Tube Tremolo Pedal

[daacrusher2001]

So, I'm back on the tremolo hunt. I didn't like the Boss, I have on loan an Electro Harmonix, which is ok.

I was listening again to an actual tube amp, tube tremolo.

I searched for Tube Tremolo Pedals and a few come up...EH has something called a "wiggler", and Guyatone has one.

Any thoughts on the value of a tube based trem over something like a T-Rex or Voodoo...or others...? Just wondeing if they can really replicate the amp trem

[drod2045]

i dont know how true the wiggler is to an amp (never ABed) but I can say that I had a wiggler and I thought it sounded great. SOme people have white noise/hum issues in their rigs with it. Ive seen more than a few threads with that, and a lot of them end up just being a loose screw somewhere.

The wiggler has other options - such as leslie and vibe settings. Overall, the pedal sounds really good and gives a nice warmth to your tone when on (some might call this tone coloring but its just the tubes - ppl swap have swapped them out for others too. I didnt find it to be too coloring either). Ive also heard of ppl using the wiggler as a preamp in a sense that they leave it on with the speed/depth turned off. You can get some nice tones by riding its output control as well.

I dont know much about the guyatone

[73171]

Effectrode tube tremelo:

http://www.effectrode.com/website/delta_trem/dt_main.htm

I haven't played this, but I own the Effectrode Tube-Vibe and it's amazing!

[muffinMan74]

I'm waiting for the Effectrode Delta-Trem (http://www.effectrode.com/website/delta_trem/dt_main.htm) to go live very, very shortly (hopefully). One thing that really excites me about the Delta-Trem is that it's S-T-E-R-E-O, so it pans L-R. Mmmm.

Edit: Doh! I see I was beat to the punch.

[Pale Rider]

That Effectrode seems amazing!
seems like they might have actually nailed it
so probably about $400...?

[73171]

Edit: Doh! I see I was beat to the punch.



The Effectrode site gives me so much G.A.S. I need Rolaids........

[mhuxtable]

I have a Wiggler and I LOVE it. It does Trem and Vibrato (for whichever you prefer). I can definitely hear the "tube" sound it makes, and I like it. I have never really tried to make it mimic the trem on my Twin Reverb, but I suppose it can come very close, since the tubes are powering the trem and vibrato in the Wiggler.

[Pale Rider]

I just ordered a catalinbread semaphore two weeks ago (that haven't shipped yet i think)

Listened to some clips of the delta-trem.. it's tubedriven alright, but I didn't find it to sound that good based on clips.

It's hard to judge from them though - if you get one.. Please post some decent clips of it :-)
Didn't sound good based on what?
what are you comparing it to?
think someone might make better clips than the 7-8 they provided with different styles and settings?

[Uma Floresta]

I'm still in love with my OLC Darth Fader.

http://www.olcircuits.com/audio/olc_darthfader_ben_m-song.mp3
http://www.olcircuits.com/audio/olc_darthfader_ben_m-wray01.mp3
http://www.olcircuits.com/audio/olc_darthfader_ben_m-wray03.mp3
http://www.olcircuits.com/audio/olc_darthfader_ben_m-wray04.mp3

[daacrusher2001]

The delta trem is probably out of my price range right now. I just bought another amp and another guitar...

I was hoping to stay at $200 or less...thanks for the tip on that one tho'...Maybe some day I'll grab one.

[robcollins]

I can certainly recommend the Skrydstrup TR1 if you are after amp-like trem.

[ruger9]

That Delta Trem looks awesome. Does anybody know if ANY of these tube trems we've discussed achieves trem by varying the tube bias? Because THAT'S the reason I want a tube trem: for tube-bias-vary tremolo.

FWIW, I had the Wiggler (sounded awesome, had hum/noise issues that not even EHX could fix), the Flip Trem (very cool, but I found something better): the Swamp Thang. No tube, but the most amp-like trem I've heard in a pedal. (I also went thru the Voodoo Lab, Sugar Baby, Tuna Melt)

[Viscerok]

The Wiggler is a real nice pedal. Many sounds to be had with it. So warm and beautiful, but could they possibly have made it any larger? I mean c'mon, surely they can do better than that. And I don't know if the walwart is necessary, but that's a pain in the ass too.

