EarthQuaker Devices and Dr. Z launch ZEQD-Pre tube preamp pedal

January 8, 2026 · 5 sources

EarthQuaker Devices and Dr. Z Amplification announced the ZEQD-Pre Tube Pre Amp on January 8, 2026, a collaboration between the pedal maker and the amp builder Mike Zaite¹. It is an all-analog EF86 tube preamp², and it ships for $399¹.

The pedal is built around an EF86 pentode rather than the 12AX7/ECC83 common in preamp pedals³. Stillman writes that Zaite developed a preamp circuit similar to the first gain stages in his amps that use the EF86². The design was handled entirely by Dr. Z and squeezed into a pedal enclosure by EarthQuaker³. It runs internally at high voltage from a standard 9-volt supply and needs 500mA³; Stillman says it will not make a sound at 100mA, and that at 200mA or 300mA it produces a gated, "zippery" fuzz tone with zero sustain².

Controls are Boost, Level, Bass, Middle and Treble, with a Boost footswitch that also bypasses the EQ and an activate footswitch⁴. Engaging boost drops the three-band EQ from the signal and gives a full-range boost with its own level control⁵. The left-hand panel carries a 1/4-inch headphone out, a DI direct out, a ground lift button and a cab bypass button for the onboard analog cab simulator⁴. The XLR output has ground lift, and the cab sim applies to both the XLR and headphone outputs³. The pedal is true bypass⁵.

Stillman describes the cab sim as tuned by ear rather than measurement:

He also frames the pedal as a clean platform rather than an overdrive: "Because of how it responds, the ZEQD-Pre works best as a way to amplify and enhance the other effects in your chain rather than acting as a traditional 'tube overdrive' pedal"². On bass, he says it "adds a pleasant growl" while staying clean². Zaite's own description, as quoted by MusicRadar: "You hit this pedal on and your amp just becomes huge"⁵.

Reported prices differ. Guitar World, MusicRadar and Guitar Pedal X give $399¹⁵⁴; Gearnews lists $489³. Guitar World reports a lifetime warranty¹, and MusicRadar says the pedal is built by hand in Akron, Ohio⁵. It is a preamp pedal intended to sit at the end of a signal chain¹.