The Mr. Black Downward Spiral is a Mr Black tremolo pedal, currently around $139. Close alternatives include the Audiocade 1974 CS Analog Tremolo Clone and the Voodoo Lab Tremolo. It pairs well with the Fender Deluxe Reverb and the Fender Bassman Combo Amp.

Mr. Black Downward Spiral

Mr Black · pedal

The Mr. Black Downward Spiral is a tremolo and auto-volume pedal from Mr. Black (Portland, Oregon), a US boutique manufacturer founded by John Michael Kutcher known for lush reverb, modulation, and ambient effects. The Downward Spiral delivers amplitude modulation tremolo that can fade to silence, creating a dying-amp or swelling tremolo fade effect for dramatic, atmospheric volume-fading applications.

What stands out

  • “The Downward Spiral delivers amplitude modulation tremolo that can fade to silence, creating a dying-amp or swelling tremolo fade effect for dramatic, atmospheric volume-fading applications”

    — from the listing

  • “Black Portland boutique quality”

    — from the community notes

  • “Its standout weakness is the specialized fade character”

    — from the community notes

  • “and ambient effects”

    — from the listing

  • “Black quality for ambient and experimental players who want dramatic tremolo fade effects”

    — from the community notes

Trade-offs

  • “In the signal chain it sits after drive”

    — from the community notes

  • tremolo
  • specialized fade character
  • ambient
  • modulation
  • experimental
Used$139View on Reverb

Price updated Oct 25, 2026

Genres the Mr. Black Downward Spiral is commonly used in

  • Experimental
  • Ambient

Amps that pair well with the Mr. Black Downward Spiral

Fender Deluxe Reverb

Fender

13% match

Fender Deluxe Reverb leans toward bright, and that's a real, usable character to pair with

Comes later in the signal chain

Fender Bassman Combo Amp

amplifier

13% match

Fender Bassman Combo Amp leans toward crunchy, and that's a real, usable character to pair with

Comes later in the signal chain

Pedals that stack with the Mr. Black Downward Spiral

MXR Distortion+

MXR

10% match
$129.97via Reverb

MXR Distortion+ leans toward gritty, and that's a real, usable character to pair with

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Univox Super-Fuzz

Univox

9% match
$599via Reverb

Univox Super-Fuzz leans toward octave, and that's a real, usable character to pair with

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Benson Amps Delay

Benson Amps

7% match
$237.15via Reverb

Put Benson Amps Delay after Mr. Black Downward Spiral in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Mr. Black Downward Spiral — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

Boss DM-2 Delay

Boss

7% match
$196via Reverb

Boss DM-2 Delay's analog warmth voice goes after Mr. Black Downward Spiral in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Mr. Black Downward Spiral's own ambient character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

Cheaper alternatives

Arcade Audio Cheat Code

Arcade Audio

60% similarity
$29.95via Reverb

Shared character: tremolo, modulation, reverb

T-Rex Tapster

T Rex

54% similarity
$105.31via Reverb

Shared character: tremolo, modulation

Artec SE-VPH Vintage Phase Shifter

Artec

48% similarity
$67.12via Reverb

Shared character: tremolo, modulation, overdrive

JHS Tidewater Tremolo

JHS Pedals

84% similarity
$124.86via Reverb

similar tone character

NuX Mod Core Deluxe MKII Modulation Effektpedal

Nux

84% similarity
$99via Reverb

similar tone character

Behringer UT300

Behringer

84% similarity
$28.90via Reverb

similar tone character

Boutique & premium upgrades

Spaceman Mission Control: Expressive Audio System

Spaceman

61% similarity
$299via Reverb

Shared character: tremolo

Dawner Prince Starla Tap Tempo Tremolo

Dawner Prince

55% similarity
$199via Reverb

Shared character: tremolo, ambient, modulation

Fredric Effects West Germany Tremolo

Fredric Effects

51% similarity
$195.59via Reverb

Shared character: tremolo

Cusack Music Tap A Whirl V2

Cusack Music

49% similarity
$249via Reverb

Shared character: tremolo, modulation, reverb

Carl Martin TremO'vibe

Carl Martin

84% similarity
$380via Reverb

similar tone character

Alexander Pedals Luminous Phaseshifter

Alexander Pedals

84% similarity
$229via Reverb

similar tone character

Similar charactersee all similar tone character →

Audiocade 1974 CS Analog Tremolo Clone

Audiocade

61% similarity
$149via Reverb

Shared character: tremolo

Voodoo Lab Tremolo

pedal

58% similarity
$131.86via Reverb

Shared character: tremolo

Electro-Harmonix Mod Rex

Electro-Harmonix

58% similarity
$159.28via Reverb

Shared character: tremolo, ambient, modulation

Mooer Trelicopter

Mooer

54% similarity

Shared character: modulation

Dunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo

Dunlop

53% similarity

Shared character: modulation, reverb, overdrive

Henretta Engineering H-Bomb Trembrato

Henretta Engineering

51% similarity
$155via Reverb

Shared character: tremolo, modulation, overdrive

See all alternatives to the Mr. Black Downward Spiral (cheaper + boutique) →

Questions people ask

What are good alternatives to the Mr. Black Downward Spiral?+

The closest matches in character are the Audiocade 1974 CS Analog Tremolo Clone, the Voodoo Lab Tremolo, the Electro-Harmonix Mod Rex. Budget picks: Arcade Audio Cheat Code, T-Rex Tapster, Artec SE-VPH Vintage Phase Shifter. Boutique upgrades: Spaceman Mission Control: Expressive Audio System, Dawner Prince Starla Tap Tempo Tremolo, Fredric Effects West Germany Tremolo.

What pairs well with the Mr. Black Downward Spiral?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Fender Deluxe Reverb, Fender Bassman Combo Amp, MXR Distortion+ — Fender Deluxe Reverb leans toward bright, and that's a real, usable character to pair with.

How much does the Mr. Black Downward Spiral cost?+

Around $139 (live listing price, updated Oct 25, 2026).

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