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The Chase Bliss Audio treatment is a great one. You know what I'm talking about. First, vibrato got "the treatment" with the Warped Vinyl, and then phasers got it with the Wombtone. Now, tremolo is getting the Chase Bliss treatment. It's called the Gravitas, and your other tremolos are obsolete. Sorry about that.

For starters, a discrete class A preamp circuit sits in front of the tremolo section, followed by Analog Devices AD823 op-amps for pristine tonal clarity. The signal path is 100 percent analog, only the controls are digital.

Chase Bliss then applies its innovative ModuShape controls to tremolo, an effect that certainly benefits from it. The wave shape switches are still there, and the two knobs are Depth and Sway. These four controls can take tremolo to heights never before experienced. But wait, there's more!

You might notice there's a knob labeled Drive AND Ramp; the Drive is the gain of the aforementioned boost circuit, and the Ramp, the secondary function, is accessible via the horde of DIP switches on the rear of the pedal. You can set the ramping to rise or fall. You can also use this one knob to control up to five different parameters simultaneously. Volume, Tone and Rate round out the controls.

There's also a Tap switch, which works in conjunction with the subdivisions toggle, as well as two user presets, external tap jack and expression pedal control. The DIP switches also help govern the expression/CV control, along with many other options. (There are 16 of them!)

The Gravitas is capable of many classic tremolo sounds, from simple volume modulation to brownface-style harmonic trem. It can even do both...at the same time. It's a truly inspiring box that will serve you well forever.

Chase Bliss Audio Gravitas Analog Tremolo Features:

• Unprecedented tremolo control in a small box
• 100 percent pure analog warmth
• Tap tempo with subdivisions
• Superb wave-shaping options
• Expression or CV in jack
• Made in Minnesota, USA

For those in the know, the Chase Bliss Warped Vinyl was one of the finest modulation boxes in the land. It still is, but the circuit has been revamped, and the new Warped Vinyl MKII continues its legacy as the modulator to beat.

The original Warped Vinyl had more control than anyone could ever dream of, and that feature set is only expanded with the MKII. For starters, the original had a plethora of DIP switches, tiny banks of multiple switches, located on the bottom of the pedal. While the control was appreciated, it didn’t lend itself to on-the-fly controllability. Chase Bliss has heard the gripes, and now, the DIP switches are located on the rear of the unit. And this is good—there 16 (!!!) of them. They control the parameters of the Expression input and the Ramp control.

Speaking of the Ramp control, that control is now primarily a Tone knob. This helps you adjust the Warped Vinyl MKII to your pickups and amplifier. Nothing beats the Warped Vinyl MKII.

Of course, all the same stunning versatility of the MKI is still there—the unique ModuShape control that allows players to fully customize the modulation waveform. There’s also tap tempo with selectable subdivisions, as well as presets. And the package is so small, that there’s no reason NOT to buy this pedal—it’s quite simply the ultimate chorus/vibrato pedal on the market.

Chase Bliss Audio Warped Vinyl MKII Analog Vibrato/Chorus Features:

• 16 DIP switches on the rear for ultimate customization
• Tap tempo with subdivisions
• New Tone knob
• Standard 9v center-negative power operation

Through-zero flanging has been the end-goal of decades of flanging technology since it started. “Flanging,” or the act of holding one’s finger on a tape flange, was where it all started, and is where through-zero flanging has its genesis. It took a long time before through-zero flanging was made available to players in stompbox format. And what chatter there has been is now silenced by the Spectre, from Chase Bliss.

For those familiar with Chase Bliss’s other offerings, expect no less control on the Spectre: the bank of 16 DIP switches resides on the back, all providing levels upon levels of control. Chase Bliss’s ModuShape control is also present, which allows users to select one of three half-waves for each side of the LFO, along with Width and Shift controls to fine-tune the oscillation.

The Spectre utilizes two delay lines instead of just one, in order to achieve its through-zero capabilities. The Zero knob shifts the delay time in order to fine tune the waveform. RPM sets the rate, while Regen sets the feedback, or “wetness.”

One of Chase Bliss’s many signatures is the Ramp knob, which interacts heavily with the DIP switches. With none set, the knob controls a wet-dry mix, but many other parameters are available after flicking a few switches. Doing so allows ramping control on either of the other five knobs, leading to some wild sounds.

As is the case with Chase Bliss’s other offerings, an all-analog signal path and tap tempo with subdivisions are available, along with MIDI implementation and presets—quite ambitious for such a small pedal, and its sounds are glorious.

With its warm analog circuitry and lush tremolo sound, the Dunlop TS-1 set the standard for tremolo pedals for over a decade. The MXR M159 Tremolo keeps all the effects and controls of the original—but in a smaller, pedalboard-friendly size. Its 18 volt operation provides rich and vibrant sound with low noise due to its high headroom. With the versatile input/output options the M159 can produce hypnotic, pulsing mono tremolo through a single amp or ping-ponged from one amp to another in stereo mode for a huge, spacious tone.

10W, 2-channel Guitar Combo Amp with One 6.5" Speaker, Contour EQ Control, Line In, and Line/Headphone out with Speaker Emulation