Boss TR-2 Tremolo

I’d like to start out by saying that this pedal is worth it if you buy it at a discount or second hand because it’s a Boss pedal and they will work just fine even if they’re from the 80s. This is generally a good pedal, but unless you need tremolo effect constantly in your setup, there’s no need to invest quite this much money in my opinion.
Because I own another tremolo effect pedal, Behringer’s UT100 which costs 5 or more times less than the TR-2 I will try to compare both of them to give you a better idea on the value you get for what you invest. I don’t use tremolo effects frequently in my setups but I started out with the cheap UT100 and when the opportunity arrived I upgraded to the Boss pedal; I will explain later why.

Features

Following Boss’s simple design, this pedal has only three knobs to play with. The knob called “Rate” controls the speed of the effect, “depth” is the volume control and “wave” controls the type of effect which can go from a smooth tremolo to a more rough and choppy type of effect. It’s a straightforward pedal, very easy to get all kinds of settings and the much cheaper UT 100 follows the exact same design. Both can run on 9V batteries, though the Boss pedal seems to drain the battery faster, or you can use a standard power supply.

Sound

I usually run this pedal through my Bugera V5 tube amp when practicing and I must say, the effects you can set up are quite accurate and beautiful in sound. There are few songs I need this pedal for, but it’s great to use for Green Day’s ‘Boulevard of broken dreams’ or any Tom Morello type of riff.
The TR-2 is clear in sound, it emits no humming or any extra noise and you can take the effect from playing rapidly to being slow and choppy. It depends on your play style but you can get any kind of tremolo effect from this pedal, it will do its job.
Now to mention the one massive problem I found with this pedal. While the TR-2 is reliable and gets the job done when it comes to effect quality, it has one major flaw…at least in my experience with it. If I play song without this effect and then I engage it for one specific part, it will suck out the volume coming from my amp. It will literally lower the volume at which I am playing and that is quite a disappointment. If you plan to play a whole song with this effect on, there is no issue, but for some reason, if you engage it mid-song it will suck out your signal.
The UT-100 by comparison is very similar. Even though the difference in price is quite big, the quality of sound and versatility is similar to that which Boss offers. There is no extra noise or humming and this pedal does not bleed out your amp’s volume once you switch it on during a song.

Reliability

The boss is invincible in this area. This pedal will withstand anything you throw at it and that is the only reason I upgraded from UT100 to the TR-2. A Boss pedal will work even after being stomped on for 30 years. You will never have to worry about crushing it under your boot if you step on it hard while you practice or play with your band and this is the reason I chose it, especially when I found it at a great second hand price.
The UT100 is quite bad in this case and this is why it’s so cheap, I assume. Boss is pure metal (pun unintended) while the Behringer pedal is plastic. Even at home I managed to step on the UT100 a bit too hard and I managed to get spring inside the pedal stuck and almost broke the thing. Boss is highly resilient and you can use it without the fear of breaking it or jamming it.

Overall Impressions

Both pedals are decent in their own area. The UT100 should be bought because it offers a great sound for the cost of 3 sets of basic guitar strings, but only if you plan to use it at home in a safe environment. It is too sensitive to physical abuse to be used for band practice or live gigs.
On the other hand the Boss TR-2 is perfect for live play, but only if you use it for the full duration of a song. Suddenly decreasing the volume mid-song can be problematic, unless maybe you use some kind of signal booster together with it. They both offer a quality tremolo effect and if the TR-2 wouldn’t bleed out the amp signal, it would be perfect. Bottom line is, do not buy the Boss TR-2 at full price because of its issue, unless you use it a lot in your setup.

The BOSS TR-2 Tremolo is designed to provide guitarists with classic tremolo effects in an easy-to-use compact pedal. Dedicated "Wave," "Rate," and "Depth" knobs provide a multitude of effect possibilities.

Provides guitarists with high-quality vintage tremolo effects in an easy-to-use compact pedal
Dedicated "Wave," "Rate" and "Depth" knobs allow for precise effect tailoring
"Rate" control allows for higher speed adjustment than classic PN-2
"Wave" control alters LFO waveform from triangle to square
"Depth" control determines the strength of the effect
BOSS 5-year warranty



UTILIZATION

I love boss pedals they're always plainly laid out and thus simple to use. No tricks or gimmicks, it's exactly how you see it and nothing else.

SOUND QUALITY

The tremolo effect itself is good. The rate and depth are very useful and can go from extremely fast to extremely slow like it's supposed to. The depth is sort of like a mix knob where the intensity of the tremolo can slam your guitar signal making it a very strong effect or not.