[Uma Floresta]

That Delta Trem looks awesome. Does anybody know if ANY of these tube trems we've discussed achieves trem by varying the tube bias? Because THAT'S the reason I want a tube trem: for tube-bias-vary tremolo.

The Darth Fader does that.

[ruger9]

Is the Darth Fader DIY only? Where can I find it?

[daacrusher2001]

I've heard good things about the Darth Fader...I was looking for some sound clips but couldn't find any.

Is the wiggler a lot better than the older EH tremolo? I know it has more features, but I don't think the one I borrowed is that great.

[Uma Floresta]

No, you can either buy the kit or buy it pre-made. Looks like $200 pre-made, or $120 for the kit. Mine was pre-made - the prototype, actually.

http://olcircuits.com/olc_darthfader.html

[Uma Floresta]

I've heard good things about the Darth Fader...I was looking for some sound clips but couldn't find any.

Is the wiggler a lot better than the older EH tremolo? I know it has more features, but I don't think the one I borrowed is that great.

I posted clips earlier in the thread.

[ruger9]

Uma, on those clips, is the slowest trem speed clip (01) the slowest the Fader goes?

[Uma Floresta]

Uma, on those clips, is the slowest trem speed clip (01) the slowest the Fader goes?

No, it will go slower than that. I don't ever use it slower than that, so I can't recall offhand how MUCH slower it will go. The slowest setting I used was probably with the rate nob at 11:00 or so, IIRC.

[daacrusher2001]

Might be fun to build a Darth Fader...

I'd like to see if I can find the EH wiggler pedal somewhere to try it before I embark on yet another DIY project.

[daacrusher2001]

Just wondering...not tube, I know, so slightly off my own topic, but do any of you use/like the line 6 Tonecore Tremolo?

[teletroy]

I made a tube trem pedal for a friend of mine a few years ago, it also doubles as a boost/od pedal when the trem isn't activated. It runs at full plate voltage too.

He picked the enclosure for it, not me :) It's a little big, there's a lot of space in there. He wants me to gut his dyna comp and put it in there.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_hT-STEccsKw/SiglaKdR0FI/AAAAAAAACfk/2vnKypxVgNU/s400/pedal1.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_hT-STEccsKw/SiglZ_xqE6I/AAAAAAAACfg/5ipUyxLvgow/s400/pedal.jpg

[ruger9]

Just wondering...not tube, I know, so slightly off my own topic, but do any of you use/like the line 6 Tonecore Tremolo?

Because I have an Echo Park that I think is pretty great, I gave the Line 6 Trem a try. Not one of the better trems I've tried.

[daacrusher2001]

I had some time to listen to the clips of the Darth Fader. Can't always tell through the computer speakers, but it sounded pretty much like what I'm looking for.

I'm still tempted to buy a used voodoo trem, before building the tube trem. I'd also like to try the "wiggler". I have to think about it. Building one is appealing to me.

I did discover this other site, generalguitargadgets.com, and they have some interesting clone kits. The Rat clone sounded interesting...pretty cheap too (but again, off topic 8^) )

Thanks for all the input...

[Lightningrt]

Joe Bonamassa used to use the Guyatone Flip Trem, always sounded good to me>

http://www.pedalspluseffectswarehouse.com/Guyatone_Vintage_Tremolo_p/guyflp-vtx.htm

[ruger9]

Bonamassa is now using the Supa-Trem, HOWEVER, he admits that his pedalboard can change simply when he gets "bored" with something. So it's not a "better" thing, it's a "different" thing. Nice to see he's actually HUMAN like the rest of us (altho you wouldn't know that from his PLAYING!) :)

[ruger9]

I don't think the Effectrode is a tube-bias trem... here's the info from the company (via email):

The Delta-Trem is based on a custom made photo-optical attenuator circuit.
The tubes provide gain and buffering. Similar to the early Fender Deluxe
Reverb tube amps, except a light bulb is used in place of a neon bulb.

