As one of the earliest guitar effects, the tremolo effect is a popular choice among guitarists to create different sounds, from vintage amp-style wobble to aggressive helicopter chops. It was pretty common in the iconic 60’s tube amps like Vox AC30 and Fender Vibrolux, and today they can be found in most stompboxes.
There are many different tremolo pedals to choose from. They are a bit overlooked compared to other pedals like reverb, delay, and overdrive pedals, but tremolo effects are great to add some personality to your tone to make it stand out.
So here are the best tremolo pedals you can find today, all with different features and circuits for different needs.
TC Electronic Choka
- Versatile and authentic all-analog tremolo pedal
- Classic 3-knob design allows you to control speed and depth
- Seamlessly morph between soft and hard LFO styles
- True bypass for ultimate signal integrity
- Analog tremolo pedal
- Vintage amp tremolo tones
- Variable LFO, Speed, and Depth knobs
- True Bypass
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output
- 9V DC power adapter (sold separately)
TC Electronic Choka is a highly affordable yet great-sounding tremolo pedal, just like most pedal offerings of the TC Electronic company. It is a simple pedal with a 3-knob layout, including LFO, Speed, and Depth controls to craft your tremolo effect. Each dial has a great tonal movement to provide you with versatile tones, from slow and shallow tremolo effects to square-wave rhythmic chopper effects.
The all-analog pedal also has a True Bypass switch and standard 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output design. The build quality is also top-notch with the all-metal chassis. In short, TC Electronic Choka is one of the most cost-effective tremolo pedals out there with great sound.
JHS Pedals Tidewater
- Faithfully recreates some classic, beloved amp tremolos with a warmth and...
- With simple controls and a small footprint, you’ll be sailing the high...
- The volume control allows you to set the overall volume at unity, below...
- With the mix control turned all the way down you can use the tidewater as a...
- Analog tremolo pedal
- Vintage Fender and Vox amplifier-style tremolo
- It also acts as a warm preamp boost
- Internal DIP switch
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output
- True Bypass
- 9V DC power adapter (sold separately)
JHS Pedals Tidewater is a super compact tremolo pedal that is highly popular among new guitarists today. The relatively new company produces great pedals for guitarists, and Tidewater is no different. The slight old-school tremolo replicates the old Fender and Vox-style tremolo effects brilliantly.
The pedal provides a sweet, tasteful amp-style tremolo with its all-analog circuit. There are three controls on the panel Speed, Volume, and Mix knobs. The pedal acts like a great and warm preamp boost when you turn down the Mix knob and turn up the Volume knob.
Boss TR-2
- Tremolo Guitar Effects Pedal with Wave
- Depth Controls
- Wave control alters LFO waveform from triangle to square
- High-quality vintage guitar tremolo effects Dedicated Wave, Rate and Depth...
- Vintage tremolo pedal
- Great vintage tremolo effects
- Rate, Depth, and Wave knobs
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output
- Buffered Bypass
- 9V DC power adapter (sold separately) or 9V battery
The first brand to mind is Boss without hesitation when talking about pedals. Boss TR-2 is the industry standard tremolo effect pedal of the company, which comes with an easy-to-use design and great vintage sound. There are three knobs on the panel with rate, depth, and wave knobs for adjusting your sound.
The pedal lacks a volume knob which may be the only drawback, but the three-knob design is quite enough to create flexible tremolo effects from gentle triangular undulation to machine-gun style Tom Morello cuts.
Ibanez TRMINI
- Tremolo Guitar Effect Pedal with Wave
- Level Controls
- Depth
- Speed
- Analog tremolo pedal
- Wave, Speed, Depth, and Level knobs
- True Bypass
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output
- 9V DC power supply adapter (sold separately)
The ultra-compact tremolo pedal, Ibanez TRMINI, is Ibanez’s take on tremolo pedals with a small chassis but a big sound. It comes with a four-knob design with Wave, Speed, Depth, and Level knobs, along with a great footswitch for True Bypass.
The pedal is highly cost-effective as it is quite affordable, but the effect quality you get is pretty great. Wave control decides the waveform LFO, depth control decides the strength of the effect, a level trim knob is for proper gain staging, and the speed knob is to choose from subtle quivering to all-out manic pulsating. Overall, it is a tremolo effect pedal with a great value-for-price ratio.
