The Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper 3 GK3 Tap Tremolo/Sequencer is an analog tremolo sequencer pedal: a tremolo whose shape and rhythm can be programmed rather than fixed to one waveform. Pedal of the Day described it as capable of "tone enhancer-type sounds, or completely wild and out-of-this-world electronica-type beats, blips, pulses, ebbs and flows," adding that "it makes for one bad-ass tremolo pedal on its own."1
What it does
At its core the GK3 is a tremolo, the effect that rhythmically varies a note's volume, and it belongs to the wider family of tremolo pedals. What sets it apart is the sequencer side: instead of a single fixed LFO shape, it offers 11 waveforms, six standard and five more that can be created and saved by the player. That makes it usable as a straightforward volume-modulation effect or as a rhythmic tool for beats and pulses.1
The expression input doubles as a control voltage jack, accepting 0 to 5V, and can be configured to control either rate or depth. That lets a player sweep the effect in time or by hand with an expression pedal or a CV source.1
Switching is handled by relay bypass with momentary footswitches, a design that uses small mechanical switches under the hood rather than a single latching stomp switch.1
Availability
The Goatkeeper 3 GK3 is out of production. Pedal of the Day reports that Lightfoot Labs appears to have stopped making pedals, and describes the pedal as "a rare, out-of-production and highly sought-after pedal" that is hard to find and expensive.1
Players looking for the Goatkeeper today should know that Lightfoot Labs no longer makes it: the Goatkeeper 3 GK3 is out of production, and it has been described as a rare, out-of-production and highly sought-after pedal, one that can be hard to find and expensive on the used market.1
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Questions
Is the Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper 3 GK3 still in production?
No. Pedal of the Day reports that Lightfoot Labs appears to have stopped making pedals, leaving the Goatkeeper 3 GK3 out of production in all its versions. The pedal is described as rare and highly sought after, and as of 2023 it was considered hard to find and expensive on the used market. Malekko Heavy Industry later released a redesigned, smaller version of the Goatkeeper analog tremolo/sequencer in 2019.
What can the Goatkeeper 3 GK3 do besides standard tremolo?
It is an analog tremolo sequencer. It offers 11 waveforms: six standard shapes and five more that players can create and save themselves. Pedal of the Day noted that it can produce tone enhancer-type sounds or completely wild, out-of-this-world electronica-type beats, blips, pulses, ebbs and flows, and said it makes for one bad-ass tremolo pedal on its own.
Sources (1)
- Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper 3 GK3 Tap Tremolo/Sequencer, Pedal of the Day, 2023-05-16
