Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper Tremolo

tumpinjahosafat · #1 03-09-2008, 01:58 PM

Any thoughts on this? The search bar wouldn't find me anything so i figured id ask. Ive found a few video demos, and a few audio. It looks like a sick tremolo, you can program different settings of the tremolo by multiplying the speed (set by the tap tempo) and then sequencing them in any order you like. It looks really cool, a little pricey at around 300 USD but id give it a try once i get the bucks. Anyone TB'ers have this pedal and would like to share experiences?

http://www.lightfootlabs.com/ (official website)
http://www.analoguehaven.com/lightfootlabs/goatkeeper/ (some clips)

Toasted · #2 03-09-2008, 02:03 PM

I've been going nuts to get one, but the original run is totally sold out and the Goatkeeper 2 list is totally sold out.

Ron Now · #3 03-09-2008, 02:24 PM

These dudes are bastards...make more pedals, and stop toying with my need of that one.

tumpinjahosafat · #4 03-09-2008, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toasted

I've been going nuts to get one, but the original run is totally sold out and the Goatkeeper 2 list is totally sold out.

ya since i made this thread ive done some more research, and i found out that yes, the first run sold out then they went into redesigning and their going to redo the artwork and make it in a smaller enclosure. But i didn't hear that they sold out the second run...that last bit of news just killed me. I really want this pedal badlllyyyyyyy

JoshC · #5 03-09-2008, 04:56 PM

It's just too hard to get ahold of. Maybe when he starts making them on a regular basis it will be a little more tempting. Right now it's just got that whole: "Aren't I awesome? But you can't have me. :P" thing going on.

whoatherechunk · #6 02-05-2009, 05:51 PM

man. these things sound totally rad....they are like a suped up version of the empress tremolo.

Joe Gress · #7 02-05-2009, 05:59 PM

It looks damn cool, and it has lots of different options to play with, but it looks like it's still delayed:
http://www.lightfootlabs.com/

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lightfoot Labs

Jan. 28th, 2009 - Unfortunately the GK2 jacks which have been on order since mid September of last year have now again been delayed several more weeks. Several people have asked about a waiting list and I'm sorry, but I just don't have the additional time required to do that sort of thing. However, the website does have an RSS feed that you can subscribe to. Click here http://lightfootlabs.com/rss.xml or the RSS icon in your browser's URL field. The GK2 run is quite large (150 pieces) so I believe everyone that's been waiting will be able to get one. I've decided to make this the only production run of the the "small box" goatkeeper. The next one will return to the larger Hammond DD box, as the custom box was far more trouble than I care to deal with again.

But it sounds very cool though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYJuWa-RIXU

**grygrx** · #8 02-05-2009, 06:53 PM

I asked Sean at analogue haven to put me on the list like a year ago. He didn't seem to think it would happen, but each time I check it seems like there is still some forward progress.

whoatherechunk · #9 02-05-2009, 07:02 PM

i'm going to call analogue haven to put me on the list. hopefully it's not like the toneczar list.

Jared Lash · #10 02-05-2009, 07:31 PM

There's a local guitarist I know who has one. I've heard him use it in a band mix, but not by itself.

I've always been curious, but after selling the Empress because it was overkill, I can't imagine I'd pony up for a Goatkeeper even if I could find one.

excane · #11 02-05-2009, 08:03 PM

Damn now.....if it has a goat on it, I think I eventually must have one.

VERY, very nice looking effect.

Toasted · #12 02-06-2009, 03:15 AM

Honestly dudes, trem on bass is useless.

dannybuoy · #13 02-06-2009, 04:11 AM

Kings Of Leon have used it tastefully in a couple of songs. But this unit would be overkill for that kind of sound, more usefull in a big board of fuzzes, synths and moogerfoogers!

jetofuj · #14 02-06-2009, 04:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigO

I've always been curious, but after selling the Empress because it was overkill, I can't imagine I'd pony up for a Goatkeeper even if I could find one.

I still want to pick up Empress tremolo. I also think that it's overkill, but I cannot find simpler tremolo with square wave which is as good quality as Empress.

katri · #15 02-06-2009, 06:31 AM

What do the middle 4 knobs actually do?

RCCollins · #16 02-06-2009, 07:16 AM

Anyway, as awesome, as diverse as this goatkeeper (and the Empress for that matter) appears, the lowpass mode on the EBS trem makes their waveform selectors less impressive somehow.

Jared Lash · #17 02-06-2009, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jetofuj

I still want to pick up Empress tremolo. I also think that it's overkill, but I cannot find simpler tremolo with square wave which is as good quality as Empress.

Yeah, I don't know how the Goatkeeper does in terms of square wave. My guess would be pretty good, though it seems to have a lot of other wave forms that I'm not sure I'd use.

The Empress does do square wave really well though. I may pick up a Earthquaker Hummingbird at some point for that purpose.

**grygrx** · #18 02-06-2009, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigO

Yeah, I don't know how the Goatkeeper does in terms of square wave. My guess would be pretty good, though it seems to have a lot of other wave forms that I'm not sure I'd use.

The Empress does do square wave really well though. I may pick up a Earthquaker Hummingbird at some point for that purpose.

Just a note, I think the hummingbird v2 is out (or about to be out).

RCCollins · #19 02-06-2009, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jetofuj

I still want to pick up Empress tremolo. I also think that it's overkill, but I cannot find simpler tremolo with square wave which is as good quality as Empress.

EBS TremoLo. It has fewer features than the Empress, but it has a square wave that sounds GREAT on bass and as I mentioned moments ago, the lowpass mode makes it useful on bass in a way no other trem I've tried is.

Jared Lash · #20 02-06-2009, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toasted

Honestly dudes, trem on bass is useless.

Always hard to tell if Toasted is being serious or engaging in a Munji style fishing expedition. Any any event, I posted this a while back in terms of using tremolo on bass:

Quote:

My Empress Tremolo is still one of my favorite effects, and I love trems on bass in general.

I use my trem in a lot of ways. Slow pulsing basslines are a favorite. But I've also cranked the rate (and with the Empress I use the differen rhythms) along with a flanger and harmonics (and some compression) to give an eerie, underwater type sound.

I also like to set my Empress to transition between two speeds (with a normal trem you could just adjust the rate with your foot or use something like a 3rd Hand) where the first rate is fairly high and the second is very low. It gives this "braking" type sound which is good for leading into something else.

Also, I sometimes I keep the depth relatively low and use a triangle wave just to give lines a bit of color without a full on trem effect. Or I set it to square wave with high depth with a fuzz or distortion (I like the XXLB for this) for a really biting rhythmic pulse. Finally, something I've found I like to do lately is to set the trem to the beat of a song and then play slightly ahead of the beat so my initial attack is lost for the most part and I get sort of a reverse delay/sudden autoswell type of sound. Very cool.

Things have changed for me. Playing a lot with a sub-bass type sound (for dub & d'n'b style stuff) it limits the use of trem and the Empress doesn't have the headroom (especially on square wave) to really get pegged with loud, deep bass sounds (OC-2 into Moog LPF) without artifacts so I no longer have mine.

Still, if I was doing indie or post rock stuff, or even classic rock in a CCR type vein I'd still have it on my board. But I still can't imagine the Goatkeeper not being overkill for a bass player unless you were a solo/ERB player who used it when playing up high.

Otherwise I'm guessing it's similar to the Cusack stuff (Tap-A-Whirl, Tap-A-Phase). Very cool, but too many of the features/modes are too subtle to really make a difference.