Demeter TRM-1 Tremulator

Standard Depth and Speed controls and a trimpot on the side which shapes the triangle wave shape (needs a small screwdriver to access which isn't a help)

Easy and simple Tremolo! If it wasn't for the akward trimpot it'd get a 10

Excellent, thick sounding triangle wave tremolo due to the fact that it has a built-in boost function, allowing it to get very deep before it starts to get quiet, which is a problem most tremolo pedals have. At just past 3 o' clock it reaches the 'max' level of most other trems and so goes deeper, but you'll start to notice the volume of the wave peaks get a little quiet, but even so it's got a lot of headroom. (Hence the price tag I guess)

The Speed is versatile going from super-slow to uber fast ring-modulation speeds.

The wave shape is triangle/sine and the internal trimpot adjusts the shape in the same way to the shape knob on the Electro Harmonix Pulsar (albeit being 'upside' down version of it). Far left you get a quick rise, slow fall sawtooth. Moving it toward the centre gets you standard triangle wave, and to the fully right position you get a slow rise, quick fall sawtooth. In the fully left position it gets into more choppy almost/kinda square wave territory.

Can't be beaten for quality.

Unique construction seems as solid as most pedals. High quality circuitry.

n/a

I love tremolo and I've gone through a few pedals in my search for the perfect trem pedal and I think this is it.

The only practical downside to it is that you need a small screwdriver to adjust the wave shape. If it had a knob control instead that would be alot better. And if it had a switch to change to square wave that would be perfect. The only other trem to be built like that is the EHX pulsar but the Tremulator has a much better, high quality depth control and that's KEY to thick tremolo sounds so it's worth the compromise and extra cost in that respect.

If you're just after simplicity, the only tremolo I've tried which compares to the Tremulator is the Carl Martin Surf Trem. The Tremulator however, goes deeper, slower/faster, you can manually adjust the wave shape and it has a much more pedal-board friendly enclosure. If you're on a budget I'd go for the Surf Trem, but if you can find a Tremulator at a good price I'd recommend it. For what it's worth I've also owned a Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter and the Tremulator beats it hands down, and that's taking into account the versatility of the Shifter!

So despite the trimpot and lack of square wave, -which is just me being picky- the only thing that really makes this difficult to give a 10 rating is the price. Get one used. I paid ??98/$160 which was about the best I could hope for, but I'd find it hard to justify going into three figures just for such a simple tremolo effect. However, if you want a thick sounding, simple tremolo the Tremulator is definitely the way to go. or at least the one to save up for!

Easy breezy

Kustom 200 Amp, American Thinline Tele, 62 Hot Rod Strat -
nails the CCR swamp sound with the Tele, can dial in real interesting and tasteful swells. Absolutely quiet!

Very well built

not applicable

it is just damn good, don't hesitate to spend the extra cash for quality

I got my Tremulator second hand and it's been on my pedal board for several years now. It's very easy to use as it only has two knobs and little hole on the side for tweakage. Taking the screws out to change the battery is a little annoying and the two pieces of the pedal don't come apart easily, but that can be overcome by an external power source. You gotta use the Dunlop type plug though. Once it's in place on your board there aren't any issues.

It sounds like the trem on a mid-'60s Twin Reverb except it can go faster, slower, deeper, etc.-thus I guess it earns its sex toy name. As a fan of Bo Diddley, Link Wray and John Fogerty it doesn't get any better than this. The pedal also has a slight boost built in so it doesn't loose volume when engaged (it doesn't really gain any either). This is a plus compared to the many pedals that loose volume when you turn them on. You can also set the knobs to zero and use it as a slight volume boost too. It's completely quiet too.

Built like a brick. I've used mine professionally for several years with no issues whatsoever.

I've heard nothing but good things from both live sound engineers and studio engineers about Demeter's quality of service (and goods). I can't say first hand 'cuz I haven't needed them.

I've been playing guitar for 31 years. 25 of those have been either professionally or semi-pro. In that time I've owned all sortsa guitars, amps and pedals. It's rare I come across a piece of gear that I have no issues with. This is one of them.

Only two controls (three with the pot) so very easy. Manual not very helpful, but its not really needed anyway. Lower rating because of sound quality (see below).

I always try pedals just by themselves in the setup to check the functionality. I plugged in, turned the depth all the way up and BLAM. Nothing. The faintest hint of a signal coming through. If you turn the depth down to about 8/9 o'clock then you are almost back to a decent volume, but only with a very slight tremolo. I was so dissapointed i nearly considered taking it back. I set up my effects and put my dod440 Envelope filter after the tremulator and suddenly, one of the most fantastic guitar sounds ever poured out. I'm not sure of the mechanics, but my dod440 made this pedal spring into life and give a simply beautiful fluttering tremelo. It was worth it just for this sound alone, so i was instantly converted. Don't expect fireworks from this pedal by itself, but I'm sure a few other pedals would coax this one out of its shell. Marvellous. One mark off for the stand-alone sound.

Seems tough enough.

Never needed.

A great sound once you've discovvered which pedals work best,

2005 Demeter Tremulator has 3 controls. One pot controls the speed/rate, one controls the depth/intensity and a mini trim pot accessable from the side with a small screwdriver controls the softness/hardness of the effect. It's fairly easy to dial in a vintage tremolo sound, but the hole for the mini pot is a little off center, making fine tuning a bit of a pain. CAUTION You have to be careful adjusting the minipot, as you could easily damage it with too much force. It also uses the Dunlop mini plug adaptor for power(Why not use the standard Boss style?) Nice compact MXR size box. If the bias control was a regular pot and it had a Boss adaptor plug I would rate it a 10.