Strymon Flint
- Stereo Multi-Fx Pedal
- 3 classic tube amp reverb styles and 3 tremolo modes
- Intensity, Speed knobs for Tremolo
- Mix, Color, and Decay knobs for Reverb
- Tremolo Mode Switch, Reverb Mode Switch
- Adjustable 3dB boost/cut
- True Bypass
- 1x ¼” input, 1x ¼” expression input, 2x ¼” stereo outputs
- Durable aluminum chassis
Strymon Flint is a high-end yet highly versatile and premium quality multi-fx pedal that comes with three different reverb and three different tremolo effect modes. There are intensity and speed controls with massive ranges to shape your tremolo sound.
There are three tremolo types, including ‘61 harm (a harmonic tremolo), ‘63 tube (a tube bias tremolo), and ‘65 photo (a photocell/optical tremolo). All the tremolo effects here are vintage-style tones, so if you are after modern-style tremolo sound, you should look elsewhere. But, if you are a vintage tremolo enthusiast and looking for a versatile pedal to have different vintage tremolo styles along with some reverb for spicing things up, this is the perfect pedal for you.
Fender Tre-Verb
- Independent trem and reverb effects
- Easy to use
- Classic reverb voicings based on spring units form '63 - '65
- Tone shaping controls
- Digital tremolo and reverb pedal
- Based on classic Fender amp circuits
- Level, Tone, Rate, Depth, Blend, Dwell knobs, and Mode Switches for Reverb and Tremolo
- Multiple tremolos and reverb modes
- Tap tempo for tremolo rate
- LED back-lit knobs
- 2 x 1/4″ (L/Mono, R), inputs 2 x 1/4″ (L/Mono, R) outputs
- True bypass
- 9V DC power adapter (sold separately)
Fender Tre-Verb brings back the iconic Fender amp tremolo and reverb circuits to you in a lightweight yet durable stompbox. The digital pedal is quite feature-packed and gives you three tremolo modes, including optical, bias, and harmonic modes. The harmonic mode is unique, with it giving a more uni-vibe tone to proceedings.
Another standout feature is the tap tempo function for the tremolo rate. There are plenty of controls to shape your tone, including a level control. So if you are looking for a vintage-sounding and quite versatile premium quality stompbox for tremolo and reverb effects, Fender Tre-Verb is a great choice to check out.
Walrus Audio Monument V2
- Converted to smaller enclosure
- Expanded capability of side jack: now supports external tempo or can...
- Improved tremolo response across all Rates
- Top mounted jacks
- Analog tremolo pedal
- Volume, Division, Rate, Shape, and Depth knobs
- Harmonic-Standard switch, 5 shape options, and 4 time division settings
- Tap tempo control for tremolo rate
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output, 1 x 1/4″ expression/tap port
- True bypass
- 9V DC power adapter (sold separately)
Walrus Audio Monument V2 is a highly versatile analog tremolo pedal that comes with plenty of control options. It features tap tempo and 4 time division settings, along with 5 shape options to sculpt your tremolo effect. The time division modes include quarter, triplet, 8th, and 16th notes, while 5 waveshapes equip you with many tones, from smooth to hard-edged effects.
The pedal also gives you the possibility to choose between Standard and Harmonic tremolo modes for 2 distinct effects. Also, the pedal has quite a bit of output gain, which allows you to use it as a boost pedal with some adjustments. If you want to get the most out of a tremolo pedal, this one is worth taking a look at.
Electro-Harmonix Nano Pulsar
- Adjustable modulation waveforms include sine wave, triangle and pulse...
- Modulation rate set by RATE knob, TAP TEMPO FSW, external Tap FSW or...
- The waveform phase for the right channel may be adjusted from 0 degrees to...
- Modulation Rate and Depth can interact with your playing by adding envelope...
- Analog tremolo pedal
- Volume, Depth, Shape, and Rate knobs
- Triangle and Square tremolo mode switches
- Status Led light
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 2 x 1/4″ (L/mono, R) outputs
- Buffered bypass
- 9.6V DC power adapter (sold separately)
Electro-Harmonix Nano Pulsar is a simple yet effective analog pedal with an attractive price for guitarists looking for a cost-effective tremolo pedal. It comes with volume, depth, shape, and rate knobs along with a triangle and square tremolo mode switch, giving you a decent amount of control over your sound.
