In its most raw form, it’s little more than the raising and lowering of your signal’s volume. And not only is tremolo one of the oldest and most recognized effects in the electric guitar’s history, it’s also been traditionally implemented via analog circuitry within amplifiers. Today there are still a lot of amps on the market that come packaged with a tremolo effect.
This is an abridged and shorter version of a lengthier article highlighting seven tremolo pedals that fit the descriptors mentioned here.
Tremolo is an incredibly simple effect.
In its most raw form, it’s little more than the raising and lowering of your signal’s volume.
And not only is tremolo one of the oldest and most recognized effects in the electric guitar’s history, it’s also been traditionally implemented via analog circuitry within amplifiers.
Today there are still a lot of amps on the market that come packaged with a tremolo effect.
To name a few:
• VOX AC15C2
• Fender ‘68 Custom Vibrolux
• Marshall 1973X
These amps (among many others) carry their own tremolo that’s built-into the amp’s channels and ready to use. More often than not, they sound pretty good.
But what if we don’t own an amp with tremolo built-in?
Further, what if we just don’t like it? A lot of guitar players prefer their effects in a stompbox on the floor in front of them. If that’s the team you’re on, you might wonder, “What is there to know about tremolo pedals in the digital age?”
Or what quality indicators do you look for if you’re going to buy one?
While the difference between a “good” and “bad” tremolo pedal is a smaller gap than a good and bad delay, there are still some quality indicators to be aware of.