I use this with my bass rig and other effects for some nice swampy and funky grooves. Fender and Modulus basses into EBS Multicomp-EBS Octabass-Ring Dinger-EBS IQ envelope-MXR EVH Phase 90-Tremulator- Eden Amps-Eden/Mesa Boogie cabs. Plays well with all the other effects and doesn't colour the original bass tones. This is a real musical effect,I don't use it alot but it really shines on some of the selected blues grooves I use it on. Great in combination with the Phase 90 and EBS IQ (extra liquid funk). There is suppose to be a slight volume boost built into the pedal but I don't find it to be louder, but instead it compensates for the tremolo effect and makes it's use seem seamless. Only 2 concerns when the effect is on is that you can hear the throb of the tremolo slighty when not playing (not a biggie) BUT when used with a cabinet with tweeters there is a slight hiss, without the tweeter it's not noticable. I rate it 8 with tweeters, 9 without.

Heavy duty metal box, heavy duty footswitch,looks very well built.

Never dealt with the company direct.

I was looking for a different modulation effect to use on bass and tremolo can give you some nice throbby, swampy sounds. The Demeter delivers these sounds. I've owned a Dunlop Tremolo, not bad but didn't blend as well and is rather large. Does it sound like a Fender Brown/Black/Silver/Purple/Face tremolo I don't know/care. It does have a real organic musical sound and that's what I look for in an effect. It is also very compact and takes up very little space.It is pricey but it's something you will probably have for a long time.

This pedal has two knobs (depth and speed), and an on/off switch-- easy enough. However, it also has a semi-secret waveform trim pot that you can only adjust with a screwdriver through a little hole in the left side of the pedal. I think the idea here is probably that this keeps you from having to re-find your preferred waveform every time you use the pedal (as the knobs can be easily thrown off just in the process of handling the pedal), but still it is a bit of a pain in the ass. I don't always remember to bring a screwdriver with me, you know? Other than that, the design is great.

I use this pedal with a wide variety of instruments and amps and other pedals. I'm a tremolo nut: I love tremolo... and I love this pedal. Most tremolo pedals suck your tone or eat your volume-- not this one! It sounds great. There's no noise, no sound coloration at all, and it's actually got a slight built-in volume BOOST which balances out the drop in overall volume (which is part-and-parcel with tremolo). In other words, this pedal is nothing but awesome, fully-adjustable tremolo, with no bullshit. I've never been so happy with a pedal before in my life, and doubt I ever will be again.

You could use this thing to hammer steel, you're not going to break it unless you throw it off a building or something. Mine came with a faulty footswitch, but that was easily and instantly dealt with, and I have no further worries or concerns on the reliability front. As for gigging without backup, I think it's a good idea to ALWAYS have a backup, but as my backup is a crappy p.o.s. boss unit, let's just pray it never comes to that.

Let's just say that taking this pedal in for repair was one of the nicest experiences of my life. Mine came with a faulty footswitch, which I tried to ignore for a while (sometimes when I stepped on it, the LED would turn on but there'd be nothing, no effect, no sound, nothing... then I'd turn it off and on again and it'd work perfectly). Finally I realized that the problem wasn't going to just magically go away, so I emailed Demeter and asked them what I could do. Their customer support guy (Adam) responded within minutes and invited me up to have coffee the next day (they're based in L.A., near where I live). So the next day I went over and hung out for a bit, petting the rabbits that live in their office and talking to Mr. Demeter (the pedal's inventor), while the guys in the back looked over my pedal. I left about a half hour later with no bill, a perfectly-functioning tremolo unit, and a smile on my face. It actually made me GLAD that my pedal had come with a faulty switch.

I play many different styles of music (rock, blues, country, metal, experimental, etc.) and as far as I can tell, tremolo has a home in all of them. I've been playing music since I was 8 and this pedal is hands-down the best tremolo unit I have ever heard. It's expensive, but if it were lost or stolen, I would probably buy TWO more, in case another one were stolen. I love this pedal that much, I swear to god.

I am writng this review as sort of a confessional moment... Years ago I owned a Demeter Tremulator pedal and loved it. It was always faithful, it was sturdy and reliable, had emough features to keep me interested, and kept quiet. Well, damn these guitar magazines, because they caused me to stray and start looking at overblown trem floozies. In a moment of weakness, I let my head get turned and traded my Old Faithful in on some flavor of the month ( I don't recall what because I'm sure it was gone in a matter of weeks..). From there on and for several years I embarked on a whole series of meaningless relationships with more buxom, younger hotties. I guess you could call it my mid-life tremolo crisis. Recently, while I was about to enter into yet another hollow relationship with some Asian floozy, I realized that all along I was just searching for that old, comfortable tremolo shoe. I made contact with my old friend via the internet and as luck would have it, she took me back. And am I ever grateful. Always there when I need her, always know what to expect, and still has enough surprises in her to keep me interested. I'm not proud of the fact that I strayed and ruined a good thing, and I'm not going to even get into the costs involed. But I am here to stay and I want the world to know it.

