It turns out I was a lucky fella: 1 of only 20 people on the planet who secured the latest “Top Secret Mission” pedal from our friends over at Spaceman Effects. As it turns out, this mystery pedal is an unlabeled (and therefore, extremely rare) version of the Voyager 1, an optical tremolo that was just released. This one is WAY cooler, however, as it has no labels and no indication of how it works – even the...
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The Warbler Tap Tremolo pedal from Midnight 30 Music is a two-of-a-kind pedal, meaning there’s only one other one in existence. I was lucky enough to snatch this guy up, and am now the proud owner of a versatile, fun, deep, lush and rare tremolo pedal. It’s got some great features, a super-rad Star Trek graphic and a lot more that we’ll get into in this review as well. The Warbler is a pretty complicated pedal, to be...
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Tremolos are one of my favorite pedals, and they can have the most subtle or powerful effect on your signal, depending what it is you’re after. The Honey Comb Deluxe from JHS Pedals is a really simple as tremolos go, since some can get overly complex and gadgety, but it is a great effect in it’s own right, too, and the tonal quality oozing out of this yellow box is second to none. The Honey Comb Deluxe is actually TWO...
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I’ve had my eye on a couple of Red Witch pedals for years now, and was finally able to try one out this week. It just so happened to be the one I wanted to try the most, too: the Pentavocal Analog Tremolo. A vast array of control knobs and 2 footswitches make up this beastly trem, and when all was said and done, I knew I’d be a fan for life. The Velocity knob controls the overall Speed of the tremolo, going from super slow...
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The Old School Tremolo from VFE Pedals is just a knockout. There, I said it. This thing has everything you could want in a tremolo pedal, it’s All-Analog, TrueSoft Bypass and Made in the USA, what more do you want? Not to mention it sounds like you’re playing through a $4,000 vintage amp, but with more features and more reliability. This thing is awesome, let’s see what it can do. Speed, Depth and Level are pretty...
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This pedal is a mammoth of an effect, both is actual size and sonic ability. Pigtronix has been leading the way in making some incredibly uncommon and exciting pedals for years now, and although the newer version has more bells and whistles, this first version of the Echolution Tap Tempo Analog Delay with Modulation is a beast in it’s own right, not an effects pedal to be taken lightly, or turn your back on, ’cause you...
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The Malekko Omicron “TREM” Analog Tremolo is part of their new miniature line of pedals with big sounds in small housings. The Omicron Trem is as simple as it gets: 2 knobs for Speed and Depth in a pedal that is True bypass and analog. Current draw is 50mA. Enclosure size approx. 3.6″x 1.5″x 1.2″. But it sounds huge! It fits nearly anywhere on any pedalboard. Prior to getting this pedal, my tremolo was offboard, on the...
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The LoLo Optic Double Speed Tremolo comes to us from MRB Pedals in Venezuela, and is truly a unique tremolo beast. It features 2 separate speed controls, which you can set independently, and then choose which one you’d like to use on the fly via a footswitch. 2 different LEDs that blink simultaneously, 2 footswitches for Speed and On/Off and 2 different color knobs to control the unique Rates of the independent tremolo speeds. A...
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This Digitech Hardwire TR-7 Tremolo/Rotary pedal is amazing, with 7 different modes it’s a blast to tinker with. 4 basic knobs: Speed, Depth, Modify and the Type Selector knob. The first two knobs are self-explanatory, but the modify knob does many different things depending on what setting you’re on. It either changes waveform, tone, secondary speed, dry mix, chorus or vibrato mix or phase. You can get amazing sounds out...
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This Custom pedal for Daniel Ettorre was especially fun to build because where I normally let the customer have complete control and input on what the pedal will be Daniel wanted to flip that idea around. As he put it “I want you to build me a pedal but I want it to kind of be a surprise. It can be something crazy you wanted to try, your favorite/best build”. By turning the whole ‘customization’ aspect on its side I was...
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Well, this is a big, badass beast. Plain and simple. I love that Walrus Audio thought to put a Fuzz and a Tremolo in the same pedal, because they really do go together, if you think about it. Not to mention the layout and options are fantastic, and the design is impeccable. Plus, it has JOYSTICKS! I’m getting sucked back into playing Super Mario Bros. on my first Nintendo Entertainment System in the mid-’80s…without...
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I’ve used many, many tremolo pedals over the years, and while most of them do a pretty good job, there are a few I’ve found that really stand out. This is one of those pedals: the Tremolessence from Dr. Scientist. Everything you’d want in a tremolo sound, plus one cool added bonus. Six control knobs and 2 toggles might SEEM a bit much, but they all serve their purpose, and work collectively to create a wide-sweeping,...
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There are a lot of tremolo pedals floating around these days, and honestly, each of the ones I’ve played have sounded great, in one way or another. So, I suppose (like most pedals) it comes down to personal preference, and what fits with your other gear, as well as your style of playing. I gotta admit, I’m a bit of a sucker for pedal mods – I think they’re fun and exciting ways to make a so-so pedal into...
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Eventide makes some pretty rad pedals. Complicated, but rad. Along the same general design lines as the incredible TimeFactor Delay and the Space Reverb comes the ModFactor Modulation pedal. This beast is capable of doing phaser, flanger, chorus, tremolo, vibrato, auto-wah, modfilter, rotary, undulator and ring mod sounds…and it does them well. Whew! Let’s get started, shall we? The main modes for the ModFactor are as...
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I have played a tremolo pedal or two in my days as a guitarist, and the optical Tremolo from Diamond Pedals is right up there at the top of the list. With so many variables, the sonic possibilities are vast, but getting to them is the real fun part with this pedal. The Speed knob controls the rate of the modulation, moving from a slow, pulsing wave to a extreme, almost whirly sound close to a ring modulator. There’s also a Tap...
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The Flint Tremolo / Reverb is an incredible dual pedal from Strymon. Used separately or in conjunction, both the Tremolo side and the Reverb side have many different functions and tonal possibilities, all running through a supremely-built and gorgeous looking enclosure, which also happens to be true bypass. Along with the usual Speed and Intensity control knobs, the Tremolo side features a 3-way switch where the user can select from 3...
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The Tremolo2 from Empress is an original design built from the ground up to include innovative features without sacrificing tone. The next generation of the great Empress tremolo! The empress tremolo 2 is true to its predecessor with many more features! It now comes with the ability to have an external tap/expression pedal and you can save up to 8 presets! Specs: Pristine Sound – The Empress Tap Tremolo2 Pedal has to be heard to...
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The Semaphore Tremolo Delivers classic tremolo sounds from the smooth and buttery coaxing of vintage “harmonic vibrato” to more modern aggressive hard chop “repeat percussion”. There are of course plenty of non-traditional trem-based sounds too – pulses, swells, blips, & surf amplitude modulation can all be found inside. It wouldn’t be a Catalinbread pedal if it didn’t do some weird stuff too, right?...
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