Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

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somanytoys
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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by somanytoys » Mon Apr 27, 2020 7:59 am

Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Sun Apr 26, 2020 7:42 pm
He does! BUT the issue I've found is that because Andy is so good, I've often found that when I get a pedal, it doesn't sound quite as good as he can make it sound, or I can't get certain tones specifically. If Andy's demos inspire me, then I go looking for Mike Herman's or Just Nick on YouTube. It's the same with Knobs: his videos are AMAZING, but are more artistic than "this is truly what the pedal will sound like in your hands".
Very much this. I like Andy, but he can make almost anything sound good and worth buying, but it doesn’t always seem to sound or work the same for me. I like Mike Hermans, but he also makes everything sound great. He usually goes through a lot of settings, but it’s all pretty pristine.

Just Nick is very straightforward, he’ll show you the good, the bad and the ugly, and talk about them in a way that I like.

Knobs is really one of my favorites, I’ve bought quite a few pedals from his demos, but they are on the more artistic side, and very good at flexing a pedal’s muscles in every direction, so you get a feel of a lot of what it’s capable of.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Mon Apr 27, 2020 8:37 am

somanytoys wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 7:59 am
Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Sun Apr 26, 2020 7:42 pm
He does! BUT the issue I've found is that because Andy is so good, I've often found that when I get a pedal, it doesn't sound quite as good as he can make it sound, or I can't get certain tones specifically. If Andy's demos inspire me, then I go looking for Mike Herman's or Just Nick on YouTube. It's the same with Knobs: his videos are AMAZING, but are more artistic than "this is truly what the pedal will sound like in your hands".
Very much this. I like Andy, but he can make almost anything sound good and worth buying, but it doesn’t always seem to sound or work the same for me. I like Mike Hermans, but he also makes everything sound great. He usually goes through a lot of settings, but it’s all pretty pristine.

Just Nick is very straightforward, he’ll show you the good, the bad and the ugly, and talk about them in a way that I like.

Knobs is really one of my favorites, I’ve bought quite a few pedals from his demos, but they are on the more artistic side, and very good at flexing a pedal’s muscles in every direction, so you get a feel of a lot of what it’s capable of.
I should specify that Mike Herman's is the best for delay. Tone-wise it's very pristine, but for some reason, delays I've bought based on demos from him feel accurate.

I do love Knobs. Knobs is artistic, and I wouldn't worry nearly as much about getting what I heard from a Knobs demo, compared to an Andy demo. Knob is a friggin genius with what he does with them. I'm not. And maybe that's where the shortcomings come for me. I sometimes watch Knobs' videos just for the music, like I would listening to an album...
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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by tune_link » Mon Apr 27, 2020 8:55 am

Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Sun Apr 26, 2020 7:42 pm
tune_link wrote:
Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:41 am
Oh yeah Andy is pretty on point with the demos. I'd rather watch him than most anyone else. He keeps the wanking to a minimum and shows the most useful demonstrations of just about anyone. I have a few other go to guys for pedal demos but he's probably #1.
He does! BUT the issue I've found is that because Andy is so good, I've often found that when I get a pedal, it doesn't sound quite as good as he can make it sound, or I can't get certain tones specifically. If Andy's demos inspire me, then I go looking for Mike Herman's or Just Nick on YouTube. It's the same with Knobs: his videos are AMAZING, but are more artistic than "this is truly what the pedal will sound like in your hands".
Cracking me up over here by just listing all of the other go to demo spots I also tend to favor. And yes I agree with all of what you're getting at for sure. I've got pedals I bought based on their demos that I love and use all the time but also a growing list of things that didn't quite work out for me for one reason or another (different set ups I'm guessing being the main culprit).

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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by PJazzmaster » Mon Apr 27, 2020 9:32 am

The Fulltone Supa-Trem (the 1st version) is my all time favorite Trem. It has not left my board since I bought a used one in 2006. It never ever failed and I never had to repair or maintain anything. All of it's settings are useful to me and all sound good.

