Surfabilly
Joined: Apr 21, 2006
Posts: 852
Connersville, Indiana, USA
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Posted on May 31 2007 10:59 PM
First off, I pretty much despise the tremolo effect that's available on my Line 6 Guitar POD 2.0. While I absolutely love the built-in tremolo on the Vox AC15, I'd be better off to not lust after that one, especially when I'll be trying to decide between a Fender Hot Rod DeVille 410 or a Peavey Classic 50/410, in the coming future. I missed out on the Carl Martin Surf Trem that WaimeiaBay had for sale, several months back, so I have to ask - How does the Carl Martin Surf Trem compare to the built-in tremolo of the Vox AC15, in the way of controllability and playability?
Matt
— Fast Cars & Loud Guitars!
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Jun 01 2007 01:49 AM
The surf trem is a one trick pony... and a Carl Martin effect. Get a trem pedal with more variety.
Voodoo Labs has one I like, and the one I have the most experience with and I will be purchasing shortly is the Guyatone Flip Series Trem Pedal.
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badash
Joined: Aug 18, 2006
Posts: 1732
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Posted on Jun 01 2007 09:18 AM
Yeah. Trem is tough. I just found a box I haven't looked in 4 or 5 years. All my Duane Eddy records and CDs were in it. I played some and the Tremolo is SO bitchin' on those records. The only word to describe it is throb. Not an on/off feel at all. I'm going to try to find something that matches that, but its going to be hard as A/Bing the better pedals is near impossible. Who (around me at least) carries fulltone, guyatone, the better Martin, and other boutiquelishous pedals? Nobody... 
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holikujak
Joined: Apr 03, 2006
Posts: 107
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Posted on Jun 01 2007 09:51 AM
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krupanut
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 492
Austin Texas
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Posted on Jun 01 2007 09:53 AM
Buy a Deluxe reverb.
done.
— The Thunderchiefs
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WR
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 3832
netherlands
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Posted on Jun 01 2007 10:15 AM
JakeDobner
The surf trem is a one trick pony...
exactly why I like it!
Jake's right though, the CM is the best price/quality for faking vintage amp-reverb, but that's about all it does.
Ive found it too much trouble to dial amplike reverb in on more complicated trems though, so there you go. Bot all I had was a boss and an EH, not very goo dpedals to begin with imo.
I have another trem, a burford, which is a two trick pony but still very simple, to dials and a flipswitch, two basic sounds, and the usual S+I. it doesn't do triangles though, sqwuare block only. decent enough.
one trick ponies rule! 
— Rules to live by #314:
"When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is."
https://www.facebook.com/The-Malbehavers-286429584796173/
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estreet
Joined: Mar 17, 2007
Posts: 839
United Kingdom
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Posted on Jun 01 2007 10:56 AM
I know I mentioned it before in the echo thread 'cos it does multi-tap echo - but the Zoom G2 also does a decent and flexible Tremolo.
Altogether they are pretty remarkable for the money. I also have the g92tt (the long one with 2 tubes) which is also great but not very cool-looking for Surf.
— http://www.myspace.com/thepashuns
Youth and enthusiasm are no match for age and treachery.
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dp
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3546
mojave desert, california
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Posted on Jun 01 2007 11:08 AM
WR
JakeDobner
The surf trem is a one trick pony...
exactly why I like it!
Jake's right though, the CM is the best price/quality for faking vintage amp-reverb, but that's about all it does.
one trick ponies rule! 
my thoughts exactly...the KISS philosophy of trem pedals...keeping it simple...
-dp
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PhatTele
Joined: Jun 05, 2006
Posts: 445
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Posted on Jun 01 2007 11:11 AM
Re: One trick pony - What else should a trem pedal do?
The reason I like the Surf Trem (and the trem side of a Trem-o-vibe) is because it nails that round, warm trem that you find in the old brown era Fender amps, Princeton/Princeton Reverbs, and 18Watt Marshalls (it sounds like a bias modulated trem). I've had other pedals (Boss PN-2, Demeter Tremulator, Sherlock Tremit, and others) which give you an option for a more sqaure wave or clipped BF era trem sound (with the optoisolator), but I always go back to the rounder, warmer settings...which is why I'll stick to the Surf Trem.
Now, if you need pitch modulated vibrato, that's a whole different story. I think that revibe unit which combines an outboard reverb tank and vibrato works pretty well at capturing that Magnatone vibrato sound.
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Surfabilly
Joined: Apr 21, 2006
Posts: 852
Connersville, Indiana, USA
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Posted on Jun 01 2007 06:33 PM
I did forget to mention, although some of ya probably know already, but the Vox AC15 has both on board reverb and tremolo. I'll check out the Voodoo Labs trem pedals, and in the future (with an ideal toward eventually forming an actual band) I'll also be trying out chorus and flanger pedals. On my POD (2.0), I've discovered some surfadelic possibilities with the Flanger 1 and Flanger 2 effects, in letting a chord ring while turning the Tweak Effect knob back and forth between 5 and 10.
Matt
— Fast Cars & Loud Guitars!
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Jun 01 2007 10:18 PM
PhatTele
Re: One trick pony - What else should a trem pedal do?
Different trem sounds. I just don't dig Fender optioisolator tremolo. The tube brown reverb is pretty good and probably the perfect tremolo for surf but for anything beyond surf it isn't the greatest.
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badash
Joined: Aug 18, 2006
Posts: 1732
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Posted on Jun 01 2007 11:38 PM
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Jun 01 2007 11:54 PM
That pedal looks cool. I would love to try one sometime. Not many vox pedal dealers around.
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badash
Joined: Aug 18, 2006
Posts: 1732
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Posted on Jun 02 2007 01:03 PM
JakeDobner
That pedal looks cool. I would love to try one sometime. Not many vox pedal dealers around.
Yeah... I honestly wish I could get all the over $150 trem and trem/vibrato pedals in one place at one time... Something like Musicians Friend would let you test drive the vox for only the cost of shipping it back, but that's alot of hassle and ethically I'm kinda hung up on only ordering something if I intend to keep it...
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Jun 02 2007 01:07 PM
Ethically I wouldn't want to do that either. Lot of hassle as well.
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