The Walrus Audio Ages is a five-state overdrive pedal: a compact box whose single Mode switch selects five different internal gain and clipping combinations, from a low-gain compressed smooth voice to a high-gain hard-clipped one1. What sets it apart from most single-knob drives is a Dry control that blends your clean signal back in, which Walrus Audio says gives "added clarity and amp-like punch"1. The company describes it as "an overdrive with innovative features that can stand on its own and stack well with other drives"1.
The Ages arrived in 20202 as the Oklahoma company's first overdrive pedal since 2016's 385 overdrive2. It is built in the USA3 and, alongside the standard version, Walrus Audio has sold it in blemished, Craftsman Series and Platinum Edition finishes456.
The controls
The Ages uses a straightforward knob layout: Volume, Gain, Bass, Treble, a Dry control, the five-position Mode switch, and a single bypass footswitch98. The Bass control is a boost/cut that shapes the signal before it hits the overdrive circuit, so it changes how the drive itself reacts rather than just EQ-ing the output8.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the output level8 |
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive within the selected mode8 |
| Bass | Boost/cut bass that hits the signal before the overdrive8 |
| Treble | Shapes the high end83 |
| Dry | Blends clean signal back in, from transparent to thick and saturated8 |
| Mode | Five-position rotary switch selecting the gain and clipping state8 |
| Footswitch | Single bypass switch, true bypass9 |
The Dry knob is the pedal's distinguishing feature. Walrus Audio says you can "fine-tune each of these gain states with the dry knob for a near infinite supply of gain options"1, and Delicious Audio described it as "a dry blend knob that can go from transparent to thick and saturated"8. For a player, that means the heaviest modes can keep the attack and low-end definition of the clean signal instead of turning to mush at high gain.
The five modes and their clipping
The Mode switch is the heart of the pedal. Each position pairs a gain level with a specific clipping arrangement, using symmetric silicon soft clipping, symmetric LED soft clipping, or symmetric silicon hard clipping depending on the position8. Guitar.com's reviewer noted that "the gain levels on tap increase as you travel clockwise around the mode switch"11.
| Mode | Gain | Clipping | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Low | Symmetric silicon soft | Compressed and smooth12 |
| II | Low | Symmetric LED soft | Pushed, open, and sparkly5 |
| III | High | Symmetric silicon soft | Increased saturation and tight8 |
| IV | High | Symmetric LED soft | Saturated, punchy and big4 |
| V | High | Symmetric silicon hard | Heavy compression, thick and chewy5 |
In practice, the low-gain modes cover transparent boost and light drive territory, while mode V is where the Ages gets heavy. Guitar.com's Michael Watts described mode five as "crushing saturation with a combination of high gain and symmetric silicon hard clipping"11, and MusicRadar heard it as "the effect of a valve-head and stack being driven hard"3.
Power and size
The Ages runs on 9V DC, center negative, drawing 100mA63. That current draw is high enough that a small daisy-chain supply shared with several other pedals can come up short, so plan power accordingly.
On size, Walrus Audio's current product page lists the enclosure at 2.62 x 4.77 x 2.25 inches including knobs6, while the 2020 launch press release gave it as 4.77 x 2.9 x 2.3 inches13. Both describe a standard compact pedal, but the exact figures differ between the maker's own pages.
Price, versions and where it came from
The Ages launched in 2020 at $199 in the US and £179 in the UK10, available at walrusaudio.com and through authorized dealers13. Walrus Audio's current product page lists it at $249.99, with blemished units at $212.494. The pedal has also appeared in Craftsman Series and Platinum Edition finishes7, and Walrus Audio later combined its Warhorn and Ages circuits into a single Warhorn/Ages stompbox7.
The enclosure is olive green with white, cream and black ink, and the artwork features a mythical three-trunked warrior elephant13.
What reviewers said
Reviews were positive about the pedal's range. Guitar World's Trevor Curwen summed it up as "capable of low-level transparent boost through to hard-hitting saturation, the Ages offers a versatility that enables it to work with a wide range of different guitars and amps, and stacking with other drive pedals"9. MusicRadar reached the same conclusion on stacking3.
"At $199 the Walrus Audio Ages seems like a great toy for the tone obsessed looking for a device that keeps giving."
The Ages also turned up in a That Pedal Show episode on understanding overdrive pedals, in the gear list alongside the drives under discussion14.
Ages vs Eras
Walrus Audio's later Eras pedal is a companion to the Ages: it uses the same five-mode setup, but where the Ages is more overdrive based, the Eras leans toward heavier drive tones15. A player who likes the Ages' mode-switch concept but wants more aggression has that option in the same maker's lineup.
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Questions
What is the difference between the Walrus Audio Ages and Eras?
The Eras is a companion pedal to the Ages that uses the same five-mode setup, but it is more distortion oriented, while the Ages is more overdrive based. Both give you five gain and clipping combinations on a rotary switch, so the choice comes down to whether you want drive or heavier saturation as the pedal's center of gravity.
Where is the Walrus Audio Ages made?
The Ages is built in the USA. Walrus Audio is based in Oklahoma, and both MusicRadar and Guitar.com list the pedal's origin as the United States in their reviews.
How much does the Walrus Audio Ages cost?
At launch in 2020 the Ages retailed for $199 in the US and £179 in the UK. Walrus Audio's current product page lists it at $249.99, with blemished units offered at $212.49. Prices are as listed by the maker and press at their respective dates.
Does the Walrus Audio Ages stack well with other drives?
Yes. Walrus Audio describes the Ages as an overdrive that can stand on its own and stack well with other drives, and reviewers at MusicRadar and Guitar World found it versatile enough to work with a wide range of guitars and amps and to stack with other drive pedals.
What size is the Walrus Audio Ages?
Walrus Audio's current product page lists the enclosure at 2.62 x 4.77 x 2.25 inches including knobs. The original 2020 launch press release gave 4.77 x 2.9 x 2.3 inches, so the exact figures differ between the maker's own pages. Either way it is a standard compact pedalboard-sized box.
Sources (15)
- Ages Five-State Overdrive, Walrus Audio
- Walrus Audio Unveils New Ages Overdrive Pedal, GuitarPlayer.com, 2020-06-03
- Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive review, MusicRadar, 2020-09-07
- Ages Five-State Overdrive, Walrus Audio
- Ages Five-State Overdrive, Craftsman Series, Walrus Audio
- Ages Five-State Overdrive, Walrus Audio
- The Pedal Movie, gearnews.com, 2021-02-22
- Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2020-12-19
- Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive review, Guitar World, 2020-08-24
- Walrus returns with its first overdrive pedal in four years, MusicRadar, 2020-06-03
- Review: Walrus Audio Ages, Guitar.com, 2020-06-01
- Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2020-06-30
- Walrus Audio Introduces the Ages Five-State Overdrive, Premier Guitar, 2020-06-01
- Understand Guitar Overdrive Pedals Gain, Clipping, Headroom, EQ & All That, That Pedal Show, 2020-06-26
- Walrus Audio's new Eras pedal has almost limitless drive tones on offer, gearnews.com, 2021-09-03
