The EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainer is a fuzz pedal and a signature pedal for Wata, guitarist of the Japanese band Boris. It is a faithful recreation of Wata's vintage Elk BM Sustainer, a rare and ornery Japanese take on the Triangle Big Muff, and it was launched by EarthQuaker Devices in November 20211. It sits in the maker's fuzz line alongside pedals like the Hoof V2, Erupter and Tone Reaper, and with other fuzz types covered on the Fuzz Pedals page.
Where it came from
The pedal began as a collaboration with Wata, whose pedalboard MusicRadar profiled in March 2022. The Hizumitas is her signature fuzz, built to sound the same as her original Elk BM Sustainer unit1.
Getting there took time. Jamie Stillman, who designed the pedal for EarthQuaker Devices, spent over a year putting together a replica that sounded the same as the original unit1.
"Eventually I got up to seven revisions, and it took over the course of a year, sending it back and forth before I finally..."
In other words, the pedal went through seven revisions over the course of a year, with the unit sent back and forth, before the final recreation was settled1.
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