Pedal that does Magnatone amp vibrato?

[skiraly017]

I always read about how great the Magnatone amp vibrato was but I've never had the chance to play one. What's the big deal and is there I pedal that does that sound so I can get an idea of what I'm missing out on? Thanks.

[Rodgre]

The big deal about the Magnatone vibrato is that we're so used to hearing TREMOLO on amps that a real pitch-bending VIBRATO is a special thing. It has a very sweet sounding swirl that can pulse like a tremolo, but it has a cool warbly pitch modulation to it. It's not unlike a milder univibe effect.

Kustom amps also had a cool vibrato as well as tremolo. Some Ampegs from the 60's had a killer vibrato too. Tel-Ray oil-can echo/vibratos have my favorite vibrato effects too.

There are a few amp-like vibrato pedals, but as time marched on, it seems we yearned for the sound of a Leslie or a Univibe's take on the the Leslie when it came to vibrato effects. Those sorts of tones can be approximated with delay-based effects like a chorus or flanger, or a phase shift effect like a Univibe, but the tone of the Magnatone is still unique.

Combine that with a lush spring reverb, and a Gretsch, and you're onto something!

Roger