The EarthQuaker Devices White Light was one of the early pedals released by the Ohian company, helping to put it on the map when it wasn’t yet established. With the reissue of this 2011 pedal in a limited 2,000-unit run, the builder is launching a series revisiting its older stompboxes, called Legacy Reissues.
It sounds like these will be circuits identical to the original but updated with new enclosure, top-mounted jacks, and EarthQuaker Devices’ proprietary Flexi-Switch® Technology, which was yet to be invented at the original time of release.
With its overdriven tone reminiscent of the one heard in classic rock records of the ’70s, the White Light is inspired by overdrive pedals like the DOD 250 or MXR Distortion+, but it’s not a clone nor a variant of either. More flexible than those units, it provides plenty of tonal options, in particular through the Weight control, which lets you adjust at once saturation and low end.
A useful Compression switch lets you choose between an open overdrive with more high-mids and bite or a more compressed sound with a flatter mid-range.
EarthQuaker Devices White Light Reissue
The White Light Overdrive is based on vintage overdrives that defined the sounds of classic hard rock. This vintage voiced stompbox is similar to a vintage DOD 250 or MXR Distortion+, but don’t mistake it for a direct clone of these OD’s of yesteryear. The White Light gives total control over the voice of the dirt along with a modern presence that is both dynamic and responsive to your playing. The Weight control allows you to adjust the saturation and low end, giving you plenty of tonal shaping options. The White Light Overdrive doesn’t discriminate – it likes both humbuckers and single coils, and will add some real 70?s grit to your tone. The Compression switch lets you choose between an open voiced overdrive with more high-mids and bite, or more compression with less bit and flatter mid-range.
All analog, true bypass and handmade one at a time by ghouls in the cement bunker of Akron, Ohio.
Controls
- Gain: Controls the amount of distortion.
- Weight: A multi-functional control, allows the level of saturation, bass response and the over all feel of the device to be altered.
- Level: Controls the output.
- Compression Switch: Less= Open w/ more high-mids and bite. More= Crunchy and compressed with a bit less bite and more flat mids.
Specs
Measures
4.37? X 2.37? X 1.5? with knobsPower
Our pedals take a standard 9 volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel. We always recommend pedal-specific, transformer-isolated wall-wart power supplies or multiple isolated-output supplies. Pedals will make extra noise if there is ripple or unclean power. Switching-type power supplies, daisy chains and non-pedal specific power supplies do not filter dirty power as well and let through unwanted noise. Do not run at higher voltages!Current draw is 6 mA.
