Gamechanger Audio puts a Bigsby trem in a pedal!
One company on the boutique pedal market regularly causes one sensation or another: Gamechanger Audio. These guys come up with completely new concepts, with really exciting effect pedals like the Plus, Plasma, Motor Piano or Light. At NAMM 2020 Gamechanger showed a new prototype of a pedal version of… a Bigsby tremolo! Here’s what we know so far.
Prototype
This was a pleasant surprise at NAMM 2020. Visitors to the Gamechanger Audio booth were presented with its latest prototype of a pedal featuring a Bigsby tremolo. There was no audio demo available, but the video (linked below) still tells us something about the pedal. And reactions to the video go all the way from scorn to adulation…
Bigsby pedal
The pedal, we understand, is an official collaboration between Gamechanger Audio and Bigsby. And it does exactly what a Bigsby does: it changes the pitch in both directions with a lever that can be moved back and forth. An auto mode produces the typical flutter with “mini-pitch shifts”.
According to the developers, the pedal may be available this summer. Here at Gearnews we’re really excited – even if I am not a massive fan of Bigsby tremolos. I do own a Plasma Pedal (which I love), so this could be a fun pedal, too.
Gamechanger Audio Bigsby pedal prototype at Winter NAMM · Source: YouTube/Guitar.com
Haters gonna hate
Here’s a taste of the comments on the video so far:
“So it’s a Digitech Whammy that can’t dive bomb. How innovative. ”
“Wait til a guy wearing sandals trips on this, falls off the stage and breaks his neck… this is another stupid idea by a company out of ideas”
“The concept is great. But until I hear it ,,,,, if it really does do a bigsby ,,,, then take my money! ”
“Paying a premium for a worse whammy. very cool gamechanger & bigsby ”
Pros & Cons
I’ve owned quite a few guitars over the years fitted with a Bigsby trem, and there’s definitely a certain charm there, a subtle undulation and a unique feel. The downside is that they add weight to the guitar, they’re a bit clunky and require a fair bit of maintenance to work well.
This pedal might give you all the good stuff without the hassle of fitting one to your favourite guitar. I’ve used Vibramate brackets in the past, but even those go with a certain amount of hassle. Could this be it? If it works, this new pedal could be a game changer.
More Information
- Company Homepage
Video
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3 responses to “Gamechanger Audio puts a Bigsby trem in a pedal!”
“this is another stupid idea by a company out of ideas”
Whuh!?.. ha
These guys are new, young, and have from what I’ve seen, fairly new takes on VERY old ideas. I don’t get the strife. More power to them and I hope they keep it up.
Where and when can I get a Bigsby pedal?
When are they going to be shipped out on the pre-orders