The Earthground Audio Solar Eclipse Fuzz is a fuzz pedal built on the circuit of the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi, the long-running fuzz that Electro-Harmonix describes as a "Fuzz / Distortion / Sustainer"1. Pedal of the Day, reviewing it in April 2018, described it as inspired by the Big Muff but taken "up a notch (or six)" by adding extra fuzz controls on top of the classic layout2. Those additions are what set it apart from a stock Big Muff: a Starve knob for voltage sag and two switchable clipping stages.
A Big Muff with a Starve control
The Big Muff formula is Volume, Tone and Sustain, and the Solar Eclipse keeps that shape. What it adds is the Starve knob, which "lets you adjust the voltage, simulating a dying battery-type of sound"2. Running a fuzz on a dying battery is an old trick for getting spitty, sputtering, degraded textures, and the Starve control puts that on a dial instead of waiting for a battery to fade. The enclosure is acid-etched, which Pedal of the Day called "this acid-etched beauty"2.
The controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets your output levels2 |
| Tone | Sets the low and high frequencies2 |
| Sustain | Determines how gloriously fuzzy your signal is2 |
| Starve | Adjusts the voltage, simulating a dying battery-type of sound2 |
Alongside the knobs, two toggle switches select the clipping for each of the pedal's two clipping stages. The options on each are Germanium, Silicon or No Diodes, and Pedal of the Day noted that "the mix-and-match possibilities create a plethora of fuzz tones"2. A bypass footswitch engages the pedal2.
Guitar and bass
Pedal of the Day reported that the Solar Eclipse was "designed with a wide frequency response" and is "right at home on guitar and bass pedalboards alike"2. A wide frequency response matters on bass, where fuzz designs with a narrower range can thin out low notes.
What a reviewer said
Pedal of the Day's review, published 23 April 2018, was enthusiastic across the board. The reviewer described tones running "from straight up basic fuzz to warm and vintage to overdriven and more"2, and summed up the pedal this way:
Pedal of the Day's reviewer wrote that they "tried really hard to find a bad tone from this machine, but it just couldn't be done," and described the range on offer as "from straight up basic fuzz to warm and vintage to overdriven and more," calling it "this acid-etched beauty"2.
The same review credited the design to Tristan at Earthground Audio, signing off with "Cheers to Tristan and Earthground Audio, this thing really rocks"2.
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Mountain Man Music
Questions
What does the Starve knob do on the Solar Eclipse Fuzz?
The Starve knob lets you adjust the voltage going to the circuit, simulating a dying battery-type of sound. Lowering the voltage starves the fuzz of power, which is a classic way to get saggy, degraded, gate-like fuzz textures. It sits alongside the Volume, Tone and Sustain knobs as one of the pedal's main controls.
What do the clipping diode switches do?
The Solar Eclipse Fuzz has two toggle switches, one for each of its two clipping stages. Each switch offers Germanium, Silicon or No Diodes as options. Germanium clipping tends toward softer, warmer fuzz, silicon toward harder, more aggressive clipping, and no diodes at all leaves the stages open. Mixing and matching the two stages creates a wide range of fuzz tones.
Does the Earthground Solar Eclipse Fuzz work with bass?
Pedal of the Day's review says yes. The pedal was designed with a wide frequency response, and the reviewer found it right at home on guitar and bass pedalboards alike. That wide response is what keeps low notes from disappearing under the fuzz, which is a common problem with narrower fuzz designs.
Who designed the Earthground Audio Solar Eclipse Fuzz?
Pedal of the Day's review credits a designer named Tristan at Earthground Audio, closing its review with thanks to him for the pedal. Earthground Audio is the small builder behind the Solar Eclipse Fuzz.
Sources (2)
- Big Muff Pi, Electro-Harmonix (www.ehx.com)
- Earthground Audio Solar Eclipse Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2018-04-23
