The Mr. Moto is a J. Rockett pedal that puts a tremolo and a spring reverb in one box, the two effects that vintage amplifiers carried together for decades. J. Rockett Audio Designs describes it as "a very musical tremolo with a super lush spring reverb as well," and says both effects can be run independently or together1. The pedal was announced in June 2022 as the Mr. Moto Trem-Verb, combining the two effects in one orange box2.
The tremolo side goes from a very subtle throb to a choppy rhythmic pulse, and the maker says the pedal suits everything from lush, beautiful tones to full-on surf rock1. Guitar.com described the reverb as "a lush, warm spring reverb that, when blended together with the tremolo, is handy if you're trying to emulate a vintage Fender amp"3.
The Mr. Moto is a retired pedal. J. Rockett Audio Designs lists it among its retired pedals, and the maker's B-stock price is $159.201.
Tremolo and Spring Reverb in One Box
Tremolo and reverb is a classic combination, one Pedal of the Day traces back to amplifiers built more than five decades ago, and the Mr. Moto gathers both into a single stompbox5. On That Pedal Show, the hosts described it as "a spring reverb one knob spring reverb and a three knob tremolo in one pedal"6.
Delicious Audio's buying guide lists the Mr. Moto among its tremolo picks, describing it as a pedal that offers tremolo and spring reverb effects in one box32. The reverb side is fixed in character: the single Verb knob controls the spring reverb level, with no tone or dwell shaping2. Players looking for another J. Rockett take on spring reverb can also look at the J. Rockett Audio Designs BOING Spring Reverb.
The two effects are independent. The maker states plainly that "both can be run independently or together"1, a point repeated by both Pedal of the Day and Delicious Audio52. That makes the pedal work three ways: tremolo alone, reverb alone, or both blended, which is the vintage-amp pairing Guitar.com pointed to for players chasing an old Fender sound3.
The Controls: Depth, Speed, Wave and Reverb
The Mr. Moto has four knobs, three for the tremolo and one for the reverb62.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Depth | Sets how much tremolo effect there is4 |
| Speed | Sets how subtle the tremolo effect is4 |
| Wave | Sets the tremolo's wave shape, blending between a square wave and a triangle wave6 |
| Reverb | Sets the spring reverb level54 |
Depth and Speed are, as Guitar.com put it, self-explanatory: they control how much and how subtle the tremolo effect is34. The Wave knob is the more distinctive control. On That Pedal Show, the hosts explained that "you can blend between a square wave and a train[gle wave]," so a player can move continuously from the soft dip of a triangle wave to the hard on-off chop of a square wave6. Delicious Audio describes it as a knob that gradually changes the shape of the wave2.
The Reverb knob is simply a level control for the spring reverb2. Because the tremolo's Depth control can be turned all the way down, Pedal of the Day notes you can use the Mr. Moto as a reverb only5.
For a starting point, Pedal of the Day's reviewer suggested a setting of Depth at 2 o'clock, Speed at 11 o'clock, Wave all the way left, and reverb at 3 o'clock, which produced the lush end of the pedal's range5.
What Reviewers Said
Pedal of the Day's 2022 review was positive across the board, praising the pedal's range from subtle throb to choppy pulse and from lush tones to surf rock, and concluding51:
"We love all the tonal aspects of this pedal, cheers to the crew at J. Rockett Audio Designs"5
Pedal of the Day, 15 June 20225
On That Pedal Show, the hosts demoed the pedal and were taken with the tremolo side, with one saying "great so good love that" and noting how small the pedal is6.
Videos
J. Rockett Audio Designs
R.J. Ronquillo
Shawn Tubbs
Questions
Is the J. Rockett Mr. Moto true bypass?
Yes. J. Rockett Audio Designs lists the Mr. Moto with true bypass switching, and gearnews reported the same when the pedal was announced. With true bypass, the pedal's circuit is taken out of the signal path entirely when it is switched off.
Can you use the Mr. Moto as a reverb only?
Yes. Pedal of the Day notes that you can turn the Depth control all the way down and use the Mr. Moto as a reverb only, since the Reverb knob is just a volume control for the reverb side of the pedal.
How much current does the Mr. Moto draw?
J. Rockett Audio Designs lists a 76mA current draw for the Mr. Moto. It runs on an external 9-volt power supply, so it is worth checking that a power brick has enough spare current for it on a larger board.
Is the Mr. Moto discontinued?
Yes. J. Rockett Audio Designs lists the Mr. It was announced in June 2022 as the Mr. Moto Trem-Verb.
Can the tremolo and reverb be used separately on the Mr. Moto?
Yes. The maker states that both effects can be run independently or together, and Pedal of the Day and Delicious Audio reported the same. With the Depth control down you get reverb only, and the tremolo side stands on its own with the Reverb control backed off.
Sources (6)
- Mr. Moto, J. Rockett Audio Designs, 2026-03-31
- J. Rockett Mr. Moto Trem-Verb, Delicious Audio, 2022-06-15
- J Rockett Audio Design rolls out the Mr Moto, Guitar.com, 2018-08-09
- J Rockett Audio Design Mr Moto, gearnews.com, 2018-08-09
- J. Rockett Audio Designs Mr. Moto Tremolo Reverb, Pedal of the Day, 2022-06-15
- Pedal Pal 800 V3, Foxrox Octron 3, J Rockett Mr Moto, Fender Lost Highway TPS Pedal Jams, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2020-03-24
