[davidj]

I'm due to perform this song in a week or so - I love the Staple Singers and Mavis Staples recent solo stuff.  I'm looking for a recommended stomp box to go in front of my Blues Junior to try and get something like this growly sound!  I have mucked about with my Marshall Supervibe today and it has some great sounds but more in the Lesley vein.  I have realised I don't know the difference between Vibrato and Tremolo - what is the effect on this clip?

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/l64Bte5ygvM" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/l64Bte5ygvM</a>

[Knackereddad]

The effect that sounds like the guitar fading in and out rapidly is Tremolo. You can pick up a Dan Electro Trem pedal quite cheaply or I'll happily lend you mine.

[davidj]

Thanks - and thanks indeed for the kind offer!  I'll have sniff about for a pedal - but may well come back to you if I can't find something suitable.

[davidj]

ok - danelectro snagged!  A bit of residual chrimbo money...........  Will report back!

[Knackereddad]

Very quick work David, good man

[Daniel T]

I have realised I don't know the difference between Vibrato and Tremolo - what is the effect on this clip?

I learnt to play violin when I were a lad.

I've now been playing guitar for five years and its only in the last year I've been able to talk about a tremolo arm without wincing. It's all Leo's fault...

[Knackereddad]

I wonder which came first? The Stratocaster with incorrectly termed "Tremolo arm" or the Fender amp with incorrectly termed "Vibrato"? I guess once the first incorrect naming was used, Leo had to keep going else face contradicting himself!

[John H]

I have realised I don't know the difference between Vibrato and Tremolo - what is the effect on this clip?

I learnt to play violin when I were a lad.

I've now been playing guitar for five years and its only in the last year I've been able to talk about a tremolo arm without wincing. It's all Leo's fault...

You too? I played violin for 9 years. The thing is, I really wanted to learn to play the fiddle.

[Daniel T]

I wonder which came first? The Stratocaster with incorrectly termed "Tremolo arm" or the Fender amp with incorrectly termed "Vibrato"? I guess once the first incorrect naming was used, Leo had to keep going else face contradicting himself!

Ok! I wondered the same thing and did have a quick looksie at this yesterday.

According to wikipedia the strat and its pivot bridge debuted in 1954, the Tremolux amplifier hits the streets in 1955 and the Vibrolux (with a similar circuit for the tremolo effect) came out in 1956.

I can't really make head or tail of it. However, to me, a vibrolux sounds way cooler than a tremolux!

 

[davidj]

Ok, the Trem pedal is here and I've given it a quick road test.  On Sunday I have the first rehearsal with the eighteen piece orchestra and choir so I'll try it in anger then.

Meanwhile according to bedroom testing I like it a lot.  Simple controls - speed and depth on the "soft" setting and just speed on the " hard" setting.  I think the soft setting is more usable - for me at any rate. 

I got pretty close to the Trem sound on the you tube clip with a modest amount of tweaking and a bit of grit on the Blues Junior.  Very warm too.  Seems well made by the good folks in China, metal case and super bright blue light to indicate "on".  Not sure what that will do to battery life.  Doesn't seem to add any noise to the signal when it's off, at bedroom gain levels anyway.

So thanks to Knackereddad for both the recommendation and the kind offer of a loan!

[davidj]

ok - tried the pedal out at the first full band rehearsal for an eighteen piece R&B orchestra today.  We never got around to "I'll take you there" ironically but we did do "got my mojo working".  Although the song has been done to death by all kinds of bar bands, we played this Etta James version which is slightly different.  It's a simple enough guitar lick, but with a nice dollop of wobble on the neck pickup of my Les Paul it sounded pretty fat!  Chuffed with it.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/fNn-KqwRCiU" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/fNn-KqwRCiU</a>