EarthQuaker Devices - Bass Distortion Comparison
Updated: Sep 27
I recently did a video comparing some of Earthquaker Devices most popular fuzz, distortion, and overdrive pedals on bass. When it comes to bass pedals, EarthQuaker is a little bit unusual in that they don't make many pedals marketed specifically for bass (the Scrolls, Chelsea, and Blumes pedals being the exception). However, most of the pedals in their catalog sound excellent on bass. EarthQuaker's approach seems to be to voice each pedal so that it performs well on a variety of instruments - you will find demos of most of their pedals with guitar and bass, even keyboards and drums. This is especially nice for musicians like myself who do double duty on guitar and bass - it keeps the pedal collection from ballooning to spouse-infuriating proportions, and lets one pedalboard work for multiple instruments.
For this video, I recorded everything direct to a Blackstar Polar 2 audio interface. The Earthquaker Scrolls pedal was used with the EQ set flat to send the D.I. signal. The D.I. out on the Scrolls has a slight high-frequency attenuation that helps remove harsh overtones that result from sending a distorted tone to a full-frequency speaker system (like a PA or your computer monitors). The pedals are each dialed in to sound "good," rather than trying to match settings between pedals. I feel this gives a better representation of the character of each pedal and more realistically mimics real-use conditions.
Sunn 0))) HalfLife Octave Distortion + Booster
The HalfLife is the standard-sized, streamlined version of EarthQuaker Devices' legendary LifePedal, which was devoloped in tandem with the band Sunn 0))) (yes, that is the correct spelling). Both pedals are identical tone-wise, the only functional difference being that the HalfLife does not feature a third footswitch for the octave-up function. The HalfLife is a super-versatile fuzz pedal, and can conjure up everything from totally over-the-top walls of sound to broken down indie-rock tones. At it's heart, its a Rat pedal with extra bells-and-whistles, including an Octave fuzz (with blend knob) and a clean boost. Different clipping modes (Op-amp, Asymmetrical, and Symmetrical) allow for a variety of sounds.
For the bass demos, the pedal was set to the Asymmetrical clipping mode, which allows for a hefty amount of distortion while preserving the attack and low frequncies of the bass. A little bit of octave was blended in as well to help the high-end of the bass cut through.
With the bass volume set low, the HalfLife cleans up fairly well, but still retains some grit at moderate gain settings. For as wild as this pedal gets, it still responds to your playing attack and instrument settings, which isn't always the case with pedals with this much gain on tap.
Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainar
The Hizumitas is another collaboration between an artist and EarthQuaker Devices, this time Wata, guitarist for the Japanese doom-rock band Boris. It is a copy of her long-used Elk Sustainar (yes, that is the correct spelling), which itself is a Japanese copy of the Electro Harmonix Big Muff.
Playing the Hizumitas, there is no question about it's sonic origins: this is a Big Muff pedal for people who REALLY like Big Muffs. The mids are scooped, the low end is huge, and the sustain is endless. Like most classic and contemporary Big Muffs and Big Muff derived pedals, the Hizumitas does not clean up well, and completely obliterates any kind of tonal nuance coming from the instrument - you are reliant on the interactive sustain (S) and tone (T) knobs to do all your tonal shaping. Though some players might find the Hizumitas' lack of subtlety frustrating, that is also it's strength - Bulldozers aren't subtle either.
Hoof Hybrid Fuzz
This is the pedal that put Earthquaker Devices on the map, and with good reason. While the Hizumitas rewards players who readily embrace the Big Muff circuit with all it's quirks and limitations, the Hoof seems aimed at players who love the Big Muff sound, but occasionally balk at it's limitations. This makes the Hoof a modern classic and more than justifies it's place in a crowded pedal market.
For players that struggle with the Big Muff's scooped and even-more-scooped tonal character, the Hoof adds the Shift control, which allows the midrange to be boost or cut. While the Hoof has a ton of gain available, by Big Muff standards, it's fairly clean, which allows for more of your instrument's character to come through and for a wider range of usable tones to be dialed in. Indeed, the Hoof is capable of some decidedly non-Big Muff tones, being reminiscent of the MXR Distortion+ at some settings, and putting out some other sounds that are unique to the Hoof. Be aware: the Fuzz, Tone, and Shift controls are all interactive - intrepid tonal explorers will reap the rewards only after some twiddling of knobs.
With the Fuzz and Shift knobs turned up high, the Hoof leaves no doubt as to it's heritage, and will serve up gobs of sustain, with a rounder, more polite character than the Hizumitas. For the playing examples, the Shift knob is used to boost the mids so you can hear the Hoof in all it's woolly goodness. This was my personal favorite pedal from the comparison, as I am one of those players that has always had some trouble getting Big Muff style pedals to work for me.
The third Big Muff derivative on this list, and yet another artist collaboration is the Chelsea. This pedal is based on James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem's well-used and idiosyncratic Big Muff pedal. Unlike the other two entries on this list, the Chelsea is specifically marketed as a bass pedal, though it also sounds great on guitar. It has a bypass for the tone control, an original feature on some vintage Big Muff pedals. This allows players to access a more-mid forward sound with a direct and in-your-face character not typically associated with this type of circuit.
