Best Tremolo Pedal for 2023 [Our Reviews and Comparisons]
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Guitarists consider tremolo as an indispensable part of their pedal board. Tremolo pedals have been around for a long time and are referred to as the grandfather of all effects. From smooth Fender pulses to hard-chopping Vox sawtooth sounds, the tremolo can create mind-blowing effects and give character to your music.
Here are some of the best tremolo pedals that are worth your money.
Table of Contents
Comparison Table
| Product | Features | Latest Price |
|---|---|---|
1. Fender Tre-Verb |
|
Buy on Amazon |
2. Stone Deaf Tremotron |
|
Buy on Amazon |
3. Boss TR-2 |
|
Buy on Amazon |
4. Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter |
|
Buy on Amazon |
5. Voodoo Lab Tremolo |
|
Buy on Amazon |
Our Best Tremolo Pedal Reviews and Comparisons
1. Fender Tre-Verb
- Independent trem and reverb effects
- Easy to use
- Classic reverb voicings based on spring units form '63 - '65
- Tone shaping controls
- Tap tempo
Product Highlights
Fender Tre-Verb boasts a combined tremolo and reverb, a twin-speed analog phaser, and a valve-powered distortion with an added boost. Tremolo and reverb effects are right at your feet making it an easy to use pedal.
Features
This Fender pedal possesses a full suite of tone-shaping controls, including tap tempo for the tremolo effect. The tap-tempo feature is activated by holding down the bypass switch giving you hands-free control over the rate of the effect when you are performing.
The pedal has three tremolo types namely Opto, bias and hum and three reverbs ’63, ’65, and Plate. These controls make the pedal very flexible. To add to the flexibility, the Tre-Verb is equipped with stereo inputs and outputs ensuring easy connection to any pedalboard or amp.
What We Like About Fender Tre-Verb
Stereo inputs and outputs make this pedal ideal for multi-amp setups
What We Don’t Like About Fender Tre-Verb
Taller and bulkier compared to other tremolo pedals.
PROS
- Tap Tempo for Tremolo rate
- Stereo inputs and outputs
CONS
- Expensive
2. Stone Deaf Tremotron
- The Tremotron is a "Dual" analogue tremolo that's like nothing you will have ever heard or thought possible in an analogue tremolo and consisits of individual control of Depth, Rate and Wave Shape on each tremolo.
- What this means is you can set each tremolo at different speeds and they automatically sync in time with each other using the same syncopations. Tone and Volume are master controls for a darker or lighter sounding tremolo.
- You can also save 4 presets within the pedal and save and recall 128 presets via MIDI input using any MIDI device including DAW,
- Keyboard, Footswitch. An expression input allows you control via expression Depth, Rate and Shape of each tremolo, independently or separately. Meaning you can control one tremolo via expression why the other is fixed or both at the same time or individually.
- Premium soft touch switches with relay switching and 5 pin MIDI input provide a professional solution to the control of the pedal with the ability to cycle through the inbuilt presets via pressing both footswitches.
Product Highlights
Stone Deaf’s Tremotron is packed with a ton of features. The addition of digital control to a purely analog signal path has opened up a wide array of sonic options. Built like a tank in a folded steel case Stone Deaf offers a five-year warranty for this product.
Features
The most noteworthy feature of this unit is the two waveform generators powered by a voltage control amplifier and a secondary LFO tremolo circuit. This gives way to total control over waveforms.
The Tremotron has the unusual ability to run two tremolos at the same time to create more rhythmic modulations. Both tremolos can have different modulation shapes, depths, and rates. You can also use an expression pedal to control the depth, rate, and shape.
What We Like About Stone Deaf Tremotron
Tremotron has a rotary control to shift between a total of nine waveforms.
What We Don’t Like About Stone Deaf Tremotron
The controls sometimes tend to have an imprecise feel.
PROS
- Rich VCA tremolo voice
- Nine different waveforms
CONS
- Controls can feel imprecise.
3. Boss TR-2
- Provides guitarists with high-quality vintage tremolo effects in an easy-to-use compact pedal
- Dedicated "Wave," "Rate" and "Depth" knobs allow for precise effect tailoring
- "Rate" control allows for higher speed adjustment than classic PN-2
- "Wave" control alters LFO waveform from triangle to square
- BOSS five-year warranty
Product Highlights
Housed in a rugged enclosure, the Boss TR-2 feels extremely durable. The TR-2 Tremolo is designed to provide guitarists with vintage tremolo effects. This pedal can enrich your tone and increase possibilities for improvisation.