You must adjust the internal knob, accessible through the side of the pedal to get optimum tone and throb ( I wish there was a dial on top for changes on the fly ).

Otherwise just speed and depth on top.........just turn them till you like the sound.

With all due respect to the gentlman below.........I think his review is invalid for one simple reason........he states in the review he didn't take the time to adjust the internal trimmer knob to his liking. This trimmer is easily adjusted by putting a small screwdriver through the hole in the side of the pedal.

When I first received mine I was'nt blown away by the sound either....it was almost to choppy which made feeling the rythmn of the pulse a little weird.......I now keep the trimmer almost all the way down and I love the sound......It's very beautiful and organic sounding, lush thick, hypnotic pulses, the classic sound your looking for....I've owned a ceaser diaz tremodillo, a Line 6 tremolo "park pedal " and others....and I like this the best ( I've always been into tremolo as you can tell ).

I play regularly in a classic rock/dance/GB band.....I have top notch amps, guitars and other effects.........I've been playing 25+ years.......since this effect is'nt heard often ( especially in a GB band) it always sounds cool when I put it on ( my bandmates love it ! ). It seems to add a bit of a retro feel to the song. I only use it perhaps in 2 or 3 songs out of three sets or so.........but it is a very cool effect. Quiet as a church mouse as well. Top notch all around.

Seems well built to me...............I looked inside mine and was very comfortable with the layout.........also I use a 9 volt in mine....( it draws very little power and the battery will last quite a long time )..........so the mini power plug is'nt an issue to me....but it seems they really should update that on future models.......I can see the gentmans point below on that one.

Bought it factory direct..........very friendly and helful...Dealt with someone named Adam. Very nice fellow.

Overall this is a great pedal to achieve that classic throb and pulse...the pedal does have a very slight boost when you kick it in....but I personally like that feature, it's very pleasing and unobtrusive.....also, although it's not a true bypass( most of my other pedals are ).......I can detect no degradation or alteration in my signal.....in fact.......because of the buffer they use in the pedal it helps to drive the signal through long cable runs.......so in a way it improves your signal.

The manual is minimal. Thats okay, it is only two knobs, it is a tremolo.

I don't get it. I really researched this, I already owned a Nobels TR-X tremolo that I wasn't all that happy with, but after buying this pedal (without being able to try it) I am liking the TR-X much better. I played with the Tremulator for a good long while, and it seemed like "good sound" just eluded me. None of it sounded like a "natural" (I know..there is no such thing, but I mean on my old Gibson Starfire I had a built in tremolo, or on Fender amps, they sound "natural") tremolo to me. It sounded way to a-rythmic. No swing to the cycles, the LFO sound...more on that later, for me, I don't know if I got a bad one, because it really is getting great reviews below..but I couldn't get good sounds out of it.

I tried different setups, not that important really because in the end I took EVERYTHING else out of the effects line, and only had my strat->Tremulator->amp... I tried two different amps as well.

Again, maybe mine is a lemon, but while it wasn't noisy on the clean channel, it was terribly noisy on the lead channels of both amps (Carvin Vintage 33 and a Peavey Classic 30 BT) and remember, I mentioned I already have a Nobels tremolo I wasn't crazy about...I USED to think the Nobels was noisy, but I tried it out (had it up for sale even, I was so sure I was going to love the Tremulator. That's another thing, keep in mind I REALLY wanted to like this pedal and I didn't have inflated expectations about it) just after trying the Tremulator with the exact same setup and it was quieter. I don't recommend either of them though...if you are looking for a tremolo, I'd advse you to move along...nothing to see here.

Something that bothered me right at the start too...for some unfathomable reason they chose NOT to use a standard jack for the 9vdc power in!! They used a "mini plug". Nice call Demeter. Cause, you know, only just about every damn power supply has the standard type, NOT a mini-plug. So there was that...(more on that in reliability).

And the sound. The sound really messed up my guitars sound. The tone was less defined and bassy. I tried checking also by turning both speed and intensity to 0, so no effect and yeah...it colors the tone a LOT. It isn't a terribly color, less defined, more bassy, lose some highs. There is a tone adjustment you can access from outside and to be fair I didn't try to adjust it, since by then I knew from other things I was going to return it and it is factory set.

Still, the sound is pinched, the LFO sounds "geeky" to me, not smooth, doesn't swing at all, and is too noticeable. I tried playing with intensity right around where it is barely too much, but I couldn't dial in THAT sound.

In short, I've owned amps with built-in tremolo (I wouldn't bring it up but this pedal is especially marketed as "just like a built-in" and at least the one pedal I tried was not close even.

I already complained about the non-standard power supply jack. When I (was forced to, since I didn't have a mini-plug power plug) opened up the pedal to put in the battery (here again...never gave a thought to a "trapdoor" kind of battery holder, that actually held the battery?) 4 screws, have to seperate the two halves, the leads to the battery plug were short so you end up fiddling with them fumbling around to get it in there...it is open to the components (probably why the leads are so short..using THAT to stop it from coming into contact with the chips) it is just badly designed inside. It may work forever, I don't know, but this is not a cheap pedal for a tremolo really, and they scrimped like this is a prototype. No battery compartment, just some loose foam-rubber for a battery holder.

Solid case.

