Help With Tremolo

[Logrinn]

I'm quite fond of TC Electronic's stuff and their new tremolo Pipeline seems really nice. Among other things it has a tap tempo function, but the most spectacular feature has to be the sequence mode. Check out the video from 0:35:

https://youtu.be/nCkeT7klOs0

As for the order of things why not put your pedals in a loop switcher like Decibel11's Pedal Palette or Boss ES-5/ES-8 or a GigRig? That way you can have the tremolo before, let's say, the overdrive in one song and after in another song by a simple press of a footswitch.

[leokula]

... bought a big box pulsar. It hasn't got here yet, I should know soon.

Just vouching for the big box pulsar... sounds amazing to my ears. No volume drop and the range of stuff it can do is impressive. It does the vintage sound in some settings and can do some violent chops in the square wave.

[Ro_S]

1. Is there a way to coax a vibrato effect out of an EHX big box Polychorus, Boss DM-2W or combination of the two?

2. How would you compare the Boss TR-2 to the EHX Stereo Pulsar?

3. Does the old Big Box Pulsar sound better than the XO Stereo Pulsar, or are they pretty much the same?

4. Would you consider tremolo to be a volume effect to be put at the beginning of the chain or a time-based effect to be put at the end with delay and reverb?

1 . phaser is nothing like tremolo.

2. TR2 is simple and good. Stereo Pulsar is good and more complex. Both are affordable, good tremolo pedals. The Pulsar can be tricky to get the rate/speed correct. the TR2 can be had used at nice prices all week long.

3. the same afaik. the old big box has the old style of EHX power jack.

4. it is an amplitude effect. (time based effects are reverb, delay, chorus and flanger)
It can go anywhere in the signal chain pretty much. biggest difference is whether it goes before or after delay/reverb.
To get it most like your Fender amp, put it very last in the chain. I believe Fender tube amps have the tremolo circuit after the reverb circuit.

[Mike S]

1 . phaser is nothing like tremolo.

2. TR2 is simple and good. Stereo Pulsar is good and more complex. Both are affordable, good tremolo pedals. The Pulsar can be tricky to get the rate/speed correct. the TR2 can be had used at nice prices all week long.

3. the same afaik. the old big box has the old style of EHX power jack.

4. it is an amplitude effect. it can go anywhere in the signal chain pretty much. biggest difference is whether it goes before or after delay/reverb. (time based effects are reverb, delay, chorus and flanger)

Definitely leaning towards the Wiggler.

The Polychorus doesn't have a phaser. I was trying to coax the effect out of the filter matrix setting.

[Ro_S]

Definitely leaning towards the Wiggler.

The Polychorus doesn't have a phaser. I was trying to coax the effect out of the filter matrix setting.

I meant to type 'chorus' (EHX do a 'Polyphaser'). Either way, you wont get a tremolo out of a chorus, flanger or phaser pedal.

Wiggler is huge and quite expensive. If you want a dedicated tremolo, I wouldn't pick that. It has no options for choice of waveform, so harder to replicate a Fender tremolo if that is what you are seeking to achieve. Wiggler is better at getting unvibey/hammond/leslie esque type effects.

[jparker]

One vote for the TR-2 here, it just sounds great and keeps the low end well. I have not used the pulsar but I like the boss better than the fulltone and voodoo labs trems I tried.

[Mike S]

Definitely leaning towards the Wiggler.

The Polychorus doesn't have a phaser. I was trying to coax the effect out of the filter matrix setting.

I meant to type 'chorus' (EHX do a 'Polyphaser'). Either way, you wont get a tremolo out of a chorus, flanger or phaser pedal.

Wiggler is huge and quite expensive. If you want a dedicated tremolo, I wouldn't pick that. It has no options for choice of waveform, so harder to replicate a Fender tremolo if that is what you are seeking to achieve. Wiggler is better at getting unvibey/hammond/leslie esque type effects.

I'm not too worried about the size and I'm definitely done with trying to coax a tremolo effect out of any pedal with a delay function. I was just trying to make do with any pedal capable of making my guitar "stutter".
I've been able to find the Wiggler cheap enough. Any risk of blowing the tubes through normal operation?

[OV7]

Check out the old 2-knob Voodoo Lab Tremolo. It really sounds great.

[FightingPlankton]

im personally feel that tremolo should be almost dead last in your signal chain. here's my reasoning.
lets say you dont have any pedals. just guitar>amp. your signal path goes through preamp(drive)>tremolo>reverb(assuming your amp has those features)>power amp. so i try to recreate that order on my board. also, when it comes to delay, a lot of folks run it in the effects loop, but if you think about all the tone of the pro's(The Edge comes to mind) they play through old amps that dont have effects loops, which means their delay goes in front of the preamp... just something to consider. In all honesty, pedal placement is subjective to YOUR ears and preferences.
That being said...i will probably never stop singing the praises of the Seymour Duncan ShapeShifter tremolo. I have the original big box unit which has been modded, but I hear the new small box is just as good with a smaller footprint. I love that it has a tap tempo instead of just a speed knob. And its fairly inexpensive... so, until I find something better within the same price range... Im sticking with this.

[MechaBulletBill]

lets say you dont have any pedals. just guitar>amp. your signal path goes through preamp(drive)>tremolo>reverb(assuming your amp has those features)>power amp.

I thought the Fender way was reverb>trem? reverb into trem into OD can sound like an outboard fx unit from the 50s/60s running into a cranked amp. Very surfy.

[FightingPlankton]

I thought the Fender way was reverb>trem? reverb into trem into OD can sound like an outboard fx unit from the 50s/60s running into a cranked amp. Very surfy.

You are probably correct. Now that I think about it it makes more sense that way.

[Mike S]

After trying out many effects, I got the Wiggler. Nothing sounds as nice as this. The tubes really make a difference.

[Sid Nitzerglobin]

4. Would you consider tremolo to be a volume effect to be put at the beginning of the chain or a time-based effect to be put at the end with delay and reverb?

I like tremolo as the last effect before reverb (after delay if using it).

Almost w/o fail I use it like this too. The only setups I don't have it like that on is when I'm doing stereo mod/delay/reverb since I don't have a stereo trem any more. It makes it sound more like I've plugged my mod and/or delay into an amp w/ verb and trem to me than any alternative routing I've tried in most cases.

YMMV of course and very specific sounds might require otherwise too...

[ifallalot]

I had a TR2 and liked it better than the trem in my 65 PRRI.

Now my 68 CDR is a different story

[Mike S]

After playing with the Wiggler and impressing and being impressed by the sound quality, I'm just disappointed about the fact that it's an effect pedal when it shouldn't be. That circuit, tubes and all should be standard inside every tube amp.