This morning I was searching for something to catch my eye, and I came across a nice sounding pedal. It’s the Lovepedal Pickle Vibe. So, first, let’s talk about the differences between a vibrato/vibe pedal vs. a tremolo/trem pedal. I know that some people get confused about this. Basically a vibe changes pitch like applying vibrato with your finger on the fret board. You’re bending the note in and out of tune. A tremolo is when the signal is cut (volume). So to simulate a tremolo, you could quickly adjust your volume on and off. The confusion is when manufacturers started mislabeling features on their products. For example a ‘vibrato’ on the amp, which might actually be a tremolo. Or calling the bar on the bridge a trem bar when it’s actually creating a vibe effect.
Here is an interesting spectrogram showing the differences between vibrato and tremolo:
When I think of vibrato, I always come to that classic uni-vibe tone ala Jimi Hendrix. Dirty and vibrating. Classic. Another classic use is by Stevie Ray Vaughan who definitely studied Jimi, but also developed his own style with the vibe.
With the Lovepedal Pickle Vibe we have a great sounding true bypass pedal with an extremely small footprint. It’s not a copy of the original uni-vibe circuit, though inspired, has a different approach to achieving a similar effect. The Lovepedal Pickle Vibe has a speed control on the outside and an intensity trim pot located on the inside.
Here is a great video by ryanrobinsonmusic showing how the Lovepedal Pickle Vibe sounds with different classic applications:
If you’re looking for a great vibe pedal, this may be the one you’re looking for. The Lovepedal Pickle Vibe is available for only $139.00 at Amazon.com
