The This Heavy Earth Widower High-Gain Distortion is a distortion pedal built around a three-stage gain design using CMOS input op-amps. Pedal of the Day reviewed it in July 2022 and called it "a blistering yet sophisticated unit"1.
Circuit and controls
The heart of the Widower is its gain staging. The pedal uses CMOS input op-amps for its three gain stage design, and the review notes that "This provides a different tonal quality than your standard JFET input op-amp, such as the TL072"1. For players used to pedals built on the common TL072 chip, that difference in chip type is the core of the Widower's character.
The controls give a player shaping tools both before and after the gain section1:
- Edge: shapes the waveform before it enters the gain section, giving a wider tonal range that runs from "British" to "USA" style voicings, allowing a nice crunch tone or a high-gain distortion1
- EQ: an active boost/cut 2-band EQ1
Running it as a preamp
The Widower is not limited to sitting in front of an amp. Pedal of the Day notes that "The Widower can be run as a preamp into a loop/power amp, or into other pedals and an amp, providing a myriad of connect"1. In practice that means it can serve as the gain section of a pedal-based rig, feeding a power amp directly, or act as a foundation for further preamp and drive pedals downstream.
Where it sits in the This Heavy Earth range
The Widower was the maker's second pedal. Pedal of the Day quotes the company: "This is our 2nd pedal excursion from This Heavy Earth, following the raucous CHVRCHBVRNER Overdrive Distortion"1. The CHVRCHBVRNER is classed as an overdrive distortion, while the Widower is a dedicated high-gain design. The maker has since continued in the heavy-gain territory with pedals such as the Flesh Rot V21.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's verdict was positive on both build and sound. On the maker's approach, the reviewer wrote: "the way they approach the look and feel of their pedal is just fantastic…and they sound amazing, too!"1. The overall summary was of "a blistering yet sophisticated unit"1.
Videos
THIS HEAVY EARTH
Metalhead Productions
Pedal of the Day
Questions
Can the This Heavy Earth Widower be used as a preamp?
Yes. Pedal of the Day notes that the Widower can be run as a preamp straight into a loop or power amp, or into other pedals and an amp, which the reviewer describes as providing a myriad of connection options. That makes it usable both as a conventional distortion in front of an amplifier and as the gain section of a pedal-based rig.
What does the Edge control do on the Widower?
The Edge control shapes the waveform before it enters the gain section, giving what Pedal of the Day calls a wider tonal range. It moves between what the review describes as British and USA style voicings, allowing anything from a nice crunch tone to a high-gain distortion.
What is the difference between the Widower and the CHVRCHBVRNER?
The Widower was This Heavy Earth's second pedal, following the CHVRCHBVRNER Overdrive Distortion, which the review calls raucous. The Widower is a high-gain distortion built on a three-stage CMOS op-amp design, while the CHVRCHBVRNER is classed as an overdrive distortion.
Why do CMOS op-amps sound different from TL072 JFET op-amps?
The Widower uses CMOS input op-amps for its three gain stages. According to Pedal of the Day, this provides a different tonal quality than a standard JFET input op-amp such as the TL072, the chip found in many conventional overdrive and distortion designs.
Sources (1)
- This Heavy Earth Widower High-Gain Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2022-07-25
