Lovetone Wobulator

This box is really simple to use. You basically have two tremolos that can be used at the same time for a strong effect or separately for either a milder single trem or a rhythmic (or a-rhythmic) dual-trem. It can also be used as a panner or a vibrato box. Both of these functions are pretty typical of a panning tremolo - well, maybe not the vibrato. The only complicated thing is adapting to the range of sweep on the rate controls that is available as it can get really fast.

What makes this box stand out to me, is the availability of a pedal control for the Trem 1 rate. This means that with a passive volume pedal (or any compatible passive expression pedal) you can adjust the pulse with your foot on the fly. Think Radiohead on the Bends disc (like they do on "Bones"). I just enjoy being able to tweak the speed and change the rate of the vibrato on the fly.

So far, I only have an older version of this unit but I intend to upgrade it when I find the cash...Dan at Dinosaural can add the reverse phase switch (which is supposed to add a different timbre of trem) and a gain boost to make up for the pedal's slight volume drop.

I'm giving it a 10 assuming you have the fully upgraded version which doesn't affect the effected signal level. This box, as with all Lovetone boxes, is perfectly transparent. You'll never even know it's there unless it's chopping at your signal.

As for the effect itself, this Lovetone pedal is very unique as it stands as the only effect not inherently built for insanity. This isn't to say that the other boxes aren't useful (in fact, I think they're just about the greatest units I've ever worked with), just vastly wilder. The Wobulator is generally much more subtle and reserved. It sounds like a great amp trem or vib. In fact, with a little tweaking, I got a pretty convincing simulation of my Wurly 200a's Vibrato knob (which is really just a misnamed tremolo). It only gets really wild when both tremolos are on at non-complimentary rates and even then, if one is rhythmic and the other is fast enough, you can get great rippling effects and breaking-up textures. At it's most basic, you'll find that the sound of the unit is clean, clear, and capable of what every good trem should be...a clear rhythmic effect that can be smooth or hard edged.

A side note to the users of this unit who feel that the pedal needed a blend knob that many claim to have been a poor design choice by the LT guys...I found the individualdepth knobs take care of that really well. At their most shallow settings, the effect is barely noticeable on my rig and the effect itself is so transparent that setting it this way almost makes it go away. Just take the time to get used to the unit's nuance and I think you'll be happy.

All Lovetone boxes are sturdy. If you don't get too nuts mashing them, they should go the distance. They're not an MXR or Boss tank but they will definitely hold up if you respect them (and for the price tag these guys go for these days, I know I couldn't afford to abuse them).

Plain and simple...the Lovetone cats are as good as it gets. Vlad is prompt and cordial in answering questions and Dan at Dinosaural is a bottomless well of advice. You're in good hands.

Bottom line...this is a great unit that is simultaneously useful and flexible. It sounds fantastic, clean and clear and the added bonuses of dual-trem, multiple modes, and expression-pedal control give you a lot of options and power.

The only reason I can't give this a perfect score is the price tag. The collector's value of these boxes has gone off the chart making it hard to say that even this fantastic tremolo is worth the price. Still...if you're a Lovetone addict like myself, you won't be dissappointed, just surprised at the straght-forward and all around usefulness of a very refined trem at it's best.

P.S. I say this on all my reviews but I really mean it...if you have any of the LT boxes, e-mail me to swap settings. I've found all sorts of crazy sounds on every one of these units and I'm sure you all have too. Let's exchange ideas.

I own a LoveTone Wobulator without the mods being made in the later versions. It's really easy to work with and really straight forward. But hey, it's a tremolo!

My setup is the following: Gibson LP std -> EHX MemoryMan Deluxe -> LoveTone Wobulator -> Diezel Herbert and SWR SM-500 (I used my bass amp to make this pedal going nuts in stereo!).
I never tought that you could get so many great and new sounds from a tremolo! It's really inspiring. I never used stereo before and it absolutely blew my mind! SOO COOL! You can get sounds form a simple tremolo/panner/vibrato to some crazy funky ring modulator-like sounds and nice soundscapes. Because I use my MMD before the Wob it makes the delay go stereo as well! In combination with MMD you can get the most friggin' awesome sounds. The only thing I don't like is the volume drop, but this is solved in the later versions.

I'd use it without a backup. It's build really well and really accessable.

I play form heavy metal to psychodelic noise. This pedal does it all.
I'd try to score a new one for sure if it were stolen.
LoveTone is my favorite brand for cool FX and I'd recomment it to everyone! they go for huge prices on ebay now. I saw one being sold for more than 1600 dollar, but later for about 450! I don't think any pedal is worth 1600 but they are worth a lot of money!

