EarthQuaker Devices Special Cranker

The EarthQuaker Devices Special Cranker is an all-discrete analog overdrive, or as the maker calls it, a "distortion enhancement device," built to add grit and boost to your signal without drastically changing your tone¹. EarthQuaker's own description is the clearest way to picture it: think of it as sticking an extra preamp tube in your amplifier for more saturation, with single notes that "blossom and bloom with rich harmonics and singing sustain with responsive, tube-like sag"¹. It is the successor to the company's discontinued one-knob Speaker Cranker, adding more gain, nearly double the output volume, a Tone control, and a diode selector switch¹.

What it does: an extra preamp stage for your amp

The core idea is simple. The circuit uses asymmetrical hard clipping, and EarthQuaker designed it to sound and respond as though you had added another tube to your amp's preamp section²⁶. The More control goes from nearly clean to a medium gain overdrive at maximum, so it covers low-grit boost territory as well as medium drive¹.

On That Pedal Show, Dan put it this way:

The Level control is a real output stage, adjusting the volume from nothing to nearly double at maximum, with unity gain sitting between 10 and 12 o'clock depending on which diodes are selected¹. In Sweetwater's demo, Nick found the output boost significant enough to use the pedal to front end an amp, pushing it into its own breakup⁹.

Controls

Germanium vs silicon diode modes

The diode selector is the Special Cranker's main addition over the original Speaker Cranker's fixed asymmetrical silicon diodes¹¹⁰. The toggle gives you two clipping flavors:

• Germanium: a softer, more rounded response with tamed highs and lower output. Guitar World's Paul Riario found it "drops the volume a degree for a softer, slightly compressed saturation"¹¹, and MusicRadar described it as the setting for transparency⁴. Sweetwater's demo noted an almost tube-like sag with More turned up⁹.
• Silicon: the original asymmetrical silicon diodes, giving a brighter, more modern edge with higher output^1121310. Riario found silicon "brings out all the rich dynamics and brightness for a more pronounced and meaty amp-like breakup"¹¹, and Sweetwater's demo described a gloriously ragged splutter when picked hard in this mode⁹.

Premier Guitar's reviewer liked both flavors but wanted one more option:

Where it came from: the Speaker Cranker lineage

The Special Cranker builds on the Speaker Cranker, an all-discrete "dirt enhancement device" from designer Jamie Stillman that began as a personal discrete-transistor preamp and gave your signal some grit and a slight boost through a single More knob¹⁴¹². The Speaker Cranker is now out of production⁷.

The Special Cranker itself first appeared as a Japan-only run of just 100 units, in a black and gold colorway, before the global release arrived in an acidic orange and yellow finish. Guitar.com noted the paint job is the only difference between the two versions⁶. Premier Guitar's reviewer summed up the upgrade path: the Special Cranker "literally offers more-control" with the addition of an output level control and tone dial compared to the one-knob original².

What reviewers said

Reviews across the press were positive, with several describing the pedal in the same terms EarthQuaker does.

• Guitar World (Paul Riario): "The Special Cranker is not just another overdrive pedal. Think of it as an extension of your guitar amplifier." He called it touch-sensitive, noted it flatters your amp, found it sensibly priced, and listed nothing to avoid. He also found the Tone control "never interfered with my amp's EQ, rather, it complements it, bringing out the frequencies I was looking for"¹¹.
• Premier Guitar: described it as "a warm, ultra-touch-responsive medium-gain overdrive"².
• GuitarPlayer (Christopher Scapelliti): found it delivers spongy, touch-sensitive medium gain tones and feels like an extension of the amp, with the two gain flavors well selected and useful⁷.

On That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick walked through the controls, noting the More control is a bias control and that germanium sits on the left for a softer, more transparent tone while silicon on the right gives a brighter, more modern edge⁸.

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Power, warranty and price

The Special Cranker runs on a standard 9-volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel and can be safely operated from 9 to 18 volts¹. There is no battery option; it is a mains supply only pedal⁶. Current draw is 15 mA⁵. Input impedance is approximately 5 MΩ and output impedance is under 25 kΩ¹.

It carries EarthQuaker's limited lifetime warranty: "All our devices come with a limited lifetime warranty. If it breaks, we will fix it"¹. The US list price was $99 at launch⁵, with a UK price of £109¹¹.

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