The Queasy Seaman is a vibrato pedal from RST Custom Effects, a true pitch vibrato rather than a tremolo or vibe. Where a tremolo wobbles volume and a phaser sweeps filters, vibrato alters the frequency of the signal itself, so notes cyclically waver sharp and flat. Pedal of the Day's Mike B described it as "a true vibrato pedal that produces sounds not likely to come from your standard tremolo or phaser pedals," and noted the effect is "one not easily found through typical vibe or tremolo pedals"1. If you want that pitch-wobble sound and the usual vibe and tremolo pedals on your board do not get there, this is the category it sits in, alongside pedals like the TC Electronic Shaker.
Controls
The pedal keeps things simple, with two knobs given seafaring names1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fathoms (Depth) | Lowers or raises the overall intensity of the vibrato, from subtle shifts to what the reviewer called "full-blown Perfect Storm territory" |
| Knots (Speed) | Adjusts the speed of the vibrato, with a big range from a slow, mellow roll to a fast, seasick-inducing blaze |
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day reviewed the pedal in January 2016. Its reviewer summed up the first impression this way1:
"Featuring a simple control setup and nausea-inducing graphics, this is a pedal we were excited to test out."
On the sound, he found the wobbly true pitch vibrato comes from the pedal "producing a cyclical waver of the pitch by altering the frequency," making it an effect all its own1.
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Pedal Prescription
Questions
How is the Queasy Seaman different from a tremolo or phaser?
A tremolo wobbles the volume of your signal and a phaser sweeps filters through it, while the Queasy Seaman alters the frequency itself, producing a cyclical waver of the pitch. Pedal of the Day's reviewer described it as a true vibrato pedal producing sounds not likely to come from standard tremolo or phaser pedals, and noted the effect is not easily found through typical vibe or tremolo pedals either.
What do the controls on the Queasy Seaman do?
It has two controls with nautical names. Fathoms is the Depth control, which lowers or raises the overall intensity of the vibrato, ranging from subtle shifts to what the reviewer called full-blown Perfect Storm territory. Knots adjusts the speed, with a big range from a slow, mellow roll to a fast, seasick-inducing blaze.
Sources (1)
- RST Custom Effects Queasy Seaman Vibrato, Pedal of the Day (pedal-of-the-day.com), 2016-01-21
