Meeting EarthQuaker Devices' Pedal Power Couple - Jamie and Julie at GuitarGuitar 20th Anniversary Camden in-store Event

So these are my 10 EQD pedals to-date, alongside the rough dates I acquired them on and roughly for how much - all transactions recorded in £ on this occasion as mostly through UK dealers - while increasingly there seems to be something of a $|£ parity in pedal pricing nowadays - with a circa £10 float each way! Meaning you should be able to easily extrapolate to your own local currency! :

• Black Ash Tone Bender MKIII Fuzz : January 2020 - £224 [via Reverb.com]
• Sunn O))) Life Pedal V2 LM308 Rat Octave Distortion - £289 [via Andertons.co.uk]
• Dream Crusher AC125 Germanium Fuzz Face with custom Bias Knob Mod : February 2020 - £126 [via Reverb.com]
• Hoof Hybrid Germanium Green Russian Muff Fuzz : February 2020 - £130 [via Reverb.com]
• Bellows Fuzzy Drive : February 2020 - £129 [via Andertons.co.uk]
• Special Cranker Overdrive : May 2022 - £119 [va BonnersMusic.co.uk]
• Hizumitas Crushing Fuzz Sustainar : November 2022 - £159 [via PMTOnline.co.uk]
• White Light Hard Clipping Overdrive Reissue : March 2023 - £120 [via AudioDistributionGroup.com]
• The Depths Analog Optical Vibe Machine : August 2023 - £209 [via GuitarFXDirect.com]
• Zoar Dynamic Audio Grinder Discrete Distortion : September 2024 - £116 : 10% off at EQD GuitarGuitar Camden Event

That's really only the start for me - where there are a number of fuzzes in particular I still need to snag - many of those long-since discontinued by now. I definitely need to complete the capsule collection indicated by the following below visual - that I first posted in February of 2020 - it's largely about getting those discounted editions in as pristine a condition as possible - and for the right sort of price - which involves a waiting game of considerable stoicism and enduring patience and then being able to pounce at a split-second moment's notice when the right opportunity finally appears!

Here follows my next 10 - or 10 More EQD's still on the imminent Acquisitions List (alphabetical) :

• Acapulco Gold Power Amp Distortion
• Blumes Low Signal Shredder (A Dirtier / Gainier / Bassier Plumes!)
• Dirt Transmitter Fuzz Driver V2 Compact Edition [discontinued]
• Erupter Ultimate Fuzz Tone (special colour) [discontinued]
• Fuzz Master General Octave Fuzz Blaster [discontinued]
• Park Fuzz Sound Vintage Germanium Fuzz Tone
• Rainbow Machine Polyphonic Pitch Shifter
• The Talons High Gain Overdrive [discontinued]
• Terminal Destructive Fuzz Device (Companion Fuzz) [discontinued]
• Time Shadows II Subharmonic Multi-Delay Resonator

For the demo I particularly liked the sound of the Aurelius, Time Shadows and Astral Destiny. While I really want the Aurelius to be in Stereo - for a properly immersive Rotary output - Jamie has done such a good voicing on that. The Astral Destiny is also alas only mono - where the last 3rd of my chain is stereo - and I only really have need for stereo delays and reverbs and other similarly spatial and immersive effects suitably for that part of the chain.

I would no doubt have snapped up the Afterneath and Astral Destiny had they been stereo. Jamie said that generally stereo reverbs weren't that much more work than the mono variteties - so let's have some VX stereo variants of those pedals then - for us more immersive types!

I generally tend to lean more into gain pedals - and fuzz pedals in particular - my '12 Degrees of Saturation' methodology is what I'm best known for to-date. I also like interesting, atmospheric and fully immersive stereo effects, and a variety of modulations - I already have more than 1300 pedals, and storing all those is already an issue - so I have to be fairly circumspect on what I'm adding and why - although I seem to have limitless capacity for fuzzes!

Here then follow the individual details on my 10 EarthQuaker Devices to date - including how and why I acquired them! Listed in rough alphabetical order like the main visual - while the above listing is by rough acquisition date!

Actually before that - there is also this best of EQD visual I did back in 2020 - while it would look quite different if I did it again today - it still contains a number of my ongoing targets - so make sense to include it here also!

Controls - Fuzz/Gain, Top (2kHz-10kHz), Level

Fantastic authentic but enhanced take on the Colorsound Tone Bender MKIII - made with primo THT components inlacing rare NOS parts - sounds fantastic, and is beautifully put together!

Controls - Magnitude (Volume), Filter (Treble-Cut) and Distortion (Gain), Amplitude (Octave Volume), Octave (Blend/Depth of Octave), Clip :  OpAmp (no diodes) / Asymmetrical 2 x Silicon + 1 x LED diode / Dual silicon diodes to the right. The core Distortion side is activated by the left-hand Magnitude footswitch, and the Octave side by the right-hand Amplitude footswitch.

I loved the sound and look of the very first edition - but it was too large for me, and not at al pedalboard-friendly really - the V2 really was the perfect format. I'm a huge Rat fan as is, and a Rat + Octave + Boost takes an already great sound and makes it even more magnificent. I have several different takes on the Life Pedal now - but will always have warming feelings for this V2 edition - which was the first of that kind for me!

