Guyatone VT-X Tremolo

It's easy to use. Just play around with it and get used to it.

I had the misfortune of having my boss tremolo stolen by some scumbag at a club here in NYC. I bought a voodoo labs tremolo and was gigging with that for a while. I used someones flip vtx tremolo because my voodoo labs battery died (the flip plugs right into any power supply and does not need batteries). I LOVED it!!! I contemplated stealing it, but decided instead to just buy my own. I ordered it online and can't wait to get it. This is the best sounding tremolo pedal I've ever used, no exaggeration. I've tried boss, voodoo labs, ehx pulsar(this one was good too), fultone... the ugly orange flip tremolo beat them all. It's very versatile, does everything from vintage to modern.

I'll let you know when I get it

Like I said, I've tried quite a few tremolo pedals and this one was the best in my opinion. I suggest running it through the efects loop. What else can I say? I'm a picky bastard and this pedal is my favorite, hands down.

Super easy to use. Speed, Intensity, and Tone,... Even a Polock could use it! LOL!!! JK you guys!

Gotta love that sweet tube tone. This pedal is actually modded by me. Since I am a tube tone freak, what I did is installed a small push on/off switch that when in the on position, runs the guitar signal through the tube AND effects. Now, when in the off position, I wired it so I can bypass the effect and keep my beloved tube tone... pretty cool hugh? The reason for me doing this little mod is because I play through a solid state church sound system. When I am able to keep the tube hot while having the rest of the effects on (Distortion & Chorus), it adds amazing warmth and tonal value. Any way, I did the mod cause I'm a geek and I CAN, other then that, I love the pedal.

No Probs! Althogh... I switched the original tube out and replaced it with a Vox 12ax7. I did so because, when in the "Normal" position, it will cut highs, and bring out mids and lows. But, when in "Emphasis" it emphasizes highs, kind of like a Vox amp, which are known for there Tremolo and Chime.

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I play church music, jazz, blues, rock n' roll, and this fits them all. If it was stolen, I beat the living tar out of whoever took it. If anybody has questions on how I did the mod, or any other questions, feel free to contact me. My email is franksvillesix@aol.com.

Very easy to use. Standard dials. U can switch from traditional tremolo to more intense type tremolo with the flip of a switch. Pretty easy to use.

I played this through the effects loop of a marshall combo and it sounded GREAT!! This pedal is billed as "vintage tremolo" and that's what it sounded like. It also has the option of a more modern sound, by fliping a switch for a faster tremolo sound. It also has a tone control that is subtle at best, but still somewhat useful. I played several tremolo units in the store that day and this one was the one I liked best. It even has a tube in it, which gives it a natural warmth that the other pedals didn't have.

It seems pretty sturdy. It does have a 12ax7 tube in it, so I supposed it's more vulnerable than a pedal without a tube, but it's not something I would worry about.

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I will give it a 10, because I can find no fault in it? I love the way it sounds, it has a wall plug, so no batteries to crap out on you, it goes from vintage to modern with the flip of a switch by turning up the tone control... what more can you ask for in a pedal?I'm sure some nitpicky player will find something to whine about, but the only fault I can really find in this pedal is the color. It's orange. I hate the color. At least it's not pink?

This pedal sounds great, right off the bat. It's pretty easy to use, standard dials with 2 switches(one for faster or slower speeds and one for normal and more empasized sound).

I used this to replace a voodoo lab tremolo. I did an a/b test to compare them both and it was pretty close. The flip has much more range and is more dynamic. It also doesn't color the original tone. The voodoo lab does this slightly, but I never minded it. They are almost equal, but the flip is more versatile and sounds a bit warmer. I think this pedal sounds great. I really love it.

I just got it, so far so good.

I would have to give it a perfect 10, seeing that I can't find fault with it? Tremolo is the major part of my sound, and I feel very comfortable with this being my main pedal. The voodoo lab is good too, but I feel this one is more versatile and sounds warmer.

This unit sounds very good right out of the box. Very warm and lush. The knobs are simple, Tone, Speed, Intensity....... and there's a few range adjust switches too. It's a nice classic effect, doesn't have the brash digital sound going for it. I particularly like the flexibility.... a very wide speed range, and a very wide intensity range.... from very subtle to choppy to a fault.

Sounds very good. I use mine in the effects loop of a combo amp, or stack... That way I get more input to the pedal, and less drain on the instrument. I find that it sounds great playing through it, and I don't find that it has a major effect on the guitar sound when in bypass... I may have a newer revision than a few other reviewers I use bypass loop boxes anyway for other FX like Echoplex, so I don't find the bypass a huge deal. When engaged, you can hear the volume sweeps on higher intensity levels...

