EarthQuaker Devices Gary brings the Idles’ Fuzz to your Board
It's a pedal board-friendly twofer!
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EarthQuaker Devices Gary brings the Idles' Fuzz to your Board · Source: EarthQuaker Devices
If you love the artfully destroyed fuzz sounds from UK rock band Idles, then this new fuzz-overdrive EarthQuaker Devices Gary might be it. The guitar and bass pedal was developed in conjunction with Lee Kiernan from the Idles, so getting that chaotic, uber-fuzzed sound is what the pedal is about.
EarthQuaker Devices Gary: Not a Gray Channel, but kind of
EQD fans’ first thought might have been, that there is a typo in the product name. Because there was the legendary Gray Channel, a ‘twofer‘ based on the DOD 250 Overdrive that EQD made in 2017. And while the EarthQuaker Devices Gary is a twofer as well, it’s quite a different affair, not just from its looks.
If you’re a fan of the sonic destruction like UK rockers Idles do, with wall of sound guitars that have been all but obliterated as heard on songs like ‘I’m Scum’ or ‘Never fight a Man with a Perm’, then Gary will be right up your alley. It’s no coincidence Jamie Stillman developed Gary in close collaboration with Lee Kiernan, one of the Idles’ two guitar players.
A twofer with a PWM fuzz and an Op-amp Overdrive
As often happens in the world of signature pedals and guitars, the development of the EarthQuaker Gary was started by Kiernen asking for a more compact version of the Gray Channel from EQD. Things quickly escalated, and, thus, another twofer was born.
Gary is set up with two sides, like the two sides of your brain. Its left side is a classic op-amp overdrive based on the green channel of the Gray Channel. GO sets the drive amount, THAT’S IT dials in the master volume, and the last foot switch activates it. While the right side is controlled in much the same way, it sounds very different.
Activating it turns your signal into a fuzzed square wave – beautiful, endless amounts of hard clipping. But it’s not a static effect. Instead, EQD and Kiernan have made it dynamic. Gary comes with a built-in envelope follower, where pick attack and playing intensity determine the square wave’s pulse width. The more dynamic you play, the more diverse the fuzzed sounds from Gary become.
The YES dial sets the sensitivity of said envelope follower, while OOSH sets the right side’s volume. Plus, the pedal comes with an expression input. So, you can plug in your expression pedal and take your sonic destruction even further! Personally, I’m a huge fan of the Idles’ first three records, in particular of their weird guitar tone. And this pedal seems to nail it.
How much is the EarthQuaker Devices Gary, and when is it available?
The EarthQuaker Devices Gary is available to order now at Thomann* for 249 euros. Shipping is estimated to be in one week.
More on the new Pedal from EarthQuaker
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