Like a good reverb, tremolo is an effect that you previously needed to buy the right amp to have. Amps of the 50s and 60s often featured at tremolo circuit driven by power tubes that was the last element before it hit the speaker. While you can still get amps with great tremolos on board, the modern player is likely to prefer something pedal-based to complement a larger pedalboard and offer greater versatility. Below we’ve collected 15 of the best tremolo pedals on the market to help you add that signature sparkle or hard chop to your tone.
To ensure that you have access to every tremolo you might ever need, start here. This Diamond unit is extremely flexible, letting you choose your favorite waveform among shark fin, sine wave, square wave, and chop. This is achieved with a microprocessor, though this maintains an analog signal path to ensure true tone.
This unit includes controls for Speed, Depth, Volume, and Timing. The Timing knob allows you to select a tappable trem mode so you can dial the speed in exactly with the timing of the song. When you do this, the LED will flash on beat so you can see the tempo. You can also choose chaotic mode, which will randomize the speed for experimental passages.
An outstanding, often underrated and overlooked option. It’s true that it’s a little bit of a pedalboard hog in these days of compact, do-it-all pedals, but this is a stalwart certainly worth considering.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, this tiny Mooer device provides a basic tremolo in a small, true bypass package. We included it on our best cheap guitar pedals list because it’s excellent for introducing a touch of trem exactly when you need it. Set this pedal up near the end of your pedal chain and leave it.
Should you want to make changes, however, you get controls for Depth, Bias, and Speed. It’s clear from the design that only speed is really meant to be adjusted on the fly, since the Depth and Bias knobs are more like trim pots. Bias introduces tonal coloring to the sound wave, which is an option you don’t get on any other pedal on this list.
Save space on your pedalboard with this straightforward unit that offers a little something extra at a very low price.
While it isn’t as sought after as its predecessor, the PN-2, this unit will provide all the tremolo most guitarists will ever need. You should only mourn the loss of the stereo outputs of the PN-2 if you actually run two amps simultaneously. For the rest of us, the rock-solid TR-2 more than does the job.
For controls, you get Rate, Wave, and Depth. The Wave knob in this case changes the shape of the sound wave on a spectrum from triangle to square. This is among the cheaper options on this list, giving you access to high quality tremolo for less than $100.
This is a good buy for a reliable, flexible unit that is endlessly replaceable should anything ever happen to it. Getting locked into out-of-production model might give you more mojo, but you can be less precious with this.
Already fairly reasonably priced, used umodified examples go for as low as $50 on Reverb, where you can also find Keeley, Analogman, Alchemy and other modded versions, as well. The mods are often well above asking price for a stock new version, however.
For something truly unique, you can always count on OBNE. This spectacular device combines old and new, side by side, optionally in parallel or series.
The left side of this pedal, as controlled by the blue knobs, is a digital tremolo. Those knobs include Rate, Volume, Depth, and a five-way waveform selector. This side can be controlled by a tap tempo switch, which also becomes a ramp switch when held for short passages of increasing or decreasing rate.
The right side is a triangle wave, amp-style analog tremolo. The controls for that are simple and straightforward with Depth, Volume, and Rate. This means that you can have your traditional, fully-analog tremolo sound always available while leaving open the possibility for exciting experimentation.
Using the Volume knobs, you can blend both sides together or turn one off completely. When both are mixed in, a switch in the middle controls whether these are output as independent wave forms acting on the signal in Parallel mode, or the analog side running into the digital side in Parallel mode.
Parallel mode is where the truly innovative sounds live, venturing into synthy and shattered territory as the waveforms interact. This can also lead so them working against each other and canceling out entirely in some settings, so some experimentation is required to dial in your favorite settings. Still, there’s really nothing else quite like this on the market at the moment, so it’s definitely worth considering.
Equally unique, though more squarely focused on tremolo, this EarthQuaker Devices unit is a harmonic tremolo, which means that the signal is split into high and low pass filters. This produces a tremolo with greater depth and wilder over all character. In amps, they would require three tubes on their own to run, which meant that they were quite rare.
