Voodoo Lab Tremolo

Four very simple knobs - intensity, slope, rate, and volume.

This pedal, when used in front of an amp, sounds superb with the clean channel and horrible with the distortion channel of my amp. If I set the slope knob to 100% on/off chop, and turn the intensity all the way UP, I can barely hear the effect - it is like 90% direct signal, and a faintly heard effect on top of the direct signal. This pedal won't work with the distortion channel of an amp, if it is placed in front of the amp - I don't know if things would be different if used in an amp's effects loop. Gets 9/10 for clean channel, 1/10 for dirty channel, for an average of 5/10.

I didn't own this pedal long enough to find out if it would hold up over time.

I didn't contact them - just sold the pedal on eBay.

Pretty useless pedal if it can only be used with the clean channel. I wanted to hear a good on/off machine gun stutter chop with the dirty channel. This pedal is not worth buying.

Couldn't be easier to use. Mine, at least, has full range on each of the 4 knobs, with no surprises or logorithmic pots.

I play an 80's Tele into a 70's Musicman 1x12. I put a tubeworks bluetube in the chain, either before or after the tremolo, since I've got one of the Musicman amps with a solid state preamp that doesn't have great distortion.

Clean or crunchy, the VL sound is delicious. I play side for an accoustic folk/blues group, and the smooth trem puts my sound right in there. This was the bridge I'd always needed between accoustic and electric guitar sounds. I shoped for a while, but I didn't really focus on anything above $200.

No problem for me after two years - and I bought it used. Eats batteries slowly, though it sounds its best with a fresh coppertop.

Never dealt with VL.

I love my guitar. I love my amp. I love my VL pedal. I'm happy this way, folks!

Lost or stolen? I'd get another asap. Although reading all the negative reviews here makes me think I'd look for an older used model first. Maybe they don't make 'em like they used to?

BONE HEAD SIMPLE

VERY SMOOTH, Very fendery,(is that a word?) Very Quiet, TRUE BYPASS silent switching

First, I read all the reviews before mine and I need to add this, Mine is the older one with only 2 knobs, I bought it used on ebay 5 years ago it gets used weekly , NEVER had a problem. I never understood why They started putting 4 knobs on them. Sometimes simpler is better. Also like most products today, companies have to cheapen things in order to remain profitable, which in the long run is a slow death due to defective merchandise and returns, thereby prompting reviews on sites such as this one. Bottom line The older ones are better. you be the judge.

Never dealt

Fairly easy to use. Personally I can do without the Slope control, as there's only one sweet spot there anyway, and I would prefer it be set at that spot, like a lot of other trem pedals. The knobs work well and aren't easily jarred, one of the better design features.

Manual was OK.

One of the worst design features are the four screws on the bottom that have to be taken out every time you change the battery. Much better would be a swivel-type door or pinch latch like you find on Boss, Visual Sounds and many other pedals.

Yet another design failure is the cheap neoprene pad on the bottom. It began compressing with nicks on the very first gig and had completely crumbled away within six months. TAgain for the price I would have expected much better.

Sounds are quite average for this pedal. For the price I expected more. I have a cheap Danelectro tremolo (can't recall the name) that sounds as good or better.

At this price range a Demeter is better but a lot of cheap pedals get the job done more easily and less expensively. I got suckered on this one.

Mine began working properly only intermittently after a month of regular use. For a while sometimes when you plugged it in, it worked and sometimes it didn't. It finally stopped working completely after six months. Not reliable, definitely would not gig without a backup. In fact I wouldn't gig with it at all, having tried it out under normal working conditions. Maybe it would do OK in the studio.

Didn't try customer support. I bought the unit in the US but now use it in the Far East, doubt they have support over here.

I play rock, classic and alt, mostly originals, in a band. I wouldn't buy it again, guess I'll sell it as is soon.

Too many negatives: 1) Bad design on bottom lid, hard to change batteries; 2) Poor quality, thin neoprene on the bottom. Why not just leave it off altogether and use good quality rubber feet around the screws? At least then you could remove the screws quickly without a screwdriver (like on a Vox wah). 3) Slope knob is overkill since there is pretty much just one narrow slope range that most guitar players need. Unless you're Jonny Greenwood maybe.

Easy to use. Very easy to get good sounds. Rated 8 because I don't get much difference between a square and round wave type.

I am using single coil guitars with this (tele, strat, etc.) through either a 77 Marshall JMP or a 67 Epiphone Pacemaker. Sound quality is very good and is quiet through these old tube amps.

Bring a backup. The switch is designed with 6 poles going through the circuit board, so it will eventually break (and sometimes other parts crap out as well). In addition, the input and output jacks have some plastic parts, so I recommend using a pedal board to make this last. I love the sound, but I don't recommend this pedal to someone who will be gigging with it based on its tendency to break down.

Customer support called back after a week or so, and I have been unable to get the pedal fixed. They were very nice, but they were not very helpful.

