The Sunn O))) Life pedal got top marks in our review, and now you can score a healthy $60 off the list price
(Image credit: Earthquaker Devices)
EQD has spent the best part of the last 20 years steadily ingratiating itself as the go-to brand for the guitar music’s noisiest experimentalists. Now you can get 20% off all EarthQuaker Devices pedals at Guitar Center – including modern classics like the Plumes Overdrive, the Rainbow Machine Polyphonic pitch shifter and our pick of the bunch, the Sunn O))) Life Pedal V3.
If you’re not familiar with the latter, it’s a three-in-one boost/octave fuzz/distortion monster that was developed in collaboration with Seattle drone metal gods, Sunn O))).
Despite its niche origins, you don’t need to have a degree in avant-garde heaviness to operate it, either. We gave the Sunn O))) Life Pedal V3 a full five stars in our review back in March, noting it is a “must-have for drone and doom freaks but proves itself a top choice for tone connoisseurs of all stripes”.
It combines a circuit inspired by the Shin-Ei FY2 Companion and FY6 Super Fuzz units with RAT-style distortion, plus a MOSFET clean boost. Then there’s a choice of clipping modes, including OpAmp, Asymmetric and Symmetric.
If that doesn't get your heart pumping, it’s all conveniently organized into three handily tagged footswitches: Magnitude, Octave and Amplitude. Meaning, despite the wealth of tone sculpting options, it’s pretty straightforward to use, too.
Earthquaker Devices Avalanche Run V2 Delay/Reverb (Image credit: Earthquaker Devices)
The Rainbow Machine V2, meanwhile, is temporarily reduced to $182.20 (from $229) Used by everyone from Thom Yorke to Devin Townsend, it’s beloved for its ability to add kaleidoscopic color to your tone through a mad blend of polyphonic pitch-shifting and oscillation. It also has a ‘Magic’ switch on it...
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Elsewhere in the sale, we’d point to the enduringly popular Avalanche Run V2 (down to $239.20, from $299) – it’s been around for a little while now (since 2017), but doesn’t look long in the tooth. There’s up 2000ms of delay on tap, with three modes (including reverse and swell), plus a gorgeous-sounding plate reverb.
It’s a great solution for players who want a powerful digital reverb and delay, but don’t want the overwhelming tweakability of the likes of Strymon et al.
It’s a recreation of the Elk BM Sustainar – a sort of modded EHX Big Muff Triangle Pi –and creates a killer, open-sounding, crunching fuzz tone that sings through loud amps.
It's currently available for a shade under $120 and previous happy customers include Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood, which alongside the endorsement of Wata herself, is quite the nod.
Matt is Features Editor for GuitarWorld.com. Before that he spent 10 years as a freelance music journalist, interviewing artists for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.
