Line 6 ToneCore Tap Tremolo

The controls are straight forward, but the tap feature is annoying. It sucks when you are playing live and go to tap a tempo and end up turning the pedal off or on! Just as annoying is when you want to turn the bloody thing off and it thinks you are setting a tempo...it needs just the right touch

This is where the pedal really fails. I was using an old Electro harmonix Pulsar before this. I bought this for the tap feature, which I mentioned above, blows. So the sound quality might make up for it? Nope. It sounds boxy and fake. Nowhere near as nice as the Pulsar. And to make matters a whole lot worse, it is NOISY to the point of being unuseable.

Seems to be pretty solid overall, the little knobs are kind of weak

I bought this for one reason- tap tempo- to do the Smiths "how soon is now" deal (I think that was the first recorded instance of rhythmic tremolo as far as I know). Since then copied by U2 and green Day. However line 6 really goofed in the way they set up the taps- to get a nice brisk tempo you have to tap 1/16 notes when you really want to tap 1/4 notes. I'm sorry but I cant tap that quick with my feet and it leads to inaccurate tempos. If you were to tap in 1/4th notes (along with the beat of the song) you would get a ridiculously slow, unusable tremolo. So the tap function is unusable. It's a shame because Line 6 is usually clever with their features.

Sounds good to me. I use w/ a USA fender strat and Vox AC30. Very versatile although I havent AB'ed it with the amp trem. I'm not as picky tonewise

Their other tone core pedals are built like tanks and I haven't had a problem with the Echo Park or Verbzilla

N/A

Not too hard. The only thing that most people can't seem to figure out is that if you want a normal tremolo then you have to set the peak knob all the way to the left. Anything other than that will cause the speed to vary either a lot or a little depending on the volume level of the guitar. This is the only tremolo in a stopbox I'm aware of that you can tap your tempo and that's beatiful. It would be nice if it had a seperate on off or tap switch because from time to time it will do the opposite of what I'm trying to do. But I should probably be more deliberate in my use of the pedal.

There are three different modes (opto, bias and pan) that you can use to get your sound. I prefer the bias because its a little bit smoother and warmer. I haven't tried out the stereo pan because I don't have a stereo setup, but I'm sure its fun. Its nice that the wave form doesn't have to be a hard sine or square wave thus adding to the possibilities of your sound.

Let me also say that I love the peak function. Its not for everyone or every application, but you can do some amazing things with it. I use it for a song my band does with a retardando at the end to get a better feel for slowing down. If you know where and how to use it it can be a great feature.

My only complaint is that there seems to be a slight boost in volume when the pedal is on. This seemed to add some noise to my rig. But (after trying several options) finding the right power supply was key to reducing this.

Its pretty solid. The knobs are tiny and (if you abused it) look as if they might break off. Its been safe on my pedal board so far.

This is a great tremolo. I sold a Boss PN-2 to get this. It does everything the PN-2 did and more. I'd recommend it highly to anyone looking for a great tremolo.

Overall I'd say it's easy to use. I use it for only a couple songs, so I can pretty much get the pedal to do what I want on the spot.

I can see, however, that it would have been much more user friendly with 2 buttons. Then again, Line 6 was aiming for a series of pedals with a common chassis and interchangeable components, so this one has to fit that mold.

This is a good, simple tap trem pedal.

If you have your pedals daisy chained, this will give you some noise.

I use the VooDoo Lab Pedal Power II supply, so that kicks the fuzz right out. I would reccomed using some sort of DC brick when running ANY digital effects at all, otherwise you just get more and more background noise.

The one thing I think could be improved is the square wave end of the spectrum. When you dial the shape all the way to the right, I'd like it to be more choppy than it is. It's good, but I want it to be great.

Also, the peak function is really cool, though it's not something you'll probably use very often. If a situation ever came up and you wanted to use it, you'd be glad you had it.

Line 6 pedals are great. I've never had an issue.

Never had to call them.

