EarthQuaker Devices Gives Afterneath a Retrospective Makeover

March 18, 2022 · 6 sources

EarthQuaker Devices announced a limited-edition brushed metal Retrospective finish for its Afterneath reverb pedal, a change from the pale green Standard finish the pedal normally wears¹. The Retrospective treatment is cosmetic: the pedal inside is the current Afterneath V3, the "otherworldly reverberation machine" that GuitarPlayer.com's Christopher Scapelliti described as a favorite ambience tool and a combined reverb and delay effects pedal².

The Afterneath generates what Premier Guitar called "hyper-expansive reverb sounds," with a Dampen control that shapes the EQ of the effect³. Its controls are unchanged in the Retrospective edition, but the V3 hardware that the finish is applied to carries the features that separate it from earlier versions like the Afterneath V2. As Scapelliti noted, all of the pedal's standard features were present on previous versions, while V3 adds an expression/CV input, a modes control and Tails/No Tails operation².

The Retrospective edition's feature set, as reported by Guitar.com's Tamzin Kraftman⁴:

• Nine modes selectable from the modes control⁴
• CV/expression pedal control for the Drag control⁴
• Trails/no trail switching⁴

The nine modes trace back to the V3 update itself, which gearnews.com reported in January 2020 as nine modes on the new Mode control, along with refreshed graphics⁵. Guitar.com's coverage of the Retrospective edition confirmed the same nine-mode count on the limited run⁴.

EarthQuaker Devices describes the Afterneath as an "otherworldly reverberation machine," and it has become a favorite ambience tool for players looking for hyper-expansive reverb sounds³. The pedal is built in the USA, and the latest version, V3, adds an expression/CV input, a modes control and Tails/No Tails operation, with all standard features carried over from previous versions including V2².

The pedal is built in the USA². GuitarPlayer's review of the V3 hardware found it offered versatile modes with expression and CV control².

The Retrospective finish joined a pattern of limited editions from EarthQuaker Devices, a maker also known for its Sunn O))) Life Pedal collaboration, which saw multiple limited reissues in silver and gold enclosures between 2019 and 2020⁶.