

I’m digging your Das Wiggle Schticken shirt. lol… 🤓 It does the dripping of the dripper deluxe drip-a-potamus. lol yea that!

Thanks Doug 🤘

Thank you Danger Falcon

To Mike Sveda, thank you for making this video possible by being a Patreon🙏🏾

Nice review. I've added this to my Sweetwater Wish List (currently listed at $149). BTW, What kind of headphones do you use?

I like the TC more than the UA in your demo. I really dig Fender amp tones. I mostly play clean, I'm not into a whole lot of gain, overdrive is just fine. I read a review on Sweetwater that said the TC didn't do clean. I think that individual didn't spend enough time with it before writing their impressions. I think this with a compressor, a boost and a univibe of some sort in front -- then a delay/reverb and an Eventide Micropitch after the output might wind up being my pedalboard. THAT PRICE! AND it sounds better to my ear than many of the Fender Deluxe models in multi-effects units.

If they make a Princeton amp will Ryan send two of them to front of house?

I'm used to not understanding anything when people speak English. But I understand youI'm used to not understanding anything when people speak English. But I understand you. Thank u to for your video

I previously posted a review which highlighted the clean overhead and harshness, I recently updated with the latest firmware. GREAT update resolving all problems, I'm hanging on to it now. MAJOR improvement!

What is available for IR's? Can you change the IR that will take away the abrasive nature of the Combo Deluxe '65, that you are talking about? Is there anybody that you know that can make a tailored IR for this pedal?

do you think you can plug this into a non related surf amp and make him sounds surf instantly?

@7:58 Nice! Meters for the win.

Everyone loves it when she drips

In your test, I liked the TC better. It sounded more open, less processed than the UA. Also, the UA sounded more congested with the fuzz and the TC again, more open. TC wins with the spring reverb. It seemed to reacted much better to your picking dynamics.

So - that sounds pretty damn good!

Gotta say the TC is boss sounding and that drip is beautiful! Just a bit disappointed that you didn't read out the other languages 😂

I think you should have tried the same IR on both for matching them up or trying to make them sound simialar

Anybody know if you can power this through the USB connection with a USB power bank? That would make this a really cool portable amp/headphone option.

I feel like the bright cap in the UA dream is off in this comparison i think? I know theres a way to switch it on and off by simple flicking on the “mod” switch, i find it a bit dull sounding than the unit i owned.

TC does make a spring reverb pedal called, 'Drip Spring Reverb'.

Where do i plug this for an amp? In front of it with clean channeol or in the back?

I wish you would have tried to run the UA thru the non cab side of the TC and only used the TC's Reverb along with the UA's cab

I got the TC today - I think I would have preferred the warmer UA Dream, but it's got something going for it, though I did find it a little bright/brittle - as you say a different speaker emulation like a Jensen or Oxford would be a great thing. Still, it will serve as a DI for my Acoustasonic Tele . Thanks for a really great exposition

I wish my sky surfer sounded as drippy.

Dam you Ryan, 44:12 I wasn’t going to get any new gear for a while!! 👍👍🥵

I currently own a Fender '65 Deluxe reissue and the TC Combo sounds closer to the real thing to my ears. The UA Dream sounds very processed and very much like an electronic amp sim. IMO, no sim can replace a good all-tube amp but they do offer a lot of convenience and help clean up a stage - both visually and sonically. That's really the only reason I'm even considering an amp sim - to use at church with our praise band. I'll continue to use my '65 Deluxe combo when I play out live and the amp sim pedal will stay at church. I will use the same pedalboard into both. Since I'll be using my pedalboard, I don't really need all the options the UA Dream offers. The test with the Hizumitas was very revealing. The TC sounded a little harsh on the top end but I think that was because of how you had the tone stack set. You were trying to make the two pedals sound alike so you had flipped the bright switch on to give the TC Combo more of a scooped sound like the UA Dream. Later in the video at about 44:58 you dialed the TC Combo into to sound more like the UA Dream - more of a muddy, scooped sound. But while that type sound may sound good when the guitar is played by itself, it's not a sound that is going to sit well in a mix. It would have been nice, and very revealing, to AB both pedals with a real '65 Deluxe with a good mic on the cab. Thanks for making this video! I'm going to order the TC Electronics Combo and give it a try. This is a huge move for me. I'm a tube amp purist. But, I decided to give this a try at church to reduce stage volume and clean up the stage. At $149 versus $399 - it's an easy decision. If I don't like it, you'll find it for sale on Reverb!

How does it do with humbuckers p90s etc? With a pedal board? Curious.

I hear a high pitch noise, is that coming from the pedal?

I think the TC speaker IR is great. Not much time was devoted to the multiple UA speaker IR's but they sounded dull. I use the SA True Spring; that's my reverb. My Fender amps are a Mojotone 5E8 and Fender Deluxe Reverb; which is a chore to move around. As others have said, the UA Dream might be my choice for recording, but the TC would be way more engaging for live performance. I am coming to the conclusion, reluctantly, that so much equipment has a "sweet spot", so "set it and forget it". When I sample for my Quad Cortex it's just one configuration. The TC unit over good headphones sounded like my Deluxe, and that is all I expect from it.

Much preferred the TC. And less than half the cost to boot! Clear winner.

Regarding the TC's lack of cab options, since they are using official Celestion cabs, adding 2 more would surely increase the price. They likely decided it wasn't worth it considering the budget of the users they are targeting with this product. Also USB will likely provide software updates and maybe just maybe allow the user to change the onboard IR. Still even if this doesn't happen it still sounds great on its own. Like others mentioned would've liked if more drive/distortion pedals were tested but the video was already 1h long so it's understandable why they were not

which is the model of the green guitar at the back?

I have Fender amps out the wazoo, most of them vintage so I don’t need this. BUT I NEED THIS. 😅

Tc electronic is a bit rough but I think it's more lifelike like playing a real fender amp. UAD is smoother, but the impression is closer to studio sound amp software

Awesome shirt

For most end-use applications where the TC is getting run to a soundboard, every audio engineer on the planet would be happy to receive that signal instead of mic'ing an amp. Once it gets blasted through a PA all of that 'small box' fizz will just evaporate. The UA on the other hand already has that 'post-channel strip' processed sound, which certainly simplifies the user experience on both sides (player and engineer).