MusicRadar Verdict
If you want to squeeze a tremolo onto an already packed 'board, this is the one to opt for.
Pros
- +
Superb build. Great value. Respectable tremolo tones.
Cons
- -
Color knob a little redundant.
MusicRadar's got your back
The Fender Twin's optical tremolo circuit is one of the most sought-after tremolo sounds of all time, and Hotone's Trem is inspired by this classic effect.
"Unlike a lot of similar effects, there's no volume drop with the Trem"
The default soft tremolo gives you slow waves to Spaghetti Western shimmer via the speed control, while the hard button engages a sharper chop for on-off helicopter slicing. Unlike a lot of similar effects, there's no volume drop with the Trem, although its EQ-tweaking colour knob isn't all that useful.
Build-wise, the pedal's spec is way beyond what you'd usually expect from a stompbox of this size. There's a hefty zinc alloy enclosure, a rod to protect the knobs from your size 10s, while the switching is true bypass.
What's more, the big upper knob includes two super-bright LEDs, plus the two smaller white knobs are noctilucent - in other words, they glow in the dark for easy onstage knob-turning.
Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.
““We were arguing a lot and we were miserable”: How Green Day exceeded expectations with their most ambitious song
"There’s plenty for us guitarists to learn – and ‘less is more’ is the overriding lesson": how to play like George Harrison on The Beatles' Abbey Road
“They didn’t like Prince’s bikini underwear”: Prince’s support sets for the The Rolling Stones in 1981 are remembered as disastrous, but guitarist Dez Dickerson says that the the crowd reaction wasn’t as bad as people think