The Earthrise VIII is an overdrive pedal from Epigaze Audio, described by Pedal of the Day's reviewer Mike B as the next example in the maker's line of "simplistic but powerful stompboxes"1. It runs on two knobs and a toggle switch, and the reviewer noted that "a nice, broad RANGE of sounds coming from 2 basic knobs" is "a welcome trend in pedal building"1. In the family of overdrive pedals, it sits at the simple end of the control layout, with the reviewer describing its reach as going "from a slow, grinding boost to an all-out distorted, borderline-fuzzy excursion," which puts parts of its range closer to distortion and fuzz territory than a typical low-gain overdrive1.
The controls: Level, Gain and the Body switch
The layout is deliberately small: two knobs and a toggle. Each control does one job1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | The volume control1 |
| Gain | The "crunchy" control, setting how hard the pedal drives1 |
| Body switch | A toggle for matching your guitar's pickup tones to the output of the pedal1 |
The Body switch is the pedal's distinguishing control. Mike B described it as "used for matching your guitar's pickup tones to the output of this beastly pedal," and found that the pedal "does work well with single coils and humbuckers, too"1. That makes it a practical trim for players switching between, say, a Stratocaster-style single coil guitar and a humbucker-equipped one on the same board.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's review, published on 8 October 2014, came away favorable on the two-knob design1:
"Again, a nice, broad RANGE of sounds coming from 2 basic knobs, which is a welcome trend in pedal building."
The same review noted quality components and true bypass among the pedal's features, and added that the reviewer's unit happened to be a one-off custom edition1.
Availability: in his 2014 review, Mike B wrote that "these pedals don't seem to stay in stock for too long, either," so the Earthrise VIII has not been a pedal you could count on finding on shelves at any given moment1.
Where it fits in the Epigaze range
Within the Epigaze range, the Earthrise VIII stands as the two-knob, simple-control option, and the reviewer found it offered "a nice, broad RANGE of sounds coming from 2 basic knobs, which is a welcome trend in pedal building"1. He also noted that "these pedals don't seem to stay in stock for too long, either," and that his own unit happened to be "a one-off custom edition"1. Players comparing it against the wider field of low-gain drives can read the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison.
Videos
Curtis Kent
Iga Massardi
Iga Massardi
Questions
What does the Body switch do on the Epigaze Audio Earthrise VIII?
The Body toggle switch is used for matching your guitar's pickup tones to the output of the pedal. In practice it lets you tailor how the overdrive sits with different guitars, and reviewer Mike B at Pedal of the Day noted that the pedal works well with single coils and humbuckers alike, so the switch covers both pickup types.
Is the Epigaze Audio Earthrise VIII true bypass?
Yes. Pedal of the Day lists the Earthrise VIII as true bypass, so when the pedal is off your guitar's signal passes through without the circuit loading it. The review also notes the pedal is built with quality components.
Does the Earthrise VIII work with single coils and humbuckers?
Yes. Reviewer Mike B at Pedal of the Day wrote that the pedal does work well with single coils and humbuckers, and pointed to the Body switch as the control for matching your guitar's pickup tones to the pedal's output.
Where is the Epigaze Audio Earthrise VIII made?
The Earthrise VIII is hand wired in the USA by Epigaze Audio. Pedal of the Day also noted at the time of its 2014 review that these pedals did not seem to stay in stock for long.
What power does the Earthrise VIII need?
The Earthrise VIII takes a standard 9vDC input, as listed in Pedal of the Day's review. The review does not give a current draw figure, so check your power supply's output against the maker's specifications before daisy chaining.
Sources (1)
- Epigaze Audio Earthrise VIII Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2014-10-08
