The EarthQuaker Devices Plumes is a low to medium-gain overdrive pedal built around what the maker calls "that classically overdone tube-like circuit you all know, and amps crave": the Tube Screamer-style overdrive. Launched in 2019, it is an all-analog reworking of that circuit, and its trick is a three-way toggle that selects between two different clipping voices and a clean boost mode12.
EarthQuaker Devices describes the Plumes as "a unique, all-analog approach to a classic tube-like overdrive circuit offering 3 different clipping voices, loads of headroom and almost three-dimensional clarity that will push your amp over the edge"1. MusicRadar called it "a low to medium-gain overdrive pedal with a few clever tricks"3.
A Tube Screamer-style overdrive with three clipping modes
The Plumes starts from the familiar Tube Screamer-style circuit but changes what is under the hood. EarthQuaker Devices has "done away with the sacred 4558 IC and the classic BJT transistor buffers and replaced them with JFET operational amplifiers," and raised the input impedance to nearly 10 megaohms1. The 9V input is internally converted to +/- 9V to give the op amp more headroom1.
The three clipping modes are selected with a toggle switch:
| Mode | Clipping | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Symmetrical LED clipping | More crunch and compression1 |
| 2 | No clipping diodes, straight op amp drive | Clean boost mode1 |
| 3 | Asymmetrical silicon diode clipping | More transparency with a loose feel1 |
MusicRadar summarized the three voices as "symmetrical LED clipping for an aggressive crunch," a clean boost, and "asymmetrical silicone diode for TS-style drive," and said the three modes "give the Plumes hidden depths"3.
On the DIY side, the Guitar FX Layouts blog traced the circuit and posted a stripboard layout in August 2020. On Mode 1, the blog found it is "the crunchiest setting the Plumes has to offer. When played through a clean amp, it'll deliver a reasonable facsimile of that classic black and gold British valve amp tone." On Mode 3, it "gives a warmer low-end response and lower output" for a classic pleasant tone4. One commenter on that blog observed that the circuit "seems like a modified SD-1" rather than a straight Tube Screamer copy4; for a comparison of the two ancestors, see Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer.
The controls
The control set is simple: Level, Tone, Gain, the Mode toggle, and the Flexi-Switch footswitch3.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Controls the output volume1 |
| Tone | More bass to the left, more middles in the middle, more treble to the right1 |
| Gain | Controls the amount of drive1 |
| Mode | 3-way toggle selecting the clipping mode1 |
| Flexi-Switch | Relay-based footswitch, momentary or latching1 |
The tone control is not a stock Tube Screamer copy either. The Guitar FX Layouts analysis found "the reimagined tone control is finely tuned to sculpt low end, clear top end, and focus midrange with blooming sustain," and that it stays useful through the whole range4.
Power and switching
The Plumes takes a standard 9 volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel and draws 25 mA1. Internally, the 9V input is converted to +/- 9V to give the op amp more headroom1. Output impedance is 100 Ω1.
The Plumes has no battery option, and because the switching is relay based, it requires power to pass signal. Without power connected, your signal does not get through the pedal1.
The bypass is what EarthQuaker Devices calls Flexi-Switch Technology: "This relay-based, true bypass switching style allows you to simultaneously use momentary and latching style switching"1. Press the switch normally for latching operation, or hold it for momentary bursts of effect.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's verdict was positive on value: "The Plumes is a very persuasive drive that offers three great-sounding flavours at a price that makes it a no-brainer," adding that "for 100 bucks this is an incredible overdrive pedal"3. The review also noted the practical touches: "Top-mounted jacks save a bit of room on your pedalboard"3.
Guitar.com's overdrive buying guide, reviewing the pedal's character, pointed to "The Plumes' soft-clipping nature and focused midrange push"5, and the site's essential-stompboxes guide noted it was "launched back in 2019 and now on its way to becoming a classic in its own right"2.
From the DIY community, one builder who built the Pedal PCB version wrote: "I built the Pedal PCB version of this, and I think it's the best Tube Screamer I've ever heard. Something about the frequency response makes it sparkle"4.
"I built the Pedal PCB version of this, and I think it's the best Tube Screamer I've ever heard."
Where it sits in the EarthQuaker lineup
EarthQuaker Devices makes a wide range of overdrives, and the Plumes is the company's compact take on the Tube Screamer formula. Related pedals in the maker's range include the Dunes V2, the Palisades V2, the Gray Channel, the Westwood, the Talons, the Monarch, the Chrysalis, and the White Light. The Plumes Small Signal Shredder, a related pedal, is covered separately at Plumes Small Signal Shredder143.
The enclosure artwork is by Jamie Stillman, EarthQuaker Devices' founder1.
Videos
Sweetwater
EarthQuakerDevices
EarthQuakerDevices
Questions
Is the EarthQuaker Plumes true bypass?
Yes. The Plumes uses EarthQuaker Devices' Flexi-Switch Technology, a relay-based true bypass that also lets you use the footswitch in momentary or latching style. Hold the switch for momentary engagement, or press normally for standard latching operation.
Does the Plumes work without power?
No. Because the switching is relay based, the Plumes requires power to pass signal. With no power connected, the pedal will not pass your guitar signal, so it needs a 9V DC supply on the board.
Can the Plumes run on a battery?
No. The Plumes takes a standard 9 volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel, and there is no battery option. It draws 25 mA, so it is easy on most isolated power supplies.
Is the Plumes a Tube Screamer clone or an SD-1?
It is based on the classic Tube Screamer-style tube-like overdrive circuit, but EarthQuaker Devices replaced the 4558 IC and BJT buffers with JFET op amps and added three clipping modes. One DIY commenter observed that the circuit seems like a modified Boss SD-1.
Can the Plumes be used as a clean boost?
Yes. Mode 2 is clean boost mode: it eliminates the soft clipping diodes altogether and leaves straight op amp drive. EarthQuaker Devices describes it as perfect for pushing a clean tone out front or driving an overdriven amp's preamp into breakup.
Where are the jacks on the Plumes?
The input, output and power sockets are all top-mounted, which saves a bit of room on your pedalboard. The enclosure measures 4.75 x 2.50 x 2.25 inches with knobs.
Sources (5)
- Plumes Small Signal Shredder, EarthQuaker Devices
- All gain, no pain: the 10 best overdrive pedals you can buy in 2026, Guitar.com, 2026-02-11
- EarthQuaker Devices Plumes review, MusicRadar, 2020-09-21
- Guitar FX Layouts: Earthquaker Devices Plumes, tagboardeffects.blogspot.com, 2020-08-03
- The best guitar pedals in 2023: ten essential stompboxes, Guitar.com, 2023-10-05