I've been playing for 30+ years. Now I mostly play blues. Sometimes a tremolo is really nice for some swamp blues, slide, etc. Not the pedal I had though. Have a Strat, ES335, a few tube amps, and lots of other pedals.

This pedal was a huge dissapointment to me. It just doesn't do it for me. I found I liked my old Nobels better after having had experience with this pedal, it's a LOT less expensive and better. But for anyone looking, I would move on and try some other tremolos. If it was between this and a Nobels I'd take the Nobels.

Very very easy.Just two Pots and a complex range of waveforms.The manual is perfect, but you really don't need it to reach a good Trem sound in few minutes.

My setup : Stratocaster American Standard w/ Dimarzio Virtual Heavy Blues on the Bridge > RMC1 Wah > MG MuffFeliz Fuzz > Tremulator > Phase 90 > Laney all valve vc30. The Tremulator is ultra quiet and works very good w/ any another pedal. Great !!!!!

Now yes.
Before i've a Fender Amp w/ tremolo but unfortunately it's stolen.
The tremulator is perfect and i can carrying it to anywhere when i want. Really the best !

I needed a little repair and Mr. Adam Fifield was hyper kind. This is the guy !!! He helped me asap. No comentaries. G R E A T !!!!!!!

I play 70's Rock'n'Roll and Blues. I play guitar since 12 y.o. and now i'm 41.If my Tremulator were stolen for sure i will buy another no doubt ! Just loved it entirely . There's Not defects.
In comparisson w all others Tremolos pedals than i had the Tremulator is the KING really !!!!

Two knobs, depth and rate, and a waveform trim pot that you don't actually need to touch - the default is pretty sweet.

Good sounds are essentially automatic. Seriously.

Setup: Carvin DC135 ---> Roger Mayer Voodoo-Axe ---> Tremulator ---> Carvin SX100. Which will, by Zeus, one day be a Carvin Nomad or Bel-Air, I vow.

I am a tremolo junkie. I love the sound. The quest for a satisfactory tremolo pedal was a near-obsession for me for a goodly while. This outperforms everything else I heard or tried... especially that POS tone-wrecking Boss pedal. Ew. The Tremulator has an incredible tone - almost perfect transferrence of my original sound, without volume loss and far less high-end cut than most tremolo pedals. The sound is lush and gorgeous, and the pedal stays quiet when I stop playing.

I got this for, well, tremolo sounds - Elvis Costello and Johnny Greenwood. It covers the ground easily. Great clean, great dirty.

Warning - if the amp is heavily distorted, you lose the tremolo. This applies to all tremolos. To resolve this, either put it in an effects loop or run clean and semi-dirty with heavier distortion from pedals before it in the chain.

Basically, this is as good a tremolo as you'll find. I even A/B'ed it against a Fender amp's built in tremolo. Guess which won (Hint: Not the fender)

It's solid. I'd worry a little about the switch if I was a heavy-footer stomper, but it should survive normal use easily. Just use common sense, and you'll be fine.

Haven't had to deal with them

I play whatever - indie-rock-punkish-jazzy-folky-yadda-yadda-yadda. My main influences are Elvis Costello, Radiohead, The Wrens, TV On The Radio, David Bowie, The Pixies... I've been playing for five years. If it was stolen, I'd utterly replace it using the money raised by selling the organs of the thief on the black market.

I compared it to all manner of other trems - the Boss trem had lousy tone, the Voodoo Labs trem had better tone than the Boss, but still not that great, the Fulltone Trem had some dandy extra switches, but the tone still was weaker and more restricted.

I kind of wish it had a, say, half-speed switch or a hard/soft switch, but it's not necessary.

It's awesome. Awesome squared, mayhaps.

Very easy. only two knobs. Self Explanatory.

Amazing. With p90s, buckers, or singles, it is a very organic sounding pedal. Really shines through an effects loop, but still stands out above the rest in front of the amp. Not an X-TREME DUDE type of pedal. Classic throbbing trem. The 1db boost effectively prevents volume loss, and even makes it realy good for boosting solos if the depth is all the way down. Very musical, You'll never know it's there. One of my top 10 best pedals i've ever owned.

Never had a problem in three years, and the batter lasts for freakin' ever.

?

Excellent. Maybe not for experimental noise rock space cadets because it's a very unassuming pedal, no chopped up square wave options. Smooth rolling tremelo that will complement most sounds. Very fendery, you can play it by itself even in the most subtle sparse arrangement and you'll love every nuance of it.

simple no frills beautiful trem at the turn of a couple of knobs. there is also a hidden trim pot that serves to change the waveform of the LFO, though it is a very subtle change probably from sinewave to sawtooth, i wish it had a square setting.

the only problem is that it's kind of a bitch to change batteries because you have to basically take the pedal apart from the seams (i.e. you work with more than 8 screws and need a wrench.)

but it is built like a tank, and if you can afford an 9 volt radio shack type adaptor (with the 1/8" pin) then this will not be an issue.

i play through a 90s american tele and a 90s japanese jazzmaster into a fender twin and a sears silvertone 40 watt.

the pedal is probably the quietest pedal in my lineup. the trem effect is quite possibly one of the more beautiful trem sounds i have heard. i sometimes use a light ultra slow trem to get a sort of wave like motion in my parts. this randomly causes the attack to be lost and through my dd-5 set on reverse it gets your guitar sounding really fluid and suspended in mid-air sort of.

