A LIVING WATERWALL OF
ORCHESTRAL
MOVEMENT
was like slapping 3D glasses
on my rig. Unlike sicklysweet cheesy typical ballad
chorus, this blue beast has
a phase-like liquidity that
When the unit arrived all
is hard to categorize or
the way from Japan, I was
pinpoint—exactly what I
itching feverishly to unbox
look for in a stereo chorus.
and get the stereo rig set
Also unlike most chorus
up. As many TRW readers
units, the Tri Avatar doesn’t
already know, most of my
get all slurpy when hit
favorite guitarists are of
with boost or distortion
the post-punk era—the
pedals placed before it in
only time chorus pedals
the chain. Another atypical
were used in a cool way in
and welcome feature is
my opinion. Robert Smith,
the Hi-Cut dial. I was able
Robin Guthrie, Geordie
to approximate different
Walker, John McGeoch,
warmer BBD chorus tones
Moe Adame, Lu Edmonds,
with it in lower settings and
Johnny Marr, Billy Duffy,
wind I right up into crystalBob Mould and Greg Sage
were all pitch-deviant chorus clear rack-like distinction
at full whack—brilliant.
conductors. I had all those
swirling moody riffs floating I must also say that this
thing sounds huge in mono
around in my head as I
with all the chorus phases
slapped a quick test board
combined. I gigged it
together. I put the TA-1H
running through the loop of
at the end of the chain and
my Victory Kraken and was
sent the stereo outputs to
an Orange and Victory twin looking behind me upon
engagement to make sure I
stack combination.
wasn’t hearing two amps.
Starting with both amps
clean and all the dials at
midnight on the Tri Avatar, I
lit up that little blue LED and
filled the room with a tidal
wash of living movement. It
WHAT WE LIKE
This box is everything a
regular chorus unit isn’t. It
has every feature one finds
the others lacking: Dry Mix,
Level, Hi-Cut, Expression
Input, Preset switch and
high headroom. It is built
in the great Japanese gear
tradition—like a tank—and
sounds amazing in mono or
stereo. It is bone-simple to
use and has no unmusical
settings. Check out the
simple clean stereo audio
clip I made of my favorite
Wipers tune:
“When it’s Over.”
CONCERNS
This box is pricey, but not
when one considers the only
tri chorus competition going
now is Fulltone’s analog
Dyno My Piano rack repro
costs over $800. Stereo
inputs would have been
welcome for running two
amps’ effects loops.
ToneReport.com
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