I would depend on it, but Make sure you cut the power to it when you aren't using it. The Tube will stay warm, and the power supply heats up too. Guyatone stuff is notoriously well made, but don't take your chances... cut the juice when you aren't playing... and give it a few mins to warm before you start.

Godlyke has been good so far. I own some other products they distribute too.

I bought this to play some of the Vintage 50's songs that I like... It gets the job done for sure. Because of the range of it, and the warmth, I'd say it's a very good general purpose tremolo. It goes from subtle to chop, from gentle to pulse... and from throb to helecopter.... what more is there?

It's not a cheapie, but it's a good one.

I have two tremolo pedals: this one which was moded by JPL Audio and the Fulltone Supa-Trem. With that said, my review will be based upon my experience with both pedals against each other and my '66 Deluxe Reverbs tremolo circuit.

The pedal is very easy to use. The switches are useful; the do exactly what they are labeled to do. Definite differences between sounds and very versatile. Tone knob is subtle, but is still useful. I am a bit crazy about small differneces so I find the tone knob a nice additive to the mix of this pedal. The panning is nice however I dont personally use it much.

The sound is excellent. To be perfectly honest, I have tried the Diaz Trem, Demeter, the new Line6 Trem, Frantone trem, TRex trem, EH Pulsar, I own the Fulltone supa trem, and Ive tried numerous vintage and boutique amps.

I will not say its the end all, because everyones got their own opinions but its excellent for me. I found it does have the ever so slightest noise to the chain, but ALL PEDALS DO! It is not true bypass so I use a keely looper with it. I have found that it is the closest sounding tremolo pedal out that to the natural tremolo sound of an amp, probably because of the tube of course. To me, it really just sounds like adding a tremolo sound to my guitar signal with almost NO coloration or change in the sound you are putting in the pedal.

It is a VERY warm sounding trem on its own; very rich and lush pulses. When Guyatone called it the "Vintage Tremolo" they were correctly naming it. I actually prefer it to my Deluxe Reverbs amp tremolo sound. If you want the best lush, warm, versatile tremolo that is the closest sounding to an amps tremolo: THIS IS THE ONE.

When compared to the Fulltone Supa-Trem, its just different. The supatrem is a great sounding pedal but it does sound like a pedal. Has is own sound definately . The supatrem is really warm, full and lush but has a very noticable increase in volume and gain when engaged. That can be fixed with your guitars volume pot but, I dunno... I just dont like that about it.

Some of these reviews stated that this pedal gave an increase in volume but it cut the volume of my signal, so I had it modified to have added gain and then a Volume control by Jim at JPL Audio. This is the reason I gave it a 9 and not 10. It actually worked out great cause if i want an increase volume for a solo or part or whatever, its great. Otherwise it really is fantastic.

It works really well with MY setup. Find out for yourself... Warmoth Jazzmaster body/Strat modified with Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot strat pickups or Warmoth Telecaster... EB Vol.Pedal Jr.-> Fulltone Deja Vibe-> Fulltone OCD (which is FREAKIN' AWESOME!)-> Maxon AD999-> Boss DD5 w/ Anaolgman High Cut Mod-> Guyatone VT-X Tube Tremolo-> '66 Deluxe Reverb w/ Weber 12F150 speaker and JJ Tubes or Divided by 13 ERT33 w/ 212 Celestion Blues Cab. Works excellent with ALL my pedals, both amps and both guitars.

VERY

GOOD!

I play Pop/Rock and Blues. I thinks its great and would recommend it above any other and it is tied in my book with the Fulltone Supa-Trem. Its a great match for my gear and sound and it will be for a long time. Thanks for reading.

This is an easy to use tremelo pedal. A manual is not necessary for those who know what a tremelo pedal does, although one is provided. The only feature that might confuse someone is the emphasis switch, but you're ears will tell you what it does.

I would agree with Jeff Morris below. He seems to an most experienced reviewer. This thing has an amazing range. Slow motion to hummingbird fast. I can not find fault with this pedal. I would rather have a signal boost than a signal drop. Jeff has found a clever way of finding a unity setup. I use a Victoria Bandmaster 35310, and this is a more portable alternative to the Victoria unit. Echo and Tremelo are all you need when you have a floating baffle pine combo.

I have not had it long enough to comment on reliability. A grill is located above the tube, which should prevent it from overheating. I would probably bring along an extra tube.

No experience.

