Tremolo Pedal

[tzujan]

Recently I have been expanding my electric guitar set up for recording. I have been searching for and finding various pedals that I love for the types of sounds I'm going for. The missing link, at least for a little while, is a tremolo pedal. I was initially going to buy the Line6 Tap Trem because I love the idea of my tremolos being in synch when I want them to be. However, when I heard the Red Witch stuff (what a hard choice the penta tremolo or the moon phaser) I was blown away at how they sounded much better than the line6. I have also played and loved the Zvex Seek Trem, and the Fulltone Supra-Trem. On sound quality alone, I'd probably have a hard time choosing between the two Red Witch pedals, the Fulltone and the Seek Trem. When I get into features I'm leaning towards the Red Witch, though I love the Seek Trem. The big issue is how important is synching to tempo, when the song calls for it? I feel like I could get closer to tempo with the larger knobs on the Red Witch stuff where I wouldn't have a chance with the Seek Trem, the knobs are too tiny. Any thoughts on these pedals or others to check out? Or how important to you is dead on synch verses kind-of-close when you want the tremolo in synch? And since I'm leaning Red Witch, which one do you like?

[gainreduction]

Roger Mayer Voodoo-Vibe is a cool one. Try it !

Cheap and very useable would be Boss TR-2.

An option to get dead on sync is to do it with a plug-in after recording. Seriously, there are good sounding tremolo plugs.

[Kiwiburger]

I would tend to use plugins too. But having perfectly synced tremolo can be too anal retentive for some things. The effect of tremelo on the amp, speaker and air is very different from applying a plugin later. It also affects the way you play, so there is definatley a place for using a nice pedal and just flagging the sync idea. Tremolo guitar makes me think about vintage character, not waka waka sequenced stuff.

[Rab]

I tried a bunch of pedals recently and went with a T-Rex Tremster - very "buttery", as they say on guitar forums. So long as the trem is roughly synced I think that's just fine - half of the pleasure for me is the slight chaos factor. I can see the point of spot-on sync if you're doing a Smiths "How Soon Is Now" kind of thing, otherwise it can sound too perfect = boring?

[bobby yarrow]

The voodoo vibe is probably the best sounding tremolo pedal I've used, and the settings allow for almost any trem sound you can imagine.

The Cusack tap-a-whirl is really great sounding analog tremolo with tap-tempo. It's the only one I'm aware of.

I also like the semaphore from catalinbread, especially in combination with his teaser stallion.

---

If you have the dough and don't need tap-tempo, get the Roger Mayer. If you'd use the teaser/semaphore combo and don't need tap-tempo, get the catalinbread. If you want tap tempo, I think the cusack is the only analog option, and it's a great sounding pedal.

[tzujan]

Thank you for the input, I'll check out the suggestions. I have done quite a bit of plug in processing to my guitar tones in the past, however, as Kiwi mentioned, The effect on the amp, speaker and air is quite different, and most definitely effects the way I play. Often times for dead-on-synch, in a more dance-y vibe track, instead of the nice “real” sounding sound toys tremolo I’ll create a tremolo with virus, which has its place, though it sounds nothing like a pedal - that can be good in a synthy kind of way. Which is what I used on the baritone guitar on this track:

http://www.stephanierichards.com/cd/03_I_Want_You.m3u

Also, more often than not, I need to create/mix fast so it is best to get things right as I’m printing.

[popmann]

I like my Flip "vintage tremelo" pretty well. Subtle to helicopter...what's not to like?

[sloanfiske]

my recommendations...

fulltone supatrem...for natural dual speed

prescription eletronics Throb...for unsubtle trem and wacked out chop...dual speed (based on EH Probe?)

I tried them all...and these seemed to have the most flexablity for what I wanted.

[usamike]

Pod XT has two nice tremolos that you can time to the track very easily. And you can bypass amp modelling and just use the effect.

[Tibbon]

Try the Zvex Tremelo Probe
http://www.zvex.com/trem.html

You can do your own tremelo by hand then. Now THAT's in sync as you want it to be. You could do stuff like 1/8th note speed, and then do tripplets or swing your tremelo. It takes a little work, but it's pretty awesome.

I currently just have a Voodoo Labs tremelo, and i'm trying to find a MF-102 (it's a ring mod, but it does sweet tremelo too). I also have used the Trem on my MPX-1, since I can program the speed to the envelope filter, just like the line 6 pedal (if not better).

[tzujan]

I love the Zvex Tremelo Probe - though it is probably not right for me. It might be tough on the old Achilles tendon with the million takes I sometimes do on guitar. Not to mention the walking while chewing gum part - I'm keyboard player who plays some guitar.

[gwailoh]

The Demeter Tremulator is often considered one of the better ones.

The thing about tremolo pedals though is that there's really no sonic substitute for an amp's built in tremolo, which happens at way different stages in the signal flow than a pedal, or an insert to an effects loop, or a plugin during mixdown. For instance a Fender Tremolux works by modulating the bias of the phase inverter, while the later blackface and silverface Fenders modulate the power tubes. That's a different sound than modulating the input signal before it hits the jack, and they're just not the same. Don't mean to be all guitar snobby! I just hear a difference.

Recently I bought an old Gibson GA-5T, and an Ampeg Jet. These are small amps with really good sounding tremolo, and they can be had on eBay for not much more than the price of a boutique pedal. The GA-5T was $200. I'd go with that over a pedal any day.

Hope this helps.

