
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
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Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.
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