The EarthQuaker Devices Tone Reaper is a vintage style fuzz based on the "3 knob" bender, the three-control version of the Tone Bender circuit. It is a silicon and germanium hybrid: EarthQuaker Devices says it is "capable of producing a wide range of tones from every bender era with careful tweaking" of its controls1. The pedal is now discontinued; the maker's own fuzz roundup from August 2021 refers to "the now discontinued" Tone Reaper2.
Circuit: a modified Tone Bender MKIII
The independent trace at Guitar FX Layouts calls the Tone Reaper "a modified Tonebender MKIII, with the biggest change being the Germanium darlington pair normally in Q1 &" Q2 replaced with a high gain silicon transistor3. The third transistor position stays germanium: the traced unit carries an AC176, an NPN germanium part3. That mix is what puts the pedal between the all-germanium benders of the early era and the later silicon designs.
There is also a bias trimmer inside. The Tone Reaper's manual, as quoted at Guitar FX Layouts, says it biases the germanium transistor to 4.5v, "per usual" for germanium fuzzes, which drift with temperature3.
Germanium fuzzes are temperature sensitive, and the internal trimmer exists to re-bias the germanium transistor as conditions change. If a Tone Reaper sounds off after a move from a cold car to a hot stage, the bias is the first place to look.
Controls and what they do
The pedal follows the three-knob bender layout, and the tone and fuzz controls are the heart of it. Guitar FX Layouts describes it as "capable of producing an array of tones from every bender era with careful tweaking of the tone and fuzz controls"3, and characterizes the range as "from thin and spitty to a growling crunch, all with a midrange punch to make it scratch and kick through any mix"3.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fuzz | Sets the fuzz amount; the original pot is B100k3 |
| Tone | Cuts treble as you turn clockwise; the real pedal uses a linear (B100k) pot3 |
| Volume | Output level, per the three-knob bender layout1 |
The tone control's taper is worth knowing: on the real pedal it cuts treble as you turn clockwise, the reverse of what the pot markings might suggest3.
The Hoof Reaper connection
The Tone Reaper is one half of the fuzz side of the Hoof Reaper V2. Guitar FX Layouts puts it plainly: build or buy a Tone Reaper, "put it in front of a Hoof, each on their own switch and make 2/3 of the Hoof Reaper"3. The Hoof supplies the other voice, and the Hoof Reaper combines the two circuits in a single enclosure. Delicious Audio's coverage of the Hoof Reaper likewise identifies the Tone Reaper as its fuzz side4.
What builders found
Guitar FX Layouts published a verified stripboard layout of the pedal, traced by Galapagos, and the build reports there add practical detail3:
- One builder used a higher gain AC127 and a germanium diode in place of the original parts and reported "Nice early Zeppelin/Sabbath type tones and straight up stoner" fuzz3.
- The tone control was found to work better with a 10nF capacitor instead of the 100nF shown initially, giving "a bigger sweep"3.
- The mystery diode marked D2 in the trace appears to be a 1N4848/1N914 silicon diode3.
- For a Q3 substitute, an MP38A NPN germanium is suggested; the AC128 was rejected because it is PNP and the position needs NPN3.
Videos
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Questions
Is the EarthQuaker Tone Reaper discontinued?
Yes. EarthQuaker Devices described the Tone Reaper as discontinued in an August 2021 blog post on the company's fuzz lineup, so the pedal is no longer in current production. It remains a reference point among the maker's fuzzes, and players looking for a similar circuit in the current range can look at related EarthQuaker Devices fuzz designs such as the Hoof Reaper, which combines the Hoof with the Tone Reaper circuit.
Is the Tone Reaper true bypass?
Yes. The technical analysis at Guitar FX Layouts describes the Tone Reaper as all analog, true bypass, and made one at a time by real humans in Akron, Ohio. True bypass means the pedal's switching connects your guitar straight to your amp when the effect is off, so the fuzz stays out of the signal path entirely.
Is the Tone Reaper a germanium or silicon fuzz?
It is both. EarthQuaker Devices calls the Tone Reaper a silicon and germanium hybrid. The circuit is a modified Tone Bender MKIII in which the germanium darlington pair normally found in the first two transistor positions is replaced with a high gain silicon transistor, while the third position keeps a germanium transistor, an NPN AC176 according to the Guitar FX Layouts trace.
What is the Tone Reaper's relationship to the Hoof Reaper?
The Tone Reaper is the fuzz side of the Hoof Reaper. Guitar FX Layouts notes that the Tone Reaper paired with a Hoof, each on its own switch, makes two thirds of the Hoof Reaper, which combines the two circuits in one enclosure. Players who want both voices separately can run a Tone Reaper in front of a Hoof.
Where is the Tone Reaper made?
The Tone Reaper was made in Akron, Ohio. Guitar FX Layouts describes it as all analog, true bypass, and made one at a time by real humans in stuffy Akron, which matches EarthQuaker Devices' home workshop practice of hand building its pedals in the United States.
Sources (4)
- Hoof Reaper Double Fuzz with Octave Up, EarthQuaker Devices
- FUZZCYCLOPEDIA : A Side-by-Side Comparison of EQD Fuzz Boxes, EarthQuaker Devices, 2021-08-10
- Guitar FX Layouts: Earthquaker Devices Tone Reaper, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2016-10-19
- Pedal News: EarthQuaker Devices Hoof Reaper Octave Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2013-01-07
