The White Light Legacy Reissue is a limited-run overdrive pedal from EarthQuaker Devices, a reissue of the company's White Light overdrive, originally released in 20111. EarthQuaker describes it as "a hard clipping, vintage-voiced overdrive that takes its cues from the vintage dirt pedals that defined the sounds of heavy rock," and frames its lineage plainly: "Think OD250 or Distortion+ without being overly derivative, a new voice to an olde sound if you will."2
The reissue arrived in 2023 as the first in EarthQuaker's Legacy Reissue series, a line that revives older stompboxes from the company's archive34. It carried the same White Light circuitry as the original, updated with a standard-size enclosure, top-mounted jacks and EarthQuaker's Flexi-Switch Technology325. The run was limited to 2,000 units worldwide at a list price of $15926, and EarthQuaker now lists the device as no longer in production2.
The White Light Legacy Reissue is discontinued. EarthQuaker Devices states the device is no longer in production, and the run was capped at 2,000 units worldwide2.
A hard-clipping, vintage-voiced overdrive
The White Light belongs to the old-school, hard-clipping school of overdrive. MusicRadar called it "an old-school hard-clipping overdrive pedal" with "a whiff of the classic DOD OD250 and MXR Distortion+ about it," while noting it is "much more dynamic, open and harmonically rich than these classic overdrives it shares its lineage with"7. Delicious Audio heard "its overdriven tone reminiscent of the one heard in classic rock records of the '70s"3.
An independent technical analysis of the original circuit, published on the Guitar FX Layouts blog in 2021, put the family connection in perspective:
"This vintage voiced stompbox is similar to a vintage DOD 250 or MXR Distortion+, but don't mistake it for a direct clone8."
Guitar FX Layouts (Zach, IvIark)8
Bass Musician Magazine's coverage of the reissue echoed the maker's framing: "Think OD250 or Distortion+ without being overly derivative"1. For a player, that means a dirt pedal in the vein of the 1970s two-knob classics rather than a mid-humped Tube Screamer style, with EarthQuaker's own voicing on top. MusicRadar also noted it works with electric guitar or bass guitar7.
The controls: Gain, Weight, Level and the compression switch
The pedal keeps the original's control set: three knobs and a two-position compression switch6. EarthQuaker's own descriptions of each control2:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Controls the amount of distortion3 |
| Weight | A multi-functional control; allows the level of saturation, low end response and the overall feel of the device to be altered2 |
| Level | Controls the output2 |
| Compression switch, Minus (-) | Open with more high-mids and bite2 |
| Compression switch, Plus (+) | Crunchy and compressed with a bit less bite and a flatter mid response2 |
Weight is the control that sets the White Light apart from the two-knob pedals it draws on. MusicRadar described it as the knob that "handles the low-end response, the level of saturation, and the general feel of the overdrive"7, and Guitar.com's coverage called it "the weight control allowing players to adjust the saturation and low end"4. Guitar World characterized the two switch positions in similar terms: Minus "is said to tap into more high-mids and a pronounced bite," while Plus "unleashes 'crunchy and compressed' gains with a flatter mid response"6. Guitar.com also described the switch as letting players fine tune the distortion and choose between more highs and mids, or a flatter mid response4.
Power and connections: relay bypass with Flexi-Switch
The Legacy Reissue updates the original with a new enclosure, top-mounted jacks and Flexi-Switch Technology2. MusicRadar noted the jacks and power supply inputs are all located on the top of the unit for ease of mounting on a pedalboard7.
Flexi-Switch is EarthQuaker's proprietary switching system, and it allows two behaviors from one footswitch. As Guitar World explained, the pedal "can be engaged with a simple stomp of the switch for standard latching operation, or held and pressed for a momentary" switch6. In EarthQuaker's words, "This relay-based, true bypass switching style allows you to simultaneously use momentary and latching style switching."2
Because the switching is relay based, the White Light requires power to pass signal. There is no battery option; it needs a 9V DC supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel, and EarthQuaker advises against running it at higher voltages2.
Where it came from and what happened to it
The original White Light Overdrive dates to 20113. By the time of the reissue, Guitar.com described it as "the notoriously hard-to-find White Light overdrive pedal," reissued "for a limited time only"4. The 2023 Legacy Reissue run of 2,000 units contained the same White Light circuitry as the original, in the now standard-size enclosure with top-mounted jacks and Flexi-Switch Technology4. Delicious Audio reported the reissue circuits as identical to the original but updated with the new enclosure, top-mounted jacks and Flexi-Switch3.
The pedal launched at $1596 and was available at EarthQuaker Devices dealers worldwide1. With the run complete, EarthQuaker's product page now states plainly: "THIS DEVICE IS NO LONGER IN PRODUCTION."2
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Questions
How many White Light Legacy Reissues were made?
The run was limited to 2,000 units worldwide. EarthQuaker Devices reissued the 2011 White Light in 2023 as the first in its Legacy Reissue series, with the same circuitry as the original but in a standard-size enclosure with top-mounted jacks and Flexi-Switch Technology. The device is no longer in production.
Is the EarthQuaker White Light like a Distortion+?
It shares its lineage with the DOD OD250 and MXR Distortion+ style of classic overdrives, and EarthQuaker describes it as in that vein without being overly derivative. An independent technical analysis of the circuit found it similar to a vintage DOD 250 or MXR Distortion+, but not a direct clone.
Does the White Light pass signal without power?
No. The Legacy Reissue uses relay-based switching, and EarthQuaker Devices states that because the switching is relay based, it requires power to pass signal. It runs on a standard 9 volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel and draws 10 mA; there is no battery option.
What does the Weight knob do on the White Light?
Weight is a multi-functional control. EarthQuaker Devices says it allows the level of saturation, low end response and the overall feel of the device to be altered. MusicRadar's coverage described it as handling the low-end response, the level of saturation and the general feel of the overdrive.
Is the White Light Legacy Reissue still in production?
No. EarthQuaker Devices lists the device as no longer in production. It was a limited run of 2,000 units worldwide, launched in 2023 at $159, so finding one now means looking at the secondhand market or remaining dealer stock.
Sources (8)
- New Gear: EarthQuaker Devices Reissues the White Light Overdrive, Bass Musician Magazine, 2023-03-13
- White Light Legacy Reissue, EarthQuaker Devices
- Reissue: EarthQuaker Devices White Light Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2023-03-13
- EarthQuaker Devices’ formerly impossible-to-find White Light OD is back, Guitar.com, 2023-03-13
- EarthQuaker Devices launches the Aurelius Tri-Voice Chrous for warbling 70s tone, Guitar.com, 2023-04-11
- EarthQuaker Devices debuts all-new Legacy Reissue Series with updated version of the elusive White Light Overdrive, Guitar World, 2023-03-14
- EarthQuaker Devices brings back its vintage yellow-box-inspired White Light Overdrive for a special limited run, MusicRadar, 2023-03-14
- Guitar FX Layouts: Earthquaker White Light, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2021-07-04
