MusicRadar Verdict
An upgraded version of one totally tasty tremolo.
Pros
- +
Versatile feature set. Sounds rival the best. Expression pedal control.
Cons
- -
Not much.
MusicRadar's got your back
The latest version of the very first Empress pedal, the Tremolo2 offers a choice of three waveforms - a standard triangle with a smooth ramp from loud to soft, a gorgeous asymmetrical throb, as found in a 'brownface' Fender Vibrolux amp and a choppy square wave.
"There's also a choice of eight rhythms for the undulations"
There's also a choice of eight rhythms for the undulations. Rhythm 1 on the rotary switch is standard tremolo as we all know it, but the others offer musical variations by putting an accent on, say, every fourth beat - there's even one rhythm in 5/4 time!
You can set the tremolo rate with a knob or via a tap tempo footswitch, and there are eight footswitch-recallable memory slots.
On top of all this, there's an advanced configuration mode, where you can customise the pedal's functionality and control of parameters by expression pedal, CV, external tap switch or MIDI.
As good a trem as we've heard, with an impressively versatile range of facilities.
Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.
“After every take, Mutt would say, ‘Check the tuning, man!’ This went on and on for almost a year. One day, I just gave him the guitar and said, ‘You tune it. I can’t take this anymore!’”: How legendary producer Mutt Lange drove the Cars half-mad
“Last time I saw my mother alive was at her own father’s funeral. It sounds almost too Irish": Bono shares trailer for his Apple TV+ documentary
“If it’s not all samples, what did those people do to get that credit on the song?”: Diane Warren on the trend for hit songs having multiple writers, and why she prefers to work alone