I've recently acquired a number of Lovetone pedals all at once and have been testing them out pretty seriously like the hardened effects junkie I'm turning out to be. The Wobulator is relatively simple to use considering the number of technical options given to it. Obviously with switches and little diagramatic logos it's a hell of a lot easier to get to grips with than editing patches on a software based rack-mount. Still this definitely ISN'T just a simple stomp-box. If you can't sit down and work with something for a while don't expect to get what you want from this. It's very adjustable and intiuative but be prepared to spend a little time getting the most of the available options.

My Wob has been used with a whole variety of guitars and amps already, Strats, jags, SG's, Les Pauls, PRS into both Marshall and Fender amps. First of all, it's EXTREMELY quiet, the only way to tell it's on is to check the LED's or start playing, there's no hum or interference. The effects themselves, trems, vibrato's, panners etc, can be used in either a summed mono mode, or to get into it's unique area, dual stereo. For most people, myself included, the stereo is going to be a rare option, given that having two seperate amps for live stereo panning isn't very likely for everybody, still the mono effects are far better than pretty much any other trem you'll get your hands on.

The effects themselves are oddly subtle. You hear 'Lovetone', especially with the Meatball, Ring Stinger etc and you immediately expect extreme weirdness and far-out sounds, but the Wob, generally, is as refined and restrained as a professional studio piece of kit. You definitely can start getting some seriously wild panning effects if you mix the high and low frequency settings with varying waveforms but don't assume it's only about strangeness. There is some drop in signal when the Wob is activated but it's a hell of a lot less than lower end offerings that I've tried. The analog sound is pretty amazing though. It genuinely sounds like you're playing a vibro amp or something rather than a pedal effect.

So, more restrained than you'd think on most settings but capable of spinning madness when called upon (with a little experimenting with combining frequency and waveforms).

Everyone I know who owns Lovetone stuff has been using it for years without any trouble. All my pedals are pretty much brand new though, so I wouldn't be expecting much trouble any time soon. The pedal opens up easily enough and it looks like high quality merchandise inside as well as out. Good thick wiring, solders, well-seated boards and switches. Not the disaster I found when pulling my Electro Harmonix pedals apart.

I'd gig with my Lovetone stuff without a backup, partly because I couldn't afford a second pedal and partly because I think it'd be up to the limited abuse it'd suffer. Remember though folks, these are more like studio rigs than stage-tanks, so don't treat 'em too rough and they should be fine.

I've dealt with Vlad personally throughout buying my Lovetone pedals. You have to buy by mail/phone order anyway, so you can expect a personal service direct from the man who makes 'em. He always kept me informed when I was sorting my order out and has been very helpful with some technical questions I had about my Meatball. Always replies to e-mails quickly and keeps in touch. I like this kind of service, especially for a life-long product like the Lovetone stuff.

The band I'm in is pretty effects heavy, in a kind of Smashing Pumpkins/Radiohead sort of way. Having a lot of quality pedals is pretty important for the strange sounds I like to conjure up. Apart from some basic stuff like compression pedals and noise-gates, I try to steer away from the digital BOSS or DOD type pedals. You quickly notice that your expensive guitar and amp set-up you spent years saving up for ruined by a few cheap, nasty effects. After trying a few of the more expensive boutique style pedals, even as a beginner, I could hear the vast difference true-bypass and quality analog sounds make to your set-up.

Lovetone is pretty much the top category for pedal modulations before you end up in the techno-geek world of Eventide rack systems (where you seem to spend more of your life as a computer programmer than a musician). All the Lovetone pedals are pretty expensive and their numerous options and frequency/waveform alterations mean they're a bit much for those just getting to grips with guitar effects. But for those of you who've pretty much decided to take this music business seriously and are looking for the stuff that big proffesional bands and studio-whizzes rely on, Lovetone pedals are pretty much the way to go.

This pedal would be replaced in a heart-beat if it were stolen. The ability to do stereo effects on the rare occasions I want to get very strange, and the ability to jack in volume pedals etc for real-time changes just makes it a whole lot more accessible than a basic pedal. The top-quality analog sound just makes the world of difference. I couldn't go back to inferior pedals after this. It'd be like losing your Ferrari and having to limp around in a Honda.

Basically, if you want any kind of tremulant, vibro, panner effect and you have the money and the enthusiasm for the top-of-the range with all the options - this is it.

