by Jef | Approximate reading time: 2 Minutes
Gamechanger Audio Bigsby pedal prototype at Winter NAMM

Gamechanger Audio Bigsby pedal prototype at Winter NAMM  ·  Source: YouTube/Guitar.com

ADVERTISEMENT

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 PlusPlasma, 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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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

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”

ADVERTISEMENT

“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

Video

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

More Information

Gamechanger Audio Bigsby pedal prototype at Winter NAMM

How do you like this post?

Rating: Yours: | ø:
ADVERTISEMENT

3 responses to “Gamechanger Audio puts a Bigsby trem in a pedal!”

    Lefty Magoo says:
    0

    “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.

    Ray says:
    0

    Where and when can I get a Bigsby pedal?

    Darren Hamilton says:
    0

    When are they going to be shipped out on the pre-orders

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *