The Electro-Harmonix Eddy is a compact analog vibrato and chorus pedal from Electro-Harmonix, released in 20211. It is built on bucket-brigade circuitry, the same family of chips behind EHX's classic modulation and delay pedals, and it packs both effects into what the maker calls "lush EHX vibrato and chorus in a compact, pedalboard friendly package with unique control options"1. What sets it apart from most analog chorus pedals is that its rate and depth can be driven not only by the knobs but also by your playing dynamics (an envelope follower) or an external expression pedal1.
Guitar World described it as a "bucket-brigade based vibrato and chorus with an all analog signal path" in a compact "Bud box"-style enclosure with a small footprint2.
Analog vibrato and chorus
The Eddy is a bucket-brigade device (BBD) pedal, the chip family that Electro-Harmonix has used since the Electric Mistress Flanger, the Memory Man Analog Delay and the Clone Theory Chorus/Vibrato1. Delicious Audio calls it "based on the venerable Bucket Brigade Device chip"5. In a chorus, the chip delays the signal slightly and modulates that delay, blending it with the dry signal; in vibrato mode the dry signal is dropped so the pitch itself wobbles. The Vibrato/Chorus switch on the Eddy selects which of the two effects is active1.
EHX's product page lists a set of sound clips and modes referencing its heritage, including Classic Vibrato, Magna-Vibe, Uni-Vibrato and Small Clone Chorus, the last of which nods to the company's famous Small Clone Chorus1. The Eddy's bucket-brigade lineage also connects it to pedals like the Clone Theory and the Stereo Electric Mistress.
GuitarPlayer's review summed up the pedal's strengths as "lush, inspiring, analog vibrato and chorus sounds" in a "pedalboard-friendly package"4.
The controls
The Eddy has four knobs and two switches1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| RATE | Sets the speed of the modulation; can also be driven by the envelope or an expression pedal1 |
| DEPTH | Sets the amount of modulation; can also be driven by the envelope or an expression pedal1 |
| SHAPE | Affects the LFO (low-frequency oscillator) shape; at center it is a symmetric sine wave, and turning it warps the shape to be less symmetric1 |
| VOLUME | Sets the output volume of the effect1 |
| VIBRATO/CHORUS switch | Selects which effect is currently in use1 |
| ENV/EXP switch | Determines whether the envelope and/or expression pedal is affecting the rate or the depth of the effect1 |
The SHAPE knob is the unusual one. Most chorus and vibrato pedals modulate with a fixed symmetric wave; here, turning the knob away from center makes the modulation less symmetric, which changes the character of the wobble rather than just its speed or size1.
The envelope control is the other distinctive feature. With the ENV/EXP switch set to envelope, the pedal tracks the dynamics of your picking and uses them to push the rate or the depth, so harder playing deepens or speeds up the effect and soft playing pulls it back1. Guitar.com noted at launch that "it's also possible to link the rate or depth controls to an expression pedal, if you prefer to have more control"3.
The footswitch is a latching/momentary type4, so the effect can be held momentarily rather than simply toggled on and off.
Power and connections
The Eddy runs on the included 9.6VDC-200mA power adapter and draws 40mA1. Guitar World confirms the included 9.6-volt supply and notes that the pedal does not operate on batteries2.
No battery option: the Eddy only runs on its power supply, so it needs a free outlet or a pedalboard supply. Its 40mA draw is modest enough for most boards1.
Connections are mono: a standard ¼-inch input with 1MΩ impedance, a ¼-inch output with 470Ω impedance for your amp or the next pedal, and a ¼-inch expression jack12. The expression jack takes a TRS cable; like all Electro-Harmonix effects, the Eddy sends its reference voltage on the ring and expects the control voltage on the tip, and the knob position serves as the maximum value at the toe-down position1. There is no stereo output, and no tap tempo; Gearnews noted at launch that "it doesn't have a tap tempo, which is where the Mr Black Analog Chorus/Vibrato Deluxe wins out"6.
Where it came from and what reviewers said
Electro-Harmonix announced the Eddy in December 2020 at $99, with Guitar.com reporting it "available now at $99"3. The maker lists the release year as 20211, and the current list price on the EHX product page is $117.901. Guitar World's review gave the street price as $99 / £892.
The pedal sits in EHX's long bucket-brigade tradition, which the company traces back to the Electric Mistress Flanger, the Memory Man Analog Delay and the Clone Theory Chorus/Vibrato1. For players weighing it against other EHX modulation options, the Neo Clone and Nano Clone offer simpler analog chorus, while the Mod 11 covers many modulation types in one digital pedal. The Eddy's angle is analog circuitry plus the envelope and expression control over rate and depth, which none of those share.
GuitarPlayer's review praised its "lush, inspiring, analog vibrato and chorus sounds" and its pedalboard-friendly size, and noted it is assembled in the USA4.
Videos
EHX
Guitar Bonedo
Pedal Experiments
Questions
Does the EHX Eddy have tap tempo?
No. The Eddy has no tap tempo function; the Rate knob sets the speed of the modulation directly. Reviewers comparing it with other analog chorus and vibrato pedals have noted the lack of tap tempo as the main feature it gives up next to pedals that include it.
Can the Electro-Harmonix Eddy run on a battery?
No. The pedal does not operate on batteries. It runs on the included 9.6VDC-200mA power adapter, with a current draw of 40mA, so it needs a power supply or an isolated pedalboard supply to work.
Is the Eddy true bypass?
No. The Eddy uses buffered bypass rather than true bypass. Its footswitch is a latching/momentary type, so the effect can also be engaged momentarily depending on how it is used.
Can you use an expression pedal with the EHX Eddy?
Yes. The Eddy has a quarter-inch expression jack that takes a TRS cable, with the reference voltage on the ring and the control voltage on the tip. An expression pedal can control either the rate or the depth, and the knob position sets the maximum value at the toe.
Is the Eddy stereo?
No. The Eddy has a mono quarter-inch input and a mono quarter-inch output, with an input impedance of 1MΩ and an output impedance of 470Ω. There is no stereo output on this pedal.
Sources (6)
- Eddy | Vibrato / Chorus - Electro-Harmonix, Electro-Harmonix (ehx.com)
- Electro-Harmonix Eddy Analog Vibrato & Chorus review, Guitar World, 2021-05-06
- Electro-Harmonix gets wobbly with the Eddy, a bucket-brigade vibrato and chorus pedal, Guitar.com, 2020-12-03
- Electro-Harmonix Eddy Review, GuitarPlayer, 2021-03-31
- Electro-Harmonix EDDY Vibrato/Chorus, Delicious Audio, 2021-03-25
- Say hello to Eddy, a new analogue bucket brigade chorus/vibrato from Electro-Harmonix, gearnews.com, 2020-12-03