I wish it'd been as cheap as the competition, I had to give up anything like a social life to afford these things, but other than that, I'm a happy boy.

i think that the ease-of-use for the wob is pretty high if you are familiar with trems, or other lovetone devices.

it is a dual-oscilator (lfo) trem.
lfo 1 is effects lower frequencies more, lfo 2 effects higher frequencies more.

it has four knobs: two for rate -- one for each lfo; two for depth - - one for each lfo.
it has two four-position selector switches: one is for lfo wave shape (lfo 1/lfo2 respectively) - - saw/saw, saw/square, square/saw, square/square; one is for type of effect - - single trem, panner (when used in stereo), vibrato and dual trem. first three setting/effects are controlled by lfo 1 rate. (more on this last later.)
it has two footswitches: one for lfo 1 on/off, one for lfo 2 on/off.

mono input, right and left (or mono) outputs.
jack for a passive volume pedal to control lfo 1 speed. a jack for external triggering (i've not used this last).

so, there's a fair amount of stuff to figure out. a little experimentation and you're on your way.

that being said, i wish that it had a master blend control as do the other lovetone pedals . . . (and i wish that the knobs weren't so close together on all lovetone pedals - - i like to chnage settings on the fly - - but then the pedal would be even bigger than it is.)

all effects can be used in mono (how i'm using it).

as i said, i'm using this in mono, so some of the stronger stereo effects are lost in my rig. that being said, there are subtle nuances when using panner in mono that are different than trem, vibrato or dual-trem.

all of the effects sound really good and (even when using a setting spped controlled by lfo 1) can be altered by switching between lfo 1 and 2 for subtle differences; having both lfos on creates the most radical effect. (for instance, a hard trem won't be as hard with only one lfo, when both are on - - watch out.) there also seems to be a very subtle (and musical) phasing or something between the lfos when on the same speed - - due to the different frequencies and a doppler effect coming out of that?

dual-trem is where this machine is separated from other trems: the capability to mix the two different waveforms for the lfos is just inspired. have a hard (square-wave) trem on lfo 1 at one speed and a soft (saw-wave) on lfo 2 at a totally different speed is just too great. both lfos at a hard trem at different speeds is really wiggy.

sorry if this seems like gushing . . .

i have heard no extraneous noise or loading of my signal.

i've depended on lovetone stuff live, i haven't had any problems. caveat is that i'm not a real road-warrior, so your experience could differ.

i have to gig without a back-up as i can't afford another one and i don't think that there are many of them in the world anyway . . .

lovetone's stuff seems to be wll made. my only caveat would be that the jacks that are used for apower supply in are not always the tightest fit.

I've e-mailed for information and bought something from them direct in the uk. they sent me a replacement power jack (see above). been very helpful overall. even sent me a manual for something that i bought used (when i was sent the replacement jack - - i wouldn't expect to be sent something as a matter of course, however).

lovetone is in the uk, so it's not always going to be easy . . . plus there have been many rumors that lovetone is going to hang up the pedal-making business, so this could affect the customer support in the future. (hence the 8.)

yeah, i didn't put a price . . . it was *too* much, except that it was worth it. you may be able to find cheaper. i had looked for a while and finally bought from a pedal broker as i was concerned about availablity - - not many of these around and i wanted one!

for what i do (lots of free improv that incorporates everything from jazz to industrial noise to classical chamber music to lush soundscapes; as well as other stuff that will sometimes incorporate effects - - or not), this pedal seems to be "it" - - it gives me lots of flexibity and opportunity for craziness while still being quite musical and beautiful (there, i said it, this pedal makes beautiful sound).
i've been playing a long time.
i own a fair amount of stuff (fulltone fd2s and ultimate octave, four lovetone pedals - - yep, i'm a believer/junkie - - plus some other stuff), i've tried to hone my set-up to a really flexible and fairly mobile and modular unit and this pedal fits in really well.

the lack of a blend pot is my only qualm about this pedal at this point. plus it's damn big, but it does a lot . . . so the trade-off works for me.

if i lost it or had it stolen i would be in a huge depression as it would be very hard to replace. i'd probably just have to get two fulltone supa-trems (my previous trem pedal) to fill its place - - and even then i'm not sure that they would be able to do that.

i got it because i could imagine what it does (especially after experience with the lovetone doppelganger, which is similar in construction/signal routing) and *knew* that it would further what i do musically, rather than be a hindrance or a limitation.

Very much like the others

Very much like the others

Very much like the others

Out of the biz

Great the only one that I had ever seen was owned by MARK DUTROME of the melvins what it is is a multi-tremelo that you can hook up with their other pedels so there interactive it was very cool. He told me that they only made 10