Danelectro DJ-5 Tunamelt Tremolo

I've never seen an easier pedal to use. Just 2 clearly labled knobs and a switch for hard (choppy) and soft (classic, traditional) trems.

The hard switch is for that stutter, cutting the volume completely out of the picture, the soft switch is more like what you hear on your classic rock and blues songs.

Have you heard this thing? Have you heard any of the pedal-sized competition? I think this blows them away. It is definately an upgrade from the Boss Tremelo pedal.

It also sounds organic, natural, and smooth. I can't think of anyone who needed a tremelo effect who could say a bad thing about this pedal. I think the most important part of it is how well it blends with good equipment. I do notice a very very slight volume boost, but not enough to even really notice. If anything it makes the parts you play with it stand out just a human-sized hair more than it does with the effect off.

I am loving all of the Creedence Clearwater Revival covers our band has been doing lately and thats why I got this. I compared it with the Boss Tremelo and it was no contest in sound, although I know the Boss is built like a tank.......but why could'nt it sound as good as the Dano Trem??!!??

Great sounds for that classic trem, and the hard switch nails the Green Day "Blvd. of broken dreams" stutter effect at the beginning. I like a nice smooth trem that is medium tempo, great for blues. If you like that wet/vibe sound with your trem all you need is a chorus effect before it!

Some would argue, but Ive personally never saw one broken and Ive even used a few other Dano mini effects for at least 3-4 years with no problems. Thats all I can ask out of a $30-$40 dollar pedal.

I know they are extremely helpful and kind. I had 1 mini pedal (ordered) that was defective upon delivery and they replaced it no questions asked.

I don't understand how any person could say anything bad about this particular effect unless they simply have a hard-on for steel housed pedals. What I mean is to at least try one. I have used the dano mini EQ for 3 years with no problems so they have to be a little tough. I don't treat them any more gentle than I do the steel pedals.

Sound, that's where this little puppy shines. What else is there to know?

Dead easy. Two knobs (speed and depth), one switch. On/off button. Go figure. The only complaint is that when the removable plastic cover is in place, it is hard to access the knobs, but I guess that's the point of it, so I can't complain. It does mean that during a gig (when presumably you would have the cover on) it is very fiddly to change the settings. The knobs are very small and quite stiff, but I have podgy fingers, so maybe it's my problem.

Great. Unlike other reviewers on here, I cannot tell any different in overall volume with the effect engaged. It is a very transparent effect, by which I mean it adds a tremolo effect, but does not change the tone or volume in any other way at all. It seems to be pretty quiet, and does not generate any adverse hum. Hmmmmmm.
All effects pedals benefit from a level setting, but seeing as the level setting is only there to allow you to ensure the overal volume is the same with the effect on and off, and this pedal does not seem to affect the overall volume, this is not really necessary.

Can't comment. I've only had it a week. It has not broken yet! It is made of plastic, and seems less robost than some other pedals, but hey, it's #30 so what do you expect. If you insist on stamping on your pedals as if they were cockroaches then they will break. Treat them nicely and they shouldn't. As another reviewer correctly said, you don't stamp on your guitars do you? I don't. Mine are too pretty.

No comment. Never had to deal with them. I have however looked at their website and it's rubbish, so I wouldn't get your hopes up.

I like it. I wanted a nice late 50's early sixties sound to use with a telecaster, a little distotion courtesy of a Death Rattle, and dripping in rich springy reverb. Boing. I then go through a cry baby, and into a 1970s Traynor TS-50 combo. In this guise it sounds delicious. It makes me think of drive-ins, diners, lipstick tubes, black leather and chrome. And a vampish young lady drinking milkshakes and smoking dirty cigarettes. That might just be me though. I find the "soft" setting is far more useful than the "hard" setting, although I do use the hard setting when soloing. (hit a note, let it ring for a bit, then switch on the pedal with the hard setting, a moderate rate and maximum depth. Nice action. I use it like this instead of vibrato sometimes.) For #30 you can't really go wrong with this. It's a cheap basic, unassuming pedal that does what it claims to, and does it pretty well. It's yellow too, which is cool. Go get one. <a href="http://www.masht.com">www.masht.com</a>

Speed, depth, hard/soft switch. Not rocket science lol.

How can you go wrong with a decent sounding $30 pedal? And this thing (out of all the dano minis) is probably the best sounding one. It can distort a tad under heavy attack. I wouldnt use active pickups on this. But otherwise it has a very warm cool sound.

It is plastic. It is also $30. But if you treat it nice it should be fine. I have had this thing for about a year with no problems.

