I’ve got to confess: I’m not a huge effects person. In other words, I’m not the kind of guy who rushes out to buy every new effect pedal when it becomes available. I don’t own twenty distortion pedals. That said, I like a great guitar tremolo pedal effect as much as anyone, and Tremolo is a great modulation effect. Today, we’re taking a look at the Boss TR-2 Tremolo pedal.
What Is Tremolo?
Tremolo is a classic modulation effect that is also known as “Vibrato”. However, Tremolo and Vibrato are not the same. Before we discuss the TR-2, let’s understand the differences between Tremolo and Vibrato:
Tremolo
Tremolo is a volume-based effect that modulates the volume of your guitar signal. This effect’s rate and depth can can be controlled with rate and depth knobs. Additionally, the wave type can be altered as well, leading to different flavors of tremolo.
Vibrato
Vibrato, on the other hand, is a pitch-based effect that modulates the pitch of your guitar signal. The Vibrato effect actually changes the pitch of the note you are playing.
Tremolo on Fender Amplifiers
Now that we know that Tremolo and Vibrato are not the same, here’s another curveball. Classic Fender amplifiers, such as the Princeton Reverb and Deluxe Reverb, are equipped with Tremolo—not Vibrato. To be even more confusing, the separate input for this effect is labeled “Vibrato”. Nonetheless, the effect is actually Tremolo! Because of this confusion, the terms are used interchangeably.
You might be asking: “What does this have to do with the Boss TR-2?” Put it this way: If you are looking to incorporate the classic sounds of Fender’s Vibroverb, Deluxe Reverb, or Princeton Reverb into your playing, a Tremolo pedal is the easiest and most cost-effective way to do this. Enter the Boss TR-2 Tremolo pedal.
Boss TR-2 Tremolo Pedal Design & Features
The Boss TR-2 is as straightforward a pedal as you could hope for. It’s housed in Boss’ indestructible metal case, painted in a beautiful dark teal color. The controls are as follows:
- Rate: Adjusts the speed of the tremolo effect.
- Depth: Controls the intensity or depth of the tremolo effect.
- Wave: Allows you modify the type of signal between triangle or square wave shapes.
The Boss doesn’t have a volume knob for normalizing the volume differences produced by the effect, nor does it have a visual indicator of the tempo. Both of these would have been nice to have.
Boss TR-2 Performance
The TR-2, while straightforward, provides plenty of juicy Tremolo sounds.
The Rate control adjusts predictably, and offers a decent range. While not as bonkers on the extremes as some competitors, the rate on tap here will be sufficient for most tremolo sounds.
The Depth control offers a usable range. Low on the dial, the effect is fairly subtle. However, even though the tremolo effect is a volume-based manipulation, the sound is still colored below a 12:00 setting. Moving the past 12:00 noticeably increases the richness of the effect. At 2:00 and beyond, the tremolo effect envelopes the notes and gives you the dreamy, haunting effect that tremolo is known for.
The Wave control gives you a smoother wave to the left of the midpoint, which will appeal fans of vintage tremolo sounds. Moving the Wave control farther right gets you into square wave territory, which is a jagged, pulsing effect. I preferred the Wave control set at 1:00 or below.
Playing simple chord progressions sound completely different than a dry clean sound. In my opinion, tremolo is one of the best guitar effects for rhythm guitar. @MichaelBanfieldGuitar has a great video on getting the most out of the TR-2:
While I find some effects gimmicky and quickly tire of them—Flanger anyone?—I enjoy a tremolo effect in the right musical setting. For tremolo pedal settings, found myself knob twisting back to about 12:00 on the Rate, Depth, and Wave controls because the TR-2 sounds great with everything at the midpoint. Cranking the Depth up adds intensity, which is especially nice when you add overdrive/distortion into the mix. Used tastefully, tremolo could be considered a pedalboard essential.
Conclusion
While there may be better Tremolo pedals on the market, at this the price point, Boss has a hit with the TR-2. Though I admittedly am not an effects, junkie, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I like the Boss TR-2. While not the most aggressive or full-featured, the Boss TR-2 offers classic tremolo effects, and an acceptable amount of versatility. Included at no charge with the TR-2 is Boss guitar pedals’ history of great durability and reliability. If you’re looking for a straightforward, good sounding tremolo effects pedal, you can’t go wrong with the Boss TR-2.
Also worth noting is that while Boss doesn’t offer a Waza Version of the TR-2, it does offer the Boss VB-2W Vibrato pedal. This is a more full featured pedal, and definitely worth checking out if you’ve caught the Tremolo/Vibrato bug. Happy Playing!