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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink Best Harmonic Trem pedal?

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Hey Guys,

Can anyone please recommend a good (and ideally cheap) tremolo pedal that best simulates a Harmonic Tremolo sound? I used to have the Strymon Flint and I loved that sound on it, but the reverb was kind of meh to me so I sold it. I'd really like to have that sound back, but I don't feel like paying $299 for what would basically be half of a pedal for me (I wouldn't use the reverb).

Any suggestions? Thanks

Take a look at the Earthquaker Devices Night Wire. I saw the demo of it and it sounds nice.

Either you surf, or you fight.

imafunkyman wrote:

Take a look at the Earthquaker Devices Night Wire. I saw the demo of it and it sounds nice.

http://http://earthquakerdevices.com/shop/Night%20Wire/cat/13103)

Pretty cool - cheaper than the Strymon and better sounding than the Catalinbread Pareidolia. Thanks!

i like the Catalinbread Pareidolia Harmonic Mesmerizer. It is truly mesmerizing. Thanks to Brian Fady for turning me on to this little gem, and generously selling his to me. Seriously great pedal!
http://www.catalinbread.com/product/pareidolia/

Bob

Last edited: Jan 15, 2016 22:12:19

Bob

Last edited: Jan 15, 2016 22:11:59

I used to have a Flint, and like you the reverb never got used. I currently have the Source Audio Vertigo tremolo, and I've been pretty happy with it.

As it comes stock, it has the opto, bias, and harmonic settings like on the Flint. I say "stock" because you can tweak the sounds with a phone app, but that's a whole other can of worms. As is the harmonic setting doesn't have as much depth as the Flint, but I find it's more in line on what you'd find on a brownface amp.

Also, compared to my friend's Pareidolia, the Vertigo had much better clarity. Again, not as much depth, but I found the Vertigo more usable. Maybe not the best out there, but a really cool pedal for half the price of the Flint.

It may not qualify as a Harmonic Tremolo device, but the Maggie pedal, which emulates the Magnatone Stereo (& mono) vibrato, has interesting amplitude modulation characteristics across a wide range of sounds. It even does phasing when in stereo mode feeding both inputs of the same mono amp. Very intriguing device.

Squink Out!

I have the Twin Peaks Trem pedal. I am very satisfied with it and think it is my best alternative when I'm not playing the Surfer Head onboard trem. It is highly customizable, so sometimes it can be a bit tricky to set, but once you find your sweet spot it sounds incredible.
Cheers

Last edited: Jan 16, 2016 03:50:05

I had the same issue... I liked the Flint's multiple settings including the harmonic but wasn't a big fan of the reverb. Like duncanjames I got the Source Audio Vertigo Tremolo. I can't say I have much experience with tremolo pedals but I'm happy with it. It is a digital pedal and many settings can be edited using an iPhone. Supposed to be able to edit via USB as well but last I checked the software was not available.

I had seen the TwinPeaks pedal but couldn't figure out how to buy it. I thought it was a custom build of sort. I probably would of gone for that pedal.

-Pierre
The Obsidians! (Ottawa surf)
The Obsidians debut EP

Last edited: Jan 16, 2016 12:14:43

Twin Peaks is a boutique pedal made by a fellow in England. You have to wite to him directly. I did and he is really a serious craftsman and designer. I bought a Maggie instead because I already own a Moogerfooger Ring Modulator, which is very versatile as a tremolo, though it does not do the Brownface thing.

Squink Out!

Maybe it's because I suffer from it, but to me the Vertigo pedal sounds best. I'm going to check that one out.

Thanks Guys.

Here's the best Harmonic Tremolo pedal...imho. Yes
image

https://kingpelican.bandcamp.com/

AMEN! TO POST ABOVE.

Last edited: Jan 19, 2016 23:11:33

It's a great tremolo sound, but the Princeton didn't have the 3 tube harmonic tremolo. It was only on the larger brownface amps such as the Showman, Bandmaster, Concert, etc etc... You can spot them by the 6 preamp tubes!

duncanjames wrote:

It's a great tremolo sound, but the Princeton didn't have the 3 tube harmonic tremolo. It was only on the larger brownface amps such as the Showman, Bandmaster, Concert, etc etc... You can spot them by the 6 preamp tubes!

Bingo, there it is. From the cold objective of manufacturing goals, a tremendously inefficient way to accomplish it. The alternative methods gave us tremelo for the masses but that multi-tube Rube Goldberg-like tremelo is a completely different animal.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Tony in Joliet suggested this pedal:Coldcraft Harmonic Tremolo...

Also found this:Cardinal Harm Trem v2...
Then there is the Keeley pedal that seems to be a less wonky distillation if the Strymon Flint. They both sound like they cop the Brownface sound well, but having the reverb in the pedal makes it a bit much...

Squink Out!

Last edited: Feb 02, 2016 15:58:27

Ok just for S's and Giggles, anyone know what is producing the trem sound on this track? I assume it's built into a vintage amp of some sort.

Whatever it is, I love it:

Last edited: Feb 03, 2016 20:17:55

Now you're talking Harmonic Tremolo.

1138 wrote:

Ok just for S's and Giggles, anyone know what is producing the trem sound on this track? I assume it's built into a vintage amp of some sort.

Whatever it is, I love it:

Squink Out!

Before I got my Flint I used Voodoo Lab's tremelo. Still the best tremelo pedal I ever heard, even the Flint. But I needed room on my pedal board.

By the way, I can relate to the 'problems' with the Flint's reverb. I use the Flint reverb when I don't need drip in combination with overdrive or fuzz and the ambient settings are nice too.

www.alohasluts.com
Aloha Sluts on BandCamp
www.arnyzona.com (my photography)
Aloha Fest on facebook

Then there's this:
Fuchs Plush Creme De La Trem tremolo "harmonic vibrato" pedal Fender brownface on ebay

Squink Out!

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