The only other criticism I have is this: I have two of these Tone Core series boxes and the pedal tends to squeak when I tap on it.

Seriously, a nickel's worth of grease or WD-40 before shipping these out would kick that. Is that too much to ask? ;)

Otherwise, you get what you pay for.

If you want super-professional-recording-stidio-quality equipment this is probably not it, but it's pretty darn close. You'd have to spend a couple hundred bucks more to get a noticeable improvement in sound quality and clarity.

But for the realitvely esy to swallow price these go for, you just can't get a better tap tremelo.

it's not too difficult, but there are a couple subtle differences in each mode that takes a couple minutes to sit down and really hear. also, the peak knob was something i hadn't encountered before, so i had to mess with it a bit to get a feel for it. the main reason i gave a 7 here is because the tap function is a major pain in the ass. not easy at all, it's very difficult to sync up to the tempo of a song. i spent years with a tap tempo delay and have never had a problem syncinc up with the rest of my band when performing, but this trem/tap thing just aint any good, completely innaccurate.

'72 fender tele deluxe reissue into Ernieball VPJ, Boss TU-2, Menatone Fish Factory, Foxrox Octron, boss gigadelay dd20, dunlop crybaby, electro harmonix holy grail reverb (not in this order, just as they come to my memory) and a couple others i switch in and out depending on the situation all running stereo to Marshall '62 bluesbreaker combo reissue and peavey classic 50 212 combo. i wouldn't call this pedal a tone sucker perse, but definitley an interference with sweet tone. it adds a LOUD NOTICABLE HISS to your sound, and if i'm not mistaken, i can hear the LED clicking away on tempo with the pedal in bypass. the led blinks in time even when the pedal is off, which is kind of cool because you can see where your speed is at, but you can totally hear it in your signal. the trem sounds are nice and very flexible, i love the panning effect, i set it to a round lfo shape and pan it and boom, instant leslie simulator! too bad it's so freaking noisy! it has some very cool features but the constant digital waterfall sound renders it pretty useless. wide range of sounds too, nasty chop-chop to smooth tremolo.

i haven't had any problem with reliaability, although the buttons you have to squeeze in order to reach the battery sometimes get stuck.

don't know

i play in a band that ranges from guitar rock (not wailing '80s guitar god's, but some flashy jangly indie rock style riffs) into some experimental and ambient stuff. i was looking for a panner and a nice flexible trem and i thought this pedal would be ideal. it definitley has some way cool features, the tap (if it were more accurate), the peak mode (trem speeds up or down depending on how loud/soft you play), choose smooth sine or square wave and anywhere inbetween, and three trem sounds (panner, bias, or opto), stereo ins and out and depth control. it offers so many great features, yet it just can't hold it together because of the horrible additional noise interference and useless tap feature. if this pedal were 1/3 the cost, it would be %100 worth it, although i still wouldn't use it. sorry line 6, you came close to fulfilling alot of dreams for trem. pedals, yet overlooked the most important thing... TONE!

Okay, my rating may be a little misleading here, but here we go.

It was extremely easy to get the tremolo style I wanted without cracking open the manual.

However, the tap function needs some work. Rather than having the tap function and bypass function on the same pedal, they should have made a two-switch box. It's too easy to accidentally turn the pedal on prematurely if you tap too hard, and in order to not tap too hard it feels like you have to stand on one leg until you get the tempo perfect because the height of the pedal and sensitivity of the switch.

I'm using this with an old DeArmond with DeArmond 2K pickups run through the following pedals on my Furman SPB-8 pedal board (great board by the way): JD Wah, Boss MT2, Danelectro Daddy-O, Boss PS-3, EHX Memory Man Deluxe, Danelectro Danecho, Line 6 Tap Tremolo (I placed it here so I could get a very abrupt, cutting tremolo).

Sound quality of the actual tremolo is "okay." I don't find it near as warm or natural sounding on the more conventional settings; however it is good for a very intentional synthetic tremolo sound if that's what you want. i.e. You'd be crazy to use this pedal to try to emulate the tremolo of a good amp.

