I’m extremely honored to once again be a part of the 3rd annual effects pedal release from Electric Love, whose sole purpose is to aid research to help find a cure for Breast Cancer. The pedals created by Ben Carlin have a different design, feel, look and tone every year, and the model for 2024 is simply amazing. This one features a collaboration with another of my favorite pedal companies, too, letting you create unique and...
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(This article comes from our friends at GuitarTricks.com – check out their site for tons of guitar-related tips and tricks!!) Favorite Pedal Brands for Specific Pedal Types By Shawn Leonhardt for Guitar Tricks and 30 Day Singer, the original platform for online guitar lessons. Of course many guitar effects unit builders create pedals that provide a variety of methods to change the signal. If you like sticking to one brand, that...
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It’s always a treat when a pedal from EarthQuaker Devices makes its way into the shop here at Pedal of the Day, and today’s effect keeps that streak rolling strong. The Astral Destiny Octave Reverb combines two classic and comparable effects into one pedal, making it easy to experiment and explore just how these two genres interact. Lots of knobs, lots of tone and lots of fun, let’s dive a bit deeper and see what...
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(This article comes from our friends at GuitarTricks.com – check out their site for tons of guitar-related tips and tricks!!) Effects Pedals for the Guitarist Who Has It All By Shawn Leonhardt for Guitar Tricks and 30 Day Singer, the original platform for online guitar lessons. If you’re a guitarist who has moved beyond beginner guitar lessons, you might have all the standard guitar effects pedals you’d need. Now you may be...
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It’s been a little while since we had a pedal from EarthQuaker Devices come through here, but apparently it was worth the wait. The Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainar is based on a rare fuzzy distortion from Japan, and was designed for the one and only guitar sorceress Wata from the band Boris. This effect is full of dirt, warmth and character, and is an instant eye-opener as you as it is engaged… The ELK Sustainar is a Japanese...
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If you’ve ever had the opportunity to utilize a Dispatch Master Delay/Reverb combo pedal from EarthQuaker Devices, then you know how powerful it is, and what a useful tool it can be in your sonic arsenal. Somehow managing to improve upon this rad design, the EarthQuaker Devices crew created the Avalanche Run, taking the original design to the next level, without making it too complicated or busy. With fantastic features and a...
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Hey Sef – it’s been a couple years since we spoke, what have you been up to? Hi Mike! First of all, I’m happy and grateful to chat with you! Yes, it’s been a while. The last interview we did was in 2017! A lot of things happened since then! My bandmates and I went to Tangier, Morocco to work on Alex (Your Favorite Enemies’ frontman) solo project, we went all across Europe to perform his album “Windows in the Sky”, I started my...
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Flanger is one of those effects that can be deeply loved or vehemently despised by musicians all over the globe, but we’d be puzzled to find many that wouldn’t have at least SOME fun with today’s powerful pedal. The EarthQuaker Devices Pyramids Stereo Flanger features five presets, eight flanger modes, tap tempo, tap subdivision, a multi-function Modify control, positive and negative Feedback, and a variable Mix...
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The sheer force of impact that Joel and the Chase Bliss crew have had on the musical world over the last 7 years really says something to their creativity and innovation. They keep the train that brought us the Tonal Recall, Thermae, MOOD, Dark World, Generation Loss and more a-rollin’ with their latest endeavor, the Chase Bliss Audio Blooper Looper. With the signature CBA tech stamp firmly planted on it, this baby blue wonder...
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For all the crazy things and innovative effects that EarthQuaker Devices have created over the years, the Chorus effect might be the least wacky of them all. However, in typical EQD fashion, they take a semi-normal modulation pedal and flip is upside down, spin it right ’round and come up with a new version (#3) that is absolutely the best one yet. The Sea Machine is a chorus pedal, yes, but an over-the-top modulating machine...
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Not that they need any introduction, but the crew at EarthQuaker Devices just keeps on crushing it, and although today’s pedal might not be their newest release, it’s on par with everything else in their vast catalog of effects pedals. The Spires is a double fuzz inspired by a classic fuzz pedal AND a now-discontinued piece of EarthQuaker gear. Easy to use, fun to play and inspiring to hear, let’s check out this...
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Every now and again, we get an effect coming through our shop that defies all reason, logic and musicality, and those pedals usually come straight from Akron, Ohio. If you don’t know by now (all 3 of you), EarthQuaker Devices has been not just pushing, but destroying the sonic envelope for the last decade or so, crushing everyone and everything in its path to total oddity domination in the effects pedal world. Today’s...
