Earthquaker Devices Erupter

A Better Fuzz Face

The Fuzz Face is up there in guitar history as one of the most iconic pedals ever made. Of course, any pedal used by Hendrix was destined to become a classic, but, as one of the first distortion effects ever to hit the market, the Fuzz Face has more than earned its fame.
That being said, some are of the opinion that the Fuzz Face was only ever worth using when set on full. That was certainly what the people at Earthquaker Devices thought when they set out to design the Erupter.

The Fantastic Sound of Earthquaker Devices

Although internally the Erupter is, in some ways, more complicated than a Fuzz Face, the real genius of this pedal was what they chose to cut out. By cutting down to only one knob, Earthquaker also cut out a fair amount of unnecessary filtering, to give nothing but that pure fuzz sound.

Is The Erupter Worth The Price?

At around $160, the Erupter certainly isn’t what you’d call a budget pedal. For comparison, that’s about the same price you’d pay for Fuzz Face. That being said, Earthquaker pedals are loved by their fans and there’s a reason for that. What you’re paying for is the kind of quality effect you only get from people who build pedals out of a passion for the sound.

So which should you buy? The Fuzz Face, or the Erupter?

Well, the Fuzz Face will certainly give you more control over your sound, and if you’re looking to replicate the classic one-to-one, then it’s really your only option. On the other hand, the Erupter is, in many respects an improvement. Not only is it a much more convenient shape to fit onto a pedal board, but it’s also a stronger, more powerful sound, and far easier to use.

Does it sound better?

Well, we’ll let you be the judge of that. Why not check out both pedals here on Tonepedia and decide for yourself which you think has the better sound?