The Old School Tremolo from VFE Pedals is just a knockout. There, I said it. This thing has everything you could want in a tremolo pedal, it’s All-Analog, TrueSoft Bypass and Made in the USA, what more do you want? Not to mention it sounds like you’re playing through a $4,000 vintage amp, but with more features and more reliability. This thing is awesome, let’s see what it can do.
Speed, Depth and Level are pretty common controls in any tremolo pedal, and I love that you can turn the trem effect all the way off, crank the Level knob and use it as a clean boost! VFE said “Why Not?”, and it’s just another great feature that this pedal has in store for you. Boost aside, the Speed starts off mega-slow, and slowly takes off until you’re trapped in a beautiful tremolo vortex, from which there is no easy escape. The Depth plays an important role, too, as you can adjust how much or little your signal will be affected (remember the Boost discussion from a few sentences ago?). These 3 controls by themselves make for a nice pedal right from the start, but it’s the next set of controls that gonna really WOW you.
First, there’s the toggle switch in the middle of the top of the pedal, which allows you to select from 3 different modes. “S” makes the tremolo accelerate the Stronger you play the guitar, while “D” makes the depth decrease (you can also put it in the middle for no effect). These modes are really fun to mess with, combining them with the other controls to get a plethora of sounds and textures. The Sens mini knob adjusts the Sensitivity of the effect, while the Starve mini knob adds chop and grit to your sound. The Starve is a super rad control, and adds a little crunch and crackle to your playing, which is pretty unique and welcome in a tremolo pedal.
This pedal also feature Extended Headroom (up to 22V) and DualMode Switching, which converts the footswitch into momentary operation. All of these options combine to form a great pedal, one not easily copied or seen too often. The folks over at VFE Pedals have an enormous line of pedals to choose from, make sure to stop by their website and check it out. Thanks to Peter for sending this awesome tremolo over for review, hope we get to test out some more VFE gear in the near future!
Specs:
– Rugged diecast aluminum enclosures
– TrueSoft + DualMode true bypass switching
– Industrial-grade Carling switches & Neutrik audio jacks
– Alpha pots soldered directly to PCB
– 5% WIMA film capacitors & 1% metal film resistors
– Cardas Audio ultra-pure, eutectic silver solder
– P3 system phantom-power compatible
– Built by hand in Puyallup, WA, USA
Submitted by Mike B, Website
