Fulltone Supa-Trem Tremelo

Kick it on and go. You have so much control over the Trem it might take an hour to get your vibe down. But when you do - this is just great. Going from a slow the fast speed setting on the fly is a great feature. The speed change is super tight tempo wise. The Big Knobs are a blessing as well. Only buy this pedal with the Big Knobs.

This thing throbs like the trem on my Vibrolux Reverb. I bought it to record a couple of parts on my Lastest CD and found myself really just loving using the Trem effect period. I am pretty much a straight forward player- I had the Dunlop Pedal (TS-1) I think ,and It is a toy compared to this. It seems like the Super Trem adds just the Slightest bit of compression to the sound to really make it sing. Bottom line is its great.

Tank

See other reviews. (Soul Bender)

If you have read any of my other reviews on Mike's Stuff you know that I am very big fan of Fulltone Effects. It may seem a bit over the top - but when you find a product that delivers time and time again - it's easy to give high marks. Especially considering that so much gear out there just plain sucks. The super Trem is the last word in Trem - it is indeed super.

..more than the average tremelo pedal!- so you need to work at it to get the best sounds. A good few people suggest that Fulltone pedals are 'plug and play'; I don't buy this, and I would guess that Mike Fuller doesn't either. This pedal is musical, in the best sense, and you need time with it. The interplay between the controls is important, and the wet to dry quotient especially powerful. There is also hefty compression offered through the Supa-Trem, so the effect is one which truly transforms your guitar - although oddly, you don't perceive it as treading on the basic tone of the instrument. The manual doesn't really guide you in any tonal direction, but equally it makes it very clear which knob/button does what. This is basically as complex as a pedal for this sound should get, and is very intuitive once you've cuddled up to it. The soft/hard option doesn't appeal to me (soft is better to my ears), but the full/half speed button is v. clever indeed.

I use the Supa-Trem with Warmoth Telecasters (one a baby blue hollow body with the delete f-hole option, the other a '52-ish butterscotch job), a Heritage Les Paul, and a Yamaha 604W with Joe Barden pickups. They all sound stunning through this pedal, which is remarkably quiet. The effect is usually routed through a Hiwatt Custom 20 combo with twin Fane 10" speakers, although I also use a borrowed Fender SuperChamp; my preference is for no frills amps with no onboard effects, so that I can add in the best ones I can afford. The full chain is a Fulltone Fulldrive 2, the Supa-Trem, and a Holy Grail. The last is a tad noisy, but I can't spring $1000 for Mike Fuller's new tape echo yet. Overall, I'm very satisfied with this setup, and cannot conceive of adding anything to it. The tremelo is the last link (although maybe a volume pedal would be handy for those Buchanan swells...)and give further real body to an already meaty setup.

I sense that these pedals are built to last. My Fulldrive is tanklike, and getting this one out of the box was instructive. It sits in the hand like a bar of bullion. Take it to the gig without backup? Sure; just remember to tote some batteries. If you don't do this, you're not being professional...

I haven't dealt with the company, but they have an engaging website which suggests a confidence in their products - and the ability (and will) to address problems, should any arise.

I play modern country, r'n'b, and a little faux jazz. This pedal sold itself to me from the sound bites on Fulltone's site; then all I had to do was wait and find the right pedal at the right price on eBay! I have been playing 30 years, and no longer buy anything unless it sounds right, however strong its image is. When I was younger and angrier, my sound ws poor, my attitude amusingly OK. Now I think tone, tone, tone; so apparently does Fulltone, so I must say for this guitarist, they are the right company at the right time. The Supa-Trem enhances what I do, gives me musical ideas, and works in that narrow band of tonality which I perceive as pleasing. I would replace it if heisted - but not at English prices. I have bought both my Fulltone pedals either in or from the USA - and they're not cheap there! But if you want the best (as the cliche runs) - here it is...

Very easy to use, very large knobs for on stage tweaking with feet. Although I haven't foot tweaked yet I've owned it for six months and favor the unit's straightforwardness in terms having two knobs, and further still two switches to affect the trem quality. One switch practically doubles the speed if you engage it and the other increases the intensity of the trem if that's what you require. Very practical in a live setting, which I think was the intent. A detailed manual was included.

