Dunlop TS-1 Tremolo

The TS-1 is fairly easy to use if you know what tremolo is. Plug your guitar into the input and decide if you want stereo or mono output. With regard to the tremolo effect, use ?intensity? to control amplitude, use ?shape? to control trim, and use ?speed? to control velocity. If you don?t know what tremolo is, try it out before you buy into it.

The TS-1 sounds fine to me. I have yet to experience tone suction of any kind. The TS-1 is the first outboard circuit I plug my guitar into. I also use AC power instead of batteries. Tremolo isn?t really about tone. It modifies the amplitude, shape, and velocity of the guitar output, not its frequency. Because of that, I plug into it first.

The TS-1 seems as though it built to take a licking. I have never known Jim Dunlop products to be unreliable. I have been using a Crybaby Wah for years. Outside of routine maintenance, it has held up well.

I always go back to the dealers I purchase from for customer support.

I use tremolo as a main effect. The TS-1 is certainly suited for the job. I am, fortunately, not experiencing any of the problems other reviewers are experiencing. The TS-1 delivers the goods all the time, every time. The TS-1 works great as a standalone or combined with other effects. Set it up with a noise gate, delay, reverb, and as much gain as you dare and you are into a heavy staccato stutter that will blow your pot lights right out of their sockets. I would buy the TS-1 again.

i like this pedal because it's easy to use .Pay attention to intensity level he is soft and cold

it's like an aspirator he 's create a lot of noise, this product sound like a tractor if you want it

i don't depend on it I prefer the new zoom pedal because i like to have a noisy guitar sound because my family like it

i like to play korn cover because it's hard to play and i like to impress my friend and my family but this effect don't fit with me and it's doesn't corresponds with my talent but it's good for my grandfather (vieucriss)

The pedal is simple. You have a Speed knob, shape knob.. which controls whether it is soft tremolo or square wave form. and an intensity knob.. the only thing i found a bit confusing was the stereo button and the two outputs on the back...

When i tested the pedal.. i ran a 75 les paul deluxe into the pedal, then out into a peavey classic 100 head.. it sounded pretty cool... the one thing that i dont like about it though.. to go from hard to soft tremolo you have to actually reach down and turn the knob... there is no footswitch.. i havent really compared it to other pedals, but i do like the fulltone supratrem a lot more.. because it is more versatile and does sound better cuz it doesnt mess with your actually tone and volume as much... and a little smaller too.. but hey.. tremolo is tremolo.. you just have to watch out for volume cuting and tone altering..

thats funny... i am actually fixing this thing for a guy.. he gave it to me because when he put a battery in it .. the pedal worked fine.. but an adapter turned the pedal off.. hmm.. i looked at it.. and i found that one of the components was toasted. yet looked like there was nothing wrong.. other than that it has worked with no fail from a battery 9 volt adapter...

ok.. a 4 because when i emailed them about what happened.. i asked to help me out... and all he told me was.. "it sounds pretty bad... you had better send it to me and ill run a check on it and find out whats wrong".. ok.. not so bad.. but then he gets into "it will cost 50 bucks for me to look at it and run the test...".. ok.. no... thats a third of the whole cost of a new one!!! i wasnt about to send it in and pay this guy to check something that would cost me a little labor and 10 cents to fix.. no way!!!

i know it sounds a little redundant.. but if you are looking for a good tremolo with more versatility, and will be worth more one day.. spend about 70 bucks more and get the fulltone supra-trem.. check the rating.. if you are going to spend that much on something anyway.. just splurge a little more and get one.. you will appreciate it more.. and they arent just a generic tremolo pedal.. its 100% handmade.. until i can get one.. i actually use a danelectro mini tremolo.. i know.. cheap.. but hey.. it does the job for now..

pretty simple, but like any pedal it takes a little time to fine tune exactly what you want out of the thing. we got like three knobs here is no rocket science. besides, simplicity is often best, in my opinion.

Not a bad effect. i got it for 20 bucks from an ex-bandmate so i can't complain (or maybe i can). the effect is just not a warm, senuous, panty wetting sound. it sometimes sounds digital and stale. it has a wide range of possibilities because of the 'speed' knob, but nothing that will blow you away. you listen to a real tremelo from a vintage, say fender amp and you will wish you could get that sound, but alas, if you're like me, you can't afford that shit and you got a cheap amp head, like a sovtek or something. so, you gotta make due with something like a dunlop tremelo.

i didn't really NEED a tremelo when i bought this, nor is it completely integral to the music i play, i just love all kinds of effects and for 20 bucks i couldn't pass it up. i haven't played that many tremelo pedals (come to think of it there aren't many, i guess people just don't use it much anymore), but this one didn't blow me away as sound sweet. it doesn't sound bad, but not great. once you get over the initial rush of having a new effect and operating a tremelo pedal, you might get tired of this one. i always debate selling mine (anybody wanna buy?) but then again, when will i get another tremelo (or any effect) for 20 bucks?