This is a complicated pedal with several different modes, depending on the tones you’re looking for. The Rate switch gives you an option between Manual and Attack. In Manual mode, you can set the tremolo rate with the Rate knob. In Attack mode, the Rate knob controls the sensitivity of the speed change. As you pick harder, the tremolo speeds up.
The Frequency switch changes between three modes for adjusting the filter modulation. In LFO mode, the filters are continuously swept based on the speed set by the Frequency knob. In Manual mode, you control all parameters by the knob settings. In Attack mode, the filters are swept according to your pick, as with the Rate Attack, which is like an envelope pedal.
Otherwise, you get knobs for Level and Depth, which perform their normal expected functions. If you ever wanted harmonic tremolo, this is the pedal for you.
Of course, if all that is too complicated, EQD also makes an easier-to-comprehend tremolo in the form of the Hummingbird. This is a hard-clipping sawtooth trem with three speed modes and Depth, Rate, and Level controls. With the Depth turned to zero, the pedal becomes a JFET clean booster. I use this one and highly recommend it, but of course, it isn’t a harmonic tremolo.
Unprecedented control is the hallmark of any Chase Bliss pedal, and the Gravitas is no different. There are many, many configurations possible with this pedal to let you dial in your exact dream tremolo.
Right off the bat, the important detail is that this is both a standard and a harmonic tremolo, and it can be used as either of those or both at once. Much like the similarly complicated Malekko Sneak Attack, you can also control the shape of both the tremolo attack and decay using the ModuShape function, each selectable between sine, triangle and square. These are further modified by the Depth and Sway knobs, the latter of which sets the centerpoint between your desired attack and decay waveforms.
Otherwise, you have controls for Drive, Volume, Tone, and Rate, and the switch for choosing which (or both) style of tremolo you want. The owners manual suggests turning the Volume up all the way and controlling the level with Drive. However, the Drive knob only performs this function when the famous/infamous dip switches Chase Bliss is known for are not set to assign a different Ramp control to this knob.
Those dip switches will allow you to customize what the Ramp or Expression pedal controls, and will also let you change the selector for the tremolo type to a note subdivision. The Rate knob can be overridden by the Tap tempo switch, and a preset switch between the footswitches allows you to call up two favorite settings on the fly. Naturally, all of this is addressable via MIDI, as well.
Even if you never touch the endlessly assignable dipswitch functionality, finite control over the two halves of the waveform is pretty sweet, and this is a fantastic sounding thing.
Like the Night Wire, this relatively new release from Supro includes a pretty wicked recreation of a 60s Fender harmonic tremolo. There aren’t nearly as many options for it in this, but it is a sweet sounding thing. This unit also comes with the Amplitude tremolo circuit, which emulates the original design found in Supro amps during their original run.
That Amplitude circuit worked by bias modulating the power tubes in the amplifier. It’s a very distinctive sound that is quite separate from harmonic tremolo, so having both at the ready is handy.
Regardless of which you use, both are controlled via standard Depth, Gain, and Speed knobs. Speed can further be controlled via an external expression pedal, if you like. It’s a little on the pricey side considering some of the other options on this list, but it sounds really, really good.
The rebirth of Supro has come with fairly hefty pricetags for all their new products, even if they’re spectacular. There aren’t a ton of used ones kicking around, but they occasionally appear on Reverb for under $200.
Back in 2018 when the new Fender pedal line debuted, I reviewed the full original set and complained that they had released a reverb pedal with Room, Hall, and Shimmer, but no amp-style reverb. At the time, Fender said that if you wanted their amp reverb, you should buy their amps.
I’m not sure if this Tre-Verb was already in the works at that point or whether they heard too many complaints like mine, but whatever the situation, they eventually did bring this pedal to market, which appears very consciously to be aimed at the Strymon Flint. The reverb side features voicings based on their classic ’63 and ’65 spring units, as well as a plate for good measure.
The reason it makes this list is that the left side of the pedal contains your choice of three different tremolo circuits. They’re all based upon those that would have appeared in amplifiers, which means your options are Optical, Bias, and Harmonic Vibrato, which you’ll notice are mighty similar to the optoins on the Flint. This is in lieu of being able to shape the waveform as other options on this list allow.
