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Help Save EarthQuaker Devices - buy an EQD pedal today / this week / soon!

Ambient EffectsBest of BrandsBig Muff Style FuzzBoostBoost and OverdriveDelayDigital DelayDigital ReverbDistortionDriveDual-DriveEarthQuaker DevicesEnvelope Filter and Auto WahFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGuitar Synth and SequencerModulationMulti-FXOddball DelayOddball ModulationOverdrivePitchReverbShimmer ReverbSilicon FuzzSpacey ReverbTone Bender Style FuzzTubescreamer Style OverdriveUni-Vibe and Vibe+-
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2025-GPX-Save-EarthQuaker-700.jpg

EarthQuaker is in trouble and needs our help. The business has been badly hit by Trump’s Tariffs and is in danger of going under supposedly. And no - it’s not so much politics - as economics rather!

 

So if you were thinking of buying a pedal within the next week or so - make it an EQD one!

 

For that purpose I’ve done a sort of A-Z of EQD Pedals - a curated selection which includes most of my favourites - both newer and more classic varieties currently available - these are the types I would mostly go for - I own just 5 from this selection of 16 - and have many of these as active targets here from my wishlist.

 

I’ve met EQD’s Jamie and Julie just the once - at the relatively recent 20th Anniversary Showcase at GuitarGuitar in Camden (as pictured below), and at least one of them was kind to me at the time - so I feel obliged to reciprocate that kindness. There have been a number of social media posts already - including from Chase Bliss - asking those who can - to chip in and help save this great brand.

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EarthQuaker has a great legacy and is totally worth saving - it's a must! - it would be a crushing blow to witness it fade away - so we must all do what we can to ensure that doesn't happen!

 

EQD's release timing hasn't always matched my own buying cycles / patterns, so I have several targets still to acquire here. Obviously I'm driven by how best to service this GPX Blog - so there are set patterns of themed acquisitions. And EQD has often fallen outside of that - releasing an interesting pedal out of cycle as such for me - when my budget has long since been allocated and spoken for.

 

In terms of the higher priority ones - they would include the Chelsea Bass Fuzz, Park Fuzz Sound and the Rainbow Machine - which I surprisingly haven't snagged yet. Also the Bit Commander, Time Shadows II and Gary probably too! The remainder would be more opportunistic - and the Reverbs would be a higher priority for me were they to have Stereo Output.

 

Here follows my selection of 16 - as pictured! :

  • Afterneath Enhanced Otherworldly Reveberator - $219
  • Astral Destiny : an Optical Octave Reverberation Odyssey - $249
  • Bit Commander Analog Octave Synth - $199
  • Chelsea Low End Fuzz Driver - $179
  • The Depths Analog Optical Vibe Machine - $199
  • Dispatch Master Digital Delay & Reverb - $199
  • Gary Automatic Pulse Width Modulation Fuzz and Dynamic Natural Overdrive - $199
  • Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainer - $179
  • Hoof Hybrid Fuzz  - $179
  • Park Fuzz Sound Vintage Germanium Fuzz Tone - $179
  • Plumes Small Signal Shredder - $119
  • Rainbow Machine Polyphonic Pitch Mesmeriser - $229
  • Spatial Delivery Envelope Filter with Sample & Hold - $199
  • Special Cranker : an overdrive you can trust - $119
  • Time Shadows Subharmonic Multi-Delay Resonator - $219
  • Zoar Dynamic Audio Grinder - $149

EQS Pedals ae generally widely available internationally - inlacing at the 'Big 3' - Sweetwater, Thomann, and Andertons. Sweetwater has the most special / limited editions - including the Citrón Edition of Plumes pictured, where Thomann has a few specialstoo. So hit up your local dealer!

Note that for the visual - the arrangement is mostly alphabetical by product name - but I flipped the last two to get a vertical line of blues!

