The Ol' Ephraim Germanium Sustainer is a pedal from Bolt & Forge Analog Audio that sits between fuzz and distortion. Pedal of the Day, reviewing it in January 2024, described it as "not exactly a fuzz and not exactly a distortion": its sound character is like a germanium fuzz, but it is consistent, reliable, easy to use and has the dirt level of a distortion pedal1. The same review summed it up as "a germanium powered fuzz that's easy to handle but roars like a grizzly"1.
What it does
The pedal uses four hand-tested, low-leakage germanium diodes to get its sounds, built around Mosfet opamps, metal-film resistors and other studio-grade components, and it is hand-wired with true bypass switching1. The basic Volume, Tone and Sustain controls offer what Pedal of the Day calls "a simple but wide-ranging tonal spectrum to explore"1.
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson described how the pedal responds across the neck: "Its upper-fret tones evoke Faces' 1971 'Stay with Me'; lower notes become heavier and bass-heavy, while higher strings" turn bright and sparkly2. He also found a sweet spot on the controls: "It is most effective around 2-3 o'clock and prefers the front of the chain," referring to the Sustain control2.
Pedal of the Day summed it up as "a germanium powered fuzz that's easy to handle but roars like a grizzly"1. The Ol' Ephraim was the fourth effect Bolt & Forge sent to the site for review, following the Bolt & Forge Analog Audio Bad Hoss Harmonic Sustainer, which the same site reviewed in December 20231.
If you want to place it among related effects, it sits in the territory covered by Fuzz Pedals and Distortion Pedals, with the germanium character of the former and the usable dirt level of the latter, as both reviewers describe it1.
Videos
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Pedal of the Day
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Questions
Is the Ol' Ephraim a fuzz or a distortion?
Pedal of the Day describes it as a hybrid: its sound character is like a germanium fuzz, but it is consistent, reliable, easy to use and has the dirt level of a distortion pedal. The maker labels it a sustainer. It uses four hand-tested, low-leakage germanium diodes to get those sounds.
How should I set the Sustain control?
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson found the pedal most effective with the Sustain control around 2 to 3 o'clock, and noted that it prefers the front of the pedal chain. The Volume, Tone and Sustain controls together offer a simple but wide-ranging tonal spectrum.
Sources (2)
- Bolt & Forge Analog Audio Ol' Ephraim Germanium Sustainer, Pedal of the Day, 2024-01-11
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-12-11