Never dealth with em.

For 30$ this is a GREAT sounding Tremelo. As mentioned below, when it is on hard, you can still hear the guitar way back there, but I mainly use it on soft, so for my purposes it sounds great. Have used this in the studio and even there it did great. Just as good as any $150 pedal would. Like I said, it can clip a bit under heavy attack, but even then it is a musical clip. If it were lost I would replace it. Who can afford backups?

Although the knobs are clearly labeled and easy to understand, I've got big meaty fingers that have a hard time switching the toggle from Hard to Soft. I ran into this problem with the French Toast Octave pedal too, but it's not that big a deal.

Pretty good. It has a warmth and vibe to it that is very inspiring. Soft mode is more versatile, with a good amount of country and blues to it. It's not what I would consider super, but it is a very useable sound. It's great to add a slightly colored shimmer to your sound, and this mode just loves open chords. Hard mode is good for that stuttering, "Money" a la Pink Floyd sound, but it's not a true square wave sound. Between the oscillations, you can still hear your signal, although it is rather quiet. In a well-mixed studio track or in a live situation, it will sound like a square wave tremolo for all intensive purposes.

I'm leary. It hasn't screwed up yet, but I had a Chicken Salad Vibrato that died literally an hour out of the box. I can't help but mistrust a line of pedals that go from new to dead in under 60 minutes...

This pedal specifically seems to work fine. Still, I'm apprehensive...

Pfft. Like they give a rat's tail about these things brand-new, let alone after they've been bought and played through...

For the money, this pedal is a steal. I try not to let one bad apple ruin the bunch, but you've got to remember that paying $30 has its costs, and in the case of Dano Minis, it's not in the sound. You're playing Russian Roulette buying these things, so beware...

I truly do like the Mini series, though. I'm a studio musician and I like to experiment with very effects-heavy sounds. Being that I'm not a millionaire, when a track needs a good sounding tremolo I'm apt to find something good n' cheap rather than spring for the big daddies. If you're okay gambling with your money, the Dano Minis are everything you could hope for.

Its extemely easy to use. The knobs are very small so when setting the tempo on the trem its hard to get the sound you want. A tap tempo would improve it. Other than that though the sound is excellent. I love the pedal. I hate the Danelectro Minis to be honest but this one is worth more than what i paid for it

With this i am using - Fender Jazzmaster - Big Muff, BOSS MT2, BOSS PH3, de Milkshake Chorus, BOSS DD3, Line 6 Echo Park, de Reverb and a BOSS Ns2 noise gate through a line 6 Spider 150watt combo and the Tremolo makes no annoying noises at all. The power in the trem is massive and you can turn your guitar sound into something very ambient but just turning on this pedal.

I use this pedal as part of a giggin line up and although its plastic id say its reliable. Obv if you get carried away and batter the switch it will die on you but i could rely on it,

Have never needed to get in touch

You cant beat this pedal for value. Although its plastic you if have never come across a trem i trust more than this one. I try to make my guitar sound as little as a guitar as possible and this pedal helps to do the trick. Id defo replace this if it broke because i know i can depend on it.

Piece of piss. Dano minis aren't brain teasers. Knobs are small and fiddly.

Gordon Smith (Gibson style) guitars amd Marshall valve amp, plus a load of FX from Dano, Electro-Harmonix, DOD, Line6 etc that I never have more than 2 on at a time.
This is where this particular pedal shines. I have a few Dano minis and this one punches above its weight. Slightly compressed edge to the sound, and a useable range of speeds and intesities. Sounds retro and cool.

Cheap, plastic....reliable in the way a burger is reliable. They're everywhere and you know what it's gonna do.

Dano minis have the WTFWT factor-you turn 'em on and people say What The F**k Was That?! Get a load of 'em and hit one for each solo in your set.
They all suffer from some bad points: they're too small if you wear wide-toed shoes, they're plastic, the controls are fiddly. Who cares, they're fun and cheap.
Some other Dano pedals sound lofi and cheap, and I like their charm. The Tuna Melt is a bit different in that it can hold its own against pedals costing twice as much.
Do you really need Tap Tempo for a once-a-set pedal? Naaa...

If you can't figure out how to use this tremolo, you probably shouldn't be playing any instruments other than the bongos. The pedal comes with a manual with some example settings, but it works best if you just fool with it to get the sound you want. It couldn't be any easier to use.