I use vintage Marshall amps and vintage Fender guitars. There is no inherent noise in this unit. The effect is analog, so instead of digital processes this one uses a very organic sounding photo strobe internally which gives it a vintage sound and feel. Although some out there actually prefer the more metallic sounding digital trems out there, this thing sounds as big as the original signal from a guitar direct into an amp. You can vary the mix so it affects the signal in a subtle way or flat out stuttering, zero guitar between repeats extremism. I can easily replicate the trem sounds inherent in any vintage amp with tremolo, old Fenders etc... This is better in my opinion because you can combine it with any amp you like.

I have heard about the stomp switches (based on the true bypass idea)being temperamental and occasionally quitting but so far, so good. The double and triple pull and throw switches are the Carling type, or maybe actual Carling (the double pull/throws anyway), and have had a bad track record recently, since production moved from the U.S. to Mexico to cut costs. Don't quote me on the Fulltone : Carling connection because they may very well build their own switches, but the button stomps do have a reputation to be problematic. But as I mentioned, mine's a go. I also own the Fat Boost, Fulldrive 2, and the ChoralFlange as well which are all Fulltone products and function perfectly. I had a Danelectro Tuna Melt as a backup but I gave it way a little while back.

Have dealt with them once because it took three months to get mine. It was back ordered through a dealer in Canada. After three months I got antsy and contacted them (via email) to see if they had a shipment on the way to the store any time soon. They responded quickly and kindly let me know that it was leaving for Canada soon. No mass production here, they build them by hand one at a time.

I play rock, jazz, blues. This functions really well in my setup (of course it does, it's all fulltone stuff). Actually my pedal board has a Maxon AD-900 analog delay and Boss TU-2 as well which is the only Boss pedal I allow in my rig. It's expensive so if anything happened to it, stolen or otherwise I guess I'm stuck for awhile.

I literally payed for all that stuff by trading an enormous amount of pedal gear mostly unused (lots of Boss stuff) for the new stuff in my board. I'll tell you, this pedal is at the top of the food chain based on not only the sound but on the construction. I've sat and compared with others for weeks actually. The only pedal that came close was the Voodoo Labs trem, which is a ticking time bomb because of the construction, the bypass switch is integrated right on top of the circuit board inside, which can and will weaken over time. Additionally the one I inspected curiously only had a double pull/throw switch. That pedal has an LED so it needs a Triple to be true bypassing (you can't bypass to the LED terminals). So, I mean for the cost of the Supa-Trem it should almost double as a reverb for the cash. But for the sheer quality I haven't seen or heard anything better yet.

Its very easy to get a great sound from this pedal. The large knobs allow for quick and easy adjustments. I like the hard/soft switch which allows for tremolo sounds ranging from a gentle sine wave to a hard choppy stutter. The pulsating LED is a nice feature also.

True bypass at its best!
I tried several other tremolo pedals before deciding on this one. The most notable feature this pedal did not have was the annoying ever present ticking or swooshing sound that plagued other tremolos. This pedal is not noisy at all and allowed every bit of my strat's character to come shining through my Traynor YCV-80 amp. The tremolo sound is clear and very pronounced. No tone drain or coloration was present either. In my opinion, its a damn good rival for the Fender tube tremolo. I have been playing over 20 years and I am very accustomed to the Fender tremolo, but I'll take the "Pepsi Challenge" with any Fender tube tremolo freak anytime with this pedal!

USA made. Metal case. 5 Year warranty. Seems pretty reliable.

Never dealt w/em

There's an old saying "Good things aren't cheap and cheap things aren't good". Nothing epitomizes this better that the Fulltone Supa-Trem. Sure you will pay more for it but the quality you get is well worth it! From start to finish it has a great sound that will please any blues/rock guitarist(my main style). I see no reason why this pedal doesn't deserve a perfect 10!

I have the newer model with the real nice BIG ASS KNOBS. This makes tweaking real smooth even with your toes. I'd like to see some sort of calibrated scale on the rate knob to make make tempo specific settings easier, but I'm starting to get a pretty good feel for it, and the pulsing LED comes in very handy here. When switching between hard/soft you generally will need to change mix settings, but this is something you get used to and would rarely need to do on the fly.