I am also having fun with a Boss PN-2 as well as with a Percussion Repeater Pedal, both cover a bit of a different ground than the Supa-Trem (Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, :freako: ....)

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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by Beltone » Mon Apr 27, 2020 10:26 am

Agree on Andy, Nick, and Mike Hermans. Appreciate the Knobs recommendation. I had actually watched a couple of videos by Knobs without realizing it. Another pedal demo'er I really like is RJ Ronquillo. He does a good job playing a couple songs inspired by the pedal that help me determine if the tones will work for me.

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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by somanytoys » Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:22 am

Yeah, the Knobs guy is creative as hell, and really either does the deep dive into the manual or just understands effects really well. Fun to watch, too.

Another one that’s pretty straightforward like Just Nick is Gear Man Dude. I’ve watched many of his demos and they’re a pretty good job of plugging in, going through settings, making whacky comments and getting an honest idea of what a pedal will do.

There are always going to be variables that come into play, the guitar and the amp, but also playing style. And sometimes just how polished the production is.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by somanytoys » Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:31 am

PJazzmaster wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 9:32 am
The Fulltone Supa-Trem (the 1st version) is my all time favorite Trem. It has not left my board since I bought a used one in 2006. It never ever failed and I never had to repair or maintain anything. All of it's settings are useful to me and all sound good.

I am also having fun with a Boss PN-2 as well as with a Percussion Repeater Pedal, both cover a bit of a different ground than the Supa-Trem (Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, :freako: ....)
I think I have the 2nd versions, the Supatrem 2 - the bigger versions, not the smaller new ones. I don’t know what the differences between them are, but they work really well for me. Best in stereo, but effective in mono as well.

I also really like the old Vox Vibrovox, with dual channels and a choice of tremolo and/or vibe for both. Kind of big, but pretty and sounds good.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by PJazzmaster » Mon Apr 27, 2020 2:01 pm

somanytoys wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:31 am
PJazzmaster wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 9:32 am
The Fulltone Supa-Trem (the 1st version) is my all time favorite Trem. It has not left my board since I bought a used one in 2006. It never ever failed and I never had to repair or maintain anything. All of it's settings are useful to me and all sound good.
I think I have the 2nd versions, the Supatrem 2 - the bigger versions, not the smaller new ones. I don’t know what the differences between them are, but they work really well for me. Best in stereo, but effective in mono as well.
I never had the chance to try any of the newer, fancier or smaller versions of the Supa-Trem but I am sure they are equally good and better + even more versatile, especially if used in stereo. My version is mono only of course but that´s ok for me.

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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:34 am

tune_link wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 8:55 am
Cracking me up over here by just listing all of the other go to demo spots I also tend to favor. And yes I agree with all of what you're getting at for sure. I've got pedals I bought based on their demos that I love and use all the time but also a growing list of things that didn't quite work out for me for one reason or another (different set ups I'm guessing being the main culprit).
I definitely think setup is a big factor. That said, the way I see it, if you can hear the demo-er's tone without the effect and then with the effect (as all the good demo-ers do), I feel like extrapolating the difference between those two and getting a feel for what a pedal does shouldn't be too far off. Granted, I'm not the guitar player that Andy, Joel (CME), Nick (Just Nick), or Knobs are, but I've felt that some pedals I've bought have been pretty far off what I've heard. One thing that Nick does is no post-recording processing. That could make a big difference too. Personally, if someone wants to demo a pedal and process it to make it sound cool in a song context, that's fine, but I wish those who do would ALSO offer unprocessed sound as well.

Beltone wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 10:26 am
Agree on Andy, Nick, and Mike Hermans. Appreciate the Knobs recommendation. I had actually watched a couple of videos by Knobs without realizing it. Another pedal demo'er I really like is RJ Ronquillo. He does a good job playing a couple songs inspired by the pedal that help me determine if the tones will work for me.
Yes!! RJ is one of my favorite guitarists. He's got SUCH style and soul to his playing. This was the first demo I ever heard him in and instantly fell in love. I've actually got a few of his non-speaking demos on my phone as just cool music to listen to 8) 8) Here's another great demo from RJ.
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http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by tune_link » Wed Apr 29, 2020 4:23 am

somanytoys wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:22 am
Yeah, the Knobs guy is creative as hell, and really either does the deep dive into the manual or just understands effects really well. Fun to watch, too.

