February/March 2000

GUYATONE FLIP SERIES VT-X VINTAGE TREMOLO

By Alex Pepiak

The Guyatone Flip Series is an upscale tube series of the Guyatone pedal line. Yes, at a list price of $249 this unit is for the serious tone hog and it does not disappoint. Many amps do not have tremolo, or have a tremolo circuit that is damaged. This unit fits right in with the vintage sound and is a viable substitute for the vintage Fender or Magnatone tremolo.

The unit is compact, and is powered by a 12AX7 tube. The unit must be totally disassembled to have access to the tube, so trying out different tubes for your personal taste will take some maneuvering. There is a power supply that comes with the unit and is of the standard wall wart variety. You are not able to power this unit by batteries. The switch does not click when you turn on the tremolo. This takes some getting used to, but the LED indicator light helps and is an asset for performance use.

The sound of this tremolo is thick, full and rich. It reminded me of the tremolo from a Fender amp. When I turned on the pedal and heard the familiar whoosh of the tremolo, I knew that it was right on. The pedal offers a wide range of control over the tremolo sound and I found myself getting lost while exploring all its tonal range. Stereo outputs provide all the versatility of the Magnatone amp tremolo. The warm sound and tonal variation are excellent.

The only drawback to this unit is its price, but as we all know you much pay for quality and this tremolo definitely delivers the vintage tube tremolo sound that it sets out to do.