The stereo output is a nice touch to increase the sound quality of your tone to provide you with ear-grabbing tremolo effects. Also, the stereo mode equips you with a mind-bending panning experience if you like to create some spaciousness with your sound. The mode switch is also great for harmonic roll-offs, and you can get a wide range of immersive pulsating effects when you combine it with the rate control.
Ernie Ball Expression Tremolo
- 5 different tremolo waveforms: slow rise, slow fall, sine, square, harmonic
- Control depth, rate, or both simultaneously with treadle
- Spring reverb level adjustment (Foot gesture controlled)
- Mono input/mono output
- Tremolo pedal with onboard expression control
- Depth, Rate, Waveform, Reverb control knobs
- Slow Rise, Slow Fall, Sine, Square, and Harmonic tremolo waveforms
- Expression pedal
- Reverb effects from subtle room ambiance to lush soundscapes
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output
- 9V DC power adapter (sold separately)
Ernie Ball Expression Tremolo is a unique tremolo pedal that comes with an expression pedal form. It has reverb and tremolo effects inside its circuits with depth, rate, and reverb controls, along with a tremolo waveform switch. The five modes, Slow Rise, Slow Fall, Sine, Square, and Harmonic tremolo waveforms, equip you with plenty of great and a limitless continuum of tremolo sounds to choose from.
The rocker-style expression pedal is the shining star that allows you to control your tone while playing. You can use the expression pedal to control any knob on the pedal, giving you a great transition whenever you need it. While the tremolo effects are great, the reverb tones of the pedal are also decent, which you can add to your tone to have increased versatility.
Source Vertigo Tremolo
- Three styles of tremolo including Opto Tremolo, Harmonic Tremolo, and Bias...
- Download additional hybrid modulation effect algorithms or access a deep...
- Pair the Vertigo with the Neuro Hub and save up to 128 presets recallable...
- Digital tremolo pedal
- Depth, Speed, Shape, and Level controls
- 3-mode tremolo switch
- 2 x 1/4″ inputs, 2 x 1/4″ outputs, 1 x 1/8″ control pedal port
- 1 x Mini-B USB-MIDI port
- True and Analog buffered bypass switch
- 9V DC power adapter (included)
The 3-mode tremolo pedal, Source Vertigo Tremolo, is a highly versatile tremolo pedal with a USB-MIDI port to shape your sound with the help of a smartphone or computer app. While there are Depth, Speed, Shape, and Level controls on the pedal, you can also unlock some hidden features with the app, including tap tempo, 4-band parametric EQ, presets, and more.
The 3 modes are normal, harmonic, and bias, which gives you different vintage tremolo effects from iconic amps like the 1967 Vibrolux, and 1962 Brownface Super. The normal mode gives you a great push-and-pull effect, the harmonic mode is greatly complex and phaser-like, and the bias mode delivers great tube saturation and an irregular pulse. The pedal is great for those who want full control over their sound.
Fulltone Supa-Trem Jr
- Tremolo Pedal with Tap Tempo
- Up to 15dB Boost
- 3 Waveforms
- Digital tremolo pedal
- Volume, Mix, and Rate controls
- 3 tremolo waveform modes: Square, Warble, Sine
- Tap Tempo function
- True Bypass switch
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output, 1 x 1/4″ control pedal port
- 9V DC to 18V DV power adapter (sold separately)
Fulltone Supa-Trem Jr is a reliable tremolo pedal with volume, mix, and rate controls and 3 distinctive tremolo waveform modes, including square, warble, and sine waveforms. It also features a tap tempo function and a true bypass switch for increased versatility.
The Photocell trem for classic tremolo sound is at the heart of the pedal. The 3 modes give quite a range of different tremolo effects, while speed controls give the ability to adjust your tremolo effect from an ultra-slow 10-second cycle to an ultra-fast 220 bpm and beyond.
TC Electronic Pipeline
- Top-notch and innovative tremolo pedal off ers customizable classic AND...
- Choose from 7 diff erent singular or combined subdivisions to custom tailor...
- Adjust up to 4 diff erent subdivisions in sequence to create cool rhythmic...
- Vintage Mode off ers carefully sculpted american-style amp-tremolo
- Analog-Digital hybrid tremolo pedal
- Speed, Depth, Volume, and Rhythmic Subdivision controls
- Tremolo mode switch with Vintage, Toneprint, and Square modes
- Toneprint technology for loading custom artist presets
- True bypass switch
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output, and Mini-USB port
- 9V DC power adapter (sold separately)
TC Electronic Pipeline is a flexible tremolo pedal with Toneprint technology that allows you to use the pedal with maximum versatility. With the mini USB connection, you can use the pedal with a smartphone or computer to load custom artist presets to your pedal. This way, you get a highly versatile tremolo pedal for different sounds.
