Crazy Tube Circuits White Whale JR Junior Tremolo and True Spring Reverb Pedal

The original White Whale was quite a feat, packing true spring reverb and three types of analog vibrato into a single 9VDC stompbox. But as lush as its reverb and vibrato effects are, it was just a little too large to earn a permanent spot on many pedalboards. Enter the White Whale Junior: an all-analog, three-spring reverb and vibrato in a more board-friendly 6 x 3.25 x 2.65-inch format.

Meticulously engineered with close attention to what makes analog tube-driven reverb so special, the White Whale Junior uses the same spring assembly found in its larger sibling, the White Whale. The results are every bit as good, and the added benefit of tone, mix, and dwell controls offers a level of control you just don’t get from the typical single-knob amplifier reverb. For us, the mix control is crucial: being able to blend in dry signal allows for deeper, broader reverb settings without drowning the guitar in a wash of reverb. The Junior no longer includes controls for setting tank size, but that feels like a minor concession given the overall quality of the reverb itself.

To help achieve the dimensional goals of the White Whale Junior, the vibrato section has also been slightly simplified. Instead of separate harmonic, optical, and tube modes, it offers a blend of optical and tube-bias amplitude vibrato. While some might pine for the loss of the harmonic setting, the Junior’s lush, pulsing vibrato feels like a greatest-hits collection of Brownface and Blackface amplifier designs.

Your amp might already have reverb, but we can pretty much guarantee the White Whale Junior—or the original—has it beat in terms of control and sound quality. And if you don’t already have vibrato, well, case closed. If you have space for the original White Whale, it definitely has its benefits. But if space is a concern, the White Whale Junior delivers impeccable tone in a package that fits almost anywhere.

 In the words of Crazy Tube Circuits:

Smaller Footprint. Bigger Splash!

Possibly the world's smallest (15,4 × 8,3 × 6,8 cm), fully analog, real spring reverb and amp style tremolo!

The White Whale has always represented an endless pursuit of tone. A pursuit of something that seemed almost impossible to "catch": creating a genuine analog spring reverb paired with authentic amp style tremolo while keeping the enclosure as compact and pedalboard friendly as possible.

The original White Whale and later the White Whale V2 brought us remarkably close to that goal. But as often happens with endless pursuits, reaching one destination simply reveals the next challenge.

Despite its dramatically reduced footprint, White Whale Junior uses the exact same 3 spring reverb assembly found in its larger siblings.

Just like the vintage tube amplifiers and standalone spring reverb units that inspired it, White Whale Junior drives the springs using a dedicated analog power amplifier rather than feeding them directly from a low level signal path. We also carefully voiced the driver circuit to recreate the subtle saturation characteristics associated with a tube power amp and output transformer, adding depth, warmth and musicality as the springs are pushed harder.

The result is a remarkably immersive spring reverb that feels far bigger than its physical dimensions would suggest.

While many classic amplifiers offered little more than a single reverb control, White Whale Junior provides the flexibility of classic standalone spring reverb units. Dwell controls how hard the springs are driven, covering everything from subtle ambience to expressive surf-inspired drip and splash. Tone shapes the brightness and presence of the reverb, while mix blends the wet on top of the dry signal exactly like the reverb control found on a vintage amplifier. A dedicated volume control lets you perfectly match your bypass level or add a healthy clean boost whenever needed.

The tremolo section follows the same philosophy. After years of studying and playing vintage amplifier tremolo circuits, we found ourselves repeatedly gravitating towards two distinct characteristics: the smooth pulse of optical tremolos and the organic movement of classic tube bias designs. Rather than choosing one over the other, we created a single musical voice inspired by our favourite qualities of both.

Following traditional brownface and blackface amplifier architecture, the spring reverb sits before the tremolo stage, allowing both the dry guitar signal and the reverb decay to pulse together for the spacious, three dimensional movement that has defined vintage amp reverb and tremolo for decades.

Like every genuine spring reverb device, White Whale Junior interacts with the physical world around it. The springs respond to movement, vibration and playing dynamics, becoming part of the instrument itself. The familiar splash, crash and mechanical character that players have loved for generations are all here, ready to become part of the performance.