EarthQuaker Plumes Overdrive Pedal

EarthQuaker Plumes Overdrive Pedal Overview

The Earthquaker Devices Plumes Small Signal Shredder is a low to medium gain overdrive pedal with an all-analogue signal path, and it packs a lot of punch and has more articulation and clarity than other typical screamers

It has three clipping options selected by the mini-toggle switch, so you can get a crunchy sound, clean boost, and a classic screamer tone, so it’s like three overdrives in one.

On top is the Level, Tone, and Gain dials, with the Tone control helping to sculpt the low end, with a focused midrange and clear top end. This pedal allows for more headroom and a stronger signal so you get more clarity, and has a silent soft-touch switching with ‘Flexi-Switch’ tech so you touch the switch to engage the effect for only as long as you need it, and all-analogue True Bypass circuitry.

The Earthquaker Plumes Overdrive Pedal has also been improved to allow for more headroom, with a stronger signal for improved clarity, getting rid of the JRC4558 OpAmp and BJT buffers and replaced them with JFET OpAmps, which deliver a lot less floor noise. This latest tube screamer style pedal also has a more natural tone with improved clarity and depth on the treble and a boosted midrange.

This is a great pedal for anyone who wants dynamic, natural-sounding overdrive tones at an affordable price.

Overview by EarthQuaker Devices

Small Signal Shredder

Plumes® is a unique, all-analog approach to a classic tube-like overdrive circuit offering 3 different clipping voices, loads of headroom and almost three-dimensional clarity that will push your amp over the edge. The reimagined tone control is finely tuned to sculpt low end, clear top end, and focus midrange with blooming sustain.

Design Notes

Plumes is an overdrive based around that classically overdone tube-like circuit you all know, and amps crave. While this particular circuit has been done to death, we here at EarthQuaker Devices brand of special effects pedals think the Plumes offers an original take on the old, tired dead horse everyone loves to beat on. You can’t get enough of it, so we are giving you some more. Doctor’s orders and what not….

For starters, we’ve done away with the sacred 4558 IC and the classic BJT transistor buffers and replaced them with JFET operational amplifiers and raised the input impedance to nearly 10 megaohms! This offers lower noise, better signal integrity and more chime in the high end. We power this OpAmp by taking the 9v input and internally converting it to +/- 9v to give it more headroom. The end result is a more three-dimensional tone with added clarity that really pushes a nice tube amp over the edge. You might notice how those badass leads you’re always ripping will blast over those awful, no good cymbals your drummer is constantly bashing around on. It sounds like diamonds…a million f**king diamonds!

We’ve also added three different clipping options for your consideration. Mode 1 is symmetrical clipping utilizing a pair of light emitting diodes. This is the crunchiest setting the Plumes has to offer. When played through a clean amp, it’ll deliver a reasonable facsimile of that classic black and gold British valve amp tone. If you already set your amp dirty, using this mode will make it filthy. Mode 2 is clean boost mode. This eliminates the soft clipping diodes altogether and leaves you with straight OpAmp drive. This is perfect for pushing your clean tone out in front or driving the preamp of an already overdriven amp into tasteful breakup territory. Mode 3 is an asymmetrical silicon diode arrangement similar to the stock screamer but with more output and clean clarity; the tone some people describe as “transparent”. It’s almost as if your clean tone is blended in with a slightly less clean tone, ya know? Using this mode gives a warmer low-end response and lower output. It’s less hard on your amp and your ears. It’s a classic pleasant tone the whole band can enjoy.

Not enough for you? We’ve also improved the way the classic tone control operates while still leaving it familiar enough to keep you warm and comfortable. It’s still a safe space, no worries in here. It’s now useful through the whole range. The low end is big and clear, and the high end is bright and cutting without killing the mids. Just the right amount of tonal tickling to excite those ear drums yet still give that familiar mid-heavy drive.