Earthquaker Devices Gray Channel Dual Overdrive Effect Pedal

Earthquaker Devices Gray Channel Dual Overdrive Pedal

 Can it bring the vintage overdrive "vibe" to a modern age ...?

by Chris Loeffler

The pantheon of great overdrive circuits is crowned by classics like the TS-808 (midrange boosting tube pusher), Klon (warm, tube-like distortion controlled by a dual-ganged pot that blends cleans in), and Marshall Blues Breaker (British-voiced warmth that excels at low gain), but those in the know (or who played back in the 80s, before we were blessed with too much gear to keep up with) include the DOD Overdrive Preamp 250 in their top overdrives of all time because of its tone and utility. “Inspired” by the MXR Distortion +, early DOD 250 pedals were housed in a gray enclosure and featured a  simple circuit built around the LM741 opamp and controls. The 250 changed to a yellow enclosure in the 80s, with a chip-swap to the TL081 (which had lower noise, higher slew rate, and a higher impedance) following shortly thereafter. The DOD 250 featured a dead-simple circuit that was embraced both for its own shaggy character and for the way it interacted with overdriven amps. Jamie from Earthquaker stated the DOD 250 was one of his first builds, and the pedal that ultimately led to the creation of Earthquaker Devices, so it’s only fitting they’ve gotten around to bringing this classic effect into the modern age.

The Earthquaker Gray Channel is effectively two overdrives in one, with independent Volume and Gain controls for each circuit, as well as unique clipping options for each channel. The overdrive circuit, built off the aforementioned DOD 250 Preamp, is a low-to-mid gain boost/overdrive that adds volume, grit, and distortion to the direct signal without changing the tonal color or EQ. The overdrive circuits are split into Green and Red channels, with the Green Channel featuring Silicon, Germanium, or No Clipping (op amp distortion) options and the Red Channel featuring LED, Mosfet, and No Clipping options.

The Gray Channel overdrive is a bit ragged and rough on its own, and excels at goosing an amp with added harmonic content and additional layers of gain structure. Like the original circuit by which it was inspired, the Gray Channel is most “traditional” when it's rounded out by additional gain down the chain, be it a more colored overdrive pedal like the Palisades or into a preamp that's on the verge of breakup. That’s not to say that aren’t plenty of cool tones available run into a clean amp, but they all betray their not-so-humble pedal origin. Both channels feature the No Clip mode, which removes any diodes from the clipping section and provides a clean, uncolored boost for the first half of the Gain sweep before gradually saturating the opamp for a loud, raw, open overdrive.

Starting with the Green Channel, the Germanium mode is the softest, most compressed of the overdrive modes, with a vintage fuzz edge that is mid and bass heavy (or maybe a touch shy in treble), while Silicon forms a tighter, sharper breakup that bites and has a bit more presence. Similar to other Si/Ge switchable overdrives I’ve played, I preferred the Germanium mode when played on its own, but the moment other instruments started dominating the mix I flicked to Si for a bit more cut. In the Red Channel, LED is the least compressed and loudest of the group, with a good deal of touch sensitivity and a tighter attack than “tube-like” clipping. Surprisingly, if subtle, there is a just a touch of tone sweetening that happens in the cleaner setting. The FET mode, by contrast, is tight and has a strong top end retention that loves to crunch.

The differences between these clipping options aren’t of the “that’s a totally different sound” camp, but they are the difference between “almost getting” and “nailing” the gain structure and boost you are looking for in a given solo/rhythm application.

Limitations

The volume changes slightly between clipping modes, so switching from No Clip to Germanium in the Green channel in a live setting will require a slight adjustment of the Volume control to maintain the same volume.

Conclusions

The Earthquaker Devices Gray Channel brings the vibe and “damned if it just doesn’t sound great” tones of a vintage overdrive to the modern age with increased headroom, reduced noise, and enough clipping options to fit between any amp and guitar. The versatility of having two channels answered my wish to have a Rhythm and a Lead setting, and the versatility of clipping options means not compromising on how the pedal overdrives based on individual playing styles. Best of all, the Gray Channel excels at keeping your tone intact rather than being another amp-in-a-box that smears over what you already have. -HC-

Resources

Earthquaker Devices Gray Channel Overdrive Product Page

Buy Earthquaker Devices Gray Chaneel (Street $195.00) at Sweetwater , Guitar Center ,  Amazon

Join the conversataion in the Effects forum!

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Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.