also note: you get a lose of volume and tone that is significant. the volume loss is pretty bad and pisses me off, especially in a live situation it's not cool. also, once again, the bane of my existence, the damn thing does not have a true bypass. forget to leave this thing unplugged and the battery muncher starts eating away and you'll be down at the gas station buying more batteries every other day. pedals without true bypass are just a shit load of trouble so unless you got some super pedal that you can't live without, don't get one, they are not worth it.

sounds pretty good with distortion though, probably better than clean, this thing just does strange things to my tone. i'm not a tone nazi like some people, but i can tell i difference.

uh, had it for a while but don't use it that much. i suppose it's reliable, but then again i'm not a reliable person to ask. but the black rubber things that go around the knob are always coming off, sounds dumb i know but everyone i know that has one of these says the same thing. i would gig without a backup because you don't absolutely have to have a tremelo, i don't care who you are...

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wish it had true bypass. why can't cheap ass pedal makers get that into their heads? no one likes tone deterioration or volume shifts. plus, no one likes to spend their saving on more batteries. why do we use batteries? because no one likes plugging in more cords for adapters and probably like me they already blew up there adaptor on something (opps). it is nice to have if you can get it cheap. but don't go out of your way for it. ever heard a band that uses tremelo on every track? i don't think so. obviously you won't use this a whole lot, so don't spend a lot of money on this if you must get it, it's not that great a pedal. if it were lost, i'd find something else cooler. i'd be pissed i lost an effect for 20 bucks, but oh well...

these damn things are over 100 bucks new! think of all the cool stuff you can get instead: boss bluesdriver, small stone phaser, a flanger... hell, for that kind of money you could almost get a used memoryman which will amaze instead of disappoint, like this one.

It's fairly easy to use. Had a little difficulty hearing the exact difference between the "shape" settings (sine or block). Two knobs, intensity & speed are enough for me.

It sounds what it's supposed to sound like for me. It's not as deep and rich as the tube driven tremolo of a Twin though. If you mess around with different settings you should be able to get some good sounds out of it. It don't think this one has true bypass, but I don't detect any tone sucking when I use it. The stereo output is really great. If you use with two seperate amps it'll sound almost like a phaser on slower speed settings, really nice!

This one hasn't let me down so far, and I think it will last for a while...

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I play blues, soul and funk and this pedal works for me. It's probably not the best out there, but it does a good job for a reasonable price. I love the stereo output, that really does it for me!

Three knobs, on/off switch, dialing in a sound is fairly easy. I'm into the smooth, not to intense, slightly moderato tremolo sound and found it within five minutes.

The Intensity and Speed knobs can be a little sensitive in their respective areas. On the intensity I'da given the smoothness more breathing room and not as stacato. On the speed I would prefer not as fast of a transition from moderato to allegro, it practically moves directly from one to the other with nothing in between at about 12-2 o 'clock.

Steel chassis makes for a very sturdy unit.

Never had to deal with them yet.

I play blues, and I find about half of my original set does well with a tremolo, this is a very good one, and plus, it was practically free, so I'm not complaining. I've heard wonders about the Fulltone Supa-Trem, and if tremolo became a BIG deal, I'd check that one out first.

VERY EASY TO USE, NO BAD SOUNDS IN IT. MANUAL IS NOT GREAT BUT ITS OK, BECAUSE ITS EASY / INTUITIVE ANYWAY.

I NEVER THOUGHT ID OWN A TREM. PEDAL. I BOUGHT THIS ONLY FOR ONE OR TWO SONGS WE DO. BUT I FOUND MUCH MORE PRACTICAL USE FOR IT NOW THAT I HAVE IT.ITS NOT NOISEY.MY SET UP VARIES DEPENDING ON WHAT IM PLAYING.GUITARS USED MOST ARE PRS. CE 22,FENDER STRAT, ROADHOUSE,FENDER STRAT BIG APPLE.GIBSON LES PAUL STUDIO,FENDER TELE DELUXE. GIBSON S/G 1967. ETC.AMPS OLD 50 WATT MARSHALL 4 INPUT NON MASTER TYPE. FENDER PROSONIC WITH FENDER SFX.SILVERFACE PRINCETON,TRACE ELLIOT VELLOCETTE W/10 SPEAKER. MESA BOOGIE 2/90 ETC.EFFECTS INCLUDE LEXICON REVERB,FULLTONE ,VISUAL SOUND,VOODOO LABS BUDDA,BARBER TONE PUMP,KORG G-4,HUGHS AND KETTNER ROTOSPHERE,Z VEX SEEK WHA.ETC.. CAN GET ANY SOUND OF TREMLO I HEAR IF I HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO TWEEK.