[Uma Floresta]

I don't think the Effectrode is a tube-bias trem... here's the info from the company (via email):

The Delta-Trem is based on a custom made photo-optical attenuator circuit.
The tubes provide gain and buffering. Similar to the early Fender Deluxe
Reverb tube amps, except a light bulb is used in place of a neon bulb.

Yeah, that sounds like the Blackface style optical trem. In which case the tube seems extraneous.

http://www.300guitars.com/articles/the-ins-and-outs-of-tremolo/

[effectrode]

Yeah, that sounds like the Blackface style optical trem. In which case the tube seems extraneous.

No, the tube is required to drive the photo resistor and to buffer the output. It's integral to the sound of the pedal and ensures the photocell sees the correct impedance and signal levels. The photocell is an intrinsically low distortion component.

[Uma Floresta]

No, the tube is required to drive the photo resistor and to buffer the output. It's integral to the sound of the pedal and ensures the photocell sees the correct impedance and signal levels. The photocell is an intrinsically low distortion component.

Well obviously you can't just remove the tube - I meant you could accomplish the same thing with solid state components.

[orogeny]

Bonamassa is now using the Supa-Trem, HOWEVER, he admits that his pedalboard can change simply when he gets "bored" with something. So it's not a "better" thing, it's a "different" thing. Nice to see he's actually HUMAN like the rest of us (altho you wouldn't know that from his PLAYING!) :)
so true. . . . .

meanwhile, i WAS a TOTALLY devoted fan of the tuna melt. not meeting the needs of the OP, perhaps. . . but

the cool cat trem is now my beallendall trem. . . . for ME

the tuna melt was IT. trumped a whole bunch discussed already. never went to the FLIP though (for the record). . ..

they made a better tuna melt.

round, warm trem on the soft setting and a much better karate chop on the hard setting.

won't be looking further. love it. i've tried a bunch. let go of the drri. i prefer the cool cat.

[Uma Floresta]

Tuna Melt is awesome for sure - I haven't tried the Cool Cat though.

[orogeny]

Tuna Melt is awesome for sure - I haven't tried the Cool Cat though.
hello uma,

i am a reader of your posts very often. i dig where you are coming from and wanted to further encourage you to check that cool cat out. two things i noticed RIGHT away:

1 - that treble roll-off on the tuna is more real than i ever noticed before. the strangest thing is. . . . i think I LIKE it when the trem is ON. warm roundness. the treble comes THROUGH on the cool cat. more true to the guitar signal. i'm getting used to it, but it is DIFFERENT. that's not a BAD thing. . . just a different thing. i never noticed it before. meanwhile, i also notice that it has the same thing going on with the dry signal. . . . i HAVE noticed it before, but didn't care so much :-D

2 - the HARD setting trumps the tuna in spades. i really dug the tuna chops. the cool cat is MORE. i don't use hard-chop so much, but it sounds more like my drri did than the tuna in spades. i said that already :-D

peace and hairgrease

[Uma Floresta]

hello uma,

i am a reader of your posts very often. i dig where you are coming from and wanted to further encourage you to check that cool cat out. two things i noticed RIGHT away:

1 - that treble roll-off on the tuna is more real than i ever noticed before. the strangest thing is. . . . i think I LIKE it when the trem is ON. warm roundness. the treble comes THROUGH on the cool cat. more true to the guitar signal. i'm getting used to it, but it is DIFFERENT. that's not a BAD thing. . . just a different thing. i never noticed it before. meanwhile, i also notice that it has the same thing going on with the dry signal. . . . i HAVE noticed it before, but didn't care so much :-D

2 - the HARD setting trumps the tuna in spades. i really dug the tuna chops. the cool cat is MORE. i don't use hard-chop so much, but it sounds more like my drri did than the tuna in spades. i said that already :-D

peace and hairgrease

Thanks for the tip - I'll have to try one out next time I visit a guitar store. :BEER