Boss TR-2 Tremolo
So much versatility.
£95 at amazon.co.uk | £104 at thomann.com
The Boss TR-2 is a very versatile and powerful analog tremolo pedal. Famously used by Tom Morello with Audioslave on Like a Stone and Gasoline, and by Billy Joe Armstrong on Boulevard of Broken Dreams. It features a 3 knob layout that allows for a wide range of modulation effects, from fast stuttering sounds to slow volume swells.
The rate knob controls the modulation frequency - how quickly the signal volume fluctuates up and down. The depth knob controls the volume drop compared to the input volume. At the minimum setting it will keep the signal completely unchanged. On the maximum setting it will completely cut the volume at every cycle. The wave control changes the sound wave (shape) of the oscillation. Turn it down to get a smooth transition between the minimum and maximum volume, turn it up towards the square wave for abrupt changes between the minimum and maximum values. The combination of wave and depth controls allows for a very diverse set of effects from the TR-2.
Turning the wave knob towards the triangle shape will produce a very similar effect to the tube bias tremolo found on some Fender amplifiers. This is a very beautiful organic sounding effect. With the depth control set at halfway or below, it can be barely noticeable, while still adding some texture to your playing. If you leave this as an always-on effect, it can be hard to tell that a tremolo effect is being applied. Turning up the depth will make the volume changes more apparent, maintaining the smooth wave transitions. Turn down the rate to get the effect found in “Bang Bang” by Nancy Sinatra. You can also hear this style of tremolo in Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day with a fairly fast rate setting.
Turning the wave knob up towards the square wave shape makes changes more abrupt and produces an aggressive sound. Tom Morello used the Boss TR-2 in this setup with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. This works really well with distorted tones. If you sync up the rate with your playing tempo, the TR-2 will improve note separation, this sounds especially interesting when playing solos. You can turn down the depth control to make this effect less pronounced, while still adding a bit of aggression to your playing.
If you max out the depth and wave knobs and set the rate very low, you get a stuttering killswitch type of effect. To make it more pronounced, make sure to place the tremolo at the very end of your signal path (even after reverb and delay).
The placement of the TR-2 in your signal chain will have a tremendous impact on the effect you will get. Place it before your overdrive, delays and other modulation to get a much subtler effect. Keep it at the start of your chain if you want a pronounced tremolo only for your clean sounds. This is also a good position for an always-on effect. Place it between your distortion and delay/reverb pedals to produce a much more aggressive effect. The delay and reverb will still smooth it out a bit. Placing it at the very end of your chain makes it act as a fluctuating killswitch - also very cool!
The build quality is amazing as always. I’ve had my TR-2 for over 10 years and it’s still good as new after countless gigs and rehearsals. I’ve heard some complaints about the pedal reducing the input volume when engaged, but this has not been my experience – maybe on older units. In fact, if I turn the depth knob to the minimum setting I just get my unaffected guitar signal, whether the pedal is on or not.
Many modern tremolo pedals include a tap tempo switch. I don’t think this is necessary, since a tremolo can’t sound out of sync with a band the same way a delay effect can. It would have been nice, however, to have expression pedal support to control either the wave or the depth of the effect.
Bottom Line
The Boss TR-2 is a great guitar pedal for anyone looking to add tremolo effects to their playing. It is versatile, easy to use, and capable of producing a wide range of sounds. Whether you want a fast stuttering effect or a more organic tremolo sound, the TR-2 has you covered.