Quaverato Harmonic Tremolo Pedal

(11 customer reviews)

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Quaverato Harmonic Tremolo Pedal  DIY Kit combines many features to make a great sounding, versatile, and practical stompbox. Full MIDI implementation available as an option.

  • Digitally controlled, all analog signal path combining maximum flexibility with great tone.
  • Both Traditional (In-Phase) and Harmonic (Out-Of-Phase) Tremolo modes
  • Inexpensive price
  • Up to 15dB of gain
  • Modulates the high and low frequencies independently for dynamic swirling effects
  • Extra internal controls allow for custom crossover frequency selection and individual HIGH and LOW signal path volume adjustment, for full tonal control
  • Bypass footswitch can be used as either a toggle or momentary switch
  • Plus all the usual:
    • LFO wave shape, rate, depth and spacing (aka shift or duty cycle)
    • Tap Tempo footswitch and multiplier selection
    • Quiet, true-bypass switching with click suppression
    • MIDI upgrade gives remote control over every feature

In UK, get it at BREAK THE MACHINE

In EU, get it at FLOATING POINT AUDIO

THIRD-PARTY ASSEMBLY SERVICE: See “DOCUMENTATION” tab below

SKU: QUA Category:

Description

https://youtu.be/OnvNSf8KHvo
Features
  • Harmonic or Traditional tremolo
  • Harmonic Mix allows the HIGH and LOW frequency bands to be modulated independently
  • Adjustable harmonic crossover frequencies and individual volume controls for the HIGH and LOW signal paths for tonal control — the Quaverato can be adapted for use with guitar or bass
  • Relay-controlled true-bypass quiet switching
  • Boost up to 15dB
  • Tap time with multiplier: 4:1,  3:1,  2:1,  1.5:1,  1:1, .5:1
  • Footswitch can engage the effect either as a toggle or as a momentary switch
  • All the usual LFO waveforms and controls: speed, depth, shape, and spacing (aka waveform shift, or duty cycle)
  • Full MIDI implementation is available as an optional upgrade
  • Sturdy 20 gauge steel enclosure
  • Robust polycarbonate label
Finish Galvanized steel
width 5″ (12.5 cm)
depth 4-3/16″ (10.5 cm)
height 2″ (5 cm)
weight 21.5 oz = 1.34 lb (600 g)
POWER REQUIREMENT 9V DC center-negative power supply, 200 mA

11 reviews for Quaverato Harmonic Tremolo Pedal

  1. Scott strange (verified owner) –

    My unit was quickly shipped to Canada. Was very impressed with the thoroughness of the instructions and kit layout. Great design, easy to build, took me a few hours. Plugged it in first time to no effected signal, but discovered i had the DIP switches all off, so quickly got it working. Very versatile trem, great quality, beautiful look, great sound. Love the momentary mode, the soft touch relay switching. My only two issues were the color of the display LED’s, which i found look christmas-ey with the red/green so i changed mine. Also, i think having the volume control is a drawback, as i dont use a tremolo as a boost, i use a boost as a boost, so finding and mainting it at unity gain is rather a headache. I will probably find the right spot and glue it in place or disconnect the pot and put a trimmer inside.
    Would recommend using rotary switches for the multiplier and wave shape controls, but thats just my preference.
    Otherwise, incredible stuff you guys. Love it.

  2. germanrobledo –

    Purchased the DIY Kit.
    Shipping: Arrived within a few days to California. Well packed.
    Packaging: Arrived with all parts in perfect shape. Separate plastic baggies for different part types.
    PCB: The board is layed out nicely with plenty of room. Labels were clear and easy to read.
    Parts: Good, quality parts.
    Instructions: Some of the best I’ve seen. Every step is clearly explained and illustrated. The demo video answers a lot of questions.
    Product Support: I asked a question on the forum and got a prompt reply from Brach.
    Finished Product: I was very happy with the results. Handsome looking pedal built like a tank. The sounds were very consistent with what you hear online. Versatile and pleasant to the ear. I just finished the build last night, so I haven’t played through it for more than a few minutes. I liked what I heard.

    Highly recommended. I found a 10% discount code in the March 2019 Premier Guitar magazine.

  3. pciccimaro (verified owner) –

    Great Kit. Ordered this as a DIY Kit. Instructions were VERY easy to follow and precise. Pedal looks sharp and sounds great. Any questions I had, Brach answered quickly and informatively. Can not wait for their next DIY Kits!!