I have been playing since 1989. I play just about every style. This pedal was rated as one of the top 50 pedals of all time in Guitar Player magazine. I'm happy Guitar Player is reviewing more and more boutique pedals. The review sparked my interest, and I am convinced they are dead on. If you like tremelo, you can't go wrong with this pedal. This thing crushes the Boss unit in both versatility and tone. The only thing the Fulltone Supa Trem has on it, is the rate doubling switch. I would love to hear the new Victoria combos, but I still like the option of putting a tremelo before the preamp tubes. This alows you to have gain introduced at the top of the swell.

simple to use: just tweak the knobs to the way you like. if vintage tremelo is your thing, this pedal can do it and more.
one downside to this pedal is that it needs to be run off a 12v power adaptor, which i've found is a little cumbersome because i'm used to running all my pedals through a dc brick. although i suppose one more plug in isn't so bad. That's the one complaint i would offer for this pedal, although i'm over it, it sounds great especially in stereo.

Amps: 68 super reverb/ reissue ac-30
Guitar: thinline telecaster (wr-humbuckers)
pedal is NOT true bypass, although the signal degradation isn't so bad. you lose a bit of high end when pedal is pluged in whether on or off. now take it from me, i'm very fastideous when it comes to signal lose and i was reluctant to buy this pedal because it wasn't true bypass, however i'll attest that the it's not bad at all. i suppose if you're running a long chain of un bypassed pedals, it could really weaken the your sound but alone it's not bad.
When pedal is engaged there is a very very slight drop in volume, although i'm not convinced that it isn't just the effect-you know, a tremelo kindof has this in and out flow to it, so perhaps it's just the effect that makes it sound lower. it's okay. it sounds very warm. tone knob isn't really that effective. the other knobs and switces are great, you can achieve almost any level of tremelo. great.

very reliable, i teched for a guy for two years, and he had this pedal the whole time. and while almost all of his other pedals (mostly analog, boutique, vintage types) would crap out, this never once had a problem, and he would stomp the sh*t out of his pedals. we would always joke that the vt-x was the next to go, i mean it has a fu*king tube in it, right. but it never did, very reliable

First off - I posted a review before - a couple down - where I basically said, "This would be the perfect tremolo if only I could control the volume boost it provides when engaged." I tried different tubes which colored the sound some and were pretty easy to swap out, but no luck. Then - through the disucssion forums, I discovered Jim at http://www.jpl-audio.com and I had him do some custom work for me, so my unit now has a volume control! Wahoo!!

All it takes is a quick knob tweak of speed, intensity, tone, and now volume to get the sound I want. I'm usually using this as mono rather than panning, but if I want to pan? Easy - just add a second cable. Not finding the speed in the knob twists, or I want a sudden increase in speed? Easy, flip the speed switch. Not getting the intensity or enough of an 'on-off' sound I want in the knob twists, or I want a sudden increase in intensity? Easy, flip the emphasis switch.

Some of the botique boxes (Fulltone trem and Diaz I believe) offer a second stomp switch to increase/ double the speed. I find the emphasis switch does this. Perhaps not with the convience of a stomp, but still . . . real easy. I love it.

It can do stereo / pan outs, has the obvious speed and depth knobs, but also has a tone knob and two switches, one for emphasis (gets more the chopper sound than the throb) and one for speed (jumps to superfast). The only problem has been no matter what tube I tried, I got a significant volume boost. This was fine in the studio when I might use trem for a whole song, but live . . . not so much. I bought a Voodoo Lab Tremolo which worked just fine - really well actually - but it still didn't have that sonic mojo for me.

And then I learned about Jim - again at http://www.jpl-audio.com. And when I got the pedal back? Sonic nirvana.

With the dual speed and emphasis switches, I not only find the range greater than the Voodoo Lab trem, but the ease of adjustment and quickly dialing in the sound I want is much improved too. I think the Guyatone thickens the sound a bit, so those searching for a 100% transparent trem might not like it, but boy - I do. Noise wise, the VL might be a tiny bit quieter too, but I don't hear enough noise difference to care about. I'm just in love with this baby now that it's been hot rodded. And if I ever want to experiment again with different tubes - more options potentially await.

Bought the pedal used, and had it for 2 years prior to getting the mod done and never had a problem. I plan on using it a LOT more now, but imagine no issues. The original unit is well outside the warranty period and has been opened up enough and stomped on enought that I'm real confident about it. Then, Jim warranties the mod for awhile, so I know he's confident that his work won't screw anything up. I expect this to keep on tickin (throbbin) for years to come.

I e-mailed Kevin at Godlyke (Guyatone's US distributor) a few times about the volume boost, and always got prompt and pretty helpful answers. He offered to take the unit back to see if anything was wrong with it, but told me that a slight volume boost is part of the unit's design. So I declined sending it back to potentially be told it was working like it should. Still, I think if I had, I would have been well taken care of.

