EarthQuaker Devices has been on a tear lately, releasing a bundle of impressive new pedals. And if you’re at all familiar with any of EQD’s colorful stompboxes, you’d know it’s rare that their most popular time-based and modulation pedals feature anything less than six controls on their topography. So, after receiving the brand-new EQD Aqueduct Vibrato, I was surprised by its minimalistic control set. With a simple rate and depth knob, and a Mode control that allows you to select between eight different modulation modes — from fantastic vintage-sounding pitch modulation to trippy out-of-this-world bending and stretching of notes — the Aqueduct is a real head-turner, not to mention one of the most fun pedals I’ve ever reviewed from this eccentric company.
Vibrato is, no doubt, a squiggly and wobbly effect once engaged. And the Aqueduct makes no apologies for its modulation because it offers eight ways of producing its intense pitch-bending capabilities (Sine, Triangle, Ramp, Square, Random, Env D, Env R, and Env P). It also features a proprietary Flexi-Switch that allows you to select between standard latching-style switching (on/off), and momentary switching where by simply holding the footswitch down holds the effect indefinitely until you release it.