sometimes i use it like a conventional trem and it sounds beautiful either way. a fun setting is the super fast setting it sounds rather disorienting like a strobelight going off really fast.

sometimes i use the pedal without any trem and it noticeably enhances the harmonic content of my tone. that is one of the reasons i bought the pedal because it added depth to my standard guitar tone. according to demeter they have added a 1dB makeup gain stage to compensate for the loss in volume encountered with standard trem pedals (just plug in a danelectro tunamelt and you'll know what i'm talking about), and i believe whatever circuitry is giving the makeup gain totally adds to your tone in a very pleasing and musical way.

sometimes the adaptor socket is sort of shifty and it will cause the pedal to cut out during a show. so i usually use it while recording or if i have a lot of time at the gig to ensure that the pedal stays put (i.e. duct taping the adaptor wire, etc). not recommended if you have to setup in a hurry. though if you want to mess with changing batteries it's built like a tank and will withstand a beating...

i play in a band that is very texturally oriented and this pedal definately adds to our sound in subtle and not so subtle ways. it's the most versatile tremelo pedal i've run across--i never thought i could get this much out of such a simple effect. i've played through the voodoo labs trem, the danelectro tunamelt and a boss tremelo in addition to the amp trems/vibrato on my silvertone and my twin. i almost always pick this over those trems because it has a greater range and superior tone. i only wish they had an accesible knob that allowed you to switch waveforms on the LFO sort of like the boss. I also love the extra harmonic overtones it adds. Did i mention it was versatile?

This thing is simple to operate. Plug in and go.

Think of the hundreds of songs with this type of effect, from the opening chord of 'All I Have To Do Is Dream', to the Smith's 'How Soon Is Now' to Radiohead's The Bends album, this thing has that Fender sine wave trem down. No noise. Very Quiet.

Demeter are also known for their amps and preamps, and I will go so far as to say that this pedal makes my amp sound like a far better amp than it is. It makes my amp sound better. I'm not shitting.

I would gig without it.

Can't say.

I can't say anything bad about this pedal. Unlike many effects which eventually turn into a novelty and wind up back in the tackle box after a couple of weeks, this is a quality instrument in itself. I used to just go straight in, guitar to amp, and the Tremulator is now included in at least half of all the songs I perform. It's a great pedal. I wish they had a Vox style, square-wave pedal. If you want Fender tremolo, you will not be dissappointed.

2 knobs on top and a foot switch. any idiot can use it and get a great sound!

Well I normally play blues/classic rock and my current set up is: 53 Esquire/55 Tele >Keeley Compressor >TS808(rhythm)>TS808(for solos) >H&K Rotosphere >AD80 >Blonde Bassman 2x12 cab/58 Super. I wanted to try a trem pedal and tried them all and it came down to this and a Fulltone, but the Demeter just had more "vibe" to it.

Built like a sh*t brickhouse.

Never needed it, doubt I will.

Overall I hace to say that it's a fantastic addition to my rig. I mean I play only the best and the Demeter is the absolute best in trem pedals!!! Bar None.

They don't get much easier. However, to really, really dial in your tone, you do have to play with the small dial on the side of the pedal.

I have several vintage tweed Fenders, blackface and brown Fenders, Matchless, Vox, THD, and Blockhead amps that I play through 57 and 59 Reissue Les Pauls, 63 Es-335, and several vintage Strats. I quite frankly have never bought a better pedal, and believe me, I have them all. Totally quite regardless of amp and pickup and totally transparent tone. The best money I ever spent on a pedal. The tremolo is right up there with my 59 Tremolux!

Looks like its and solid as a rock

If I every have to contact them, I'll be very surprised.

The best! Don't hesitate.

Nothing to it.

1. Depth
2. Red LED (effect engaged)
3. Speed
4. Stompswitch
5. 9 Volt adapter

Also has a small trimmer thing on the side, adjustable with a very small tip flathead screwdriver.

How complex is that? This this is way easy to get a killer sound out of. I didn't get a manual, but one would have been nice. Like for starters, I'm not sure if this thing even takes a batter. If it does, access don't look to be easy.

I've had a bunch of tremolo pedals, and got this one off a whim. After trying some Boss, VooDoo Lab (the VooDoo Lab trem wasn't bad, just not as good as this one), and several others, I decided to try this one as I heard everybody talking about how good they sounded.

Well, this sounds amazing. I use it in the loop of my VHT Pittbull 45 all the time. If has a footswitchable loop, so it's like having a built in amp tremolo. Sounds VERY VERY good that way. Now that I have a good sounding trem, I tend to use the VHT for the stuff I was using the Gibson Ranger amp for, unless I'm just playing my Gibson 330, then the Ranger is the preferred amp.

I also use it in the loop of my solid state Gibson Gold Chorus amp, and it sounds just as good. I'll either use it in the mono loop for that HUGE throbbing sound, or in one side of the stereo loop (The Gold has 2 loops...) for a 'cheap' stereo tremolo sound.

The built in tremolo on my old 4-10 Gibson Ranger amp sounds better to me then the Demeter does. I also played a REALLY good sounding old Fender Super, and I liked the trem a little better as well. Most of the other amps I've played with onboard trem pale in comparison to this. Again, this is being ultra picky, as there is NOTHING wrong with the way the Demeter sounds, but I prefer the Ranger just a tad more. I've spend a bit of time using the onboard trem, and the Demeter up front, comparing them. The Demeter does have more range AND depth then the old Gibson amp does.

