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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink Tremolo choices: cheap regular trem or harmonic tremolo?

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As I wrote about the Keeley Verb o Trem earlier:

The pedal has a gain control - it's possible to get some extra gain, but I mostly use it to avoid a volume drop when the trem/vibrato kicks in, as happens frequently with a lot of trems.

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I use internal one on my Fender, but for other amps my go-to is the Keeley Verb o Trem which I do not use the reverb on, just the tremolo. Has classic bias tremolo and Magnatone-like pitch-shifting tremolo and a Harmonic tremolo setting and they all sound good. Can pick one up used for $100-125 on Reverb.

There's also the mxr tremolo m305 which sounds great too, more options and a bit more costly. And for really over the top crazy options there's the Super Pulsar from Electro Harmonix.

cosmonaut wrote:

Spaceman Effects Delta II is extremely nice and versatile. Does the shifting low pass/high pass harmonic thing, plus several other sounds (and special modes).

it is the only tremolo pedal i’ve ever liked, and i’ve even built two brown bias-vary tremolo amplifiers as well as a harmonic tremolo brown super amp.

the delta ii is staying on my board forever.

Welp, based on these comments Mr. Cosmonaut made, I went and grabbed one of these. I have just finished playing with it for a minute and I must say it is extremely pleasant, it sounds truly wonderful. Some of the controls are kind of weird, but I was able to get some really nice sounds out of it, totally comparable to the onboard fender brown stuff. It sounds awesome, thanks Mr. Cosmonaut!

Daniel Deathtide

In addition to the Surfy Trem, I've got an EHX Stereo Pulsar, which is fun because it has dual outputs for the stereo effect so you can run it to two amps. The trem effect is then like a ping-pong between the two amps.

oh man, I hope it doesn’t let you down! I do love the pedal and was pretty taken aback at its harmonic abilities. I found it easy to dial in THAT sound, but I love so much about this pedal: expression control is a bonus, having the frequencies below the crossover modulating slower than those above it is a pretty trick move.

if I just wanted harmonic tremolo, there are so many pedals now that can do it. I always want a bit more utility and control options

DeathTide wrote:

cosmonaut wrote:

Spaceman Effects Delta II is extremely nice and versatile. Does the shifting low pass/high pass harmonic thing, plus several other sounds (and special modes).

it is the only tremolo pedal i’ve ever liked, and i’ve even built two brown bias-vary tremolo amplifiers as well as a harmonic tremolo brown super amp.

the delta ii is staying on my board forever.

Welp, based on these comments Mr. Cosmonaut made, I went and grabbed one of these. I have just finished playing with it for a minute and I must say it is extremely pleasant, it sounds truly wonderful. Some of the controls are kind of weird, but I was able to get some really nice sounds out of it, totally comparable to the onboard fender brown stuff. It sounds awesome, thanks Mr. Cosmonaut!

Any opinions on SurfyBear Tremolo vs Supro Tremolo in Harmonic one? Surely I am a SurfyBear fan but this Supro also sounds sooo sweet…

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I got a Surfy Vibe and it’s very nice - except the frequency spread gets a tad too bassy, in my opinion. It’s a little too WOW-woo-WOW-woo. It could also use a slight volume boost. I wish there were a way to adjust the freqs. I have another pedal that does have adjustable freqs, and that one still sounds wrong.

Nothing I have heard sounds like my old brown amps. I’ve spend thousands on pedals that claimed they did. So I recently placed an order for a super expensive stereo tube harmonic vibe pedal from Milkman. I am hopeful my search will be over once I get that.

Note: I do like the Delta II but it needs a volume boost. It just disappears in a band situation.

Daniel Deathtide

Last edited: Jul 02, 2022 15:09:35

This is an interesting shootout between a lot of pedals that have been mentioned in this thread.

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DeathTide wrote:

Note: I do like the Delta II but it needs a volume boost. It just disappears in a band situation.

have you adjusted the volume trimpot inside? kind of annoying, but it was set and forget for my use, you may need on the fly adjustment however for yours.

cosmonaut wrote:

DeathTide wrote:

Note: I do like the Delta II but it needs a volume boost. It just disappears in a band situation.

have you adjusted the volume trimpot inside? kind of annoying, but it was set and forget for my use, you may need on the fly adjustment however for yours.

Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I’m so stupid. Thanks!! Okay then yes, that pedal is super great! I’d love a 2-channel version.