Here's the really bad parts:

1. LED light noise.
Like other reviewers, I have experienced the "tapping" sound that the LED light produces when the pedal is on or bypassed. If you're playing a very quiet part, this is very annoying. If you're playing louder, you won't notice it. Either way, it's there and it shouldn't be.

2. Horrendous line noise.
Again, like other reviewers, I experienced the line noise that is so familiar to Echo Park, Tap Tremolo, and other Tonecore pedals. This stems from Line 6's inability to allow proper daisy chaining of their Tonecore series. Like I said, I have a Furman (power conditioned) board, so I know it's not my board's fault.

There is a way around the line noise issue though. You either have to use a battery for the Tap Trem or give it it's own dedicated power supply (a Boss one works fine).

This is the second Tap Trem I've owned. I bought the first one "reconditioned" from Musician's Friend and had to send it back because it wasn't working -- at all. Ever wonder why there are so many Line 6 reconditioned pedals on MF? (Try searching on the musician's friend site for "BSTOCK.")

I sent that one back and bought a new one at Sam Ash. I'm going to return it.

Can you depend on it?

No. See my Ease of Use 'rant.'

Would you use it on a gig without a backup?

No. Coincidentally I bought this pedal to reproduce a tremolo effect my band pulled off in the studio so we could pull it off live this Wednesday. I'm not even going to chance it due to the myriad of issues with this pedal, and I'm going to return it ASAP.

After reading on various message boards, I figured there was no point in contacting Line 6. They have promised to rectify the noise and LED issues with the Tonecore series but that was months ago.

This thing won't come near my pedalboard ever again. There's now a few alternative bootique pedal makers out there that are selling quality pedals that perform the same function as this one. They cost about twice as much, but from what I've read it's worth it.

Initially, I was uber excited to see a tap tremolo on the market, but Line (noise) 6 falls short on sound, quality, and consistency.

This pedal is increadably adjustable. It will go from soft subtle effects to extreme effects with grate ease. There are essentially 6 controls:

Speed - controls the speed
Depth - controls how much the effect "digs in"
Peak - increases the speed the harder you play
Shape - controls how extreme the effect is
A 3-way "flavor" swich - changes the feel of the effect and activates the pan mode for stereo setups
Tap Tempo - lets you tap the tempo to sync it to the song's tempo
On/Off - Turns the effect on and off.

The manual explains everything quite well. The pedal takes a bit of getting used to but it's worth it!

I've tried the pedal with my parker fly and it sounds wonderful, but it also sounds great with my starmaker Strat Copy (#20 guitar). This pedal will suit any genre you will ever use it in, it's very flexable! It's super quiet, no noise and doesn't suck away you're tone.

The pedal is bulky and metal. It all feels sturdy and it looks like it could take some knocks and come off un-harmed.

Basically, this is really a tremolo for all occasions. You can get nearly any sound from it you want. If this pedal were stolen I think I would buy another, it's really impressive! The tap tempo fuction takes some getting used to but its all good! It's very flexable and quiet. Top buy.

its fairly simple. just a few knobs. the tap function vs on and off switch kinda took me by surprise

its pretty good. i was looking for a tremelo pedal for a while before i bought this, and the tap function really sold me. i like a good bit of line 6's products, and i own a POD xt, so i knew what to expect. i dont use it all the time, and when i do, i usually put it in my effects loop in my mesa lonestar playing with my parker fly mojo. i havent heard any hiss or noise yet (and im picky when it comes to noise). i will say this: the peak function is almost totally useless. i can me using this once in my life and then maybe only at the end of a song. i turn that knob all the way down. also, if you tap in quarter notes, it will feel like the tempo is dragging somewhat (probably because of the time it takes to swell the volume back and forth), so i've found the best sound comes when you tap in the tempo on eighth notes. i think most people play tremelo this way anyway.

