Tremelo...before or after the amp?

[GazzaBloom]

For the most realistic emulation of a Fender amp with tremelo, should the trem effect be set before or after the amp in the chain? And were the Fender trems Opto or Bias?

[phil_m]

Fender has used both types of tremolo in different amps throughout the years, although I think the bias trem is the more common. The opto trem will give you a harder sounding trem with more pronounced cut off. As far as where it should go in the signal chain, technically, it happens in the power section of the amp (at least bias trem does), but you can't really do that on the POD. I'd say it really depends on how you want to sound. With the Fender amps on the HD, I actually like running all my effect before the amp model, but you can certainly put modulation and time-based effects after the amp model as well.

 

The funny thing to me about Fender and tremolo is that on the amps themselves they call tremolo "vibrato", but then they have a "tremolo" arm on their guitars, which, technically, is really vibrato (altering the pitch).

[Charlie_Watt]

I would have thought that the Optical Trem was more common in Fender amps.  I know they have used both.  The Deluxe Reverb is Optical as are the other amps using a variant of this circuit. (Super Reverb)  I don't know about the Twin Reverb.  I think the Princeton is bias trem.

[phil_m]

Looking at the list here, maybe the opto would be more common: http://carlscustomamps.com/types-of-tremolos-in-tube-amps/

[Triryche]

 

The funny thing to me about Fender and tremolo is that on the amps themselves they call tremolo "vibrato", but then they have a "tremolo" arm on their guitars, which, technically, is really vibrato (altering the pitch).

 

That was always a bit of a mystery to me.