LOOKS EXTREMELY STOUT,HAD IT ABOUT TWO YEARS.NO PROBLEMO,DON;T USE A BACK UP, DON'T THINK I NEED ONE EITHER.

NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH THEM.

I PLAY ALMOST ALL STYLES,THIS FITS IN WHEREVER I NEED IT TO.BEEN PLAYING ALMOST 30 YEARS.IF STOLEN I WOULD BUY IT AGAIN.IT HAS THIS THICK BUTTERY SWAMP THING GOING I REALLY LOVE.IT ALLWAYS SOUNDS BETTER WHEN IM PLAYING WITH THE BAND, WHICH IS A PLEASENT SUPRISE. ALLMOST ALLWAYS USE IT IN STEREO.DID NOT COMPARE TO OTHER UNITS BECAUSE MOST OTHERS WEREN'T STEREO, AND IT GOT BETTER THAN AVERAGE REVUES IN HARMONY.GREAT PEDALS INSPIRE YOU TO BECOME PASSIONATE AND INTO ANOTHER LEVEL OFTHE MUSIC AND THIS PEDAL DOES.

Very easy to use pedal. Straight forward with three knobs for Intensity, Shape and Speed. Has one input two putputs depending, I assume, if you want stereo or mono out, and an AC adapter. It also has a switch to switch stereo or mono near the inputs and two footswitches for bypass and mono/stereo. I just don't get this, all these stereo switches. Oh well I use it mono so what the hell. For my requirements, mono, it is quite easy. BTW bought it used so I have no manual.

Well I really like how it sounds. It does not affect the guitar's tone. Does subtle tremolo to square wave tremolo. I really like it although I have heard of some people who really dislike it. As I said I really like the variety of tremolo settings you can get with it. I use this pedal through a long chain of effects and it really complements my playing.

I've used it repeated times. The footswitch looks sturdy and the housing is very string. Weighs enough to cause serious damage if hurled at somebody. Looks like it will last for a long time.

I like it a lot. May look a bit complicated to set it up stereo but that is not a concern for me.

I would definitely buy it again if I lose it or if it were stolen.

Anyway remmeber that you are the ultimate judge. Try it out first with your own gear or as close as possible to your own.

It is as easy as it could be for a stereo tremolo/pan pedal. There is an "Intensity" knob which is basically a depth control. There is a "Shape" knob that according to the manual "allows you to adjust the shape of the waveform that modulates the Tremolo." At its fully counterclockwise setting it is a sine wave; at its fully clockwise setting it is a square wave, and in between it is a triangular or trapezoidal wave. The "Speed" knob controls the rate of the tremolo. Of course, there is a bypass footswitch; I am not sure if it is true bypass or not. However, the 7/18/96 Harmony-Central review of the Voodoo Lab Tremolo says, "The Dunlop does not have true bypass either." I guess I'll have to take his word for it, since I haven't opened mine up to see for myself. There is also a footswitch called "Mono/Stereo," which is how you choose between tremolo and pan modes. Rest assured, this has nothing to do with whether your input connection setup is mono or stereo. The back features an input jack with a push knob which selects between a regular mono 1/4" plug and a stereo 1/4" plug with a ring, tip and a sleeve. There are two output jacks, one for the tip and the other for the ring. Power is either by battery, or by "9Volt regulated adapter with a 5.5/2.1mm coax plug and negative tip" (i.e., center-negative).
When I was looking for a tremolo pedal, I read every review I could find in the Harmony-Central forum. I compiled a master list of features of all of the devices. This is not to say that the Dunlop has all these features, but you may find this list helpful in evaluating your own personal needs. Here is my master list: multiple waveforms, multiple waveforms footswitch, rate control by pedal, volume boost when on, LED for rate, circuit technology (tube, digital or analog), multiple tremolos in one box, stereo capability, rate fine tuning, rate doubler footswitch, high frequency tone bypass, true bypass, point-to-point wiring, built in EQ, mix control, battery or AC adaptor input, random variation of the rate so that it is not metronome-like. Out of all these capabilities, the Dunlop TS-1 Tremolo has multiple waveforms, LED for rate, stereo capability and multiple power options; the fact that it doubles as a panner makes for a better value.
For my setup, stereo is mandatory. That eliminated all comers except for the TS-1, the Boss PN-2 (no longer in production), and the 3ms stereo tremulus lune (for which no Harmony-Central reviews were available, but I did find it listed on the 3ms website).