The lower gain nature of the Chelsea places much more emphasis on the attack of the note, which is especially helpful getting a distorted bass tone to be heard in a mix. Since the interactive Tone and Sustain controls inherent to this kind of circuit are co-dependent, the lower gain environment also allows for more tone shaping without hing outrageous amounts of distortion overtake the sound of the bass. For players who find themselves using a Big Muff with the gain set low, this pedal is definitely worth a look.
A doomer's delight! The Acapulco Gold has one knob, Volume, of which there is more than any rational person could ever need or want. The distortion is perpetually dialed up to maximum, but it will clean up reasonably well with your bass' volume knob. EarthQuaker states this pedal is supposed to recreate the sound of playing into an old Sunn Model T amp played at full volume. As Model T amps are difficult to come by, and getting the chance to actually play one cranked is even rarer, we mere mortals can only guess as to the accuracy of this claim.
What is for certain is the Acapulco Gold is a joy to play, and delivers more unadulterated attitude than any fuzz pedal I've ever played - I've spent a lot of time trying to get this kind of tone out of pedals with way more "versatile" controls. On bass, it absolutely roars. The distortion tone is complex, with lots of overtones and interacting harmonics that are evocative of an amp pushed to its limits.
Despite being a mini pedal, Earthquaker Devices have filled this pedal with densely-packed tone particles. According to their website, the Barrows is based on the MKII Tone Bender, but my guess is they dialed things up to 11 - this pedal is capable of intense fuzz tones with biting treble - a welcome change from the low-end heavy tones that dominate bass player's pedal boards. It also cleans up better than any other fuzz on this list - at moderate settings you could leave this on all the time and use your bass' volume control to dial in the distortion. This attack knob is accurately named - rather than adjusting the overall amount of distortion, it seems to control how crazy the tone gets when your bass is turned up to maximum - this pedal likes your bass' volume and tone knobs, and you should use them liberally.
Now we're crossing over from fuzz and distortion territory into overdrive pedals. Though technically considered an overdrive, the Blumes has more than enough gain and low end to push your favorite fuzz off your pedal board. It has plenty of clarity even when cranked, and it cleans up beautifully with your volume control. The three clipping modes offer up everything from clean boost to light crunch to extreme distortion sounds - all while blending seamlessly with the tone of your bass ans amp. Though it was designed as a more bass friendly version of EarthQuaker's best-selling Plumes overdrive, the Blumes sounds great with guitar. Conversely, the Plumes also sounds great with bass. If you like the Plumes, but wish it had more hair on it, the Blumes is for you.
The Plumes is Earthquaker Devices' iteration of the Ibanez Tube Screamer and other similar pedals. The Plumes is a massive improvement over the Tube Screamer in just about every way. It has the clarity and smooth distortion of the Tube Screamer without the weird muffled midrange. The tone control is more powerful, and usable throughout its rotation. There is much more gain and output available. Notably, the Plumes sounds great as a stand-alone drive pedal whereas the Tube Screamer really only seams happy pushing an already overdriven amp. Most importantly for bass players, the Plumes is respectful of your low end frequencies.
Compared to the Blumes, the Plumes has less gain and more emphasis on treble frequencies. It will thin out your bass tone a little, but in a mix, that helps bring the bass forward without making a mess of the lows - if you've ever played bass through a 100 watt guitar amp (everyone should try it at least once) the Plumes replicates that tone fairly well. The thinner, lower gain tone of the Plumes also makes this pedal an excellent choice for boosting and shaping the tone of other pedals - Big Muffs love having a Tube Screamer placed in front of them to tighten up the low end and bring out the mids - the Plumes makes an excellent pairing with the Hoof, Hizumitas, Chelsea, or Blumes.
The Scrolls is Earthquaker Devices' most decisive and adventurous foray into the world of bass to date. It is an all-inclusive bass preamp and D.I. pedal with a robust EQ and great sounding distortion that may be engaged separately or in tandem. The D.I. has a slight high frequency roll-off to eliminate harsh upper-harmonics caused by distorted bass tones and better replicate the sound of playing through a bass amp when going direct.
Of all the pedals in the comparison video, the Scrolls probably doesn't get a fair shake. To keep things consistent, the EQ section is left flat, and only the Drive section is demonstrated. However the best drive tones to be had on this pedal can be coaxed out by applying the EQ - which will allow access to an endless variety of vintage and modern bass tones that no other Earthquaker Pedal can touch. On it's own, the Drive section still sounds great, though. It is a fairly neutral-sounding distortion that goes from fully clean to heavily distorted. It is also notable for being the only pedal on this list to incorporate a clean blend. The Bandwidth and Tone controls are useful for shaping the overall character of the distortion - which make the Drive section of this pedal something of a chameleon, and worthy of a time investment to coax out the best sounds.
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