Features
Boss TR2 is a simple tremolo pedal. The pedal is fitted with basic controls including the Rate, Depth, and Wave knobs. Rate allows for higher speed adjustment. The Wave control changes the LFO waveform from triangle to square. The Depth knob determines the strength of the effect.
The ability to change the waveform means that you can easily shift from mainstream tremolo to tunes that can cut through the mix. The sound is filled with warmth and texture. This pedal can retain the quality of the original signal giving your tunes a natural character.
What We Like About Boss TR-2
A gigantic footswitch to activate the pedal and triggers the bypass mode.
What We Don’t Like About Boss TR-2
There is an apparent volume drop when engaged.
PROS
- High-quality vintage tremolo effects
- Affordable
CONS
- There is no level knob
4. Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter
- Shape Shifter is a stereo tremolo designed to deliver the classic textures you love with the capability to render extreme effects such as helicopter chops, piano stabs, or backwards swells
- The Shapeshifted is true-bypass stereo pedal that conjures the classic tremolo effects you'd expect, but with complete control over the Wave, Shape, Speed, and Depth of your sound
- Designed and Assembled in Santa Barbara, CA
Product Highlights
Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter is designed to reproduce the rich classic tremolo sound of vintage 50s tube amps. However, unlike the 50s tube amps, Shape Shifter also offers new parameter controls like warble, sputter, flutter, and also a helicopter chop.
Features
The unit is enclosed in 16-gauge steel with bypass and digital tap tempo switches. This pedal uses a pure analog signal path. As usual, there is a Rate, Wave, and Depth knob. The Rate knob works in two modes namely the Rate mode and the Ratio mode. The Rate mode is a speed control that goes from 1 to 20 cycles per second.
The latter lets the Rate knob control the tap-to-note ratio, while the Tempo is set by the tap switch.
The pedal is known for its unique feature called the Shape control. This knob lets you control how evenly the signal rises and falls. Set the knob in the middle for a traditional, even rise-and-fall effect, or turn it left or right for wild effects
What We Like About Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter
There is a mini phase knob that lets you select whether the pedal is in phase or up to 180 out of phase.
What We Don’t Like About Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter
There is no volume adjustment.
PROS
- Channel phase knob that can adjust the phase between left and right output channels from 0 to 180 degrees
- Wide range of tone shaping options
CONS
- No volume control
5. Voodoo Lab Tremolo
- Authentic lamp and photocell tremolo circuit
- Slope control for waveform tweaking
- Ultra wide range of Speed and Intensity settings
- Compact, pedal board friendly size
- True bypass switching with LED
Product Highlights
Voodoo Lab-created their tremolo to mimic the buttery tone of vintage tremolos. To replicate the feel of tube amplifiers and the effect it created the company equipped the circuitry of the tremolo with lamps and photocells.
Features
The Voodoo Lab Tremolo is simple and has an easy layout. It consists of four controls: intensity, slope, speed, and volume. Intensity changes the depth or amount of the effect. The slope is the same as a wave knob; it changes the waveform of tremolo and increases the sharpness of peaks and valleys as you turn it clockwise Speed and volume controls modify the rate of the effect, and helps cut or boost the output level respectively.
What We Like About Voodoo Lab Tremolo
It has a wide range of Speed and Intensity settings.
What We Don’t Like About Voodoo Lab Tremolo
It is hard to fit on a pedalboard.
PROS
- Organic sound
- Affordable
CONS
- Hard to fit on a pedalboard
Final Verdict
It is tough to know the kind of features you should look for when you are buying a tremolo pedal. If you are looking to add intense stutters, linear rises, purrs, chops, and throbbing waves to your music, then you should be choosing the best tremolo pedals for the job.
While you are researching, it might seem like a large majority of tremolo pedals on the market creates the same sort of desired effects. However, there is a difference in the way in which signals are manipulated. These small differences can make way for a wide range of sounds.
We choose the Stone Deaf Tremotron as the best tremolo pedal. It can create and save all manner of analog tremolo tones customized by the user. The pedal can run two tremolos at the same time to create more rhythmic modulations. It offers warm pulsating analog tremolo tones and greater digital control.
I hope the listicle helps you pick the right tremolo pedal.
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