The Hoof Reaper features EarthQuaker Devices’ popular Hoof and Tone Reaper fuzz pedals in one enclosure with the added bonus of an old school analog octave up. It was originally released as a special limited run item back in 2010 and demand was so high that they decided to reintroduce it back into their line on a semi-permanent basis.
I guess what really intrigues me about this box is that it has two great fuzz options in one box and the octave up. This really sounds great when playing in the lower register. I am excited to hear this in person…
Here’s a quick look at what each half of this pedal have to offer.
Hoof Side:
The Hoof is a no-fuss, easy to use device capable of sounds from warm, gritty overdrive to a huge sustaining fuzz. It’s a germanium/silicon hybrid muff style fuzz (based on the old green russian muff) with massive amounts of volume on tap and smooth amp-like sustain. It has a tighter, cleaner sound than most muff’s which makes it more cutting and discernible in a band setting. The shift control changes the frequency response of the tone control, mainly on the treble side (but takes out the mud on the bass side). Clockwise scoops the mids and counterclockwise enhances the mids. When the shift control is set dead center it has roughly the same frequency response as the original 3 knob hoof (almost flat).
Tone Reaper Side:
The Tone Reaper is a vintage style fuzz device based on the “3 knob” bender. It’s a silicon/germanium hybrid capable of producing a wide range of tones from every bender era with careful tweaking of the tone and fuzz controls. From thin and spitty to thick growling sustain.
The following combos are possible with this unit: Hoof Alone, Reaper Alone, Octave Alone, Reaper + Octave, Hoof + Octave, Hoof + Reaper, Hoof + Reaper + Octave. – Gus Green
