The EarthQuaker Devices Westwood Translucent Drive Manipulator is a transparent overdrive and clean boost pedal, announced at NAMM 2018 and hand built in Akron, Ohio, USA12. Guitar World's review describes it as combining "true clean boost functions with a two-band active EQ to provide a wider range of musically useful tones," and lists it at $1793. The circuit is all-analog, and the bypass switching is relay-based true bypass, giving silent, click-free on and off switching3.
What it does to your sound
Transparent overdrive pedals, also called clean boost pedals, aim to add gain without coloring the fundamental character of the guitar and amp. Guitar World's reviewer found the Westwood "provides truly transparent boost and overdrive when the EQ controls are set to the center detents"3. MusicRadar's NAMM report describes it as promising "clarity-rich low-to-medium overdrive"1, and Paolo De Gregorio of Pedals and Effects called it an "Overdrive pedal with a powerful EQ section" in his best-of-2018 roundup4.
The EQ is the pedal's distinguishing feature. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson described it as "very much a natural sounding overdrive this time with Baxandall EQ over just the typical tone dial"5. A Baxandall EQ gives separate bass and treble bands that both cut and boost, rather than the single tone knob found on most overdrives.
"If you want true transparent overdrive with a wider range of gain as well as flexible EQ for refining your amp or guitar's tone, the EarthQuaker Westwood Translucent Drive Manipulator will truly rock your world."
The controls: Level, Drive, Bass and Treble
The Westwood uses a simple four-knob layout3:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Sets output volume; Guitar.com notes it has enough output on tap to push an amp hard2 |
| Drive | Sets the gain; with Level it covers anything from clean boost to aggressive overdrive pushed just to the edge of distortion, with no signal compression3 |
| Bass | 20dB of boost or cut around 80Hz3 |
| Treble | 20dB of boost or cut around 2kHz32 |
The Bass and Treble pots are center-detented at 0dB, so you can feel the flat setting without looking. Guitar.com explains: "When you feel a click, there is neither cut nor boost, and your tone remains" unchanged2. Guitar World adds that the detents make it easy to dial in true transparent tone3.
The EQ range is wide enough to do real tonal work. Guitar World's reviewer found the treble boost and bass cut capable of adding attractive sizzle and slice, the bass boost delivering beefy thump and "woman tone" howl, and the treble cut taking the edge off shrill single-coil pickups3. The same review notes the Westwood can improve the tone of a lackluster, dark or wimpy-sounding amp3.
Where it came from and the Klon question
Transparent overdrive became a widespread category after the legendary Klon Centaur was discontinued in 2009, as Guitar World's review notes3. Guitar Pedal X included the Westwood in its roundup of Klon and klone-style pedals, but its take was that the Westwood is not simply a copy: the Baxandall EQ replaces the typical single tone dial5. So the honest answer is that the Westwood belongs to the family of pedals the Klon inspired, while going its own way on tone shaping.
On bass guitar
Guitar.com reports that on bass guitar the Westwood provides warm low-mids and a smooth top end with enough vintage grit2. The Bass control's 20dB range around 80Hz is well suited to shaping a bass's low end, which makes the pedal a plausible choice for players who carry one drive across both instruments.
The Westwood was announced at NAMM 20181. EarthQuaker Devices has since released other drives in its overdrive range, including the Plumes, Talons and Dunes V2, which sit alongside the Westwood on the overdrive type page.
Videos
Sweetwater
Premier Guitar
Reverb
Questions
Is the EarthQuaker Westwood a Klon clone?
No. Guitar World's review places the Westwood in the transparent overdrive category, a field that grew after the Klon Centaur was discontinued in 2009, but it is not a copy of that circuit. What sets it apart is a Baxandall-style two-band active EQ in place of the usual single tone dial, which Guitar Pedal X noted when listing it among Klon-style pedals.
Does the Westwood work on bass guitar?
Yes. Guitar.com reports that on bass guitar the Westwood provides warm low-mids and a smooth top end with enough vintage grit. The Bass and Treble controls, which boost and cut around 80Hz and 2kHz, give a bass player useful shaping range as well.
Is the Westwood true bypass?
Yes. Guitar World's review describes the true bypass switch as relay-based, providing silent, click-free on and off switching. That means the pedal is removed from the signal path entirely when off, without the mechanical click of a conventional footswitch.
What do the center detents on the Westwood EQ knobs do?
The Bass and Treble pots have center detents at 0dB. Guitar.com explains that when you feel a click, there is neither cut nor boost and your tone remains flat. Guitar World notes the detents make it easy to dial in a truly transparent tone, since you can return to the neutral setting by feel.
Is the Westwood analog?
Yes. Guitar World's review states the circuit has an all-analog signal path. The pedal combines clean boost with a two-band active EQ and overdrive, all handled in the analog domain.
Sources (5)
- NAMM 2018: EarthQuaker Devices introduces Westwood Translucent Drive Manipulator and 5 V2 pedals, MusicRadar, 2018-01-10
- NAMM 2018: EarthQuaker Devices releases Westwood Drive Manipulator, Guitar.com, 2018-01-10
- Review: EarthQuaker Devices Westwood Translucent Drive Manipulator, Guitar World, 2018-02-06
- Pedals And Effects' Best 10 Pedals Of 2018, Delicious Audio / Pedals and Effects, 2019-01-14
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2019-07-23