I'm still gonna give it a 10, as this is the best sounding tremolo pedal I've yet to use or own, period. In my mind, no other pedal really compares to this one.

This is one of the best built pedals I have. Unless you manage to knob the shaft off one of the pots, I don't really see anything that can go wrong with it.

Not sure about this one. I emailed them a few times and didn't get a responce. I was wondering if it took a battery or not, but I don't believe it does. When I get real curious, I'll call them.

I've been playing for over 20 years. I own way too much stuff to list, but this is one of my core pedals. I use it constantly with a VHT Pittbull 45, and it is a BIG part of my sound. I use it in the loop along with a Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, and can get some amazing tones with it.

I'd HAVE to replace this if anything ever happened to it, I'm just not happy with any other tremolo pedal. Granted, I havn't played ALL of them, but I've had 7-8 different ones. This to me, is the closest sounding one to a built in amp trem.

I just got it today from demeter (its a demo from NAMM)--This thing is a sinch...2 knobs speed and depth, with a trim pot on the inside(can be accessed with a small screwdriver through a hole....no need for me to do it so im leaving it the way it is)...very simple to operate(no manual supplied, no manual needed)...very easy to use....just plug it in and go!

this is where this pedalseperate itself from every other trem....sound quality is superb! it sounds better than all the other tre pedals i have tried and all the amp trems on every fender i have tried (some blackfaces, SF's, new models, and Vibroking)...it has incredible range for a trem....from throbbing to choppy and everything in between....just sit down and mess with it and you can fine tune thetrem you want with the tremulator. this is the only pedal i have EVER encountered that does not color a signal or drop frequencies or volume or anything....it is amazng!!!! Dead Quiet with True Bypass!...my tubes from my amp make more noise than the pedal does! if you are getting this thinking that its gonna make you sound better it doesnt!...i mean, it is absolutely perfect....it is a compliment to the tone you already have...every nuance and all my original signal is there, just with tremolo now! absolutely remarkable! i wish these guys made some more stompboxes...but they dont....just rackmounts...but think of it this way....this is rackmount quality in a stompbox! the best trem period! now i know why people say when you have this pedal along with tremolo on your amp(we are talking blackfaces, brownfaces, tweeds) they disconnect the amp tremolo in favor of this....i have never heard anything better!...not even fulltone!

Just got it today....i would definitely gig with it without a backup..its a 2 piece steel chassis similar to an MXR box...this thing looks like it could take some heavy abuse...i dont see this little guy breking down anytime soon....if it does i will write a followup, but after reading alot of reviews in here about the tremulator it sounds like its a sturdy as a mule wthout the worry of breaking down on you.

the folks at demeter took 2 weeks to ship it (ugh!) but aside from that they answered my emails, and questions i had over the phone and gave me a tracking number for the package....very helpful! as far as customer service goes they are at the pinnacle of kindness and customer service along with paul crowther, bob weil, and mike fuller! you guys all rock!

I basically bought this because i already liked the tone from my amp and guitar and wanted the absolute best tremolo pedal to play through my Marshall TSL 100, without modifying the head. When i was faced with the task of finding the best, i tried them all!! and wasnt really pleased....until i tried the fulltone. i was ready to lay cash down for it, until i read the reviews about the tremulator right here at harmony central. People on here said it was the best,rating the fulltone supa trem #2, and to tell you the truth it is... and for a first time, i bought a pedal without ever trying it...but you know what...all the people that submitted about this pedal were right! it is the best stompbox trem you can get! period. It is lush and warm with really really slow trem to very speedy tremolo sounds, plus as stated in previous reviews.. with knobs all the way at 0 you can get a 1 DB clean boost....really sweet! if you are looking for a trem pedal because you dont like your amps trem or your amp doesnt have it, this is it! it accentuates your tone, and playing perfecty with absolutely stunning tremolo! definitley check it out!

It's pretty ease to use. Two knobs on the top: DEPTH and SPEED. A TRIM POT accessed throught the side allows you to affect the slope, waveform,amplitude, whatever. This has to be done with a tiny screwdriver; a knob would be nice and make it easier. That is why I give this an 8. The manual is brief but most of what you need is pretty much there. The pedal is true bypass.

The tremelo effect is excellent. The stock set up is very vintage and musical sounding. Turning the trim pot clockwise allows for staccato helicopter like sounds. This seems to affect the gain minimally. The pedal is quiet and very musical and warm sounding. I'm happy with it.

I really wanted to cop REM's "Monster" CD sound and this does it and a whole lot more.

M Y S E T U P:
GUITAR: 99% of the time I play Sadowsky guitars and most of that is with a Sadowsky vintage style strat: alder body, maple 'board, Sadowsky custom electronics, Kinman AVn Blues pickups. My other is an HSH model. I also have two PRS which I rarely touch.

AMP: Soldano X99 preamp and Soldano SLO-100-->Daedelus 2x10 and Soldano 4x12 cabs.

FX: Tremulator, Carl Martin Compressor/Limiter, Teese RMC Picture Wah

Reliable. Built like a WWF Diva.

I called to ask questions before and after I purchased this and the folks at Demeter were accessable, helpful, and nice. I gave them a 9 because I haven't used them a lot to feel them out. I have a feeling they'd be excellent.

