The GUP Tech Wave Rider Douche Edition is a limited version of the GUP Tech Wave Rider, an optical tremolo pedal with tap tempo at your feet. GUP Tech describes it as "an astonish sounding optical tremolo with a tap tempo at your feet," with eight wave shapes and a Flip control that can distort those shapes1. The Douche Edition was a green sparkle finish run launched in March 2025, and GUP Tech states that only 2 were ever made1. It is now sold out1.
The Green Sparkle Douche Edition was limited to 2 units and is sold out. The standard Wave Rider carries the same circuit features, wave shapes, tap tempo and power specs2.
What it does
Tremolo raises and lowers the volume of your signal in a repeating cycle, and the shape of that cycle is what gives each tremolo its character. The Wave Rider Douche Edition is an optical design, the approach used by classic amp-built tremolos, where a light-dependent element controls the volume. It offers eight wave forms: Random, Lumps, Sweep, Sine, Triangle, Square, Ramp Down and Ramp Up1.
The Random shape is the odd one out: it produces unpredictable volume movement rather than a fixed repeating cycle. The Flip control can distort the other seven shapes, bending a smooth sine into something choppier or more uneven, but it does not affect the Random shape1. GUP Tech says the controls are intuitive enough that "you get the sound you've been waiting for in few seconds"1.
The controls
The pedal has six knobs, laid out in the maker's listing as follows1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Wave | Chooses the wave shape |
| Flip | Distorts the wave shapes, except the Random shape |
| Depth | Acts like a blend, mixing the amount of tremolo effect through your dry signal |
| Size | Overall volume of the effect |
| Speed | Sets the tremolo time |
| Multi | Selects the tempo multiplier |
The Depth control works as a blend rather than a simple depth cut, so at low settings a portion of your dry signal stays constant underneath the modulated signal, which keeps the effect from swallowing the note entirely1.
Tap tempo and the tempo multipliers
Speed can be set two ways: with the Speed knob, or with a soft touch tap tempo switch1. Tapping sets the base tempo, and the Multi knob then divides or multiplies it against the beat. The six available multipliers are1:
- Half-note (2)
- Quarter (1)
- Quarter triplets (3/2)
- Eighth (1/2)
- Eighth triplets (1/3)
- Sixteenth (1/4)
Setting Multi to Quarter locks the tremolo to the tempo you tapped, while the other settings give you slower swells or faster pulses against the same beat, which is useful for staying locked with a drummer through a tempo change1.
Power, bypass and enclosure
The pedal runs on a standard 9V AC adapter through a DC input with negative center, drawing 28mA1. It uses a true bypass design, so the signal path is untouched when the pedal is off1. The enclosure is a powder coated die cast 1590BB aluminum box measuring 4.7 in x 3.7 in x 1.34 in (119 mm x 94 mm x 34 mm), the same housing as the standard Wave Rider12. GUP Tech builds all of its pedals itself in Saguenay, Québec, Canada1.
Questions
Is the GUP Tech Wave Rider Douche Edition true bypass?
Yes. GUP Tech lists a true bypass design for the Wave Rider Douche Edition, so with the pedal off the signal passes through without active buffering. The same true bypass design is listed for the standard Wave Rider.
How much current does the Wave Rider Douche Edition draw?
GUP Tech lists 28mA power consumption for the Wave Rider Douche Edition, the same figure as the standard Wave Rider. It runs on a standard 9V AC adapter through a center-negative DC input.
How many Green Sparkle Douche Edition Wave Riders were made?
Only 2. GUP Tech launched the ultra limited Green Sparkle Douche Edition of the Wave Rider in March 2025 and stated that only 2 were ever made. The edition is now sold out.
Where is the GUP Tech Wave Rider made?
GUP Tech builds all of its pedals itself in Saguenay, Québec, Canada, including the Wave Rider Douche Edition. The enclosures are powder coated die cast aluminum.
What size enclosure does the Wave Rider use?
The Wave Rider Douche Edition uses a powder coated die cast 1590BB aluminum enclosure measuring 4.7 in x 3.7 in x 1.34 in (119 mm x 94 mm x 34 mm), length by width by height. The standard Wave Rider uses the same enclosure.
Sources (2)
- Wave Rider Douche Edition, GUP Tech (guptech.ca), 2025-03
- Wave Rider, GUP Tech (guptech.ca)
