Earthquaker Devices Special Cranker Distortion, Purple Sparkle (Gear Hero Exclusive)

If I could give this ten stars for value for money I would. Unbelievably great for the price. Earthquaker says it's designed to act like an extra tube gain stage in an amp, and that's exactly what it does. I hate pedal reviews with a bunch of buzzwords, so I'm going to skip all that and just say I use this in front of a fairly clean tube amp and it just kicks it up with "more" as knob indicates. More saturation and more girth, I'd say. It's very dynamic and doesn't really compress much, until you crank the "more" up past about 3 o'clock, then you get this awesome saggy driven power amp sound ("overbiased" as the manual describes it) that sort of crushes the attack transient in a beautiful way. The germanium/silicon clipping diode switch gives a smoother sound on the Ge setting and a little more aggressive top end and saturation on the Si setting. Plenty of volume available too, for kicking the input of your amp or just an overall boost if you want it. I've got a bunch of overdrive pedals and this one instantly became a favorite. The tone control is great for shaping the high end to your liking, with cut and boost available. Cannot overstate the value for the price on this one.

Just plugged in, and this pedal is a SPECIAL CRANKER. Initially this will take a while, so many new sounds!

I've probably said this before (and... who knows, might say it again in the future- it's pedals!): this is my new "IT" pedal. It has already replaced my other overdrives on my pedal board, and I have only had it for a couple of weeks.1. Versatile controls- the tone controls give you quite a bit of flexibility with no true "sweet spot."2. It really does sound like a cranked tube amp- thick/ full sound through a DI. And... it can really push a tube amp!3. It sounds fantastic with my Jazzmaster. Like, really, really good. The EQD founder is a known offset fan, so this shouldn't be surprising. But... I've had a few other "this is IT" pedals that didn't quite make the JM shine; this one definitely does. I should check out what it can do with humbuckers or tele, but...why bother at this point?4. It is unapologetically Orange. I cannot stress how Orange this pedal is. Halloween on a citrus binge riding a traffic cone Orange.5. Build quality- solid and well-constructed pedal. This is my first EQD pedal, but... will definitely not be the last.I think this is a phenomenal value, especially against other overdrives in this price range. If you are an offset player...get it.

Loved every tone on my late 90s G&L legacy. 5 way switch 3 single coil. Super wide range and all deliciously dry and warm. Definitely special. I love earthquaker devices. All good stuff made here in the USA 🇺🇸 👍 👌.*it is so good I am buying another one, to stack them. Trust me on this! Best pedal made in the last 30 years.*

Easy adjustable 3 knob pedal w/germanium or silicone diode selector which will give a warmer or brighter tone to your playing, I personally like the germanium as it's not as harsh. For less than 100 bucks from a company like Earthquaker devices is a steal.

First, this is just FUN to play. I've only tried it into my cheap solid state practice amp--my anytime low volume setup. But I also have a Bassman w/Marshall 4x12 with attenuation that I can get down to 83db. Nothing really compares to my tube heads until this pedal. Keeley Red Dirt was previous favorite, but swap them out all the time for variation in color.This pedal has a wide palette of colors and really has no sweet spot at all--I can't find a bad setting. But the "feel" part of a cranked amp works like nothing else and not for lack of trying. The glassy cleans have a chime when rolling off the volume on the guitar and that's unexpected. Second day with it, and I just love it. Can't stop playing it.

Based on the electra overdrive circuit. This is a special pedal. If you play it by yourself, you probably won't like it. However, in a band situation, it's uniquely voiced to stand out of a mix. Don't use a cookie cutter Tube Screamer, try something like this. Love the option of switching between silicon and germanium also. Can be used to push an amp or another pedal, or as a standalone drive pedal.

I decided to give this pedal a try. I like gain stacking my overdrives. I have a nice JHS Bonsai and I've tried stacking it with multiple overdrives and this has been the best sounding one.

I just LOVE this overdrive, it's AMAZING!!It doesn't alter too much the frequency response of your original/clean tone, which I like. You can get many sounds out of it : from an amazing subtle crunch to an intense drive almost in fuzz territory. Plus you get two awesome flavors with the Germanium and Silicon switch. Best pedal I ever own period.

It has a gritty, spongy feel and tone to it. It definitely sounds unique. I like it.

It doesn’t hide or colour the sound of your amp but it enhances it! I had been looking for a light overdrive for a while that remained fairly transparent and this was what I settled on. Don’t get me wrong, this thing can get into fuzz territory also! I’ve been telling all my guitarist friends to check it out lol. Just get one! You won’t be disappointed!Edit: Sounds great on bass too!!!

I am thrilled about this new addition to my pedal board. It really delivers that warm analog sound without overwhelming the tone of the guitar. It really goes when you add 'more' and can give that really broken apart overdrive sound that's dark and tasty. Love it.

I first bought the Plumes then added this. Oh my. The PB & J of pedals. Don't sleep on this one. Underpriced for the quality of the product. Earthquaker is top notch.