My main guitar is an American Deluxe Strat with Bill Lawrence 280s, but I have used an assortment of both single-coil and humbucker equipped guitars with the Supa-Trem and they all worked well. I am currently running the Supa-Trem in the loop of my Rivera Quiana 212, but it works very well in front of the amp as well. Like many owners of this pedal, I like to take advantage of the very slight boost this pedal has and I very rarely turn it off, prefering to to turn down the mix knob to dial out the effect (those big knobs come in handy for this). I really enjoy the range from slight shimmer to obscene throb that I can get. I have yet to try a 9v adapter and am using carbon 9 volts right now. It's very good on batteries. I play a wide range of styles and the Supa-Trem covers all the bases as well as any trem pedal on the market (I was unable to try the latest 4 knob incarnation of the Voodoo lab though). Two internal trimpots allow tweaking of the soft mode's relative softness/hardness and the amount of boost. Subtle but useful. I'd love to have a bunch of old amps with funky trem circuits, but for my purposes the Supa-Trem gives me all the trem *mojo* I need.

This is one category I feel confident in giving a 10. This is the first Fulltone effect I have owned and had the hood off soon after I got it home. Very well constructed, all switches and pots having a very solid and smooth feel. Of course only time will tell, but there is no other pedal on the market I would trust more than this one.

Customer support and stompboxes aren't two things I've ever had to associate and let's hope I can keep it that way. Never dealt with Mike but I am confident he would back up his product. Just take a look inside one of his pedals.

I have been playing for 25+ years and play a wide range of styles. I don't like the lost or stolen question as I have never had either happen to a pedal and I'd like to keep it that way (well there is that script logo Phase 90 I loaned out 15 years ago I never got back). I really don't think you can do better with an outboard trem pedal. I looked at the Demeter, the Guyatone tube model, and the older version of the Voodoo Labs trem. You will have to decide if the price is right depending on how important trem is to you. The Supa-Trem has enabled the trem junkie inside me. Until I find some mint Magnatone trem at a yard sale, the Supa-trem will be THE trem for me.

easy to use. I use it first in my chain then into a reverend drivertrain II and then into a DLS chorus/vibe then into a deluxe reverb reissue. I play an american deluxe strat. play mostly instro surf music, a la, the mermen. This thing is an amazing pedal. actually it's more of an instrument. I love the fact that the light modulates to the tempo, just like the DLS chorus btw, the way that you can switch between hard/soft trem, and fast/slow in tempo. really makes me sound slick. I tried the voodoo lab trem, it's a nice pedal, but just doesn' have the same features that make the fulltone a winner.

sounds incredible. adds a subtle warmth to the sound. I like putting on a subtle slow trem to give my sound a bit of a violin quality. the hard trem settings stutter in a very musical way.

built like a tank. the big knobs make changing settings without bending over nice.

don't know haven't had a chance or a need to get in touch with fulltone. their web site is really slow sometimes.

I play instro surf. I have a very nice on board trem on my reverb deluxe but I use this pedal instead because I can control it more in a live situation. I would definitely go out and buy another if it was lost or stolen. the only thing I would like to see is a light indicating whether it was in fast or hard mode. if you want a trem and know what the value of a trem is for your sound. save up the money and get a supa-trem.

No probs here. The flexibility on this pedal is very sweet. I had to adjust the internal pot a bit to my likeing but its super easy and took my five minutes to find myself lost for hours in sonic swells

I play American strats into a Fender amps. Use DS-1(modded by analogman), FTFDII, script phase 100, DM-2, EH poly chorus, oh and the trem.

K, this is the first review i have ever left and although i really love my other effects (Analogman rules! for my DS-1!) this one made me bring it to the people. Fulltone stuff is really really good, but this trem pedal is nothing short of amazing! I couldn't belive what i had in front of me. I have owned the Boss(crappy) and The DM 4(not very good) and although i used the trem on the DM 4 occassionaly i wasn't in awe of it. This trem however is totally different, warm and cozy, AHHHHH! I can't even really explain it. You should just get one. It is great for subtle and in your face propeller spins. I have found a sweet setting where i can switch between both modes and speeds and it is.....yup! The tone on this pedal just makes everything sound better! And to top it all off its dead quiet in bypass, NICE JOB MIKE KEEPEM COMIN!

I play mostly Christian (modern worship stuff) and some harcore, and alt. type stuff. I can see this being part of my permanent rig, without a doubt

i have another Fulltone pedal and it is rock soilid. It looks as though this is the same expected quality. Without a doubt very reliable.

Never dealt with any of these guys. Never needed to, but most boutique guys are right on in the service dept. They sould be, we pay enough

If it were lost i would def. get another.

3 tone pots and 2 switches (bypass and hard/soft). pretty amazing versitility when its such a small pedal. My one gripe is that it is horizontally based. it takes up a fair amount of space on my pedal board. hence the "9" rating. I love that you can change tempo on the fly, and still keep the beat, and make the trem effect hard or soft. amazing.

