Electric Love and EarthQuaker Devices release Norrsken Northern Lights Fuzz

October 24, 2024 · 3 sources

Electric Love and EarthQuaker Devices released the Norrsken Northern Lights Fuzz, a collaboration between Electric Love's Ben Carlin and EarthQuaker Devices' Jamie Stillman, according to Guitar Pedal X on October 24, 2024¹. Delicious Audio describes it as a modern interpretation of a rare Swedish fuzz pedal from the 1970s, the Carlin Compressor².

The original Carlin Compressor Fuzz had three knobs: Sustain, Distortion and Volume¹. The Norrsken keeps the transistor core and adds controls. Guitar Pedal X lists nine BC548B-style transistor stages plus a tenth, Q10, transistor that it says refines the output, in a hybrid construction mixing SMD and full-sized through-hole parts¹. The controls are Level, Fuzz, Compression/Sustain, Active Bass, Active Middle and Active Treble, and the three EQ controls have center detents¹. Pedal of the Day says the Comp/Sus knob acts as a voltage attenuator for the fuzz, and that the compressor and fuzz sections can be run separately by turning the Fuzz and Comp/Sus knobs to minimum³.

Guitar Pedal X describes the sound as "warm, richly textured, harmonic, percolating fuzz and lower-gain fuzzy-drive, with EQ adding air, harmonics and balance"¹. It suggests settings of Level at 3 o'clock, Fuzz at maximum, Compression/Sustain at 2 o'clock, Bass at 2 o'clock, Middle at 3 o'clock and Treble at 2 o'clock¹.

The Norrsken is priced at $199 on the Electric Love Reverb.com store, the same price as Electric Love's earlier Aquatone collaboration with Wampler, Guitar Pedal X reports¹. All profits go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, according to Guitar Pedal X¹ and Pedal of the Day³. Pedal of the Day calls the Norrsken the third annual effects pedal release from Electric Love, which it says donates 100% of profits from its yearly batches to the foundation³. Delicious Audio notes that Electric Love released a line of three 3-knob pedals in 2022 and previously collaborated with Wampler on the Aquatone².