Controls - Fuzz, Level, Bias (Custom).

I'm not sure I was specifically looking for a Dream Crusher at the time - I think I was actually rather trying to hunt down a V2 Dirt Transmitter - and could not find one in the right condition or at the right price for my sensibilities and preference - although I did come across this really cool AC125 Fuzz Face take I think it is - with custom modded externally added Bias knob. It's kind of a must for me that my Germanium Fuzzes need to have an external Bias - but where the 2-knob nature of the standard Dream Crusher meant that it was never going to be a suitable target - unless I accidentally and serendipitously found one with that mod! Interesting fact is that the very first 10 Arbiter Fuzz Faces were supposedly made with AC125 transistors - before Arbiter switches to the cheaper Newmarket NKT275's - which yes were cheap knock-offs of the AC125. Analog.Man's Mike Piera has been scouring the world for 1 of those 10 AC125 Arbiter Fuzz Faces for years - while not one has been found to date! Probably unknowingly sat in someone's attic, basement or storage facility - they will materialise one day for sure!

Controls - Shift (Mids), Tone, Level, Fuzz/Gain/Sustain

A really fantastic warmer and more harmonic take on the Green Russian Big Muff variant - with some Germanium elements in the mix. Loe Sounds base a number of their own evolved Big Muff takes on this pioneering circuit. Probably the best Green Russian Muff variant to date! Alongside the Loe Sounds She Fuzz and Cha'Cha Fuzz!

Controls - Level, Drive.

Typically I prefer at least 3-knob pedals - where you can more shape the character and tonality of the output. But there are occasional 2-knob pedals which work fine without further embellishments! I have a love for Fuzzy-Drive pedals - that straddle both Overdrive and Fuzz flavours - and particularly the in-between overlapping varieties. This is a fantastic example of that genre. I have somewhere around 60 pedals in my reference collection which I loosely file as 'Fuzzy-Drive' pedals - I hear the Bellows - and had to have one of those too!

Controls - Level, Mode : Ge/Si, More (Bias/Gain), Tone.

An enhanced and evolved sort of reissue of the Speaker Cranker - supposedly Jamie's favourite ever overdrive circuit - while he seems to have a few of those - hence my asking him for his 10 all-time favourite EQD pedals - so we can have the definitive take on his favourite Overdrive, Fuzz and Distortion choices! This one has a proper garage punk feel to it - and can get wonderfully sort of raspy. A pretty distinct overdrive - which is why it's in the collection!

Controls - Sustain, Volume, Tone.

Based on Wata from Boris! own personal Elk Fuzz Sustainar - this take on that Japanese Triangle Muff evolution - with unique Tone Stack sounds like no other Big Muff. Really crisply and aggressive textured Big Muff tones with a lot more treble content than is usual - for a pretty raunchy and cutting tone! If you're a Big Muff connoisseur - you definitely need one of these - I already had near 100 Big Muffs in the collection when this one materialised - but boy does it sound good - one of the quickest and easiest pedal acquisition decisions I ever made!

Controls - Gain, Comp±, Level, Weight (Low-end Input Gain & Saturation).

A limited 2,000 unit reissue from 2023! I belive Jamie and I most certainly have an overlapping taste in unique richly harmonic fuzzes and distortions - where this distinct overdrive/distortion sits well within that category. I think I picked this up direct from the ADG stands at one of the shows I attended in March 2023 - most likely London Synth and Pedal Expo that particular March! Has a very distinct breakup character for sure. I loved the demo - and instantly decided I had to have one - made sense to pick one up at the show, as since ADG are based in Denmark it's not always the easiest for them to get pedals to me!

Controls - Intensity, Rate, Voice : Thinner and Midsy <> Fuller and Fatter, Level, Throb : Degree of Low End Pulse.

I was doing one of my typical genre rundowns - in fact my own Personal Uni-Vibe Capsule Collection feature, and just doing the due diligence on which ones I had acquired to date and which were still on my wishlist. I obviously mostly favour compact edition pedals - and realised that I had long intended to acquire The Depths - but just had not gotten around to it yet - I have a lot of priorities to juggle every day of every week - it's no surprise that a few of those shake loose every now and again. This is not your classic uni-vibe - not being based on that specifically authentic 'bulb' mechanism - but still very lush in its own way - while there are throbbier examples out there. It's the combination of controls here that allows you to do so much with this format - which in part elevates its status - while it pretty much sounds lush across its range. And of course works wonderfully in combination with all fuzzes! Here it's the combination of form factor and control topology which makes it extra special. Obviously an LDR / Vactrol device - so no longer really saleable in Europe - as for most other Uni-Vibe types.

Controls - Level, Weight (Low End Frequency Input), Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble.

And finally - the most recent one added to the collection. A discrete transistor distortion with 3-Band EQ, and some fuzz dynamics to its output - as you get for a lot of transistor-based devices. Another one with a wonderfully complex and richly textured / harmonic output profile. I earmarked this one for acquisition as soon as I clocked it - just other priorities got in the way. So I pretty much already knew this was going to be my 'Souvenir' for the event. I really should have negotiated harder for a B-stock discount in addition - as this pedal had already been used on the demo board. It was however the only one available in the store, and I was determined to have it!