Matthews Effects The Harbinger is a distortion pedal with a parametric EQ built in. The maker describes it as taking "a classic rodent inspired distortion gain stage" and pairing it with "a unique parametric eq", placing the EQ before the distortion circuit1. That placement is the pedal's defining idea: instead of shaping the tone after the gain, the EQ decides which frequencies get pushed hardest into it.
What the pre-gain EQ does
On most distortion pedals, any tone shaping happens after the clipping stage, so it can only soften what the distortion has already produced. The Harbinger puts its parametric EQ first. Matthews Effects explains: "The EQ comes before the gain stage giving you the ability to boost or cut the gain to certain frequencies."1
In practice, that means a boost at one frequency drives that part of your signal harder into the gain stage, while a cut keeps it cleaner. Players who use this approach can tighten the low end before it flubs out, or accent a midrange band for more bite, all with the distortion responding to the EQ rather than sitting after it. For more on the effect type itself, see Distortion Pedals.
MIDI and documentation
The Harbinger is MIDI controllable, and Matthews Effects provides a MIDI Manual alongside a Users Guide on the product page1. For players running MIDI-controlled boards, that puts it alongside other MIDI Pedals rather than simple stompbox-only designs.
Availability
The Harbinger is listed as sold out on the Matthews Effects site as of 26 October 20261.
The pedal is priced at £115.00 sale price in GBP on the maker's product page, as of 26 October 20261.
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Questions
What does the parametric EQ before the gain stage do on The Harbinger?
Because the EQ sits before the distortion circuit, boosting or cutting a frequency changes how hard that part of your signal is driven into the gain stage. Matthews Effects describes this as the ability to boost or cut the gain to certain frequencies, which lets the EQ act as a tone-shaping control over the distortion itself rather than only after it.
Is Matthews Effects The Harbinger still available?
As of 26 October 2026, The Harbinger is listed as sold out on the Matthews Effects product page. The page also carries a Users Guide and a MIDI Manual for the pedal.
Sources (1)
- The Harbinger Distortion, Matthews Effects