  4. Rusty Sterling –

    Great pedal and instructions. This pedal is studio-grade quiet both engaged and in bypass. Very happy with it. And I cannot say enough about the support and forum here at ZDL. I got clear responses to my questions and immediate and quick support for a missing part. I plan on eventually building The Percolator kit. Looks like a fun little amp.

  5. Brian (verified owner) –

    Most importantly, this pedal sounds great. Seemingly endlessly tweakable but at the same time easy to dial in all kinds of great sounds from subtle to whooshey phasey crazy. The harmonic trem I find particularly pleasant and unique.
    I purchased the kit and the instructions are easy to follow, I had no trouble getting it put together. I have some experience with guitar wiring and such but had never done a pcb before, easy peasy. If I can do it, so can you.
    The customer service was prompt and excellent.
    For what you get, I feel like this was a really great value. A little time putting it together, I learned something new, and you end up with a really great quality unique pedal in the end.

  6. keefer roberts (verified owner) –

    I’m comparing my recently self-built Quaverato to the tremolo (“Vibrato”) on my 1961 Fender Super, and the Quaverato sounds fantastic! Very authentic. I like both better than my Magnatone with true vibrato. The build instructions were fantastic. Don’t do this as a First Solder Project… it takes skill and finese with an iron. I got this because I often take a smaller amp than my Super to gigs, and always miss the dreamy sound of the Super’s Harmonic Vibrato.

  7. Big Rob (verified owner) –

    Hello! I just finished my Quaverato and it sounds awesome. Lots of very usable tremolo sounds on tap here. I am an experienced builder and the instructions were excellent. My only mishap was missing the instructions to mount the input/output jacks before putting the case on. Easy to go back and rectify. I read a review complaining it is noisy, but mine is dead quiet. Thanks for such an excellent kit! Robert in Oregon

  8. M.Inglis1990 (verified owner) –

    I bought this last week and it came in about 2 days. It got here about 6 o clock at night so i decided to wait until the next day to build it. Ive been building pedals for awhile and have even built a few from scratch that are frankenpedals (i take parts of circuits i like and mix and match them to build a pedal that is ideal to my preferences). I thought about building my own Harmonic Tremolo from scratch but after seeing the quality of the Quaverato’s PCB and the rest of the pedal online i knew there was absolutely no way i could build a comparable pedal without spending much more then the cost of the ZDL Quaverato DIY kit. So i was sold, i had to finish some other projects first but i talked to the ZDL guys on Youtube a few times over a couple months before i bought the pedal and every single time they were quick to reply and very helpful. Now if you read nothing else this is what you should know, this is an excellent pedal and the build doc is the best ive ever come across by a wide margin. The very first time i powered it up it worked perfect (i just wanted to re-calibrate it to dial it in a little better), which if you build pedals regularly you know doesnt always happen unless its a circuit youve built before so i was quite impressed and pleased. After the first calibration i felt like the pedal wasnt were it should be so i decided to re-calibrate with the pedal plugged into the pedal brick it would actually be connected to and that did the trick. Nothing i encountered while doing this build could be considered an inconvenience though, even when i had to re-calibrate it i was enjoying the process. Everything about this build was very enjoyable. Like i said before the build doc is great so you can really just focus on your component OCD (getting everything installed perfectly straight etc. lol) I highly recommend this pedal. I have been enjoying it all week and its a permanent part of my 13+ pedal pedalboard now lol. I also really love the extra gain. My biggest and best tone secret is having pedals that can boost in the loop not just out front. That way you dont get the break up from hitting the preamp harder, you just get nice full clean power tube driven tone. I have an EQ in the loop set to boost the over all signal with minor eq changes for when im using split coils which i do very often with both of my 2 main guitars. Also,and keep and open mind cause this is possibly my favorite part of my rig for cleans, i have my compression pedal in the loop which really makes cleans come alive but since its in the loop it wont over compress the signal like it would if it was out front unless you turn it way up (comp in the loop works great if you keep the volume up pretty high on the pedal and just turn up the gain/comp a little bit, this is also a complete and total solution to tone loss, it will get you back the highs and level youve lost if you have a tone sucker in your chain). Why did i bring up the comp and eq in the loop? Because the Quaverato can work the same way, your welcome to put it out front but in my honest opinion and unwavering belief the Quaverato’s extra gain is a great asset and best placed in your effects loop. Having a good clean boost is great for cleans and ive found myself using the Quaverato as a clean fx loop boost just as much as a Tremolo. There tons of pedals out there if you want more gain but i highly recommend trying the Quaverato in the loop as well as eq and compression. Anyways ive gone on way to long already but i really want to make sure that ive conveyed my satisfaction appropriately. This whole experience dealing with ZDL and building their Quaverato has been great!