The pedal also has speed, depth, volume, and rhythmic subdivision controls to finetune your sound, while the 3-mode switch allows you to have different tremolo effects. You can use the vintage and square modes or the toneprint mode for different presets.
Stone Deaf Tremotron
- The Tremotron is a "Dual" analogue tremolo that's like nothing you will...
- What this means is you can set each tremolo at different speeds and they...
- You can also save 4 presets within the pedal and save and recall 128...
- Keyboard, Footswitch. An expression input allows you control via expression...
- Dual analog tremolo pedal
- Tone, Level, Depth, Rate, and Shape controls
- Rhythmic Subdivision switch
- 4 presets on the pedal, 128 presets to recall via MIDI input
- True Bypass and Tap Tempo footswitches
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output, 1 x 1/4″ expression pedal port and 5-pin MIDI input
- 9V DC power adapter (sold separately)
Stone Deaf Tremotron is a unique tremolo pedal with an analog circuit and digital controls. It gives you the option to use the pedal with a MIDI device, including DAW, Keyboard, or a Footswitch, to recall more than 128 presets that you can recall. You can save 4 presets to the pedal to switch between and finetune your sound with Tone, Level, Depth, Rate, Shape controls, and a rhythmic subdivision switch.
You can set each tremolo at different speeds, and they automatically sync in time with each other using the same syncopations. This way, you can combine different tremolo effects to reach endless possibilities. It is a great tremolo pedal with true bypass and tap tempo switches to experiment and reach new and innovative sounds.
Supro Tremolo
- with Switchable Amplitube/Harmonic Tremolo Modes Expression Pedal Input
- Tremolo Effects Pedal
- Analog tremolo pedal
- Depth, Gain, and Speed controls
- Two tremolo modes: Harmonic and Amplitude
- True Bypass
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output, 1 x 1/4″ expression pedal port
- 9V DC power adapter (sold separately) or 9V battery
Supro Tremolo delivers great tremolo effects with its two modes, Harmonic and Amplitude, to deliver you great vintage tremolo effects. The harmonic mode provides the unique sound of Fender’s early-’60s amplifiers, while the amplitude mode is for the classic, swampy sound of bias-modulated tube tremolo.
You can use the Depth, Gain, and Speed controls to sculpt your sound, with the gain control being the standout feature. It allows driving the output transformer for magnetic saturation. The pedal also has a true bypass switch and works with either a power supply or battery power.
Chase Bliss Audio Gravitas
- Analog circuitry
- Volume, tone, Modushape wave selector
- Depth, sway, and drive controls
- Rate and tap cotrols
- Analog tremolo pedal
- Drive, Volume, Tone, Rate, Depth, and Sway controls
- Tap tempo and dual Modeshapes
- True Bypass
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output, 1 x 1/4″ expression pedal port
- 9V DC or 18V DC power adapter (sold separately) or 9V battery
Chase Bliss Audio Gravitas is a great choice to check out if you like the warmth of analog tremolo effects. It comes with an all-analog circuit and a high range of tone control options to shape your sound. With tap divisions and different waveforms as well as Drive, Volume, Tone, Rate, Depth, Sway controls, and dual-mode shapes, you have great control over your sound.
Plus, the pedal can work with a power adapter or a battery. It also has a true bypass circuit and expression pedal input increasing the flexibility of the pedal.
Voodoo Lab Tremolo
- Tremolo Foot Pedal with Intensity
- Volume Knobs
- Speed
- Slope
- Analog tremolo pedal
- Authentic lamp and photocell tremolo circuit
- Intensity, Speed, Slope, and Volume knobs
- True bypass switch
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output
- 9V DC power adapter (sold separately) or 9V battery
Voodoo Lab Tremolo is an analog tremolo pedal with an Authentic lamp and a photocell tremolo circuit. You have the Intensity, Speed, Slope, and Volume knobs on the control panel, with the slope control being the standout feature to control the shape of the tremolo waveform.
You can reach the classic tremolo effects like shimmer, surf, leslie, and slutter effects with the directions in the manual, which tells you how to adjust the control knobs to reach the effects. The pedal recreates the vintage tremolo effects brilliantly with the same lamp and photocell found in many iconic tube amps.
