Homebrew Electronics Detox EQ

The Homebrew Electronics Detox EQ is a hand-built pedal from the US firm Homebrew, made as a signature pedal for guitarist Paul Gilbert. It is an underdrive-style pedal, a cousin of the overdrive family that works in reverse: instead of adding grit, it can take a distorted rock sound and clean it up¹. MusicRadar's review, published under its Guitarist brand, describes its party piece as exactly that, "it can turn a distorted rock sound into a clean sound"¹.

What it does

The pedal's key control is its level knob, and how you set it determines what the Detox does¹:

• Level set low: cleans up a dirt amp, pulling back the distortion rather than adding to it¹
• Level near full travel: sits at unity gain, so using the EQ as a boost does not push the level up with it¹

That unity-gain behavior is what separates an underdrive from a straight boost or EQ pedal: the tone shaping comes without a volume jump. MusicRadar's reviewer summed the design up this way¹:

Where it sits among underdrive pedals

The Detox EQ is not the only pedal taking this approach. In a review of the Mad Professor Evolution Orange Underdrive, MusicRadar named the Detox EQ alongside it as a pedal that "does a similar job", noting its status as a Paul Gilbert signature pedal². Players comparing the two are looking at the same basic idea, cleaning up an already-driven amp, from two different makers.

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