Origin Effects releases M-EQ Driver pedal based on Pultec studio EQ

June 9, 2025 · 3 sources

The Origin Effects M-EQ Driver is available now from Origin Effects dealers worldwide, the company says¹. The UK maker describes it as a mid booster and drive pedal based on a vintage Pultec studio EQ, reimagined as a compact, guitar-oriented pedal rather than an exact replica²¹.

The pedal offers a choice of three mid-range frequencies, 800Hz, 1kHz and 1.3kHz, which the Mids knob can boost or cut¹. A Cut control rolls off the high end for smoother, warmer or darker tones, and a Drive knob adds grit, from a classic mid-hump overdrive to what the maker calls fierce "cocked wah" distortion²¹. The M-EQ Driver uses the Adaptive Circuitry system introduced on the company's TS-inspired Halcyon Green Overdrive¹. With the Adapt switch engaged, the high-end roll-off of the Cut control is reduced as the pedal cleans up, so the filter opens dynamically with playing¹. With the switch off, the Cut knob's effect is static¹.

Origin Effects says the circuit is transformer-equipped and recreates the sonic footprint of the original Pultec¹. In the maker's account, the EQ sits before the drive stage, so pushing more mids into the drive creates more drive at the chosen mid frequency, and the mid frequencies were chosen for guitar rather than keeping all the frequencies of the 1950s units³. The maker also says the pedal's push-pull output stage is recreated with transistors, giving a clipping style closer to vintage amp overdrive than a typical drive pedal³.

The M-EQ Driver is analog and runs on 9V DC, center negative, drawing 80mA². It is built in the UK¹. Origin Effects lists no US price in these materials.