  9. DBClock (verified owner) –

    This was my 16-year-old son’s first kit, though he has some electronic soldering experience. He watched a few build videos online to avoid any obvious mistakes. Using the extremely detailed color instructions, and taking his time, he successfully completed the build over about 6 hours without a single mistake!! He could now build a second one within a few hours.

    The best thing is, he learned so much during the process from how optocouplers work to calibration. There is no other kit that could teach a beginner so much about pedals! It was truly an educational experience for him and got him excited to start another build.

    I can’t say enough about the quality of the case, PCB, electronic components, and even the stickers! What a top-class product! And the LPF/HPF dipswitches, and internal trip pots (including gain!) make this pedal the most versatile I’ve ever seen (more so if you know Arduino!). The only small “time-saver” change I could think of was wondering if replacing JP1-4 pads with jumpers would make accurate recalibration easier as opposed to de-soldering.

    And the sound! What an incredible range of tonal options. I can’t say enough about this pedal. I thank the team at Zeppelin Design Labs for a great father-son experience that will endure through our music.

    Next up, the Altura!

  10. Caleb Thompson (verified owner) –

    By far the best instructions of any pedal I’ve built (this is #4). PCB is laid out nicely, and the “decals” for the box are outrageously good for a kit! This thing looks store-bought, and the sound is great, too — more versatility than my existing commercial tremolo.

  11. William M –

    I absolutely LOVE my new pedal! Instantly my favorite! There is something special about that tremolo that is tone butter! Hands down the best trem in the business!

    I built mine over 2 days working in between doing other things. The instructions are perfect! Like very easy to follow and they don’t miss a thing at all! And after probably 4-5 hours of soldering and tuning some pots I plug it in and it just works. Flawlessly and sounding perfect! I didn’t even need to touch the adjustment screws nor the crossover. It is just right out of the box! I wouldn’t do this as your first soldering build, there are some tight solder spots, but this is no means an expert project. As long as you know how to do decent solder points that aren’t blobby and you follow the directions to the letter you can’t go wrong.

    It was a super fun project which gave me my new most favorite effect pedal!

    I would love to see an old school Uni-Vibe type pedal, lamp and all. And I believe since it involves lights and light sensing diodes it would be right up your alley. I’ll be first in line to pick one up!

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What You WIll Need

    Here's what you will need to build the Quaverato Harmonic Tremolo Pedal KIT. Tools marked (*) are available from Zeppelin Design Labs; follow the links! See also the online Quaverato Assembly Manual, available on the Documentation tab.
    • TOOLS
          • *Digital multimeter
          • #2 Philips screw driver
          • Small flat-head screwdriver
          • Needle nose pliers
          • *Wire strippers
          • *Small diagonal-cutting or flush-cutting pliers
          • X-acto knife or hobby knife
          • 8mm, 10mm, and 5/8” sockets and driver; in a pinch, pliers may work as well.
          • *Soldering iron (not a soldering gun, or a “cold heat” iron), good quality, 15-50 watt. An iron with a temperature control and a stand is best. Use a small or medium size tip, with conical or chisel shape.
          • Solder sucker or solder braid (optional, but very handy if you have to remove or repair any components!)
          • Damp sponge or dry solder-cleaning pad
          • Clamp or vise to hold the printed circuit board while soldering (optional, but handy)
SUPPLIES POWER

Documentation

  • Download the Manuals:
View Demo Videos:
  • Watch the official tutorial videos, plus many user and press reviews and demos on our YouTube channel.
SOFTWARE
  • It's fairly easy to keep your Quaverato's software up to date, or to refresh corrupted software. You will need:
  • the free ZDL Updater App for PC.
  • a USB-Tiny programmer -- a little piece of hardware that connects your PC to your Quaverato.
  • the latest software, which you will find on the ZDL Updater App page, on the What You Will Need tab.
THIRD-PARTY ASSEMBLY SERVICE
  • In the US, Danieldialatone has offered to be a third-party assembler. Contact Daniel at djf(at)danieldialatonestudio(dot)net. Inquire about the build fee, pay him, then buy your kit from our web store. Indicate in a Note that Daniel is going to build your pedal. We will give your kit to Daniel. When the pedal is done, we will ship it to you (Warranted by Danieldialatone). Please keep in mind that our warranty will be voided if you choose to have third party assemble the kit for you.

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