By far the best tremolo pedal I have ever heard. Hand's down. It is an extremely warm tremolo with a very wide, and useable range of effect. It is very quiet with an exception of a slight pulse when used with my distortion pro engaged (???). With my amp's overdrive. the noise is non-existant.

setup:

fender 72 strat w/ noiseless pickups, 69 les paul deluxe, or frankenstein solid ash tele w/ noiseless pu's.

Rivera Knucklehead 100watt amp thru marshall 1960A 4x12 cab.

effects in order: ernie ball volume, fulltone clyde wah, fulltone ultimate octave, line 6 delay modeler, fulltone supra trem, distortion pro (the effect position in the chain is probably why it is noisy), fulltone fat boost...

also, the effect is totally transparent becuse of high quality bypass. great job! I give this effect a very rare "10" for sheer beauty of design.

solid as a tank. the wiring inside pedal is beautifully, and painstakingly done. it is the prettiest pedal guts in a pedal that I have ever seen. top grade parts too.

N/A

this is the best pedal out of all my pedals (even among my other fulltone stuff), if yuo like tremolo effect done well, here's your baby. thereis nothing really negative about this pedal that I can think of besides it's shape, but that's incedibly minor. i would buy this pedal again if lost or stolen without hesitation.

The mix control, though definetely needed, is a little difficult to set. Switching between hard and soft not so easy but if you just remember a couple of easy settings you can overcome the problem. Rate real easy to set with pulsing LED but it is very important to use this pedal with people who have good timing or otherwise your trem will come out of time (mainly because it doesn't).

My setup is... Gibson SG Classic w/ Fralin "stock" P90's-->Clyde Deluxe Wah-->Supa-Trem-->Ultimate Octave-->FullDriveII-->Soldano GTO
Line6 DL-4-->Z Vex Super Hard On-->DR. Z KT-45 w/ "Z Best" 2x12 cab (celestion heritage and vintage 30)

I thought the pedal was alright until I played it with a band, then it was exceptional. The pulsing was very robust and subtle enough to not overpower the sound. Tremolo for me is more of a background effect, something you don't notice but "feel". THis pedal can definetely be felt on the hard setting, and though it doesn't have a lot of applications for me it is nice to know it's there. I beleive this to be a quite fine little pedal

Fulltone it is, break down it will not.

See above.

Overall a very good pedal, a little pricey for most but who can put a price tag on good tone? (Mike Fuller and Zachery Vex)If you have the money it's definetely worth it. I knew I liked this pedal but remember, it sounds good in a real band situation and maybe not when you are just playing at home. Supposedly John Fogerty uses it and I'm not one to argue with him

very easy to understand right away. the features have been covered already. can be subtle or extreme. I dig the pulsing LED.

sounds wonderful. a very traditional effect. something nobody seems to have mentioned--maybe the built-in amp trem sounds a bit better, but you can't switch it on and off in the middle of a song...on older amps especially....to turn off the trem you have to physically walk over and dial out the trem knob. I'm finding myself liking the sound of this box very much, and seeing as I'm running it into some nice tube amps, it sounds very warm. the mix knob is great for controlling how subtle the effect is to be.

don't know. I just got it a while ago. I've got lots of fulltone stuff, so far not a single problem. however, I keep them in a heavy-duty pedalboard, covered when not in use.

don't know. never needed it. however, I'm ordering online from now on. I tried to demo one at 48th st. guitars (NYC), and they couldn't be bothered. all they'd do was to describe it to me. thanks guys, I can read the web site too. besides, it isn't any cheaper on the street. musictoyz had it for $199. I think that's as cheap as they get brand new. I guess I didn't have enough tattoos or piercings to merit some service regarding a possible $200+ sale....that's OK, I'll go elsewhere from here on out....

I'm digging the vibratory pulse-omatic tremulating feel of this box....it's true bypass, so when it's off, my signal transparently goes right to the amp......I'm running an octave fuzz, wah, 2 overdrives, delay, and sometimes a vibe pedal, and this fits in perfectly. I don't care if it sounds identical to an old fender amp....if I want that I'll pull out one of my old Fender amps! I love the ability to add that flavor on the fly while keeping my other options open......it's about as much as I'd like to spend for this effect, but I feel satisfied that I got what I paid for. so far. one thing to keep in mind--all things being equal, it's quality merch. don't expect a pedal to fix your sound problems if you don't already start with a good instrument and a great-sounding amp. at best, it is an ACCESSORY.