The Kink Guitar Pedals Atomic Spaghetti Overdrive Tremolo is a two-in-one pedal: an overdrive based on the classic Zen Drive circuit on one side, and an optical tremolo on the other. Pedal of the Day, reviewing it in June 2022, described what happens when both are running at once: "put them together, and you've got a sweet, singing vintage amp tone right at your feet."1
If you are new to either effect, the overdrive side pushes an amp into a grittier version of itself, a family of circuits covered on the Overdrive Pedals page, while the tremolo side raises and lowers the volume rhythmically, as covered on Tremolo Pedals.
The controls: six knobs
The pedal's controls include a Gain knob that gives you all the dirt you can handle, ranging from a nice boot to a crunchy, overdriven sound, a Tone knob that sets the high or low end to taste, and a Volume knob that adjusts the drive's output level, along with a Rate knob that lets you set how slow or fast the tremolo moves, a Wave Shape knob that blends the waveform between square and triangle shapes, with a lot of interesting settings in between the 2 extremes, and a Trem Mix knob that lets you blend in as much or as little of the effect as you need with your clean signal1.
| Knob | Side | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Gain | Overdrive | "gives you all the dirt you can handle, ranging from a nice boot to a crunchy, overdriven sound"1 |
| Tone | Overdrive | "sets the high or low end to taste"1 |
| Volume | Overdrive | "adjusts the drive's output level"1 |
| Rate | Tremolo | "lets you set how slow or fast the tremolo moves"1 |
| Wave Shape | Tremolo | "blends the waveform between square and triangle shapes, with a lot of interesting settings in between the 2 extremes"1 |
| Trem Mix | Tremolo | "lets you blend in as much or as little of the effect as you need with your clean signal"1 |
The Wave Shape knob is the one that sets this tremolo apart from a simple speed-and-depth design. Because it sweeps the LFO waveform between a triangle shape, which gives a smooth, even swell, and a square shape, which gives a sharper, more abrupt pulse, it covers a wide range of tremolo characters in one control.1
Trem Mix works the same way a parallel blend does on other pedals: your clean signal stays in the mix, and the tremolo is layered over it to taste. That means the effect can sit subtly behind your playing or dominate it, without the volume dips ever taking the dry signal away entirely.1
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day has reviewed several Kink pedals, and the Atomic Spaghetti was the fifth. The reviewer's verdict put it at the top of that run: "The Atomic Spaghetti Overdrive Tremolo might just be our favorite one yet, too."1
Videos
Pedal of the Day
TheSuperFunAwesomeHappyTimePedalShow
Questions
What overdrive circuit is the Atomic Spaghetti based on?
According to Pedal of the Day, the overdrive side of the Atomic Spaghetti is based on the classic Zen Drive circuit. That places it in the family of smooth, amp-like overdrives, and the reviewer described the Gain knob as ranging from a nice boot to a crunchy, overdriven sound.
Is the tremolo in the Atomic Spaghetti optical?
Yes. Pedal of the Day describes the tremolo side as an optical tremolo effect, the type that uses a light and a light-sensitive element to shape the signal rather than an electronic switch, and gives it Rate, Wave Shape and Trem Mix controls of its own.
What does the Wave Shape knob do?
The Wave Shape knob blends the tremolo's waveform between square and triangle shapes. Pedal of the Day notes that there are a lot of interesting settings between those two extremes, so the knob covers everything from a soft swell to a hard chop.
What does the Trem Mix knob do?
Trem Mix lets you blend in as much or as little of the tremolo effect as you need with your clean signal. At low settings the effect sits quietly under your dry tone, and at higher settings it takes over more of the sound.
Sources (1)
- Kink Guitar Pedals Atomic Spaghetti Overdrive Tremolo, Pedal of the Day, 2022-06-01