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Bass Friendly Tremolo?

bobbass4k

bobbass4k

Jan 27, 2005
290
91
37
York/Canterbury (UK)
#1
I did do a search but couldn't find anything specifically about low end loss.

I'm after a mid priced trem and I was reading up on the keeley modded TR-2 and it said that they improved the bass response from the stock model, so is low end loss/response to bass freqs common among tremolos?

I'm looking at the T-Rex Tremster or the Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter, or anything else around that price range
 
#3
bongomania said:
This is the first time I've heard of any tremolo losing any low end. The vast majority of them are perfectly bass friendly.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, I was just going on the description of the keeley modded tr-2, so maybe he just added more bass.

Any reccomendations for a trem around my price range then? Looking to spend ideally £100-£125 (aboot $150-$175 now, damned recession)
 
#5
I use a Voodoo Lab Tremolo on bass, and I really like it, great for a range of classic tremolo tones, from sine wave to helicopter chops, I highly recommend it.

Some tremolo pedals don't have a volume control, and since they modulate amplitude, it's possible that the average loudness of your signal can go down when you kick on a trem, causing a perceived loss of volume, but the Voodoo Lab Tremolo has a volume control that is capable of boost, so that's never a problem.
 
#8
bongomania said:
This is the first time I've heard of any tremolo losing any low end. The vast majority of them are perfectly bass friendly.
Click to expand...

RickenBoogie said:
You should be able to use any trem you want. There are subtle tonal differences, but most are fairly straight up. No worries on low end loss with any, as far as I know.
Click to expand...

+1. A tremolo is simply a volume effect so there shouldn't be any low end loss. The only difficulty I've experienced with a trem and bass is if you hit it with a hot signal and it produces some artifacts.

Funkinthetrunk said:
Never noticed any low end loss with my Kahler.
Click to expand...

Even the great ones make mistakes. Vibrato arm Leo, Vibrato.
 
#11
I tried the Pulsar and loved the tone but the volume drop when engaged was kind of disappointing. I also tried the Voodoo Labs and felt that it would be a good choice as it has a volume control.

I have the new MXR analog trem on my little guitar board and its really warm and sweet sounding but also has no volume control so the drop in volume when engaged is audible.
 
#13
Boss PN-2 for life.


DSCN2031.jpg
 
#14
I've never tried the T-Rex, but if your budget is $200 or less then you have quite a few options. Having only heard it on guitar, I like the Shape Shifter. Very versatile and tap tempo which is a great feature. My only concern is not having a volume knob. Don't know if it has an internal trimmer or not, but I always set my tremolo slightly above unity so it would be a deal breaker for me if it didn't.

Mark Olson said:
I use a Voodoo Lab Tremolo on bass, and I really like it, great for a range of classic tremolo tones, from sine wave to helicopter chops, I highly recommend it.

Some tremolo pedals don't have a volume control, and since they modulate amplitude, it's possible that the average loudness of your signal can go down when you kick on a trem, causing a perceived loss of volume, but the Voodoo Lab Tremolo has a volume control that is capable of boost, so that's never a problem.
Click to expand...

Great points from Mark. And the Voodoo Lab is probably my favorite sub $150 trem. Not as feature packed as others but a great sound.

Intolerantbass said:
Im using a Guyatone VT X Vintage Tremolo and love it .

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Click to expand...

Great trem. The Semaphore is definitely worth considering in this price range too.
 
#15
TheBigO said:
I've never tried the T-Rex, but if your budget is $200 or less then you have quite a few options. Having only heard it on guitar, I like the Shape Shifter. Very versatile and tap tempo which is a great feature. My only concern is not having a volume knob. Don't know if it has an internal trimmer or not, but I always set my tremolo slightly above unity so it would be a deal breaker for me if it didn't.



Great points from Mark. And the Voodoo Lab is probably my favorite sub $150 trem. Not as feature packed as others but a great sound.



Great trem. The Semaphore is definitely worth considering in this price range too.
Click to expand...


I'm hoping this thread can convince that I don't need the Empress and that I would be happy with the T-Rex, Semaphore or Voodoo Lab trems. Of those, I've only played the T-Rex and I thought it sounded great. Simple controls and easy to dial in. But usually like effects that can get a little more crazy than the Tremster.

Has anyone run the Semaphore on 12V? If so, does it improve the headroom more for bass? It would be easy for me to run it on 12V with my PP+. I'd rather not hog two slots for 18V.
 
#17
rcubed said:
I'm hoping this thread can convince that I don't need the Empress and that I would be happy with the T-Rex, Semaphore or Voodoo Lab trems. Of those, I've only played the T-Rex and I thought it sounded great. Simple controls and easy to dial in. But usually like effects that can get a little more crazy than the Tremster.

Has anyone run the Semaphore on 12V? If so, does it improve the headroom more for bass? It would be easy for me to run it on 12V with my PP+. I'd rather not hog two slots for 18V.
Click to expand...

It does indeed improve with 12V. I would say 12v would keep it in the realm of liking the sound for me :)
 

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