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It’s good to see a Dirt Transmitter back again, especially in a compact enclosure. An evolved Fuzz Face with an edge, this is no single-sound pedal but one with loads of scope to dial in your favoured fuzz flavours.
Pros
+
Wide range of fuzz sounds.
+
Bias control.
+
Cool artwork.
+
Compact size.
+
Volume knob clean-up.
+
Low noise floor.
Cons
-
This edition is limited so may not stick around too long.
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You may have heard the Dirt Transmitter Fuzz Driver name before as there have been various iterations of the pedal in the EarthQuaker roster over the years. It debuted in 2008 as a three-knob fuzz pedal, taking its inspiration from the Fuzz Face.
Not too long after that release, a variable Bias knob was added – and it’s that four-knob configuration that we find in this new ‘Rancho de la Luna’ version of the pedal with artwork from Mike Egan.
Rancho de la Luna is a recording studio in Joshua Tree, California, run by Dave Catching, a touring member of numerous bands, including Eagles of Death Metal and Queens of the Stone Age, and this special edition of the pedal was conceived by him and EQD’s Jamie Stillman to celebrate 30 years of the studio.
Key to the pedal’s sound is said to be the circuit’s particular silicon transistors. EarthQuaker says that they are lower gain, with a warmth similar to germanium transistors when overdriven. These transistors still possess the top-end grind typical of silicon-based fuzz pedals, enabling the sound of the pedal to cut through.
Our ears can confirm that. The Fuzz knob runs from lean raunchy drive through to thicker saturated sustain at the end of its travel, with plenty of sweet spots along the way. It’s all nicely dynamic, too, allowing you to set the dirt level with guitar volume.
The Tone knob sets the top-end presence to suit, from sludge to screech, but the Bias knob delivers the most sonic influence, offering wide variation on the actual character of the fuzz.
Set correctly for conventional fuzz pedal operation at fully clockwise, you can roll it back, initially for subtle variations and then into the textured ripping fuzz realm where the sound gets gated, until you get to extreme ‘broken pedal’ sputter.
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What’s more, if you’d like to dish out the dirt in short blasts, the pedal’s Flexi-switch allows momentary action as well as standard latching – press and hold for as long as you want the fuzz to be active.
Verdict
Verdict: ★★★★½
(Image credit: Future/Matt Lincoln)
Guitar World verdict: It’s good to see a Dirt Transmitter back again, especially in a compact enclosure. An evolved Fuzz Face with an edge, this is no single-sound pedal but one with loads of scope to dial in your favoured fuzz flavours.
Hands-on videos
EarthQuaker Devices
Rancho de la Luna Dirt Transmitter Fuzz Driver - YouTube
Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.
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