The Eventide x Third Man Hardware Knife Drop is a collaboration between Eventide and Third Man Hardware, the gear arm of Jack White's Third Man Records. Guitar World describes it as a monophonic analog synth pedal that adds an overdrive circuit and octave up and down functionality, so a single note at the input comes out as a synthesized voice an octave above, an octave below, or both, with drive available to push it further1.
It sits in the synth pedal family rather than being a straightforward octave pedal: the filter section, attack control and preset storage give it more of a synth voice architecture than a simple octave divider. It launched at $299 in the US, listed at the same time at £299 in the UK and €352 in the EU1.
The controls
The front panel keeps things simple, with a second layer of controls hidden behind a hold function. Guitar World's reviewer walked through both layers1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Sets the output volume of the pedal |
| Drive | Adds the overdrive circuit, which can be moved to pre or post-filter |
| Attack (secondary) | Sets the attack speed between 0 and 1000ms |
| Resonance (secondary) | Increases the resonance of a low pass filter |
| Cutoff (secondary) | Selects the starting frequency for the filter envelope sweep |
To reach the secondary controls, you press and hold a small LED/button to the right of the level knob, a section Guitar World notes is marked "3 alternate endings"1. The attack control is the one that shapes the synth character most: a slow attack makes a note swell in like a string pad rather than a plucked guitar, while the resonance and cutoff controls together determine how the low pass filter envelope sweeps across the note.
Two soft-press footswitches sit on the pedal: one, labeled active, turns the pedal on and off, and the other engages the octave effect1. That split means you can leave the synth voice loaded but drop the octave on the fly, or use the active switch to compare the processed and dry signals.
Power and connections
The Knife Drop runs on 9V DC and draws 300mA1. That is a substantial draw for a compact pedal, closer to a digital multi-effects unit than a simple analog overdrive, so it needs a power supply output that can deliver the full 300mA.
On the connection side, the pedal has a single 1/4-inch input that can be used with a TRS cable for stereo input, and two 1/4-inch outputs, giving it a stereo path through the whole box1. A 1/4-inch TRS input accepts an expression pedal or an additional switch, and a mini USB port gives access to presets in the H90 Control software, the same editor Eventide ships for its H90 Harmonizer1.
The 300mA draw rules out a battery and is high for a shared daisy-chain output. Give the Knife Drop its own 9V DC output rated at 300mA or more.
Where it sits in the Third Man Hardware line
Third Man Hardware has built a run of collaborations with established pedal makers, and the Knife Drop is the most expensive of the ones documented here. Comparing the launch prices and power requirements side by side shows how much further it goes12:
| Pedal | Maker partner | Launch price | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knife Drop | Eventide | $2991 | 9V DC, 300mA1 |
| Triple Threat | Donner | $992 | 9V PSU, included2 |
| Double Down | MXR | 9V DC3 |
The Knife Drop's feature set marks it out from simpler octave pedals: two soft-press footswitches, one of which turns the pedal on and off (titled active) and the other which engages the octave effect1, with a bypass described as "Buffer, relay, DSP + FX, kill dry"1. It measures 102 mm x 108 mm x 43 mm and weighs 0.48 kg / 1.06 lb1, and reviewers have called its build quality "rock solid" with a "fantastic aesthetic"1.
What reviewers said
Guitar World's review rated the build quality at five stars, summing it up as1:
"Rock solid, fantastic aesthetic"
That verdict covers the construction and the look of the pedal rather than its sound, but it lines up with the rest of the review's tone: a pedal built to take board use and styled to match Third Man's visual identity1.
Videos
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Questions
How much did the Knife Drop cost at launch?
It launched at $299 in the US, listed at £299 in the UK and €352 in the EU1.
Is the Knife Drop a true analog synth?
Guitar World describes it as a monophonic analog synth pedal, meaning it tracks one note at a time rather than chords, with an overdrive circuit and octave up and down functionality added1.
Can the Knife Drop be used in stereo?
Yes. The single 1/4-inch input accepts a TRS cable for stereo input, and there are two 1/4-inch outputs1.
Does the Knife Drop have presets?
It can save five presets, and a mini USB port connects it to the H90 Control software for editing1.
Does the Knife Drop work with an expression pedal?
Yes, through a 1/4-inch TRS input that also accepts an additional switch1.
What power does the Knife Drop need?
9V DC at 300mA1.
Sources (3)
- Eventide x Third Man Hardware Knife Drop review, Guitar World, 2025-01-23
- “It's built in Jack White's spirit, with abundant potential for dialling in sounds that range from the practical and useable to wild and anarchic”: Donner x Third Man Hardware Triple Threat review, MusicRadar, 2025-06-02
- Jack White & MXR Unveil Double Down Preamp, Premier Guitar, 2022-12-09
