Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases.

Electro-Harmonix Lizard King Review

Electro-Harmonix Lizard King Review

A Godzilla-sized bass octave fuzz that is capable of doomy devastation—or more nuanced sounds that fit in mellow, organic musical settings.

Surprising selection of hazy, subtle bass-drive tones that transcend doom and desert rock.

Interactive controls can make some tones elusive when fine-tuning on the fly.

$129

Electro-Harmonix Lizard King Bass Octave Fuzz
ehx.com

4
4.5
4.5
4.5

Bass octave-fuzz effects aren’t typically for the timid. And as its name suggests, theEHX Lizard King largely trades in Godzilla-huge, cityscape-leveling sounds that lift bassists above Bonham-aping drummers and desert-rock guitar players that don’t have to answer to the neighbors. But there are shades of low end beyond simply menacing in the Lizard King.


Electro-Harmonix Lizard King Review by premierguitar

A big part of that flexibility starts with the sun/shadow switch. Sun mode features a mid-boosted fuzz bookended by enhanced treble and bass in the clean side of the blend. The shadow mode features flat bass and treble response and a much tighter fuzz. Each mode can be radically reshaped by the octave, blend, and tone controls, which, in various configurations, span warm overdrive with a little fuzz and fizz, glowing at the edges and thuggish realms. Many of the tones in the latter range are predictably chaotic, belching strange, colliding overtones that can sound quite tattered at more aggressive blend, tone, and octave settings—especially when you play down low on the neck. The same tones can be tightened up by playing in higher positions and especially at the 12th fret and above. The most cohesive of these tones can sound devastating while doubling, say, an SG and a Big Muff. But using subtler, hazier, and more modest octave fuzz textures can provide hip juxtaposition to mellower sounds from acoustic guitar to electric piano and synth string ensembles.

Electro-Harmonix Lizard King Octave Fuzz Pedal

Lizard King Octave Fuzz Pedal
Electro-Harmonix
$129.00

Valerie June’s songs, thanks to her distinctive vocal timbre and phrasing, and the cosmology of her lyrics, are part of her desire to “co-create a beautiful life” with the world at large.

Photo by Travys Owen

The world-traveling cosmic roots rocker calls herself a homebody, but her open-hearted singing and songwriting––in rich display on her new album Owls, Omens, and Oracles––welcomes and embraces inspiration from everything … including the muskrat in her yard.

I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun in an interview as I did speaking with roots-rock artist Valerie June about her new release, Owls, Omens, and Oracles. At the end of our conversation, after going over schedule by about 15 minutes, her publicist curbed us with a gentle reminder. In fairness, maybe we did spend a bit too much time talking about non-musical things, such as Seinfeld, spirituality, and the fauna around her home in Humboldt, Tennessee.

Read MoreShow less

Two Iconic Titans of Rock & Metal Join Forces for a Can’t-Miss North American Trek

Tickets Available Starting Wednesday, April 16 with Artist Presales

General On Sale Begins Friday, April 18 at 10AM Local on LiveNation.com

Read MoreShow less

MT 15 and Archon 50 Classic amplifiers offer fresh tones in release alongside a doubled-in-size Archon cabinet

Read MoreShow less

For two decades, Clapton's Choice Signature Strings have delivered the legendary tone Eric Clapton relies on every time he picks up an acoustic guitar. To celebrate this milestone, Martin Guitar is introducing limited-edition 20th anniversary packaging for these fan-favorite strings--available now through March 2026.


Read MoreShow less