EarthQuaker Devices Zoar Distortion

The EarthQuaker Devices Zoar Distortion pedal is a highly interactive medium-high gain discrete distortion (using only transistors; there are no op-amps or diodes in here!) that has that highly sought after touch sensitive, amp-like quality.

The Zoar has been thoughtfully designed and finely tuned to create a highly tweakable hi-fi and modern sounding distortion. But in here are also the ghosts of old school circuitry to deliver a grind that is both instantly familiar and awesomely unique.

You can go from the defined sparkle and tightness of an overdrive to low-medium gain fuzz that’s perfect for drop tuned guitars and basses. This little beauty can cover do it all. The EarthQuaker Devices Zoar Distortion lets you dial in and control every little nuance of your tone; jangly on-the-verge of break up to blowing the walls out heavy saturation grunt. And while having its roots in a very familiar past, the passive 3-band EQ has been finely tuned for more modern tones. While this style of tone shaping seems simple on the surface, it is deceptively complex and highly interactive – yet surprisingly easy to instantly dial in dozens of mind blowing sounds.

With just six knobs on top of the strong enclosure you can customize your sound with the Level, Weight, Gain, Bass, Middle, and Treble controls.  The Gain control sweeps from the edge-of-break-up right over the cliff into the crunchy, grinding abyss. The character of the distortion is heavily influenced by the Weight control, as well as the pickup type in your guitar, and then further fine-tuned by the powerful EQ section. This Weight control dictates the amount of low end that is passed into the circuit, so it controls the entire character of the pedal. Just dial in the 3-Band EQ to 12 o’clock and adjust the Weight to see how drastically it changes your sound. From a mere clean boost to a high gain distortion to overdrive to the crispy Hi-Fi fuzz territory, this function gives you everything, it’s that good!

Zoar’s 3-Band EQ and Gain controls give you nearly unlimited options with great focus and sensitive precision. The Level control hits unity around noon, but this is dependent on where the other controls are set. In addition to controlling the output volume, it also plays a small part in controlling the voice of Zoar. By adjusting the Level control with any combination of EQ, you can achieve drastically different curves that have the feel of the more traditional low pass filter type tone control.

Oh, and if you want to elevate your sonic spirit to a higher level, try running Zoar at higher voltage! It can handle power up to 18v DC. Higher voltages will yield a different frequency response with more defined dynamics and a faster response. When powered at 18v, the range of clean tones are widened, dirty tones become punchier with better note articulation, low frequencies are tightened, higher frequencies will cover a broader spectrum without becoming harsh and the output volume nearly doubles!

And, as if that’s not enough, as always with EarthQuaker you get great looking artwork (by Dave Neeson) as a bonus on top of great workmanship and tones.

For more information or any questions, please contact us.