I just e-mailed them to see if they could mod my unit to put a knob on the side to turn the trim pot. We'll see.

I write and play classic & pop rock,metal, blues, and a bit of funk, rarely country. I've been playing for about 21 year. If this were stolen I'd buy it again.

This is like splitting hairs with the hardest choice between the Demeter and Fulltone. While some say you should try several brands I'm not sure: this makes for more torture. If I had only one unit I'd never know the difference --the extra 1% I'm missing or gaining--and wouldn't have this infantile mental anguish of a decision. (All pedals below are true bypass.)

DEMETER TREMULATOR stays! So simple to use, so fine sounding--rich, juicy, musical--gorgeous. Whenever I used the Demeter I always got a great tremelo sound easily and quickly: no fuss, no muss. With the two units below I had to play around with the knobs too get sounds close to the Demeter. Tremulator can do a great chop staccato helicopter (Anthrax "Black Lodge") thing by turning the trim pot accessed through the side of the unit but this slightly increases the gain. Agan, Demeter should put on a knob to allow easier immediate access to this trim pot control. This box is incorporated into my rig for sure. A keeper.

FULLTONE SUPA-TREM can almost get the Demeter sound but can't quite match the soul, warmth or human breath-like quality of the Tremulator. It is more versatile with foot switches for two speeds and the slope of the waveform. It's better for live performance if you use a lot of tremelo in your music: four variations at the touch of two footswitches. If I used a lot of tremelo in my live sets I'd have gotten the Fulltone Supatrem instead of the Demeter Tremulator. I don't observe the boost that some folks have complained about. The tone is a micronotch below the Demeter.

Is this cool:"If you can't decide then keep both" said my wife. Ain't she sweet? In my own heart I cannot see having two tremelo pedals at my feet...I think.

VOODOO LAB TREMELO is nice but the knobs are very close together and hard to manipulate unless you have small fingers...like a fetus. Very nice sound but not quite up to par with the other two units. Clearly it is the best bang for buck and if one is strapped for cash it is a no brainer: Voodoo Lab. It has but doesn't really need the output level control since the other two tremelos lack it and I don't see the need for it with my gear.

The Demeter TRM-1 Tremulator is a tremelo stomp box with depth and speed knobs; on/off foot switch and output/inputs. It's almost as simple as an MXR Phase 90.

The Tremulator has a very round tremelo tone. It doesn't have the hard end or edgey pulse of a Fulltone Supa Trem. I own a Fulltone Supa Tem as well and it's also a fine sounding piece.
The best way to describe the Tremulator is to hear the vibrato of a quality blackface Fender amp. The Tremulator is very similar.
My current set-up is various Gibson and Fender guitars; McInturff Empress; PRS McCarty and Parker Fly Classic with a Matchless Hot Box; Maxon 808; Tremulator; Prescription Vibe Unit; H&K Rotosphere; and Vox Wah through either an Alessandro Redbone; Kendrick Gusher; Top Hat Ambassador; white Marshall 35th Anniversary 1987 and 1960AXW cabinet. My pedal set-up is streamlined when using a channel switching amp to just the Tremulator and Maxon Phase Tone.
The Tremulator is a quality unit that gives quality tone.

I bought it a month ago.
So far so good.

Haven't had the need to contact them.

I play classic rock and the Tremulator is very classic sounding.
If brutal is the way you hear tone, then stay away from the Tremulator. I know that sounds snobbish, but hey, the word artist and music are very misused words these days.
If you want a very classic sounding tremelo, this is your baby.
Listen to Gov Mule's Wandering Child and you'll have an idea of how the Tremular sounds with a Les Paul through a Marshall. I don't know if Warren Haynes uses one, but it's very close to that sound.
Again, a quality piece of ear candy.

Very simple piece of equipment. Two controls - one to vary the speed of the pulses, the other to vary the depth.

I use a very straightforward set-up: Danelectro U2 re-issue -> tremulator -> Vox Cambridge 30R...classic retro-trash rock 'n' roll! The Vox has a built-in tremolo effect so it may be instructive to compare the two. The Vox trem is better integrated with the amp & has a "softer" quality. The tremolo effect tends to be smoother & more classically retro. However, the Vox is a cheap piece of shit and the depth control on my amp got blown out during a power surge. It still works and sounds great but its weak. No such problems with the Tremulator. It can do the retro rockabilly/psychobilly thang as well as more arty-punk-like swellings. I find the Tremulator to be very versatile with a variety of useful settings altho personally I prefer tremolo as a slow-motion effect rather than a ripple. It sounds great with fuzztone, violently psychotic. It has tremendous clarity & brilliance & adds an extra twang to your sound. One drawback is that the volume level decreases/increases depending on where you set the depth. This makes it difficult to use the Tremulator solely as an effect since the volume changes are highly noticeable. I tend to use the effect all the time so it doesn't really bother me.

Perfect! I have owned this thing for 6 1/2 yrs & I have never, repeat NEVER, had any problems. Always performs perfectly. I tend to use the mains rather than batteries.

Never had to

I love this thing unequivically. Tremolo is my favorite effect. Why don't manufacturers build this effect into their amps anymore? The holy grail is to get a Vox AC15 or early-'60's Fender amp but since that is somewhat expensive, the next option is a quality stompbox. Some people have complained that the Tremulator is overpriced but I pay for quality of tone and not loads of useless features. The sound is superb...I cannot think of a single criticism to make regarding it. Its the best piece of electronic equipment that I have ever purchased.