Jim at JPL meanwhile was AWESOME. He understood my desire for a volume knob added into the circuit to control the output. Took a look at some digital pictures of the pedals' innards to make sure he could do the work before I shipped it to him. Then he E-mailed me a few times to make sure I got exactly what I wanted, offering a few different options as well as what he saw as the pros and the cons. And then sent me a digital pic to show me what the mod looked like the day he shipped it back so I could see what was coming. And followed up to see how I liked it once I got it. Wow. I'm not going to list how much Jim charged, since this was his first job on this pedal and future work may be adjusted to reflect what he's learned, but it wasn't too much, and certainly in line with what any of the other pedal modders (Keely, fx doctor) are charging for work.

For my jangle-rock, this is a great toy. As said above, I've used the Voodoo Lab four knob tremolo. I've tried a Boss and Carl Martin trem. They didn't do it for me. I haven't tried the Fulltone, Diaz, or either of Electro Harmonix's trems (Pulsar and Wiggler) but I still see this as having more features, plus a smaller footprint than the EH stuff, so am not likely to run out and sample. The only way I'd ever consider replacing (or not replacing if lost) this pedal and it's mod would be if I changed to an amp with a tremolo circuit built in, and even then . . . I'm not sure I would. I own a lot of other stuff, some real high end (my amp, my EBS compressor pedal) some mid level (a line 6 Delay moddler, Boss chorus & eq, VL Sparkle Drive overdrive, Dunlop volume/wah) and I put this in the high end part. As a matter of fact, if I had to strip my pedal board down to just two pedals, it would be this and my Sparkle Drive. Just one? Well, probably my Sparkle Drive, but I'd have to think about it, as tremolo is my favorite effect, and this my favorite tremolo pedal.

Fairly straight forward operation. 3 knobs (speed, intensity, tone), 2 switches (1.slow-fast, 2. normal-emphasis); all do what they claim to do. However, there are 2 outputs and no indication which of the outputs is for mono use. The manual for this pedal is the same manuel for the whole series of pedals, and this is the only one with stereo outs. Bad idea! I assumed that output one was mono, but this seriously diminished my tone when the pedal was switched off. So, I tried output 2. Bingo, that's the mono. Other than that, I had dialed in a "Cold Shot" setting in a matter of seconds. Would give it a 10 if it weren't for the output issue.

In my main set up, I run a late 80's American Standard strat or a 2001 American Standard Tele > TS-9 > Crybaby (80's) > VT-X > EH Holy Grail > reissue Bassman. Depending on the gig, I may use other effects as well (chorus, heavier distortion, flanger, etc.) Tried the VT-X in various spots in the chain, and it seems to work best after everything but the reverb. Which, I figure is the way it would happen if the Vibrato were built into the amp too. No noise problems except that you can hear the pulsing when the pedal is engaged and you aren't playing. As I mentioned above, I had trouble with the output thing, but after that it was smooth sailing! This thing sounds fantastic! Does a very convincing SRV univibe sound, plus you can dial in "Rebel Rouser", "Crimson and Clover" and a whole host of weirdness that would make Metheny and Scofield drool! With the emphasis engaged and the speed cranked up to fast you can get some surreal sounds. Add a little dirt and you end up with some bizarre overtones. At the other end of the spectrum, just a little "vibe" and you get a chorus effect. In fact, at a gig last saturday a guy asked me what kind of chorus pedal I used. He couldn't believe that it was the VT-X?

This thing seems solid. All metal construction with plastic knobs and a silent switch. I've done a 5 gigs with it so far. My only concern is for the power supply. You cannot use a battery with this. I would definitely gig without a backup pedal, but I'm getting a backup wall wart soon.

Only had the pedal for a month, haven't had to deal with customer support yet.

Well, the VT-X was given to me as a bonus at work! (Yes it is cool to have a boss who understands your passion/compulsion). But, it was the pedal I was leaning toward after a ton of research. It's the tube warmth, man. I've been playing for 18 years and used to play through a vintage Music Man amp with onboard vibrato, and the VT-X is great! I perform with 2 different groups on a regular basis (blues, jazz, funk) and get calls to fill in or do all sorts of things from country to oldies to showtunes. I need versatility and authenticity in my set up, and I definitely found it here. I don't even bring my Boss CE-2 with me any longer. The VT-X gets a good enough chorus sound for me. definitely worth the $$ even if I was the one paying! Does it have an expression pedal like a uni-vibe or some boutique pedals, no. And that may be the one thing I wish they did add. But, I'm pretty much a set it and forget it player. It's no big deal to bend over before a tune and turn a knob or flip a switch. Again, it is virtually noise-less, simple to operate ( after the output thing) and very authentic to my ears.