REVIEW > FENDER
Tremolo with Speed control
it over a raging rhythm section, but it’s a
very cool recording texture.
To compete with a loud band, you’ll
have give the Tremolux some gas. And
when you do, the little Tweed gets mean.
Needless to say, the Tremolux is not a
high gain monster, so when you do crank
it the grit and overdrive are accompanied
humbucker’s harmonic richness. Getting a
really slicing tone from a Les Paul means
cranking the tone, putting a little kick
behind your pick attack, and keeping the
neck pickup out of the mix. It’s a glori-
ous tone, and a combination of dynamic
pickwork and volume knob control will
help you get the most out of it. In general,
Single note solos up above the ninth
have sweet and biting character that
retains cool sax-like color.
hand-wired Deluxe clones that don’t have
the Tremolux’s very cool Tremolo or power
attenuation capabilities. It’s a lot to pay for
an amp that doesn’t have miles of headroom and isn’t exactly multi-dimensional.
But what the Tremolux does, it does beautifully. And in the studio, where you can
roll back the volume, give it a little more
room to move, and even throw on a little
fuzz, the Tremolux can be a very capable
little beast. At the end of the day, though,
the Tremolux belongs in a roadhouse
cranking away over a drums and bass trio
blasting dirty blues and belting rowdy
Telecaster licks. And if you have the coin
to spare, it might be the best juke joint
wingman you ever had.
by a heavy amp compression that’s a signature of Fender Tweeds, but can sound
odd to the uninitiated, or those inclined
to believe that a cranked Tweed is all that
stands between them and their inner raging Neil Young. With a Stratocaster in any
one of the three positions from the bridge
to middle pickup, the Tremolux takes on
a honky, saxophone-like hue on chords
and Keith Richards/Chuck Berry two-string stops played between the first and
ninth frets. Single note solos up above
the ninth have sweet and biting character
that retains some of that cool sax-like
color. And true to form, working through
a Jimmy Reed shuffle that’s punctuated
with leads up at the 12th fret is a slice of
blues heaven—husky, bass-rich, tight, and
singing when you need it.
In general, Les Pauls sound everything
from bossy to muddy. The compressed
character of the amp can makes it hard
to summon the whole breadth of a
though, the Tremolux seems to have the
most range with a Telecaster or Stratocaster
or mini humbucker-equipped Gibson
Firebird out front. And the combination
of twang and harmonic content from the
Telecaster in particular, is an especially good
fit. Muddy would be pleased.
The Verdict
When the Tremolux is in its sweet spot,
you’ll never want to leave—especially if
you’re a blues head with electric South Side
inclinations. A good Telecaster or mini
humbucker-equipped axe will make this
amp sound liveliest, and you can expand
the vocabulary of those combinations with
pick dynamics and deft use of your guitar
volume knob. Humbuckers are a less-than-perfect match for the super-compressed
upper half of the amp’s power range,
though they’ll record well at lower levels
The $1,999 price tag may give pause
to some, though it falls in line with many
Rating:
Buy If...
Muddy Waters is your man!
Skip If...
you’re looking for something a
little cleaner for your janglepop
masterpiece.
Fender Musical
Instruments
Street $1,999
fender.com
to leave your comments on this amp at
premierguitar.com/feb2012
CLICKHere…
premierguitar.com
PREMIER GUITAR JANUARY 2012 DR7