Another one that’s pretty straightforward like Just Nick is Gear Man Dude. I’ve watched many of his demos and they’re a pretty good job of plugging in, going through settings, making whacky comments and getting an honest idea of what a pedal will do.

There are always going to be variables that come into play, the guitar and the amp, but also playing style. And sometimes just how polished the production is.
Love Gear Man Dude. The concept of his reviews is straight no bullshit. I don't know why but I always imagine I'm hearing Michael Madsen from Kill Bill when I hear his voice and see his demos. That he does a lot of fuzz is a big factor for me too since that's my favorite effect.

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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Wed Apr 29, 2020 5:03 am

tune_link wrote:
Wed Apr 29, 2020 4:23 am
Love Gear Man Dude. The concept of his reviews is straight no bullshit. I don't know why but I always imagine I'm hearing Michael Madsen from Kill Bill when I hear his voice and see his demos. That he does a lot of fuzz is a big factor for me too since that's my favorite effect.
I always hear Jack Black :D I was on a trip, and actually met him in a guitar shop a few years back. I asked a guy working the shop for an amp recommendation, and Gearmandude looked at me and said "try a Dr. Z". It was at that point I realized who he was based on the voice (I have a knack for voices). I looked at him and said, "I'd just need an SG and a white coily cable", and he just smiled. We talked for a few. Really nice guy.
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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by somanytoys » Wed Apr 29, 2020 6:40 am

That’s hilarious, and a great nod to knowing who he was - the white coily cable of death. He seems like a nice guy, I guess as well as you can tell from YouTube videos, but it’s good to know he actually is.

He’s somewhere in Texas, right? Not sure where, but he just screams Texan.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by Gavanti » Wed Apr 29, 2020 7:04 am

For tremolo reviews specifically, I like Tri Pedal reviews. He runs pretty good direct comparisons. His blog has some good info on tremolo wave shapes too.

More generally, I've also been enjoying Collector/Emitter (sort of Knobsy) and Megan L's stuff.

It is interesting to see who can separate their review patter from the companies' marketing language and offer tips for using the pedal. Some of Just Nick's reviews do that pretty well.

Back to trems—I've really been wanting to try a Subdecay Vagabond. It looks versatile and sounds good in the review, and I love envelope controlled rate, but I haven't been seeing many used ones around.

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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by tune_link » Wed Apr 29, 2020 9:37 am

Gavanti wrote:
Wed Apr 29, 2020 7:04 am
For tremolo reviews specifically, I like Tri Pedal reviews. He runs pretty good direct comparisons. His blog has some good info on tremolo wave shapes too.

More generally, I've also been enjoying Collector/Emitter (sort of Knobsy) and Megan L's stuff.

It is interesting to see who can separate their review patter from the companies' marketing language and offer tips for using the pedal. Some of Just Nick's reviews do that pretty well.

Back to trems—I've really been wanting to try a Subdecay Vagabond. It looks versatile and sounds good in the review, and I love envelope controlled rate, but I haven't been seeing many used ones around.
Big up the Megan L channel. I really like her gear demos so far.

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Re: Tremolo Pedal. Which one do you use?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Mon May 04, 2020 3:01 am

somanytoys wrote:
Wed Apr 29, 2020 6:40 am
That’s hilarious, and a great nod to knowing who he was - the white coily cable of death. He seems like a nice guy, I guess as well as you can tell from YouTube videos, but it’s good to know he actually is.

He’s somewhere in Texas, right? Not sure where, but he just screams Texan.
Nope! I won't give away his secret, but he's not in Texas. At least he wasn't. Southern US state is accurate though ;)
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http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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