 

Further individual pedal details below as always :

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Afterneath Enhanced Otherworldly Reveberator - $219

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Controls - Length (Decay), Diffuse (Spread), Dampen, Reflect (Depth & Feedback), Drag (Delay Line Separation), Mix (Dry>Wet), Modes : 1.Unquantized / 2.Unquantized + Slew / 3.Unquantized Volt/Octave / 4.Chromatic Scale / 5.Minor Scale / 6.Major Scale [Lydian] / 7.Pentatonic Scale / 8.Octave & Fifths / 9.Octaves.

 

A really cool leftfield reverb - with no less than 9 playback modes onboard, alongside some really smart controls. This is a such cool reverb pedal - but as it is mono only - it has limited utility within my own stereo rig! While I still kind of want one, but it's not a priority.


Astral Destiny : an Optical Octave Reverberation Odyssey - $249

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Controls - Preset : 1-8, Length (Decay), Mode : Abyss / Shimmer / Sub / Sub Shimmer / Astral / Ascend / Descend / Cosmos, Depth, Rate, Tone, Mix, Stretch Footswitch, Activate Footswitch.

 

Essentially an 8-Mode Shimmer Reverb Compendium - which delives both Sub and Upper Octave Shimmer Effects - so like a much wider ranging Walrus Audio Slöer! Again limited in utility for my purposes in being mono output only, while it sounds fantastic in mono rigs - as does the above Afterneath. And even though it's not entirely compatible with the stereo final 1/3rd of my signal chain - I still kind of want one!


Bit Commander Analog Octave Synth - $199

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Controls - Level, Filter, Base, Sub, Down, Up.

 

A wildly popular analog octave synth with a wide variety of deployments - it remains perennially popular as one of EQD's essential pedals - and is definitely still a significant target for me!


Chelsea Low End Fuzz Driver - $179

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Controls - Level, Tone : Off/On, Sustain Tone.

 

The LCD Soundsystem collaboration with James Murphy which replicated the core LCD Soundsystem synth bass sound. A really cool synth fuzz that I would very much like to get my hands on - this may very well be my next EQD Pedal.


The Depths Analog Optical Vibe Machine - $199

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Controls - Intensity, Rate, Voice : Thin > Fat, Level, Throb.

 

I acquired this cool uni-vibe relatively recently - when I was doing my feature on my Uni-Vibe capsule collection. This one often gets overlooked - and while it uses a slightly different arrangement of comments versus the more typical take on that circuit - it still sounds pretty fantastic.


Dispatch Master Digital Delay & Reverb - $199

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Controls - Mix, Time, Reverb, Repeats.

 

This is so many player's favourite combined simple Delay & Reverb Pedal. It's of course Mono output only - but sounds fantastic on mono boards. And is the perfect solution for smartly and efficiently adding Delay & Reverb to your signal chain. This one would mean slightly more to me if it was full stereo!


Gary Automatic Pulse Width Modulation Fuzz and Dynamic Natural Overdrive - $199

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Controls - NATURAL DYNAMIC OVERDRIVE } GO (Gain), THAT'S IT (Master Volume), Engage OD Footswitch; AUTO PULSE WIDTH MODULATION FUZZ (Square-wave)  } YES! (Envelope Sensitivity), GOSH (Master Volume), Engage Fuzz.

 

An interesting evolution of the long discontinued EQD Gray Channel dual DOD250 take - for Idles' guitarist Lee Kiernan. It smartly combines distinct overdrive and fuzz voicing for a very unique, but slightly oddly named pedal - where Gary is obviously a play on 'Gray'!


Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainer - $179

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Controls - Volume, Sustain, Tone.

 

A fantastic Japanese style take on the Triangle Big Muff - with unique tone stack - based on the Elk Fuzz Sustainar - and a signature pedal for Wata of the band Boris. This is one of my favourite Big Muff takes, and I would sill like to pick up the sort of equivalent White Elk Fuzz from Wren and Cuff.


Hoof Hybrid Fuzz - $179

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Controls - Tone, Fuzz, Level.

 

Another fantastic Big Muff - based very roughly on the Green Russian, while featuring a mix of Silicon and Germanium Transistors for a warmer and more finely textured output. Sounds really fantastic - and Loe Sounds have done at least a couple of takes on this particular circuit.