Overall rating is 5 primarily due to reliability and what I consider to be design shortcuts using plastic where metal parts are needed. However, I LOVE the sound of this pedal and would buy another in a heartbeat if I could count on it. The sound is a good match for what I play, which is a little of everything using tube amps and guitars with single coils.

4 knobs, huge array of tones, its harder to find a bad tone than anything...

Very smooth, almost 'tube' like trem. Probably the warmest trem I've ever played through!

No signal level drop present like there is in other trems I checked out (TR-2 which I owned for years, Dunlop Trem, and DanoTrem)

Has a lot of play, there is a huge array of tones available for use. From soft and subtle, to the heavy machine gun style trem.

Have had this pedal in my board for 2 years, more reliable than anything else I've owned!

never had to contact them

I play heavy alt rock with an AC30, JCM900, Gibson Les Paul, and Gibson ES-335. This trem is perfect and just what I've always needed in my rig.

My two secret weapons are this Trem, and my Crowther hot cake. If I got those two pedals I can do almost anything I need to.

If stolen or busted...I'd have a new one ASAP

10. This pedal has four knobs, as you most likely know. I just took mine out of the box, and plugged it in....it came with an energizer already installed.
With a few quick turns I am already playing beautiful melodies and chords. Very easy to use.

10. Sounds wonderful. Doesnt seem to color the sound too much at all. I guess transparent is the word. The volume knob is cool, as I can make the parts of songs that have tremolo get quieter, as for vocals, or louder, to be right up in the mix. Awesome. I give it a 9 because 10 probablly cant be achieved by man.
This thing goes from mild swells to extreme chopping of sound, and all points in between.

IMPORTANT. when the effect is off I hear no pulsing noise, like with some trems. GREAT!

Seems tough enough. Time will tell on this one. I plan on attaching it to my pedalboard to reduce wear and tear.

Who knows!

10.

Ive shopped and shopped online. Read many many reviews. Im really glad I got this unit. Sounds great, not too expensive, great control, true-bypass, and built like a rock.

If I could add two features...Id add a stereo output and another switch to double the trem speed....but mainly a stereo out.
I play rock. Ive been playing for 15 years. If this were stolen Id get another. It definately helps me be creative. Cool paint job!

Very easy to use, the four knobs are self explanatory.

Great tone, love the effect.

This is why I'm writing this review and I've noticed many others like this. I've owned the pedal for just over 6 months now and the switch is shot. It makes a very loud "thump" when engaging and disengaging the effect, and has an obnoxious hum sound whn the effect is on. Obviously, it isn't built to last.

Pretty easy to use, as far as trems go. But then most trems are pretty easy to use.

Sounds okay, I guess. I don't know if I got a defective one, but the slope did nothing. I couldn't get a smooth trem out of it, very choppy. It's not noisey, there's plenty of boost and it seems well made, but it just didn't sound all that great. I really wanted to like it too...

seems dependable

don't know

I play indie, surf inspired, music. I've been playing a long time and I rely on trems for a lot of my sound. I've been through the boss trem - too much of a volume cut - the wiggler - nice sound but waaaay too big - the george dennis trem - very nice actually but weird footswitch - and the pulsar - very cool sounding, but again waaay too big for my pedal board, as are all electro harmonix pedals darnnit - I'm getting a supa-trem and will be done with it. Darn I really wanted to like this pedal, but it just didn't cut it. sorry

This is the older two knob version...simple...two knobs!internlly there is a trim pot and a jumper switch. Trim pot seems to effect thee amount of intesity...at least it sounds that way when I adjust it...perhaps it works in the same fasion as the slope??? The jumper switch is easily missed...it sits next to the trim pot and its labeled " swell or pulse" Huge diff when you make the change!

Ok..I was real close to giving a so so review until I read the last post! Thanks!!! I missed the jumper...then read Dans review(first one). changed the setting and found a real nice Black Face trem as represented! When I first got the unit I was disappointed and ready to ebay it away...so glad I found that little jumper! It went from lack luster to good stuff with a shimmer in a hurry. Before I switched the jumper it was more of a dull throb...it did have a cool warble somewhat univibish...but not the trem sound I had hoped for. I have a 66 BF bandmaster that I disconnected the tremolo and added a different value resister...kind of a pentode type mod that gives the channel a bit more sparkle...of course the loss of trem needed to be replaced some how. Now that pedal is doing the BF thing!!! Also...before the switch change...there was an obvious volume loss when the intensity was adjusted to where I wanted it...the switch change solved that problem as well!
True bypass...quiet! And when the intensity is turn way down...great clean boost!!! total agree with the last reviewer!

looks to be a well made pedal...nice housing too. I read one reveiw where someone said the stomp switch was connected to the circuit board????not so...no problem there!Maybe on the newer version?

N/A

Well...like I said...I almost thought this thing was to be tossed back! Now I really dig it! @ sixty bucks , it's a great value! No need to drop $200.00 on something else. these things go cheep on ebay...now that there is another version.