Controls for these include Level, Rate, and Depth, all for the tremolo circuit, Tone, Blend and Dwell for the reverb circuit, and a switch on the top that allows you to choose whether the reverb feeds into tremolo or the other way around. Footswitches allow you to use each independently, as well. A blue LED by the Rate knob signals your current tempo.
Also like the Flint, this is a fully stereo device, which is a really nice touch.
Of course Electro-Harmonix have an entry in the tremolo pedal game. Theirs takes the form of their medium format pedals, which means it’s a bit of a pedalboard hog. Still, unlike most of the other options on this list, the Stereo Pulsar gives you the option for stereo out. When you have two output sources, you can greatly increase the effect by using it in stereo.
Controls include Depth, Shape, and Rate. There’s a switch to choose the waveform between triangle and square wave. When the Depth knob is beyond one o’clock, the tremolo intermodulates. The Shape knob allows you to dial in the exact format of the pulse. The LED blinks in time on this one, as well.
To my ears, this one is a little more retro sounding than some of the others. It has good flexibility and a great price, so it’s worth a look.
If you want to capture the true magic of an amp-style tremolo, you’ll need to get a tube involved. If your amp doesn’t have at tremolo circuit, this very new offering from Origin will solve this for you.
Based in part on the company’s outrageously-good RevivalDrive, this is an all-analogue, tube-based bias tremolo modeled after the circuit in the 1962 Fender Deluxe Brownface. Bias tremolo is different than the other types on this list because it works by varying the voltage running through the tube. As gain increases, so does saturation, and as headroom runs out, digging in causes the tremolo to fade behind your playing.
In a lot of ways, this is strictly opposite from other designs, as most tremolo pedals can be driven harder to increase the effect of the trem. If you play with a lot of dynamics and rely heavily on touch, this is probably a better choice than a lot of the other options on the market.
Thanks to the on-board tube, you can also use this as a tube preamp, capable of slight boosts or quite heavy drive. The trem circuit has a separate footswitch so the boost section can be on separately, if you so desire. Additionally, the Post-Drive EQ section is meant to allow you to adjust the output so you can use it into an amp, FRFR speakers, or directly into an interface for use with impulse response profiles.
Controls on this unit include Drive, Tone, Output, Speed, and Intensity. The range of the Speed knob is controlled with a three-way Multi switch for setting the precise range you prefer. Tap tempo is also accessible by adding an external footswitch, wherein the Multi switch functions more like a note subdivision setting. The Shape allows you to choose between traditional sine wave or “full wave”, which is an asymmetrical setting that isn’t as smooth.
The Post-Drive EQ consists of two controls. The Mode switch selects between P/AMP for use with FRFR monitors, EQ1 modeled after Fender Blackface amps, and EQ2 modeled after Marshall-style amps. These are meant to be used to dial in the right EQ shape for the amp you’re using, which is further modified and fine tuned with the ADJ knob, which attenuates bass and shapes the high end.
If you’ve tried everything else and found them lacking and otherwise like your amp that is missing only a top-shelf tremolo, this is the pedal for you. Having what amounts to most of the RevivalDrive Compact pedal on board certainly goes a long way to justifying the price, too.
Watch JLeonardJ’s demo to get a sense of this top-shelf offering.
This is so new that used versions are going to be hard to come by for awhile, but you can sell some gear on Reverb to help finance this mighty device.
Demeter Amplification pedals are usually pretty austere items, with virtually nothing in the way of design work on the no-nonsense boxes. The Tremulator is no different.
So the story goes, Demeter began when Ry Cooder asked James Demeter for a tremolo pedal in 1982, and a company was born when he delivered this, more or less. It’s mutated somewhat over time, but this amp-style optical tremolo is more or less the same legendary effect used by Clapton, Radiohead, and others.
This is a bread-and-butter tremolo, providing only knobs for Depth and Speed. Of course, it goes well beyond anything an amp would be capable of, so the range of both knobs is quite large. A lot of high-profile players like it, so maybe you will, too.