Rate and depth knobs with an interior trim pot. Ver easy to get a great sound

I'm playing this into a signal split between a Dr Z Maz 18 Jr. and a tweed delume. This is last in my chain after 2 or three distortions (TS-808, menatone, Klon, Lovetone, etc). Guitars = 59 strat or a '66 tele.

Tremelo is a very subjective effect. This box is a bvlackface fender sort of trem. Ver clean and even with the same sort of medium depth that one gets in a blackface trem. It is deeper and vibier than a Fulltone Supa-Trem. It is also very quiet, much more so thasn the Diaz Tremidillo. The Diaz is more of a brownface trem, more uneven, deeper and psychodelic. But the Diaz has a horrible bypass (no matter what you do, there is a clicking in the signal), so it's out of the question. The capabilities of the old Boss pan/trem are pretty cool, but the quality of the trem itself falls short of this box.

By the way, I think some of the reviewers are wrong that this is true bypass, it is not. Anyway, this is the best blackface type non-amp trem out there.

I have one of the first ones that came out. The footswitch has been glitchy of late, but generally view worries. Do gig without as backup because, when it comres down to it, tremelo is not a necessary part of my sound.

N/A

This is as good as you are going to do on the blackface tremelo front. Pricey but worth it in the end. What someone needs to do is make a brownface based pedeal with true bypass.

Very easy.

If you get it, you'll use it. I use it instead of the tremelo on my Blackface Deluxe.

Very simple to use; 2 knobs- depth and rate. Simple effect but performs it very well. Ultra transparent effect. Incredible range- goes from super-slow to incredibly fast, much faster than the tremolo on my Fender Vibro-King. With both knobs turned all the way down, unit acts as a boost pedal, and a very efficient, clean one at that. Adds shine and crispness to signal.

As stated above, true bypass adds absolutely no mud whatsoever. In my guitar-to-amp signal chain, I place the Tremulator last since it is in this position where the most tremolo is achieved. It really enhances my surf-based riffs. Another great use is for very distorted guitar tones to create sonic madness. Quickly turning the rate knob up and down while playing a sustained note will make you very dizzy. Finally, I also add it to keyboards to get some very un-keyboard sounding effects. Can add some fun to vocals, electronic drums, just about anything. But the thing I use most is both knobs at 0! The boost really kicks! Great for going into a solo!

Ultra-dependable.

Kind of pricey for a single effect but it does the job crystal clear without any frills. I really want to open up the chassis to inspect the wave form knob mentioned above. You could add another effect to it for that price, but hey, this unit is going for quality, not quantity. Just straight up tremolo, that's all. I bought it because it could go much faster and much slower than the tremolo on my amp and because of the boost. For those two reasons alone, it makes a good addition to any rack/footpedal setup.

Two knobs - how hard can it be? One knob for depth, one for speed. And on the side there is access to an internal trimpot for the shape of the wave (in case you want a more AC30 style on/off sound). Knobs are a little hard to read when standing, but you have to bend down to adjust 'em anyways! And I go by my ears, not by the knobs.

I use this pedal with a Demeter TGA3 amp and a MusicMan Silhouette guitar. It's very quiet, and when activated it provides a 1db boost, so when it's on it livens up the sound a bit. If you set the depth to 0 you can just use it as a boost (no trem). It also true bypass, so it doesn't muddy your sound when it's not on.

Built like a tank. Metal chassis. Battery access is a bit of a pain, but I got an AC adaptor. I'd gig with it and I wouldn't worry about a backup.

I've never had a problem with my amp (also a Demeter) and they're quick to respond to e-mail about products and questions. I would imagine they'd be the same with this.

I play rhythm guitar and am the lead singer, and the Tremulator seems to really help my sound be distinct. If lost or stolen I'd buy another. I do wish the shape trimpot was a knob on top of the unit, but I really like the sound as is (Ry Cooder's setting is the default). I played trems by Boss, Rocktron, Voodoo Labs, DOD, and Dunlop and liked this the best.

Nice and simple, speed and volume controls, on/off switch, LED 9V adaptor socket built-in

Great sound, like Fender tremelo.little background noise

Used it on loads of gigs it never let me down

Didn't have to use them

Bought it when I had an amp with no tremelo. Once I got a Fender amp again I found no use for it I wouldn't buy it again personally as I think it's overpriced for what it offers

There are 2 knobs on it. How hard could it be?

Sound quality is very good.There's a 1db boost when switched on which is real nice because it just boosts it enough to cut through.The rate of speed goes way up and way down(I couldn't tell you exactly how much although I'm sure it's printed somewhere)It can be real subtle or not and sounds nice clean or distorted.I'm not pretending to be a magazine reviewer or anything but I did compare it with a 69 Priceton's tremolo and it was very hard to tell them apart.I do know that it sounds much better(in my humble opinion) than the Boss Tremolo/Pan unit.It's much quieter and fuller sounding.

Built like you would expect from Demeter.My only beef is the battery compartment(Also takes 9vlt MiniPlug adaptor)I'm always paranoid about doing damage to the circuitry when I change the battery.Minor detail though.

Very good.They at least returned my call quickly.