As we approach the back end of 2023 the pedal releases are showing no signs of slowing – who's buying this stuff? Guitarists and bassists for starters, because we just can't get enough. Now we have to decide whether we've been waiting for a medium-high gain discrete transistor-based distortion pedal that offers touch-sensitive amp-like tone. Because if we are, the Earthquaker devices Zoar Dynamic Audio Grinder looks like it's going to be a doozy.
Earthquaker promises old-school circuitry with hi-fi modern-sounding distortion and the tightness of an overdrive to low-medium gain fuzz. That makes it sound versatile to us and that means more easily justified as a purchase!
You get to hear how its three-band EQ affects the versatility of the tone-shaping in the demo above – as well as the effects of 9- and 18-volt power on the pedal. Earthquaker has snuck in bass demos as part of it for all your low-enders too.
Earthquaker Devices Zoar is $129/£129 and available from Sweetwater and Andertons
![Eric Clapton and his gold-plated Cry Baby: [Left] a black and white image of Clapton playing his Bigsby-equipped Gibson Les Paul standard live on stage with Cream.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aPowLRdfjdvVAiwU8PYuBh-1280-80.jpg.webp)
“We are honoured that our company’s relationship with the legendary guitar player continues to this day”: Dunlop salutes wah pedal pioneer Eric Clapton with a gold-plated signature Cry Baby
“Honestly I’d never even heard of Klons prior to a year-and-a-half ago”: KEN Mode’s Jesse Matthewson on the greatest reverb/delay ever made and the noise-rock essentials on his fly-in pedalboard
“We are honoured that our company’s relationship with the legendary guitar player continues to this day”: Dunlop salutes wah pedal pioneer Eric Clapton with a gold-plated signature Cry Baby
“Honestly I’d never even heard of Klons prior to a year-and-a-half ago”: KEN Mode’s Jesse Matthewson on the greatest reverb/delay ever made and the noise-rock essentials on his fly-in pedalboard