The pedal itself isn't true bypass so there's some tonal change when hooked up so for the tone purists you may need to mod it or get a true bypass looper etc. Otherwise the effect itself is quite simple and you can do nearly anything with it. I use it out in front with a distortion pedal however so the signal is still quite clear, but you might want to experiment with it in the loop and such if you're using amp distortion. Again this is completely subjective on how you use it, there is no right or wrong way. It's whatever you think sounds good.

Tremolo for me is hard to judge because it's literally taking the original guitar signal and kinda 'panning' almost back and forth. Not so much adding to the sound or taking away from anything. But I have definitely seen the TR-2 on a lot of pedal boards so there must be something good about these, they must definitely do the trick!

OVERALL OPINION

I love the simplicity of a boss pedal like this one. It's labelled as a tremolo and has 3 knobs, and it does exactly that. There's no fuss, no muss. No extra switches to do extra stuff or mini toggles that add whatever to whatever etc etc. It's a simple plug and play effect and it sounds great. Of course you have to bend down to adjust it, which is a bit of a pain for live use. Nowadays there are many other tremolo pedals out there with loads of different features, you just have to figure out what you want in a tremolo pedal. If you just want the simplest out there,at a good price, this is the one to look for.

The TR-2 is a tremolo pedal from Boss. It has a typical three knob design; one knob controls the rate of the tremolo pulsing, one knob adjusts the depth of the tremolo waveform, and the last knob adjusts the shape of the waveform from triangular to square. The pedal can be powered by 9 volt batter or external AC adapter. Dimensions of the pedal are Boss’s typical 2.4" x 5.1" x 2.9" and it weighs about a pound. This pedal has a mono input and output.

UTILIZATION

Boss is known to be a quality company when it comes to the durability of their pedals. The TR-2 is no exception. The housing and jacks are metal and will deal with life on the road. It is a very reliable pedal and I’ve never heard any complaints in the build of the pedal or quality control. It would have been nice to have stereo outs on this pedal and been able to pan between two outputs along with the tremolo, but it’s features are good enough for a basic trem pedal.

SOUND QUALITY

The quality of the tremolo is just average in my opinion. There is a very digital feel to it, and it feels a little choppy even when set to the smoothest settings. This uses different technology than the tremolo on old tube amps though, so I guess it is to be expected. There is some tone loss with the pedal, but it’s not that noticeable when bypassed. This thing definitely has a volume drop when engaged and kills the pedal for me. This pedal does not sound as warm as the Cool Cat Tremolo and the Fulltone Supatrem.

OVERALL OPINION

Overall this is your basic Boss pedal, not overly inspiring but it will last forever. The tone/volume drop when engaged is a big downfall with this pedal, though there are mods out there to fix that. Honestly if I were looking for a tremolo I’d just pick up the Cool Cat Tremolo from Danelectro. It’s about half the price and it is true bypass. For a little more coin and options I’d go with the SupaTrem from Fulltone. Having owned all three I’d put the Fulltone in first place obviously, second to the Cool Cat, and last place to the Boss. Honestly you can do better for the money.

The Boss TR-2 Tremolo pedal is an analog effect pedal. It has a 1/4 inch input and a 1/4 inch output and is powered by either a nine volt battery or a nine volt power supply. It is not rackable as it is a foot pedal.

UTILIZATION

The general configuration of the the TR-2 couldn't be any easier. It has three knobs - one for rate, one for choosing the wave type, either square wave or sawtooth, and one for depth. It is easy to get a quick tremolo sound that is both realistic and effective. The manual has all you would need to know about this pedal, but you shouldn't need it too much as the pedal is easy to operate.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality of the Boss TR-2 is quite good. It is realistic and the difference parameters makes for a versatile pedal. I have only used this pedal with guitar - usually a Fender Stratocaster and a Fender Hot Rod Deville. I also have a Fender Twin Reverb that has vibrato on it that is pretty similar to the sound this makes, and while I prefer the Twin Reverb tremolo, this comes pretty close. The tone is full and is overall a great emulation of a tremolo effect.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the Boss TR-2 Tremolo for about two years. I have found it to be a great tool when I want a tremolo effect, which is pretty often. I also have a Boss PN-2 and I switch off between the two as they have different tones. The TR-2 is a bit cleaner, but the PN-2 has more personality. The TR-2 has a very reasonable price tag and viable for guitar players on all levels. If you are interested in using tremolo either on stage or in the studio, the Boss TR-2 is a great all around choice.