The Analog Music Company Evil Pumpkin Ghazala Edition is an experimental circuit-bending noise machine built around the Boss DS-1, one of the most common distortion circuits ever made. Instead of leaving the DS-1 alone, the pedal rewires it: 11 three-way switches, housed in a separate enclosure, connect to different points of the circuit and change how it routes, yielding 177,147 possible combinations1. Guitar Pedal X describes the range of what comes out as distortion, fuzz, bitcrushing, drones, glitch, ring modulation, synth, Theremin and LFO/tremolo1.
A DS-1 circuit with 177,147 switch combinations
The starting point is deliberately ordinary. The DS-1 has a very simple circuit, based on a single op-amp followed by a passive tone filter and volume control2. Pedal of the Day described the original Evil Pumpkin as taking "a nice, pretty, normal" Boss DS-1 Distortion and bending it3. Circuit bending means connecting points of a circuit that were never meant to touch, and here each of the 12 switches connects to a different node or junction of the DS-1 circuit and changes the routing of that circuit1.
The Ghazala Edition is the second version of the idea. The V1 was, in Guitar Pedal X's words, "a sort of porcupine of a pedal with 11 3-way toggle-switches along its perimeter, and a 12th switch on the front-face for LFO and Theremin components"1. For this essentially V2 edition, Analog Music Company's Kostiantyn Kozlovskyi wholly revised the pedal, moving the 11 three-way switches into a separate enclosure1.
The B option of each switch is the neutral or off position, so if you want to, you can even operate the pedal as a default DS-1 type1. Every other setting bends the circuit somewhere new, which is where the 177,147 figure comes from: 3 to the power of 11 switch positions1.
The controls and the Mission Control switches
The control set on the Evil Pumpkin DS-1, which the Ghazala Edition extends, runs: LFO Rate, Tone, Level, Distortion, LFO Switch, Light Sensor, and 3-way Circuit Node switches #2 through #12, with switch #1 being the LFO one4. Those node switches are off in the middle position and connect different nodes in either direction, for literally thousands of possible combinations4.
The THER/LFO switch selects the photocell Theremin or oscillation1. The Mission Control section adds drone functions: the top three switches can be employed when the pedal is on standby, and these essentially control a series of drones1. Recommended Mission Control drone combinations include 1A + 2C, 1A + 2A and 1A + 2B1.
Guitar Pedal X's reviewer found the new interface a clear step forward:
"What is immediately evident with this new edition is how much easier it is to navigate the interface - and the immediate visibility of any changes you implement."
Because the switches are so numerous, Guitar Pedal X documented settings as presets. A few of them, as published1:
| Preset | Switch settings | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcrushed Obliteration | 0B : 1C : 2C : 3B : 4B : 5B : 6A : 7A : 8B : 9B : 10A : 11A | Output bitcrushed and stuttered into oblivion, with pulsating feedback and interference in the background, main pedal engaged1 |
| Oscillo-Grunge | 0C : 1C : 2A : 3B : 4B : 5B : 6B : 7B : 8B : 9C : 10C : 11B | Oscillating grungy fuzzstortion, works in bypass1 |
| Pulsating Radioactive Distortion | 0B : 1A : 2B : 3C : 4C : 5B : 6C : 7C : 8C : 9B : 10C : 11C | An interference radioactive/radiostatic distortion with a Geiger counter sort of pulse in the background1 |
Versions, batches and price
The Ghazala Edition replaced the smaller Evil Pumpkin DS-1, which Guitar Pedal X's May 2024 buying guide marked as discontinued, "more recently replaced by its larger Ghazala sibling"4. The earlier pedal was listed at $250 in that guide; the Ghazala Edition was listed at $320 plus shipping in January 202314.
Hand-assembled batches are usually under 30 units and can be six months apart1. The pedal is not a continuously stocked product, and the smaller DS-1 version is discontinued4.
The reviewer himself owns one: Stefan Karlsson is the owner of unit #025, in the Black and Orange colourway, which he calls his favorite1.
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Questions
Do the switches work when the pedal is bypassed?
Some do. Guitar Pedal X notes that the top three Mission Control switches can be employed when the pedal is on standby, and that these essentially control a series of drones. The Oscillo-Grunge preset is also described as working in bypass, so the pedal can produce oscillating drones and textures even when the main distortion circuit is not engaged.
What does the THER/LFO switch do?
The THER/LFO switch selects between the photocell Theremin and the oscillation functions. In Theremin mode the pedal responds to a light sensor, while the LFO side gives you oscillation and tremolo-style movement. On the earlier Evil Pumpkin DS-1, switch #1 on the front face handled the LFO and Theremin components, with the LFO Rate control setting the speed.
How many units are made in each batch?
Guitar Pedal X reports that hand-assembled batches are usually under 30 units and can be as much as six months apart. The pedal is a limited, hand-built product, so availability is irregular rather than continuous, and a given colourway may not reappear between batches.
What is circuit bending?
Circuit bending is the practice of modifying an electronic circuit by connecting points, or nodes, that were never meant to be joined, which forces the circuit to behave in new and often unpredictable ways. The Evil Pumpkin applies this to the Boss DS-1: each of its switches connects to a different node or junction of the DS-1 circuit and changes the routing of that circuit.
How much does the Evil Pumpkin Ghazala Edition cost?
Guitar Pedal X listed the Ghazala Edition at $320 plus shipping as of January 2023. The earlier, smaller Evil Pumpkin DS-1 was listed at $250 in a May 2024 buying guide, where it was marked discontinued, having been replaced by its larger Ghazala sibling.
Sources (4)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-01-05
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME
- Analog Music Company The Evil Pumpkin Synth Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2020-10-10
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-05-09
