Quick Hit: Electro-Harmonix Super Pulsar Review

Super Pulsar might be more tremolo than you need. But it can make you a studio superhero—a magical source of weirdo-wobbling special sauce, slinky ’60s trem’ textures, and a thousand odd modulation effects in between.

Super Pulsar takes a concerted get-to-know-you effort to move beyond its most familiar functionality. Basic sounds are rewarding points of departure, however, and the pedal generates satisfying vintage trem’ shades, from early Fender-style sounds to choppy Vox Repeat Percussion throbs.

Deeper functions are just as musical. An expression pedal (not included) can be assigned to rate, depth, shape, phase, or volume controls—meaning a world of dynamic expression on stage.

Wide-ranging rate-multiplication functions (speeds go from frozen-molasses slow to ring-modulated hyper twitch) and tap-division controls enable rhythmic variations that make riffs virtually write themselves. But it’s the wave shaping controls that really help pile on the weirdness, as you shave peaks, shift slopes, and otherwise mangle waveforms. (Be sure to explore these functionalities with a delay and reverb in your pedal chain.)

Add the dynamic control of an envelope follower—and another gazillion functions we don’t have room to mention—and you’re looking at one of the most powerful tremolo stompboxes ever.