Boss TR-2 Tremolo Fromel Modifications Review
We’re going to take a break from our usual guitar lessons for this post and do something I haven’t done in a long time. Gear reviews!! Today, we will review the Boss TR-2 Tremolo pedal, and as a bonus, we will also be reviewing Fromel Electronics Modification kit!
For those of you who want to cut to the chase and listen to the comparison right now! Check out our YouTube video!
The Original Boss TR-2
The original pedal is actually a great pedal in and of itself, and most folks would argue, does not require any modifications. The pedal gives you a great tremolo effect and does not greatly affect your guitar tone. For $103, you really can’t go wrong with a Boss TR-2. If you’re interested in picking one up, check out our Amazon link here! https://amzn.to/3yvkyWJ
Note, I am an Amazon affiliate, so I make a small commission off any sales generated, but there is no extra cost to you. It merely helps me continue blogging and bring you more gear reviews and guitar lessons.
So Is It Vibrato, or Tremolo?
If you’re confused about what a tremolo effect is, and you’re inclined to think that it should be called Vibrato, you’re not alone. In fact, even Leo Fender had confused vibrato and tremolo when he designed some classic amplifiers like the Reverb series (Princeton, Deluxe, Twin) and the Vibrolux. On those amps and others, he included what he called a Vibrato channel, which actually featured a tremolo effect. And when the Stratocaster came out, Fender even named the whammy or vibrato bar a tremolo bar!
If you’re thoroughly confused, that’s OK. Let’s talk about tremolo vs vibrato. (If you already know the difference, feel free to jump ahead to the features of the Boss TR-2).
A vibrato effect is one where the pitch of the guitar is altered. I find when using a vibrato effect, less is more. Why? Because if you use too much pitch altering, then you’re literally altering your guitar in and out of tune constantly. This movement of sound can be pleasing and provide tension when used sparingly. Use too much, and it’s like your turning the tuning key for each string up and down and up and down in rapid succession.
OK, so what’s Tremolo?
A tremolo effect on the other hand is when the volume of the guitar signal is turned down then up. It’s one of my favorite effects, and it’s a bummer that it is not used more often in modern songs. A famous example of tremolo is on the song “Rumble” by Link Wray. When you hear tremolo from vintage Fender amps (mistakenly called vibrato) you’re hearing a classic tremolo sound. On Fender amps especially, the movement created is smooth and even. You have control over how fast the volume is decreased and increased (speed or rate), and also how far down the volume is turned during the effect (intensity or depth).
Now that you understand what the tremolo effect is, let’s talk about the Boss TR-2 pedal.
Features
The Boss TR-2 features 3 control knobs to help you dial in the sound your looking for. The pedal has wave, rate, and depth controls and each one has it’s own dedicated knob. The rate knob gives you a wide range of speed for the effect, and lets you vary from a very low frequency (slow tremolo) to a high frequency (fast tremolo) easily The depth knob allows you to control the amount the pedal drops your volume to create the tremolo. So with the depth knob all the way down, you get virtually no volume change and therefore no effect, but with it all the way up, you get the maximum volume change.
And last, the wave knob is one of the most interesting. It allows you to make the volume changes smooth or choppy. Boss calls these waves LFO waves and describes this knob as changing the LFO wave shape from triangular to square. Turn the knob left toward the triangular wave and the volume changes between peak and low volume will be smooth. Then turn the knob right to the square wave to get a sudden jerky volume change.
A new Boss TR-2 comes with a 5-year warranty, so you can rest assured that your purchase is covered (unless you’re an animal and trash your stuff). The pedal can be powered via a 9v battery or power supply, but note that the supply is sold separately from the pedal.
Boss TR-2 Volume Drop on Older Models
I, unfortunately, have one of the older models of the Boss TR-2 and had the common volume drop issue. I didn’t use the pedal too often. For years I used a Deluxe Reverb and its Tremolo effect, so it was never a major problem simply because I didn’t use the pedal often. That is, until I purchased a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, and shelved my Deluxe Reverb. I know I’m cheating on my Deluxe Reverb, but hey, I’m a ramblin’ man or whatever they say in those old country songs.
You probably discovered just like I did that the TR-2 causes the volume of your guitar signal to drop. This is anything but ideal, especially in a live setting in a 4-piece band. The last thing you want is to step on your pedal and drop slightly out of the mix.
Tone Issue
I know some of you steady readers and YouTube watchers believe I’m a pretty chill relaxed person. I’m inclined to agree with you. In most everyday situations, I’m pretty much OK with a lot of the happenings around me. But when it comes to my personal guitar tone I must admit that I’ve become a bit of a snob. One of the reasons I started this blog was to document a quest for the holy grail of tone! Alas, I have not found it yet, and the stock Boss TR-2 pedal is not a pedal that helps get me there.