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Whenever a package arrives carrying ANYTHING from our friends at EarthQuaker Devices, the whole shop seems to light up instantly. Continually reinventing the sonic wheel, Jamie, Julie and the crew keep dazzling our eyes and ears with each new creation, and one of their newest is what we’re going to explore today. The Space Spiral™ is a delay with all the modulation you could want, as well as out-of-control repeats, outer space...
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There aren’t many companies who deliver the goods consistently with each and every pedal they release, but one that just about has that market cornered is EarthQuaker Devices. From the most complex and innovative pieces of gear to a simple, two-knob fuzz effect (like maybe today’s featured pedal?), the musical inspiration their stuff brings out when you play it is almost unmatched. The Bellows Fuzz Driver is a two-knob...
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It’s always a surprise when you open a box from EarthQuaker Devices, and in our experience, always a positive one. Today’s featured pedal is no different, and has actually vaulted to near the top of our list of their overdrive effects. The Gray Channel, based on the classic DOD 250 Preamp Overdrive, is a dual-channel dirt box with so many options it’s dizzying, and more tones than you can shake a guitar at. Clean,...
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Tremolo has always been one of our favorite effects, and in recent years, pedal builders seem to be embracing them more and more as well. Today’s pedal from our friends over at EarthQuaker Devices is a tremolo on steroids, with a ton of options to choose from, and a million-and-one sounds to be created. The Night Wire™ is a harmonic tremolo (more on that in a minute), and one that really adds an entirely new level of sonic...
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If you’ve ever had the opportunity to utilize a Dispatch Master Delay/Reverb combo pedal from EarthQuaker Devices, then you know how powerful it is, and what a useful tool it can be in your sonic arsenal. Somehow managing to improve upon this rad design, the EQD crew has created the Avalanche Run, taking the original design to the next level, without making it too complicated or busy. With new features and a ton of new options,...
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Chorus is a great effect, when used in the right context. I suppose the same could be said about any other effect, but chorus really seems to have a special following of haters, while other players consider it a crucial part of their signature sound. As with most pedals from EarthQuaker Devices, the Sea Machine is not a traditional chorus effect, but instead another gorgeous re-imagining of a classic effect with those very special EQD...
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Finding new ways to shape, twist and explore different genres of pedals is basically EarthQuaker Devices’ specialty, so it comes as no surprise that their latest take on the classic reverb sound is nothing short of brilliant. The Levitation Reverb is modeled after their own Ghost Echo pedal, which provides a vintage spring reverb sound and a ton of atmospheric tones, but with a new control panel and features. With more control...
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We’ve been checking out some pretty rad envelope filters recently, and were definitely enthusiastic about the Spatial Delivery from EarthQuaker Devices, as we are with anything of theirs that comes our way. As usual, this pedal doesn’t disappoint, and is EQD’s own take on what we thought was a standard pedal, which they have re-shaped and re-invented once more. Somehow part envelope filter, auto-wah, tremolo and...
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Octave/organ-type pedals have been flooding pedalboards in recent times, and for good reason. They bring an air of mystery and add a whole new dimension to an otherwise-normal guitar sound. One of the most intriguing of these pedals that we’ve come across is made by, you guessed it, EarthQuaker Devices, and it’s the featured pedal today: the Organizer Polyphonic Organ Emulator. The Up and Down knobs control the octave up...
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When you think about the wackiest, most innovative and sometimes difficult to control pedals on the market today, an overwhelming majority of musicians’ thoughts go to one company: EarthQuaker Devices. Now, they make some semi-straightforward pedals: overdrives, fuzzes, delays, etc., but even most of those have some element of magic to them. Today’s featured pedal, the Rainbow Machine, falls into a category where it may be...
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It seems like there has been a bit of a tremolo resurgence in the pedal world as of late, and we here at Pedal of the Day couldn’t be happier about it. Lots of innovative pieces of gear keep appearing out of the woodwork, pushing the effect to the limits, and offering a whole new array of tone-shaping, sound-crushing effects that can really send your guitar signal into the atmosphere and beyond. As expected, the fine folks from...
