When it comes topedals aimed at replicating the sound, feel, and response of an all analog tube amplifier, the only options at a guitarist’s disposal are typically limited to digital approximations or boutique offerings that sound great, but are financially out of reach for many musicians.
It’s a predicament that’s prompted two of Northeast Ohio’s most renowned sonic engineering firms–EarthQuaker Devices of Akron and Dr. Z Amplification of Cleveland–to join forces to formulate a compact, affordable, all-analog thirst quencher for parched tone purists who have spent years wandering through the digital desert.
“Dr. Z, having been an amp manufacturer for nearly 40 years, really has an ear for these kinds of circuits and recognizes the impact digital modeling amps is having on tube amp sales,” President and Founder of EarthQuaker Devices Jamie Stillman explained. “The digital modelers do a pretty good approximation of emulating an amp, but they always lack a certain depth and warmth, so I was quick to embrace the idea of developing a product with Dr. Z that would reintroduce some tube-like sound into a signal chain–even when used in front of a modeling amplifier.”
Designed to live at the end of a signal chain, the ZEQD-Pre adds classic tube character to everything upstream. Its passive Three-Band EQ provides precise tonal control enabling users to fine-tune their amp's voice, push its preamp into rich harmonic overdrive, or breathe dimension and life into their modeling setup.
The pedal is a simple, modern tool devised to give you all the organic sonic character and dynamic response of a tube amp in a compact and convenient form factor. There are no menus to dive through. No IR loading. No firmware updates. No 0s, 1s, or any other pesky digital artifacts to get in the way of a player and their tone.
The ZEQD-Pre features a built-in analog cabinet simulation for realistic amp feel during quiet practice sessions to deliver full tube character without disturbing the neighbors. This feature is handily disengaged via the Cab Bypass switch enabling users to send a pure signal to their preferred IR loader or modeling software and making it perfect for direct recording, backline-free gigs, or hybrid rigs with multiple signal paths.
When the Boost footswitch is engaged the Three-Band EQ drops out completely. This function unlocks Dr. Z’s initial design for the circuit, and provides a full-range boost with its own dedicated level control.
At the heart of the ZEQD-Pre is the EF86 pentode—the same tube that gives many Dr. Z amplifiers their pristine HiFi tone and makes them such responsive pedal platforms. For the player, this means dynamic and nuanced touch sensitivity, full frequency clarity, and a balanced signal that is both predictable and highly responsive.
“You hit this pedal on and your amp becomes huge,” Mike “Dr. Z” Zaite, Owner and Founder of Dr.Z Amplification explained. “And it's not just distorted and clipped, it's just this big, big sound that is produced with this [EF86] tube."
There are a few characteristics inherent in the ZEQD-Pre that Stillman says customers should consider when purchasing the pedal.
"Part of what makes the ZEQD-Pre interesting is its simplicity. Stillman explains. “People shouldn’t get it thinking they’re going to be able to do all the stuff they can do when using a tube amp. They won’t be able to make it break up into a crunchy overdrive like a classic British tube amp for example, but they should get it knowing that it’s a really good HiFi clean platform to run pedals into.”
He says users should also know that the ZEQD-Pre requires a supply of 500 milliamps (mA) of power in order to function as advertised and that the direct signal from the onboard balanced XLR output is very hot and best used with a pad engaged on the user’s interface or mixing console.
Though designed with guitarists in mind, the ZEQD-Pre’s broad range of EQ voices and tube warmth can enrich the sonic color and harmonic content of just about any instrument a musician could dream of plugging into it, including, but not limited to, bass, synthesizers, electric pianos and keyboards, and microphones.
Ultimately, Stillman hopes the pedal will be adapted by younger players who haven’t had the opportunity to ever own a tube amplifier.
“It’s starting to bother me that there is a whole generation of kids that have never plugged a guitar into a tube amplifier in their life because they're expensive and they have a free one on their laptop,” Stillman said. “And I hope a pedal like this could be a turning point for players and make them realize that there is something special about analog technology that they’ve been missing. It just thickens up the signal in a way that just feels a little more organic to the player and familiar to the listener.”
Each ZEQD-Pre is built by one sophisticated droid and many kind-hearted flesh and blood artisans in the tropical metropolis of Akron, Ohio USA.
Features:
- Three Band EQ
- Boost
- Balanced XLR Direct Out (With Ground Lift)
- All Analog Cabinet Simulator (With Bypass Switch)
- Headphone Out (TRS ¼”)
- True Bypass Switching
- Lifetime Warranty
- Input Impedance: 10 MΩ
- Output Impedance: Variable
- Headphone Out Impedance: 39Ω
- Direct Out Impedance: 100Ω
- Current Draw: 500mA
- Retail Price: $399.00
