Malekko Vibrato

by Jordan Melkin

Poor, misunderstood Vibrato.  Born to vary pitch, Leo Fender (or some devious diction devil in his employ) had to up and undermine the term by slapping it on an effect which modulates amplitude (read: varies volume).  Of course, this is the same Enemy of the Dictionary which decided that a whammy bar (which varies pitch) should be called a tremolo.  WTF, Fender?

Sticking it to Fender and standing up for, er, words, Magnatone had it right.  Find an old, crusty Magnatone amplifier (most are made out of cardboard and mildew. Some look like toilet seats. Check it.  There is a good chance that the thing has real-deal vibrato.  Turn the effect on and, rather than hear the signal cut in and out (TREMOLO), you will be greeted with a gentle warble as the pitch is massaged this way and that.  It sounds like a record that has been left on a radiator for the perfect amount of time and is the aural equivalent of a bubble bath.  This dude gets his vibrato on a bit here.

Tremolo Pedals are out there by the scores, but a real vibrato pedal is somewhat of a hens tooth.  Boss made the VB-2 for a while.  It sounds great, if a bit noisy, and it’s relative rarity means that some collector dork will outbid you by $200 on Ebay for one.  Some boutique builders have offered great examples, but again, they’re quite expensive (I had an Austone Vibro-Stomp which was terrific, but being able to sell it for a sum equal to half of my monthly NYC rent means I no longer have it).  Malekko is a boutique operation, but they have seen fit to design and release a vibrato pedal at a midrange price (it streets at about $140).  I tried one and I will tell you what I think of it.

I think it’s terrific.

The Malekko Vibrato starts in the Magnatone ballpark of subtle wobble and continues to a realm of silly putty wackiness which will challenge the patience of the sober.  In between the poles are chorus-ish sounds, Leslie approximations (super killer with an EHX POG set for Faux Casio Organ), and the whammying of the most consistent whammier that ever whammied.  Housed in a tiny enclosure, the Vibrato is about as small as effects pedals get. Such is particularly nice for an effect which might not see a ton of use and is therefore often considered a waste of pedalboard space in a larger format.  There is a speed knob to control how fast the Vibrato vibratos and a depth knob to dial in the desired amount.  And LED let’s you know if the pedal is on or not and a true-bypass switch take the circuit completely out of your signal path when you don’t want it there.  No room for a battery on the little box, so plan on using a Boss-style, 9v, center-negative power supply.

Want a little bit of Magnatone in your Marshall?  Wish to strike a blow for lovers of significance and show your Fender what vibrato really means?  Demand all of the above in a box that is only slightly larger than a freaky big thumb?  Hold out for a Malekko Vibrato ‘til the end of the night.