I'm using this pedal with a Fender USA Telecaster and a Sans Amp GT2. I have found the tremolo pedal is very quiet, but if the gain is up really high (I mean really high) on your amp/preamp, you'll hear modulation (woosh-woosh-woosh) even when not playing the guitar. That's just the way things go for mod effects-- there is nothing noisy about this pedal. I think this pedal sounds as good (if not better) than the Boss tremolo which costs over twice as much.

I don't gig, but I think this pedal would be okay live if you're reasonable. I am concerned that over the long term, the pedal (which is about 100% plastic) will conk out. But I paid $28 new so how can I whine about it!? For home studio use, this pedal is great. If you weigh 250 pounds and like to jump on your pedals while death-metal rockin' at a club, this pedal probably isn't going to keep up with you.

Typical American-owned, Chinese-slave-manufactured product. You will likely never really get to talk to a human at Danelectro, but I can't say that they are any worse than Boss or other companies. These companies have all realized there is more money in succesfully hyping and marketing a shoddy product and selling a ton of them to kids than in researching and designing a fine product for dedicated musicians. Why else do you think Danelectro would make a PLASTIC food pedal? I've seen these things for sale at the music store in the mall, but hardly ever at musical instrument shops.

I think this pedal is a great value, but I would have paid more for (and been happier with) a metal casing or a higher-quality plastic pedal. It sounds great and is very easy to use, but my only concern is the long-term reliability. As long as I keep using it in a home studio, I can't imagine there will ever be any problems.

You turn two knobs, flip a toggle switch, then step on it. Its easy to use and easy to make annoying...if thats what you want.

Guitar-Black Bawl Wah, MXR Micro-Amp, Voodoo Lab Micro-Vibe, Boss CE-2, Peavey Classic 30-f/x loop(Dano-Land)-Tuna Melt Tremolo, French Toast Octave Fuzz, Fish & Chips EQ (mid boost), Mu-Tron Volume/Wah, Fish & Chips EQ (mid & volume cut), PB&J Echo.
Its not really noisy at all, especially compared to the Micro-Vibe(noisey swirl anyone? must be defective after 2 years) I love the soft setting, its quite warm. Has a much smooter and fatter tone than the built in tremolo on my Dad's Peavey Delta Blues. Sounds similar to his '66 Tremolux...just not nearly as sweet. It works for those classic CCR tunes, old school Blues, and a really cool jazz Piano/Fender Rhodes wanna-be tone (using piano style chord voicings). The hard setting is kind of fun to play around with, but it can really get annoying if used more than once or twice a set..

I've been using the majority of my Dano-minis for a little over a year now and I've only had to replace one of the EQs...still kind of works...but not really. Don't stomp on them too hard or be stupid with them and they will be alright for a while. Besides, these are like $20-$30 pedals...you get what you pay for...just remember that when your using them.

why?

Rock (50's-early 90's) and Blues. I'm happy with a new pedal as long as it sounds descent I can find a use for it for more than 3 or 4 songs a night. This one does. Seeing as how its cheap I would buy it again. I like the tone, I hate the plastic. I wish it was a little more durable but I'll deal with these Danos until I can afford stuff I "shouldn't" have to worry about.

Really easy, in a few seconds you'll be sounding like you want!

I use it with a Fender AMST Strato and a Epiphone Les Paul Classic in Marshall VS65R amp and some other effects like boss compressor, ts9, vox v847, boss eq, boss chorus and boss delay. This tremolo is vintage and awesome! I compared it to the boss' trem and the dano sounds really better, it haves the old amp's tremolo, very good pedal, the only thing I think could be better is the level of output!

The new ones came whith a plastic protection for the knobs, and is durable, but is plastic

Haven't deal whith them!

It's a very good pedal for a very nice price, take a look if you can, is one of the bests of danelectro's mini pedals, i thing it's the best! very vintage nice tremolo!

Easy. It might be kind of difficult to learn how to control the speed, but it's ok.

here's the example:
www.rodikkoles.narod.ru/tuna.mp3
(sorry for the low speed, but it's a free hosting)
sounds great. really. I like the surf. I like playing tremolo.

low. some people are used to marshall or boss pedals. they like to kick them to turn on/off. if you kick tuna melt, you'll break it. but... do you hit your amp, guitar, or cut the wires with a scissors? I don't.. therefore, reliability is not important. just treat it as you treat you guitar/amp/etc.

It won't break, unless you break it.

never needed one.

Two major disandvantages:
1. NO bypass (at high gain and volume you'll still hear it, even if it's turned off. but if you are using power adapter - as I do - it's easy to just cut the power, and the problem is solved)
2. HIGH durability (don't hit/kick it, and this problem is solved)

after all, it's a great pedal. I like it, and I hope you will like it too.