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Continuing with their unpredictable, innovative and original lineup of pedals, EarthQuaker Devices has done it again with today’s pedal, the Bit Commander. Billed as an analog synthesizer, this gray beast is that, for sure, but much more as well. With four octaves of square wave synth tones, the Bit Commander will leave you speechless at first, but once you tame it, it’ll be your audience that will be in for the real...
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As most of you readers are aware, the gang at EarthQuaker Devices doesn’t tend to mess around when it comes to creative pedals that most of us would have never even thought about, much less could figure out how to make. On the rare occasion that they create a pedal that isn’t based on a concept they absolutely pull from thin air, you can guarantee it won’t be like anything else you’ve ever heard, and will come...
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With the same control knob section as the Fuchs Audio Plush Phone Tone (none), today’s pedal is a bit of an oddball, but a fun one nonetheless. With only a Bypass footswitch to control it’s operation, the Tentacle Analog Octave from EarthQuaker Devices is a true one-trick pony, and will absolutely add a new dimension to your sound. The Tentacle is the same octave up that is present in EQD’s Hoof Reaper pedal, and...
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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...
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Anticipation is one of the funnest parts about getting new pedals in the mail to review, and sometimes, that anticipation is higher than other times. Case in point: I couldn’t wait to open the box for the brand new Interstellar Orbiter from EarthQuaker Devices when it arrived on my doorstep. I had heard a lot about it from the last NAMM show, and was super-excited to see what it could do, and run it through the paces to maximize...
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Some pedals are great at doing one thing, and one thing only. It’s usually quite specific, and they’re not trying to do anything but the ONE thing they’re great at. The Depths from EarthQuaker Devices is NOT one of those pedals, as it can perform many effect functions, with ease and sounding great in the process. Chorus, vibrato, rotary speakers, phasers and more – this pedal has got your needs more than...
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The EarthQuaker Devices Afterneath is the chocolate and peanut butter of the pedal world. It uses a whole bunch of delays to make some crazy reverb sounds. It’s the best of both worlds. A single note can become an entire soundscape through the Afterneath. It does really like higher frequencies, and can self-oscillate into awesomeness! It did take me a while to figure out what the knobs do. EQD also likes to give creative names...
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From chorus, slap-back delay, pitch shifting, to oscillation, the Rainbow Machine from EarthQuaker Devices delivers! For explorers and mad scientists, rays of sounds instantly fill their little hearts with 100% pure joy. With tons of knobs to turn, one could spend hours playing around with the Rainbow Machine. Great, subtle sounds to crazy, crazy noises, and yet, so musical and useful. Also, girls like how pretty it looks…...
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The EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master was the first pedal I ever bought, and it is still on my board today. It is a DSP based reverb/delay combo with decent analog voicing. On the left are reverb and mix knobs, allowing you to dial in how much decay you want, and how the pedal is blended with your dry signal. I tend to lean toward ambient soundscapes, so this reverb is almost always on, and always set to be very prominent. The mix...
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EarthQuaker Devices really hit it on the head with this monophonic synth monster. The EQD Bit Commander commands all the bits of those old synth keyboards and smashes them into one tiny box for us guitar players to utilize. This is absolutely one of my favorite pedals of all time and has been on my board for probably the longest of all my pedals. Here is the run down 6 knobs: Top left: Sub Octave – this lets you get the synth...
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ARPANOID. Even the name sounds like something from outer space, and this pedal will create those types of sounds and more. Coming to us from the great folks at EarthQuaker Devices, the Arpanoid is “the first dedicated compact polyphonic pitch arpeggiator effect pedal for electric guitar.” Basically, it takes the signal from your guitar, tweaks it and spits it out in the form of ascending or descending notes, which you can...
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The Terminal Destructive Fuzz Device is the newest and nastiest fuzz from Akron, Ohio dirt merchants EarthQuaker Devices. And it is ever filthy. Based on a heavily modified JAX design, EQD’s entry into the world of gated, voltage-starved, blown-out, zipper-and-velcro fuzzboxes brings a level of sonic precision and reliability to a segment of the fuzzscape typically dominated by temperamental and complicated pedals in...
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As a dirt-obsessed bass player, I’m often disappointed by the lack of distortion options for us dudes in the rhythm section. Most bass overdrives sound flabby and unfocused; poor recreations of that famous “vintage” amplifier that rhymes with BLT, and, though I enjoy the upper-midrange growl I get from guitar-oriented overdrives, they’re chronically lacking in bottom-end, and that gnarly tone gets lost in a full-band...
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