Electro Harmonix Stereo Pulsar

Der Stereo-Pulsar ist ein extrem vielseitiges Tremolo-Pedal. Ich werde die einzelnen Funktionen jetzt nicht näher ausführen, da man sich am Besten selbst beim Probespielen im Laden und durch Videos auf Youtube ein Bild davon machen sollte.

Für Anfänger ist dieses Teil vielleicht etwas zu viel des Guten, da man von den ganzen Möglichkeiten regelrecht erschlagen wird. Es sind zwar "nur" drei Regler und ein Switch, aber...

In Verbindung mit dem Small Stone von EHX kann man hiermit schon wirklich abgedrehte und spacige Sounds erzeugen.

Ich habe den Kauf nicht bereuht.

Ease of Use: There are only 3 knobs (Depth, Shape, Rate) and a two way Switch (Square or Triangle wave modes) but this pedal is deceptively difficult to use. The depth and rate knobs, in particular, are extremely sensitive and moving them even a tiny amount can result in large changes in the sound. The maximum volume cut (for stuttery helicopter effects and the like) is achieved somewhere around the 1-2 oclock mark but it is very difficult to get just the right spot. Above that point, the depth knob warps the sound by rhythmically modulating the wave phase - fun to play with, difficult to use seriously.

The wave shape knob is a really cool feature. In triangle mode, this controls where the peak of the wave is, ranging from /|/|/| at the left to /// in the middle and ||| at the right. This allows for all sorts of fade in/ out shenanigans. In square mode it changes the lengths of each part of the wave, allowing for long high-volume with short low-volume cycles or vice-versa.

The manual is just one piece of paper with a very basic description of what each control does. Its definitely a pedal you have to just play with to get the most out of it. Its tricky, but if you persist with it you will find many cool sounds from very subtle tremolo to helicopter and heart rate monitor style sounds.

Sound: My setup is a Fender Standard Tele - Boss SD-1 - Dunlop Wah - Whammy IV - EHX Small Stone - EHX Big Muff - Stereo Pulsar - Boss DD-6 - Carlsbro Colt 45 amp. Using it along with the Whammy, phaser and delay, in particular, is a lot of fun and you can get all sorts of strange sounds out of it. There are many sounds in this pedal that a lot of guitarists wont have any use for - the Rate range is absurdly wide - but its great for experimenting with. With some patience Ive found some nice settings for Radiohead, Muse, The Mars Volta and The Strokes and Im quite sure that there are still plenty of sounds left to find in this pedal.

I havent noticed any added or unwanted noise from this pedal. If you are wanting a simple, classic-sounding tremolo then this probably is not what you are looking for. I would recommend trying it out in a shop before you buy as I can imagine this being a love it or hate it kind of thing.

Its a stereo pedal and so has two outputs that you can connect to 2 amps to make your sounds jump from one to the other. I only have the one amp, though, so I havent tried this. Sounds fun though!

Reliability & Durability: Its much smaller than I expected it to be! Ive not had it for long but its solidly built - much more sturdy than the Small Stone or Big Muff cases. I would happily use it in a gig without backup but I would definitely recommend marking or writing down settings that you like because they wont be easy to find again in a hurry.

Impression: Ive been playing for about 5 years and play various alternative styles (Muse, Radiohead, Bloc Party, RHCP, Mars Volta, Biffy Clyro) with a few little bits of metal, jazz, spanish, etc.. Thrown in. The thing I like doing most, though, is experimenting with sounds and making silly noises - something that this pedal is great for. I would probably buy it again if stolen - its fairly inexpensive as tremolos go and the wave-shaping feature is (I think) quite unique and worth the money.

It would maybe be nice if it were a little easier to control by being less sensitive. Try before you buy and be patient!

I use the Stereo Pulsar with vintage keys, and it sure generates some noise of its own, but on the other hand it is so very characteristic and gives very complex stereo panning and when the depth is aboth the 2 position stereo phasing, both also useable in mono, that i dont want to miss it anymore.
Its really great to get a pulsating change between to very different effect chains and other things, i might even get a second one.

The only thing i miss about this pedal is a bit less noise induction and the possibility to sync it to other gear.

Bestes Nicht-Röhren-Tremolo, das ich kenne. Habe mich dazu entschieden, nachdem sich das Super Pulsar als zu umfangreich herausstellte.

Das Stereo Pulsar bietet jede Menge Möglichkeiten, wobei mir wie es scheint die Brot und Butter Sounds am besten gefallen. Mono klingt es absolut großartig und wird stereo dann nochmal getoppt.

Sehr zu empfehlen.

Keine wilden Einstellmöglichkeiten, aber auch keineswegs eingeschränkt.
Das was es tut, tut es sehr gut.