Why do I say this? Well, the Boss TR-2 is a fantastic pedal despite the volume issue except for one small detail. It just, ever so slightly, sucks a bit of life out of the guitar. There! I said it! *whew*
I don’t notice much change on the low or middle frequencies when the pedal is engaged. The high frequencies do lose some of their shimmer and sparkle though, and that was kind of a buzzkill for a tone-dweeb like me. After some research, I had narrowed down a few options to fix the TR-2.
Can you Fix The Boss TR-2 Tremolo Pedal Problems?
Yes! You can fix the Boss TR-2! Your first option is Keeley or Analogman. Both of these guys have rave reviews and are highly regarded for providing high-quality modifications and upgrades to guitar pedals. If you decide this is for you, and you get the Keeley or Analogman mod/upgrade, please send me an email and let me know what you thought! I would love to hear about it.
The next option, is Fromel Electronic’s do it yourself TR-2 modification kit. Being a hands-on tinkering kind of guy, I thought, “what could go wrong!” So I bought the Fromel kit.
Fromel TR-2 Tremolo Pedal
Holy Tremolo Batman! I am thoroughly impressed with the Fromel TR-2 Tremolo Pedal modification kit! This takes all of the negatives from the original pedal and throws those negatives in the trash. I mentioned the Holy Grail of tone earlier. Well, the Fromel mods pretty much guarantee that the TR-2 will not prevent you from finding the holy grail. You can purchase the Fromel Modifications by clicking this link: https://amzn.to/3yYaups
The volume issue is 100% solved. Stepping on the stomp box, you get a seamless transition from straight guitar signal to the tremolo effect.
And the high ends or tone issues? Gone. You can’t hear a difference between the tone of your guitar with the pedal off, and the tone with the pedal on.
After I made the YouTube comparison video, I continued playing around with the TR-2 pedal for a few days. I soon realized that these upgrades had expanded the working range of the rate, depth, and wave knobs as well. I could get slower and faster effects than the original Boss, and I wish I had recorded all of the different settings in my comparison video so you could see the differences.
One More Cool Upgrade? The LED Light
One final feature of the Fromel mod that I thought was very cool is the LED indicator upgrade. When engaged, a green LED turns on to tell you, “It’s Tremolo Time.” When you stomp on the pedal to disengage the effect, a new red LED light begins blinking. But not just any blinking. The blinking matches the rate knobs frequency, giving you a visual indicator of how fast or slow your tremolo effect is working. How neat is that!
Here’s a link to Fromel’s website. John Fromel is the man, and if you run into issues during your mod, you can give him a call! I left him a voicemail, and he called me back the same day! Fromel Electronics
Do I Need to Upgrade My Boss TR-2?
Quite honestly, there’s a chance you don’t even need to do these upgrades. I’ve read in different forums that Boss has fixed the volume drop problem on the newer TR-2 pedals. So if you’ve recently purchased a brand new TR-2, you’re pedal may be OK! The only thing I haven’t seen on the new pedals is the correction for tone loss when the pedal is engaged. If you’re picky about your sound like I am, I would consider the Fromel Mods.
Be careful when you order your mod though. Fromel is very specific about which TR-2’s can be modified. Navigate to the TR-2 pedal page, and click on the second preview pictures. He tells you which you can mod so you know if you should purchase the kit or not.
The Wrap Up
If you haven’t guessed it, I am happy with the Fromel Mods for the Boss TR-2 Tremolo pedal. If you have an older TR-2 with a volume loss issue or the loss of tone in your TR-2 is driving you crazy, bite the bullet and pickup the mod kit. It’s $25 and well worth your time. I have some experience with soldering, and I was able to complete the upgrade in about an hour and a half. If you’re new to soldering, I would budget a whole Saturday to get the mod done. Make sure you have a beer ready (or Coke-a-Cola if you’re under 21) to celebrate your new pedal when you’re finished with the upgrades.
Full disclaimer, if you decide to modify your pedal, be sure you’re qualified. If the pedal does not work after you attempt the upgrade (if this is your first experience soldering, the likelihood of a dead pedal is high) I recommend contacting John Fromel. He’s a good guy, and he spent some time with me on the phone when I was completing my Hot Rod Deluxe upgrade. He was patient and extremely helpful. Plus, he’s a tone nut so we got along very well.
Understand that you’re voiding your warranty when you attempt this modification. If the pedal does not work after you tinker with it, Boss is not going to send you a new one.
Do You Miss The Guitar Lessons?
Me too. I apologize for the delays in getting these to you. I’m working on Voices by Sturgill Simpson, and I’m really excited to finish this! But alas, work has been very demanding lately, and I’ve got to make that money! So please bear with me. I will get the lesson finished and posted on YouTube in 2 weeks. That’s a promise.
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