There are times when you plug in a pedal and think, “Hey, this might be kinda cool” and are then absolutely blown away once you click that bypass switch. Today’s pedal was one of those for us, for sure: the Solar Eclipse Fuzz from Earthground Audio. Not only does it satisfy all of our fuzzy desires, it has options for days and tweakablity to fit into any musical scenario. Let’s check it out!
Inspired by the Big Muff, the Solar Eclipse takes it up a notch (or six) by adding in some welcome fuzz controls not present on a lot of fuzz pedals. Tone sets the low and high frequencies, of course, and Volume sets your output levels, and Sustain determines how gloriously fuzzy your signal is. A fourth parameter knob, Starve, lets you adjust the voltage, simulating a dying battery-type of sound. Fun to play with and add into any song, this control helps the this pedal stand out from the rest.
Two toggle switches are present as well, on for each of the two clipping stages. With Germanium, Silicon or No Diodes as your options, the mix-and-match possibilities create a plethora of fuzz tones, from straight up basic fuzz to warm and vintage to overdriven and more. Using different combinations of these toggles and the Starve and Sustain controls really opens this pedal up, in the best of ways.
Designed with a wide frequency response, the Solar Eclipse is right at home on guitar and bass pedalboards alike. We tried really hard to find a bad tone from this machine, but it just couldn’t be done. So many options and experimentation linger around this acid-etched beauty, we’ve gonna have fun with this guy for years to come. Cheers to Tristan and Earthground Audio, this thing really rocks – check out their website here, then head over to their Reverb shop to pick one up for yourself!
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