J. Rockett Mr. Moto

The J. Rockett Mr. Moto is a compact pedal that puts tremolo and spring reverb in one box, the two effects that were built into amplifiers more than five decades ago and became tied to the sound of surf rock¹². J. Rockett Audio Designs describes it as "a very musical tremolo with a super lush spring reverb as well," with a tremolo that "can go from a very subtle throb to a choppy rhythmic pulse"³. Both effects can be run independently or together, so it works as a reverb-only pedal with the Depth control all the way down, or as a tremolo on its own¹.

The pedal is now retired. J. Rockett lists the Mr. Moto among its retired pedals, and it is no longer offered as a new unit³.

Tremolo and Spring Reverb in One Pedal

The Mr. Moto was announced in August 2018 as the latest stompbox from J. Rockett Audio Design, combining tremolo with spring reverb in a single orange enclosure²⁶⁴. Delicious Audio noted that tremolo and reverb were the first mass-produced non-gain effects for electric guitar, and that the pairing remains a favorite among players². The pedal's focus, they wrote, "is on tone, which is inspired by those incredibly musical circuits found in those early amps"².

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"⁴. Delicious Audio similarly said the reverb "sounds like a classic and lush spring you'd find in a vintage amp"². The maker positions the pedal as covering ground "from very lush, beautiful tones all the way to full on surf rock"³.

A 2023 Delicious Audio buying guide of reverb pedals with tremolo characterized the Mr. Moto as "a simple and musical analog/digital tremolo featuring two waveform options with fixed spring reverb," priced at $199⁵. That fixed, one-knob reverb is the main way it differs from larger trem-plus-reverb pedals: there is no dwell, tone or mix control for the spring, just a level knob.

On That Pedal Show, the pedal was described as "a one knob spring reverb and a three knob tremolo in one pedal," with the hosts noting it is useful with amps that have neither reverb nor tremolo built in⁷.

The Controls: Wave, Depth and Verb

The Mr. Moto has four knobs: three for the tremolo and one for the reverb². There are no hidden switches, menu systems or programming required⁶.

The Wave knob is the heart of the tremolo side. Gearnews described it as dialing "between either a Sine or Square wave, with the former being smoother and subtle, whereas the latter will be a lot choppier in its sweep"⁶. Guitar.com put it the same way: the knob goes "from smooth and subtle triangle wave, to choppy and dramatic square wave, and all the shades in-between"⁴. On That Pedal Show, the hosts demonstrated that you can blend between the square wave and the triangle wave rather than simply switching between them⁷.

The Verb control is the only reverb adjustment. Gearnews summed up its range with "add a dash or go hog wild and get 'surfin' with it"⁶.

For a starting point, Pedal of the Day suggested a specific setting: "Set the Depth to 2 O'clock, the Speed to 11 O'clock and Wave all the way left and reverb to 3 O'clock and you have a beautiful lush spacious sound"¹. Turning Depth all the way down gives you reverb only¹.

The footswitch uses a proprietary system called Speedswitch, which allows the part to be quickly replaced when it breaks².

Power, Bypass and Size

The Mr. Moto is true bypass³⁶ and runs from an external 9-volt power supply⁶. The maker lists a 76mA current draw³, which is low enough for most isolated power supplies but worth knowing if you daisy-chain several digital or reverb pedals from one output. The enclosure measures 4.00" x 2.30" and weighs 1 lb³, small enough that That Pedal Show's hosts remarked on its size³.

What Reviewers Said

Pedal of the Day reviewed the pedal in June 2022 and was positive about it, writing: "We love all the tonal aspects of this pedal, cheers to the crew at J. Rockett Audio Designs once again one a spectacular job"¹. On That Pedal Show, the hosts compared it against other reverb and tremolo pedals and were favorable toward it, with one saying "love that" after a demo, while acknowledging that other combined reverb and tremolo pedals exist⁷.

Price and Availability Over Time

Guitar.com reported at launch in August 2018 that "Mr Moto retails for $199"⁴. Delicious Audio still listed it at $199 in a May 2023 buying guide⁵. The maker's B-stock listing showed $159.20, but that stock is gone and the pedal is retired³.

Players looking for a current J. Rockett tremolo can also look at the J. Rockett Josh Smith Dual Trem, which remains in the maker's lineup.

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