All user reviews for the Demeter TRM-1 Tremulator

The Demeter Tremulator is one of the first tremolo pedals ever manufactured as far as I know about, modeled after the classic tremolo sound of Fender amplifiers. As far as the Tremulator's characteristics go, it is pretty standard in make up when compared to other guitar pedals, consisting of 1/4" connections and requiring a nine volt power supply. The Tremulator isn't rack mountable as it is a foot pedal.

UTILIZATION

The make up of the Demeter Tremulator is generally very easy to follow. Like the controls for the tremolo on Fender amps, it has two parameters for speed and depth, and that is all that there is to it. Even if you don't have any experience with the tremolo on amplifiers or other pedals, the Tremulator shouldn't present any issues for users and I don't believe that a manual is necessary.

SOUND QUALITY

I've used the Demeter Tremulator with a Gibson SG and a Marshall JCM800 for when I'm looking for a thicker sound than a Fender combination would offer, but still want some great sounding tremolo. I haven't done a side by side comparison of the Tremulator and a Fender amp, I would be that they sound pretty close and that most people would have a hard time telling the difference. The Tremulator really offers up that sound without having to have a Fender amp or without having a need to use it all the time if you want that classic tremolo sound. The pedal can be used in the studio or on the stage, but I've only used it in the studio. Like most Demeter products, it has an extremely clean sound quality without any noise at all.

OVERALL OPINION

While since the Demeter Tremulator was released there have been an endless amount of tremolo and vibrato pedals released, but the Tremulator remains one of the best available. The price isn't the cheapest available, but when compared to models that are cheaper than it, I'd always recommend spending a few extra dollars on the Tremulator since it really sounds that much better. If you want a great tremolo pedal that is easy to use and has an awesome sound, do not over look the Tremulator!

(Originally written by solo84/translated from Audiofanzine FR)


Analog tremolo effect with optical operation launched in 1982. It was conceived by James Demeter for the guitarist Ry Cooder who wanted an effect pedal that provided the sound of a Fender tremolo. And it's a success!!

Very sturdy housing in pedalboard-friendly MXR format... Sober black finish. You'll have to unscrew the housing to get to the battery!

Two controls: depth and speed. Both knobs feel good and are reliable.

Using a screw driver you can turn a small trim knob on the side panel to adjust the waveform,which ranges from sawtooth to smooth and round!

1/8" jack for external DC PSU.

Notice that the first model version was labeled THE TREMULATOR and had red knobs. The newer models were labeled Tremulator (and also had red knobs). The picture shows the current version. Unlike other modern pedals, the production quality increased for two reasons: the connectors are not soldered directly on the PCB anymore (which improved the sturdiness) and the depth control has a wider range allowing more extreme settings.

The pedal has no true bypass but my A/B tests with a loop pedal showed the pedal doesn't color the signal when the effect is off! So it's a high-quality device that doesn't alter your sound!

UTILIZATION

It's quite difficult to accurately adjust the effect speed because the control response is very precise. But the quality of the components makes it easier.

I give it a 9 because you have to unscrew four screws to get to the battery!

SOUND QUALITY

Some people say this tremolo effect is the best in the world and I understand why. I compared it with my Carl Martin Surf Trem and in the beginning I found it only sounded slightly better... Since I started using it for recording sessions, I'm very impressed! The sound is wonderful, accurate, responsive and warm!... It's really a professional effect pedal!

The settings are very effective! If you set the depth control to max it sounds almost like a trance gate effect and the speed goes from very slow to ultra fast!

OVERALL OPINION

Very high quality analog tremolo for an inimitable sound! Excellent product!