Let me explain why stereo is mandatory for my setup. I have a Fender Princeton Chorus (2x10", 2x25W stereo amp). When using a tremolo effects pedal along with the Princeton Chorus, it is important to consider where it should be hooked up. The mono effects loop is wired before the reverb and chorus, and the stereo effects loop is wired after the reverb and chorus. If you place the tremolo in the mono effects loop, the effect will be degraded in direct proportion to an increase of the reverb level. Therefore, it is very desirable to place the tremolo *after* the reverb. On a Princeton Chorus, this means that it should be placed in the stereo effects loop. If you wish to use the stereo chorus along with the tremolo, then you will need a stereo tremolo to preserve the stereo chorus image. To confirm that tremolo should be placed after the reverb, I made a post on the Vintage Fender Amps section of the Fender Discussion Page on the Fender website: "In a vintage Fender amp, is the tremolo wired before the reverb or after it?" I received a reply which said, "After the reverb. A few Gibson/Epiphone and Valco-built amps put the reverb after the tremolo." I have seen the schematic for a '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue, and I believe that to be correct statement.
The TS-1 "Intensity," "Shape," and "Speed" knobs make for a wide variety of tones. It goes from very subtle to heavy, in both tremolo and pan modes. If the rumor is indeed correct that the TS-1 is not true bypass, I wouldn't know it otherwise, for I do not detect any negative impact on my sound when it's turned off. The stereo pan mode is pretty cool when using headphones on my Princeton, especially with the stereo chorus turned on.
My guitars are a Fender Eric Clapton signature Strat, a Fender 90's Tele Deluxe (retrofitted with Joe Barden dual blade humbuckers), and an Epiphone Les Paul Double Cut (P-90s). I think that the TS-1 sounds great, especially compared to the tremolo in my Zoom 509, Zoom 503 (reverb *after* tremolo on the Fender clean emulation setting--ugh!), and Digitech XP-200, all of which are digital. I'm not a fan of digital anything, and I think I've given digital more than a fair try.
If it was tube and point-to-point wiring would it sound better? I suppose so, therefore I will knock it down some. But, that also would make the cost unreasonable.

The "Stereo/Mono Button" only gives me stereo when pushed in. This is supposed to be mono input mode! I can only assume that the switch was wired backwards at the factory. Otherwise, everything seems good. It doesn't bother me and I'm just going to leave it that way.

I first became interested in tremolo through playing organ at my church. Unlike a typical guitar effects box, an organ tremolo has a fixed rate and depth. Yet, it still manages to work well regardless of the tempo of the piece. I had to give some thought as to why that is. Here is my theory. In "Making the Connection: the Fender Pro Audio Primer" by Tom Butler (1994) it says, "3dB is the smallest perceptible change most people can hear,though it represents a doubling (or halving) or the power; 6dB is a clearly noticeable change and 10dB represents a perceived doubling (or halving) of the sound, while representing a ten to one power ratio; 12 dB is a lot of eq..." (p. 184). I believe that if you keep the volume fluctuations low, you can set the tremolo to a level where the listener can discern that a volume effect is operating, but the depth of the effect will not mess up the timing and rhythmn of the performer. This is how I use the effect--to add a gentle throb (at a fairly high rate) to the volume. On an organ, tremolo works great with the woodwind stops. On a guitar, it sounds great for clean channel playing along with chorus, reverb, and flanging. Of course, at higher depth settings the effect has more bite, but you pretty much have to synchronize the tremolo with the tempo of the tune. That's where the flashing LED can be helpful. I suppose if you are interested in special effects, you could use the square wave along with a high depth to simulate a Marine helicopter.
One thing about Jim Dunlop pedals is that they look so cool. The TS-1 is very colorful, and the knobs are '50s (chromed and domed) Telecaster style. What a great touch! In fact, I've got a number of Dunlop pedals and I like how they all look. I dig the chrome. The Fulltone website disses the Dunlop TS-1 for its paint job. My reply is: "When the Fulltone gets stereo capability, then come back and talk to me." In the meantime, I've got a cool looking stereo pedal which sounds great to me.
Some of the best known Fender amps have a built-in tremolo. While I have always liked the reverb and chorus alone on the Princeton Chorus, a tremolo effects pedal can be an excellent addition for clean channel playing.

It's not very difficult with only three knobs. The "shape" knob needs to be messed with a little bit to get it figured out and to find your desired sound but it's no big confusing stuff. "Speed" regulates the speed of the tremolo (duh) and the intensity knob regulates how intense the trem gets (hence the name "intensity"). Not a very difficult thing to figure out.

I use a Fender Jazzmaster with a Fender Twin Reverb amp so pretty much anything sounds good through this amp. Very very low noise-- if there is actually any at all, i can't tell. Sounds good when combined with big muff pi distortion pedals (i use two at once at times) and with the Digitech whammy II to make R2D2 noises. Excellent sound.

So far i have had no problems with it. Of couse, i have only had it for about 2 weeks but i don't think i should have any problem with it.

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I really have no complaints about it and it's just really cool since it fits my style which is heavy trippy feedbcking junk core. If stolen i would definetly get another after murdering the one who took this favorite toy. the only thing left to be desired is fuzzy shag carpet covering the outside instead of the ugly purple paint.