EarthQuaker Devices Dunes Overdrive

When it first came out, I thought the Palisades Overdrive from EarthQuaker Devices was one of the coolest drives I had come across in a while, although it was just a bit bigger than I needed at the time. Fast forward some months, and the team at EQD decide that there might be a need for a smaller version of this pedal, that sticks to the basics but still offers up some tonal options, too. They’ve done it again, folks: help me say hello to the Dunes Overdrive.

Like the Palisades, the Dunes is a take on the classic green box heard on thousands of records, the TS-808 Tube Screamer. This version is a single stomp switch pedal, instead of the triple-switch Palisades, and just focuses on a few of the features from that pedal. Gain, Tone and Level are the classic overdrive controls that you would expect from an overdrive, but Team EarthQuaker threw in a couple more toggles and stuff to make it really versatile and customizable.

The first 3-way toggle selects the Dune’s Voice, featuring MOSFET (tight, crunchy), Silicon (classic 808 sound) and None, which will do everything from a killer clean boost to an amp and eardrum crushing distortion, and acts as a Volume booster as well, for really slicing through any mix it encounters. There’s a Left side toggle switch that selects Normal or Bright modes, adding a little extra high and and sparkle to your drive tone, and the Right side toggle lets you select between 2 bandwidths, Stock and Full Range, the latter of which boost the low end a bit for a bassy feel.

With all of these options and all this tone, the Dunes is sure to impress and astonish you. If you want something with even MORE options and choices, the Palisades might be the way to go for you, but if you want an incredible, fairly simple and smaller overdrive that will do the job and more, make sure you check out the Dunes. Thanks to Julie and Jamie and all at EarthQuaker Devices for letting us review this little beast – look for more reviews of their gear in the near future, and don’t forget to check out their IMMENSE lineup of pedals on their website. Cheers!