EarthQuaker Devices Hummingbird Tremolo

It seems like there has been a bit of a tremolo resurgence in the pedal world as of late, and we here at Pedal of the Day couldn’t be happier about it. Lots of innovative pieces of gear keep appearing out of the woodwork, pushing the effect to the limits, and offering a whole new array of tone-shaping, sound-crushing effects that can really send your guitar signal into the atmosphere and beyond. As expected, the fine folks from EarthQuaker Devices are right in the thick of it, and actually a bit ahead of the rest of the field. The Hummingbird Tremolo we’re gonna check out is actually already on its 3rd version, meaning the EQD kids have been bust tweaking and testing to get each new incarnation just right.

The Hummingbird is a Repeat Percussion Tremolo, something we were not too familiar with when this box arrived in the mail. Apparently, it’s modeled after old vintage effects units, like the VOX V809, as well as some found in old Valco and Vox amps. The tremolo sounds emitted from this little green box have a HUGE range of sounds, from a smooth, surf-style tremolo to a noise-infused, choppy, tone-crushing, synth-y, almost delay-type sounds, and everything you could imagine in between those two extremes. Simple Depth, Rate and Level controls allow you to adjust the sound to taste, while a small 3-way toggle switch lets you select from Slow, Mid or Fast tempo settings, for everything from slow, chugging effects to blistering speed-infused pedalboard-awakening chop.

Another cool thing about the Hummingbird is the Expression pedal jack, which lets you control the Rate of the tremolo with an external footswitch, perfect for on-stage antics and quick adjustments. Plus, if need be, you can turn the Depth all the way down, and the Hummingbird becomes an awesome JFET clean boost! Hand-built, true bypass and all analog, the folks at EarthQuaker Devices continue to strive to create unique and incredible pedals, and they’re succeeding in spades. Make sure to check out their site for more tasty sonic goodies, you’re sure to find something that will blow your mind wide open!