EarthQuaker Devices has launched the Scrolls Bass Odyssey pedal. It’s a bass-rig-in-a-box preamp pedal designed to deliver a broad range of tones with a click of a button.
Scrolls Bass Odyssey offers a powerful, modern tool capable of shaping any bass signal to match virtually any bass and amp combination imaginable – from Motown to metal, and everywhere between.
Designed in collaboration with legendary bassist Kentaro Nakao, best known for his work with '90s Japanese rock band Number Girl, the pedal’s Drive is a rich, tube amp-like distortion that was inspired by a rare, little known pedal from Nakao’s personal collection. Key amongst the Drive channel’s features are the Blend and Bandwidth controls that are on tap to ensure the low-end response remains intact.
The EQ channel boasts a full suite of active, audiophile-quality controls. The secret weapon of the EQ is the Variable Frequency control—a feature that enables players to cut or boost frequencies from around 20 Hz to 10 kHz. It’s the perfect tool for cutting out the mud and boosting the high-end.
“When we were working on Scrolls, I wanted the EQ channel to be totally transparent when the knobs are set at 12 o’clock, so the output sounds exactly like the clean signal coming in,” Nakao revealed. “This keeps my bass sounding like my bass, while giving me the ability to enhance its natural tonal qualities and make adjustments across a full frequency spectrum.”
Additionally, the EQ side of Scrolls features three push buttons for one-click on-demand tone sculpting. The Deep button adds 80 Hz boost for booming, but clear low end. The Process button scoops the mids and instantly produces a modern tone that is punchy, dynamic, and defined. Finally, a quick press of the Bright button activates 5 kHz boost to add articulation and attack.
Ideal for use in complex setups with multiple signal paths, Scrolls features three outputs that all work simultaneously. There’s a buffered parallel out for sending clean signal to an external destination like an amp, tuner, DI, or other effects; a balanced XLR out to run Scrolls directly to front of house or into a recording interface; and finally a good-old fashioned ¼" output for your amp.
Scrolls also features an effects loop that lives between the Drive and EQ channels. “The effects loop is really designed so that Scrolls can function as the brains of your pedalboard,” EarthQuaker Devices Founder & President Jamie Stillman explained. “Bassists can place modulation, time-based, or any other effects that they’d normally place after their dirt pedals (including more dirt pedals) after the Drive channel, while still retaining all the tone-shaping benefits the EQ channel offers.”
Much like the speaker cab simulations EarthQuaker has worked into their Easy Listening and ZEQD-Pre pedals, the signal from the XLR out on Scrolls includes just a splash of discrete analog filtering to give it some amp-like-character. No menu diving or digital modeling required.
“Most XLR outs tend to have a harsh top end that sounds nothing like what is coming out of the amp, especially when dirt is involved,” Stillman said. “I thought it would be useful to add a bit of natural filtering so what is sent to the front of house is much closer to what is coming out of the amp.”
Scrolls is all-analog, true bypass, and built one-at-a-time under the malt gray skies of Akron, Ohio.
Scrolls Bass Odyssey key features include:
- Two Channels: Active EQ and Drive Channel
- Effects Loop
- Balanced XLR Direct Out (With Ground Lift & Analog Speaker Cab Simulaton)
- True Bypass Switching
- 9-Volt Operation Using Standard External DC Power Supply (no battery compartment)
The EarthQuaker Devices Scrolls Bass Odyssey carries a $349 street price. For more information visit earthquakerdevices.com.
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