Park Fuzz Sound Vintage Germanium Fuzz Tone - $179

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Controls - Tone : Treble <> Bass, Volume, Fuzz.

 

A smart Tone Bender take based on a rare OEM'd version back at the height of Sola Sound's Tone Bender rollout - with Park being a sister brand to Marshall. This is fantastic MKIII Tone Bender take - not too dissimilar to EQD's Black Ash Fuzz Ltd Edition. I have the Black Ash - but do want this one too - I really love MKIII Tone Benders - and would like to add more!


Plumes Small Signal Shredder - $119

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Controls - Level, Mode : 1.Symmetrical LED | 2.No Clipping |3.Asymmetrical Silicon, Tone, Gain.

 

This was EQD's first budget pedal - and a runaway successful take on the humble Tube Screamer - with Mods! I think more versions exist of this pedal than another other within the range - including a tonne of unique Japanese editions. The pictured 'Citrón' Edition of Plumes comes from Sweetwater.


Rainbow Machine Polyphonic Pitch Mesmeriser - $229

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Control - Primary, Pitch, Secondary, Magic, Tone, Tracking, Magic Footswitch, Activate Footswitch.

 

Probably EQD's most unique and most celebrated effect - a Magical Mesmerizer! It's a wonder why I don't have this ono yet - it's been on my wishlist for an Age! I feel this is the most distinct EQD pedal - very much a flagship for the operation - and a really smart and unique pitched-up multi-modulation circuit.


Spatial Delivery Envelope Filter with Sample & Hold - $199

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Controls - Range, Mode : Sweep Up / Sample & Hold > Sweep Down, Resonance, Filter : Hi-Pass > Band Pass > Lo-Pass, Preset : 1-6, Save/Recall Push-button.

 

A cool Envelope Filter - which used to be a priority acquisition on my wishlist - but I've acquired so many extended-range filter workstations - like the Subdecay Prometheus 3, All-Pedal Macrodose, and Spaceman Artemis - such that the Spatial Delivery is now more of a nice-to have than an essential for me.


Special Cranker : an overdrive you can trust - $119

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Controls - Level (Output), Tone, More (Bias / Grit / Gain), Clipping : Germanium (More rounded & warmer) / Silicon (Grittier and with more Harmonics).

 

A cool update of Jamie's favourite overdrive - the second of he Budget Editions - this one hits a bit rawer than the Plumes! Really cool gritty overdrive with a rich output texture


Time Shadows Subharmonic Multi-Delay Resonator - $219

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Controls - Time, Mode : EQD / !¡ / DBA, Span, Filter, Preset Save / Recall, Preset : 1-6.

 

A fantastic pitched-up delay - Jamie did a quite superb demo of this at the GuitarGutiar Camden Showcase. I had kind of dismissed it for being a mono effect - which isn't that suitable for my streo rig - while Jamie's demo of this pedal was so good that I want one anyway. This one remains a high priority for me - and sits just behind the Chelsea in the pecking order. I'm a huge fan of LCD Soundsystem - which makes the Chelsea the one to get for me!


Zoar Dynamic Audio Grinder - $149

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Controls - Level, Weight (amount of low end frequencies let into the circuit), Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble.

 

This is another richly textured gain pedal - a distortion effect really - with a lovely warm and gritty tone and timbre - and a lot of versatility via that 3-Band EQ. I'm very glad I own this one - which seems to have gone a little under the radar of late.

 

I feel I've included something for everyone in this selection - and hopefully there are some here that you would be happy to add to you collection! I've kind of decided that the Chelsea will be my next EQD!


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UPDATE !

2025-GPX-EQD-Rainbow-Machine-70.jpg

At the last minute I changed my mind - I decided I should really have acquired the Rainbow Machine long ago - and now was the perfect opportunity to make that right - the Chelsea will need to wait for another time!

Stefan Karlsson
Posted by Stefan Karlsson
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Stefan Karlsson
Stefan Karlsson
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