If you don’t have much room on your pedalboard but want something nicer than the Mooer on this list, you may want to consider this Tidewater from JHS. It is quite a lot more expensive, but it’s quite a bit nicer, too.
This aims to recreate a classic amp-style tremolo along the lines of a vintage Fender. The simple controls – Volume, Speed, and Mix – will let you dial in that perfect pulse without much fuss. The range on the volume knob is variable from below unity to at unity to boosted above unity, if you find yourself needing the boost when the trem comes on.
Speaking of boost, with the Mix all the way down, this makes an excellent preamp booster, which can drive your tube amp, especially if you have few other pedals on your board. The small size means this is a well-rounded utility player with above-average sound quality that won’t take space away from even a compact board.
If you need a bit more functionality, you can alter the range of the Speed knob using three dip switches on the back of the PCB. In the down position, you’ll have a lower range and in the up position, a larger one.
If you like JHS generally but need more flexibility in your tremolo pedal, consider the JHS Kodiak, which has tap tempo and four waveforms.
The Mike Hermans demo of this simple but lovely unit offers some great tones.
An absolute monster of the tremolo pedal genre, this offering from Strymon weds three different vintage trem options to three different vintage reverb options within one enclosure. Even better, this has stereo outputs, as well as optional stereo input with the use of a TRS cable and switching an internal jumper.
Like all Strymon devices, the apparent controls are supplemented with a secondary set of functions. The tremolo side is controlled with an Intensity and a Speed knob. A switch allows you to choose between a 1961 harmonic tremolo, 1963 tube-driven tremolo, and a 1965 photocell tremolo. The secondary functions of the knobs are Tremolo Boost/Cut, which lets you boost or cut by 3dB, and Tap Subdivision, which lets you choose between sixteenth, triplet, eight, and quarter notes. The tap timing is only available when using an external trigger switch.
The reverb side of the pedal offers three different tones: 60s spring, 70s plate, and 80s digital hall rack verb. The last of these is very similar to the Alexander Sky Fi we put on our reverb-delay combo pedals post (which incidentally also has another Strymon pedal on it). Otherwise, you get controls for Mix and Decay, as well as a Color knob that allows you to dial it in to your amp.
Secondary controls for the reverb knobs include Reverb Boost/Cut, which mirrors the one on the tremolo side. The Decay knob turns into Effect Order, which allows you to flip which side comes first in the signal chain so you don’t have to sacrifice the flexibility that two separate units would afford you.
I see this pedal absolutely everywhere. If vintage tones are what you’re after, it’s hard to go wrong with this. The flexibility of the different tremolo styles alone nearly make it worth the money.
Befitting a pedal of this stature, the Strymon product demo is over 12 minutes long.
For something truly different, check out this dual purpose Walrus Audio pedal. In one box, you get independent tremolo and fuzz that can be combined into an unholy noise machine. The fuzz side alone is formidable in its own right, but pairing the two and manipulating the novel controls makes this unit stand out.
For controls, you get two joysticks that change the parameters of both sides. This lends itself to on-stage experimentation. On the Trem side, the joystick adjusts the Speed and Depth, while on the Fuzz side, it’s Tone and Depth. The switches at the top control the fuzz; Mode chooses between three fuzz clipping modes, while Bass controls the bass boost for cruddy fuzz tones.
Each side has a Level knob, while Blend mixes pedal volume with dry signal. They’re also independently switchable so you can kick them on at different times. The LED on the far left blinks in time with the tremolo rate so you can dial it in finitely with the joystick.
The tremolo in this is limited to the smooth sine wave like an amplifier trem. When you combine it with the hard clipping of the fuzz, you get something very unique.
On the other hand, if you want a full-fledged trem from Walrus, check out the Monument, which is has a harmonic mode and is tap-enabled. It’s starting to show up on a lot of boards and it’s fantastic.
This is a rather large and unique pedal from a boutique builder, so new prices are on the high side. Searching for used examples on Reverb should turn them up for under $200 relatively consistently.