Fender MTG Tube Tremolo
- Analog Tube Tremolo
- NOS 6205 preamp tube
- Tap tempo
- Powered via 9V adaptor (not included)
- Analog tremolo pedal
- NOS 6205 preamp tube
- Level, Speed, Intensity, Wave control knobs, and Tremolo waveform mode switch
- True Bypass and Tap Tempo footswitches
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output
- 9V DC power adapter (sold separately)
Fender MTG Tube Tremolo is one of the most popular tremolo pedals, with its all-analog circuit based on the real NOS 6205 preamp tube. It replicates the rich and chewy sonic character of the vintage Fender amp tremolo effect, which is perfect for vintage tremolo effect lovers. It comes with Level, Speed, Intensity, Wave control knobs, and a Tremolo waveform mode switch to shape your sound and has the tap tempo function for further timing adjustments.
It has 3 different waveforms available and three waveform variations to morph between in each mode. It is quite a versatile vintage tremolo effect pedal to get the 70’s tremolo effects.
Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter
- Demo Shape Shifter Stereo Tremolo Pedal
- Stereo tremolo pedal
- Wave, Shape, Depth, and Speed controls
- True Hardwire bypass switch
- 2 x 1/4″ input, 2 x 1/4″ output
- 9-18V DC power supply (sold separately), 9V battery
As the name suggests, Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter is a highly versatile tremolo pedal like a shapeshifter. It comes with variable wave shape, rate/ratio switchability, tap tempo control, and stereo in/out features, all of which allow you to have great tremolo effects from sine to triangle to square waves and everything in between.
The controls on the pedal allow for precise tone-shaping and an amazing sound quality that does not mess with your original tone, thanks to the all-analog circuit. The stereo feature elevates the sound quality, giving you the option for great spanning options.
Keeley Hydra
- Stereo high-fidelity Reverb and Tremolo effect pedal
- Dreamy and accurate sounding Spring, Plate, and Room Reverbs
- Vintage-voiced Harmonic, Vibrato, and Sine Tremolo
- 3 Preset locations
- Digital stereo reverb and tremolo pedal
- 3 Reverbs, 3 Tremolos, and 3 User Preset Slots
- Rate, Color, Dwell, Depth, and Mixer controls
- Buffered and True bypass (switchable)
- 2 x 1/4″ (L/mono,R), input 2 x 1/4″ (L/mono,R) output, 1 x 1/4″ TRS (expression), 1 x 1/4″ TRS (tap tempo)
- 9V DC power adapter required (sold separately)
If you are looking for a reverb and tremolo effects pedal in the same stompbox, Keeley Hydra is a hard-to-beat option with its 3 great reverb and 3 impressive tremolo modes, along with 3 user presets to combine them. It features a stereo operation option and has Rate, Color, Dwell, Depth, and Mixer controls to sculpt your reverb and tremolo tones from scratch.
The pedal is equipped with a switchable Buffered and True bypass option and a port for expression pedal along with a port for tap tempo. The effects you get from the pedal are quite great, and the option to combine them makes this one highly flexible.
Jam Pedals Harmonious Monk
- All-analog tremolo pedal
- 2 selectable LFOs, harmonic and amplitude modes
- Depth, Speed, Level, and Mix controls
- 3-band EQ & Output Level internal trimmers
- Intense-Subtle switch
- True bypass switch
- 1 x 1/4″ input, 1 x 1/4″ output
- 9V DC power adapter required (sold separately) or 9V battery
Jam Pedals Harmonious Monk is a handmade tremolo pedal with plenty of control options and selectable LFO modes, including harmonic and amplitude modes. It provides harmonic tremolo effects and different modulation intensities. With the control options, you can fully control your tremolo effect, which is great for guitarists looking to experiment with their tremolo tones.
The pedal features a true bypass switch and traditional 1 x 1/4″ input and output ports. Plus, it comes with 3-band EQ & Output Level internal trimmers for further adjustments. Overall, it is a unique and impressive tremolo effect pedal.
Conclusion
Tremolo is an often overlooked but great effect to add some spice and unique character to your tone. It is one of the earliest guitar effects and is great for guitarists who like to experiment with different tonal characters.
There are many great tremolo pedals on the market, and these are some of the best ones with different tonal characters and features. You can check any of them depending on your needs without hesitation.
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Last update on 2024-12-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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