Daniel Deathtide

DeathTide wrote:

I’d love a 2-channel version.

They make one. Basically, you start by buying two of the pedals, and a roll of duct tape. Smile

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When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

BB_Bunny wrote:

This is an interesting shootout between a lot of pedals that have been mentioned in this thread.

Great shout out! Supro and SurfyBear for sure. Flint is also good but expensive and no need in these reverbs.

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

New Single is out!

https://waikikimakaki.bandcamp.com/album/rhino-blues-full-contact-surf-single

Waikiki Makaki

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

Samurai wrote:

BB_Bunny wrote:

This is an interesting shootout between a lot of pedals that have been mentioned in this thread.

Great shout out! Supro and SurfyBear for sure. Flint is also good but expensive and no need in these reverbs.

Supro and SurfyBear sounded best for me, too. Flint is as good. I had a Flint and the tremolo is great but I found the reverb to be underwhelming for it's total cost and as compared to other reverb/tremolo pedals I have.

Currently, my fave reverb/tremolo pedal is Mr. Black Deluxe Plus - it has a "buttery" bias-modulating tremolo.

I recently bought J. Rockett Audio Designs' Mr. Moto Tremolo & Reverb pedal. I like the tremolo on it and the reverb is decent. Used ones range from $139.99 - $179 on Reverb.

I have harmonic tremolo covered with my '62 Fender Pro and '63 Fender Showman. Love harmonic tremolo!

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I agree re: surfy and Supro. I wish they had the Delta II in this lineup as that one has my eye as well.
Are there notable recordings that use harmonic tremolo? I'm guessing subtlety is key, but the effect always sounds a bit more psych rock than surfy to my plebeian ears.

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BB_Bunny wrote:

I agree re: surfy and Supro. I wish they had the Delta II in this lineup as that one has my eye as well.
Are there notable recordings that use harmonic tremolo? I'm guessing subtlety is key, but the effect always sounds a bit more psych rock than surfy to my plebeian ears.

I’ve hear harmonic tremolo that literally made me seasick, but I’ve heard original examples that were sublime. I would agree that subtlety is key.

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When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

cosmonaut wrote:

Spaceman Effects Delta II is extremely nice and versatile. Does the shifting low pass/high pass harmonic thing, plus several other sounds (and special modes).

it is the only tremolo pedal i’ve ever liked, and i’ve even built two brown bias-vary tremolo amplifiers as well as a harmonic tremolo brown super amp.

the delta ii is staying on my board forever.

This pedal is great too! My #2 choice next to the Harmonious Monk.

DeathTide wrote:

I got a Surfy Vibe and it’s very nice - except the frequency spread gets a tad too bassy, in my opinion. It’s a little too WOW-woo-WOW-woo. It could also use a slight volume boost. I wish there were a way to adjust the freqs. I have another pedal that does have adjustable freqs, and that one still sounds wrong.

Nothing I have heard sounds like my old brown amps. I’ve spend thousands on pedals that claimed they did. So I recently placed an order for a super expensive stereo tube harmonic vibe pedal from Milkman. I am hopeful my search will be over once I get that.

Note: I do like the Delta II but it needs a volume boost. It just disappears in a band situation.

SurfyVibe is not a "tremolo". A vibrato pedal changes the pitch, a tremolo works with the volume. The SurfyVibe is based on the circuit of the Magnatone 280 amplifier's circuit, while the Surfy Industries SurfyTrem is based on the tremolo circuit of the brown and black Fender Showman.

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image

We have just released the SurfyTrem Deluxe!

DELUXE FEATURES
Compared to the standard SurfyTrem

★ stereo effects: the pedal can be used as two separate tremolos sharing the same LFO or for creating stereo effects from a mono source

★ volume control for adjusting the signal level when tremolo is enabled

★ true bypass functionality

★ soft touch footswitch

★ Brownface / Blackface click-less Mode Switch

★ polarity auto detection allowing to use power supplies with center-positive or center-negative polarity

★ extended supply voltage range accepting 9-12V DC 30mA

https://www.surfyindustries.com/surfytrem-deluxe

*we are also having a 10% off sale until Aug 31!

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http://www.facebook.com/pages/Satans-Pilgrims/8210228553
https://satanspilgrims.bandcamp.com/
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Last edited: Jul 07, 2022 16:25:35

AWESOME!!!! YESSSSSS!!! When I get home next week I’ll be ordering two and I don’t care if I can’t afford it. Brilliant!

Daniel Deathtide

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