its a pretty ugly pedal, but heck, im a musician not a runway model. one thing that really pissed me off is the battery issue it has. the batteries that come with the pedal are useless. they will last 5 minutes tops. so i put new batteries in...dead in ten. then i put monster power batteries in and they seemed to last the longest, but i still dont trust it. i just bought a daisy chain for my power supply. problem solved.

i work at a Guitar Center so everytime i call they are always friendly and helpful

overall i really like it. it is the ONLY tremelo pedal i've had, but im not ignorant to tone and sound. i really like it and i recommend it to everyone i know getting a tremelo. i play a LOT at my church, and this pedal nailed matt redmon's "facedown" cd. the thing i hate about it is the battery life, but now that i have power supplies for everything, who cares!

Easy to use. Lots of great sounds. No patchs. Manual is great. Tap tempo is what made me bite... it works, but you need to tap too fast for most songs. I see other folks wrote the same comment... I agree. It needs some kind of alternative note designation for the tap.. like the delay.

Super dimensional tremolo sounds in an infinite variety of flavours...
Fender and Vox knockoffs that sound better than originals ( which I have had..).
BAD NEWS: just as NOISY as the originals plus it adds some new noise:
1. LED light noise: clicks same rate as the tapped tempo...( my old Fender super reverb clicked at the tempo rate too...).
2. Power supply: 60 hz. Unit must have its own dedicated power supply or battery. Daisy chain units cause BAD 60 Hz. hum.
3. The DEAL KILLER: Digital white noise...Hash. ( same as the Echo Park I reviewed..). Unit has a noise gate that hides it... but when gate is open as notes trail... you get hisssssss, click-click-click, hummmmmmmm... Its on my recordings.
Live. You wont notice much but #1 and #2.
#3 sticks out like a sore thumb in recordings ( in addition to 1 and 2)

SUPER disappointing line of products from line 6.
GREAT software models... downloaded into poorly designed PC boards/electronics (power supplys, digital converters, circuit design etc.).
Exterior is tough as nails.
Sounds are to die for.
But NOise will kill you first.
Pedal is gone from my studio and rack...
Spend the money. Buy the " modelers"... DL4, FM, etc... those have a proven track record.

Step One; Turn the "Peak" knob fully counter-clockwise before you begin!! Let's fac e it, you bought this pedal for the tap function and nothing else. The instant tempo increase based on how hard you pick is maddening!! I can't see a situation where this feature is useful. Once that's done, it's pretty easy to use, just make sure you can tap in time. you can tap lightly and get picked up by the tap function without havng to worry about tripping the unit on.

The depth function really doesn't get cooking until its at about 3 O'clock. The cuts beyond this point as nice and smooth, just what I wanted in a pedal. The sound isn't as thick as some other pedals out there, put it sounds very nice in it's own right (and I have never been a fan of Line 6). The wave selection knob works well, allowing you to shape the wave from a pure sine wave to a pure square wave. You'll find your sound somewhere in between. And the thing is damn quiet.

Always ude thing with an adaptor. I pulled it out of the box, stuck the battery in it and it died inside of twenty minutes. I unplugged it, replaced the battery and came back to the exact same result. The tap light blinks at a furious pace in deep red when the battery is dead. Either this thing uses a mountain of juice and it was a bad idea to design it to run on 9 volts or I have a defective unit. With an adaptor (I use a Valvulator)I have had no problems whatsover.They ought to include the adaptor with it, but it's an additional cost at this time.

No experience with then yet, If problems continue, maybe...

This pedal will do what you want, which is synch you to the tempo of the song you're playing. I wish the pedal had a switch to set the tap function as an interval of your tapping (aka 8th's, 16th's, etc..) instead of the peak function. It's damn hard to tap as quickly as I need to in a couple of songs (Green Day's "Warning"). Line 6 have this knob on their ToneCore Chorus and Delay pedal, why not the Tremolo? When you decide to make this switch, send me the first one.