The Harley Benton Vintage Tremolo is a compact tremolo pedal from Harley Benton, the house brand of the German retailer Thomann. Tremolo, the pulsing volume effect built into many legendary tube amps, is the pedal's whole job, and Harley Benton keeps it simple: two controls, Intensity and Rate, cover everything the pedal does1.
Controls and sound
There is not much to learn here. Harley Benton says it is simple to adjust, needing just two controls1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Intensity | Sets the depth of the volume modulation |
| Rate | Sets the speed of the tremolo pulse |
The depth and speed descriptions follow from the controls' names as given by the maker; Harley Benton's own summary of the sound is: "Our Vintage Tremolo will surprise you with its smooth and authentic sound."1 The maker also notes the pedal is suited to keyboard players on electric piano sounds, not only guitarists1.
Power, bypass and size
The pedal runs on a 9V battery or a 9V mains adapter, and Harley Benton states that both are sold separately, so budget for a power supply or battery on top of the pedal itself1. Switching is true bypass, meaning the effect is entirely out of the signal path when off, and an LED shows when it is active1.
At 38 x 64 x 118 mm, it is a small, single-effect enclosure that will not crowd a board1.
What buyers rated it
On Harley Benton's own product page, the pedal carries a rating of 4.3 out of 5 from 552 reviews, broken down as follows1:
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Quality | 4.3 out of 5 |
| Features | 4.1 out of 5 |
| Handling | 4.4 out of 5 |
The Vintage Tremolo keeps things simple, with just two controls, Intensity and Rate, for adjusting the effect, and an LED to indicate if it is active1. It runs on a 9V battery or mains adapter, neither of which is included, and it is true bypass1.
Videos
Harley Benton
WonkyTronix
Guitar Bonedo
Questions
Does the Harley Benton Vintage Tremolo run on a battery?
Yes. Harley Benton lists operation with a 9V battery or a 9V mains adapter, and notes that neither the battery nor the adapter is included with the pedal, so you will need to supply your own power source.
Is the Harley Benton Vintage Tremolo true bypass?
Yes. Harley Benton describes the unit as true bypass, with an LED to indicate whether the effect is active. When the pedal is off, your guitar's signal passes through without the tremolo circuit in the path.
Can I use the Harley Benton Vintage Tremolo with an electric piano?
Harley Benton says the pedal has a smooth and authentic sound and notes that it is also suited to keyboard players on electric piano sounds, so it is not limited to guitar and bass use.
How big is the Harley Benton Vintage Tremolo?
Harley Benton lists the dimensions as 38 x 64 x 118 mm, measured height by width by depth. That is a compact single-effect enclosure that fits a standard pedalboard slot.
Sources (1)
- Vintage Tremolo, Harley Benton (harleybenton.com)
