Yep, the STR-Tremolo will have the same soul and basic circuit as the STR-Tweed, just with:
- The addition of a great tremolo stage
(along with same quality Reverb stage)
- The addition of a 3 way EQ Switch that makes
the STR-Trem more flexible
- As stock in the original STR "Tuxedo" 60s style cab
& a limited run of AST Style Tweed cabs
Push comes to shove, I think the STR-Tremolo does have a touch less gain than the STR-Treed as the Tremolo section will take place of the extra gain stage in half of the 12AX7. On the other hand, it will still have much of the STR-Tweed's great tone, immediacy, growl, and touch sensitivity. Drop in the Atomic Boost, and you get it back and more. I really dig this amp and have been playing it daily since we finally got it off the bench.
I actually tried the STR-Trem with and without an Atomic Boost and loved it both ways. Of note, the new cabs are a touch deeper to fit the Celestion Blue and Gold or many other slightly deeper speakers. I thought the Celestion Blue was AMAZING in the amp but did have a bit less bottom fullness at lower levels, much like any alnico vs a good ceramic. The BV-30 is such a great compromise of tone, great breakup, and nice fullness for a 5w single-ended design.
I loved the 3-way switch when you needed to back down some of the added lower end fullness when pushing the amp hard. Drop it back in with a bit lower volume and it's a pleasant extra bit of lower end richness.
This amp just sounds so great when cranked, though. The overdriven STR-Trem is just addictive with a lot of complexity and swirl. And it allows you to hear the difference in guitars instead of turning every axe into more of the same. I'd say that's a great trait of all Swart amps and the STR-Tremolo continues the tradition with aplomb.
As for the tremolo, it's not easy to get great trem with low wattage single-ended designs and this is among the best I've personally heard, with a nice range of speed and good depth. But the amp sounds great with it off, too. Back the depth to zero and let her rip and you'll be grinning ear to ear.
As an aside, after sitting with it for a good 30 minutes and loving it, I personally played a pair of STR-Tremolo in STEREO and was just blown away. One had a Celestion Gold (Blue might even be better on hindsight) and the other a BV-30. Moved them five feet apart and dickered with settings and for the love of St. Nick, could not stop playing the beasts. It was so compelling, I'm convinced we need to come out with our own Stereo Pedal just so we can facilitate running these things in pairs. I moved to one AST and one STR-Tremolo and was just as blown away, if not more. For those of you with TWO Swarts of any kind, running them in stereo is just amazing and highly recommended.
Right now, pricing of the STR-Tremolo with BV-30 12" is priced $1450 for either the Tuxedo or Tweed style cabs. Not sure how long we can hold this pricing, though Be sure to click on the shots at right for large 1000-1200px views. I'm getting a tuxedo style STR-Trem myself once we have some stock. No way you guys are going to have ALL the fun.
