Extra special effects pedal manufacturer EarthQuaker Devices have released the Erupter Perfect Fuzz (Just Sayin’).
The Erupter is the result of over two years’ worth of tone-chasing, tweaking, and experimentation in search of what EarthQuaker president and product designer Jamie Stillman calls “the ultimate classic fuzz tone . . . with a big low end, but not too mushy, a biting top end without being too harsh, and just enough output to politely send a tube amp over the top.”
In developing the Erupter, Stillman “[used] every trick [he] ever learned” to craft a fuzz Device that sounds good with any pickup type anywhere in the effects chain, even before a wah pedal, and without any impedance mismatching. To this end, the Erupter uses a buffered input section, transformer-based pickup simulation, new production 5% ½ watt carbon composition resistors, metallized polyester film capacitors, Sprague and BC electrolytic capacitors, and low-gain, hand-matched NOS silicon transistors to deliver a “well-rounded and defined fuzz tone with just enough pummeling intensity.”
The Erupter’s simple control set stands in stark relief of its rigorous design process. A single control labeled “Bias” adjusts the amount of voltage fed to the NOS silicon transistors. Low “Bias” settings yield a rude, spongy fuzz tone with plenty of sag and a blossoming attack envelope that’s gated without entering “dying battery” territory. As the “Bias” control is increased, additional harmonics stack atop the input signal, producing a stiffer, more complex fuzz tone with a tighter response, increased output, and longer sustain. The Erupter uses a fixed output level and gain setting for the “thickest fuzz possible,” and to “push the full frequency range of the guitar out front when you kick it on.”
Erupter Features
- Classic Fuzz Tone
- Overloaded-yet-refined full-force fuzz with crushing lows and smooth top end that’s touch-responsive and reacts to changes in guitar volume and tone controls
- “Bias” control adjusts fuzz character for unique tonal variations
- Custom-made “Bias” pot with center detent to indicate “proper” Bias setting
- Users may over- or under-bias the Erupter for their preferred sound and feel
- True Bypass
- Silent relay-based switching
- All-analog signal path
- Lifetime guarantee
- MAP – $145 USD
- Each and every Erupter is built by the hands of real-life dream warriors in the foothills of Mt. Akron, Ohio
The Erupter is available at EarthQuaker Devices dealers worldwide.