[DonPedro]

T-Rex Tremster is BEAUTIFUL. Killer tremolo. Does that and nothing else. Sounds like butter.

[tvanveen]

I dig the Supa Trem, though not so much I wouldn't try some other stuff.

The trem on my vibroverb is tough to get sync'd, it seems to drift a bit, but sound-wise it does rule.

What I like about the Supa is that it does sound really nice, it doesn't drift, and if you set it on hard and crank the intensity you can get a passable "how soon is now" thing going on.

I liked the Supa better then the Demeter that I had for a while.

[Surfkat]

I have to agree with Gwailoh about the sound of Trem from a tube amp. I have a collection of tube amps and many have Trem and the sound of the Trem varies like the sound of the amps. A couple of my favs are cheapos, an small Gibson Explorer amp and a 5 watt Silvertone I took out of an old amp-in-the-case and mounted in a box with a new 10" speaker.

I also dial in some cool Trem sounds from my H3000, usually for mix effects.

[Benjy King]

http://www.diazmusicalproducts.com/pedal.htm

[Yuri Kogan]

I would highly recommend the SIB tremelo. We have most of the suspects mentioned and the SIB is the most organic, warm usefull of the lot. The only one we do not have is the Red Witch.

Yuri

[max cooper]

Tremolo is my favorite effect ever, hands down.

I used the Boss thing live. I liked that the wave shape was continuously variable. I'm sure other units have this feature.

For DAW tremolo, I sometimes draw it in by hand. Doesn't take that long, and you can make it any way you want. The other day I did a track where the tremolo went back and forth between quarter notes and sixteenths.

[neve1073]

i almost always get it with a 60s fender tremelo or ac30 tremelo.

the boss "tremelo pan" was pretty cool, but they dont make them anymore...and actually the coolest thing about it for me was the stereo pan--not the tremelo.

if i need tap tempo i use line 6, but it's a tone sucker.

[bobby yarrow]

There's an easy trick to remember how to spell tremolo:

It's spelled tremOlo, not tremElo.

See?

---

Spell it any way you want. But note that the word is properly spelled on about half the Fender amps in existence, so you can stare at one of those for a while if you want to spell it right.

---

Oh, and, to repeat my vote, tap-a-whirl if you want tap-tempo, voodoo vibe if you don't. I've actually played every pedal mentioned in this thread except the SIB and the T-Rex.

[Groove Dog]

Has anyone heard the new Tortoise and Bonnie "Prince" Billy record, "The Brave And The Bold”. Aside from being one of the most incredible records to come out in forever, and having some of the greatest tones I've heard in a long time (check out the drums on "Daniel"), Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker has some absolutely gorgeous tremolo going on throughout the recording.

I can find any info on what he's using, but it sounds like how I feel tremolo should sound.

(I use an old Dunlop TVP1 where you use the wah-style expression pedal to control the speed of the trem. Lots of features and control over the wave, but they're rare and starting to go for stupid prices. )

[shikawkee]

Supa-Trem here though I've used others that are pretty good too.

[yeloocproducer]

nah nah nah... the best trem for sync in a pedal EVER is the lovetone wobbulator. but they go for around $1300 on the vintage pedal market. The most control, two trem units in one box, all trem shapes, and it accepts a trigger in so that you can have it trace the tempo of the song. insane. but insanely expensive... I used it once to nail the johhny marr "how soon is now" vibe... and yep it nailed it perfectly.

[neve1073]

Originally Posted by Groove Dog

(I use an old Dunlop TVP1 where you use the wah-style expression pedal to control the speed of the trem. Lots of features and control over the wave, but they're rare and starting to go for stupid prices. )

i have one of these too. they are cool but i wouldn't put one in a live pedal board. the tone-suck is blatant even bypassed. that's the tragic flaw with this otherwise wonderful pedal.

[Mike Chav]

i like the old green boss pedal (late 70's early 80'?) and the purple dunlop tremolo pedal both have a great stereo effect.

Mike Chav

[John Peacock]

Supa-trem

[tzujan]

The Cusack Tap-A-Whirl! (Thank you Bobby Yarrow)

I went to Truetone music today and played the Red Witch Moon Phaser and Pentavocal tremolo, The Diaz Tremodillo, Cusack Tap-A-Whirl and Zvex Seek Trem. They did not have the Fulltone nor the Voodoo Vibe in stock, the later being more than I wanted to spend on a pedal today. I also borrowed a Demeter and Guyatone Vintage Trem earlier this week. Both the Diaz and the Guyatone were a little to noisy for my taste, even in bypass (especially the Diaz), though with both units it was real easy to dial in a cool sounding trem. The Demeter also had a nice sound, just not as many options/variations as the remaining. After playing with the Seek Trem, I definatle want to get it or preferably the Ooh Wah II with the Cusack mod down the road. It really came down to the Pentavocal and the Tap-A-Whirl - sound / feature wise it was a toss up, the tap tempo is what pushed the Cusack over the top.

[pigpen]

I have a stereo Dunlop that is the shizzbnit to my ears!!!
I use it on almost every record I do at some point!

[Jeff16years]

get a vintage fender tremolux head. thats the $hit

[tubes2bits]

I am selling my '62 Princeton and that has the best tremolo I have ever heard. I'm really going to miss it for that reason alone. I've seen a tube tremolo pedal (maybe Matchless or Badcat), that I'd like to try. Does anyone know of any other tube tremolo pedals?