EarthQuaker and LCD Soundsystem Announce Chelsea Low End Fuzz Driver

"Sometimes pedals can change. Parts drift, pots break, transistors go bad. They go to new homes; they get neglected and resold. Sometimes people get in there and try to revive them to their original state and sometimes they just throw whatever is laying around inside and hope it does the trick. In this case, we’re pretty sure all the above happened to the fuzz pedal that made its way to James Murphy and ended up finding a forever home with LCD Soundsystem."

The Chelsea has been the chosen bass fuzz for several LCD Soundsystem recordings and has traveled around the world with them.

"It has been beat up and taped back together. It looks like it shouldn’t work but it always delivers. It is old, it is fragile, and it sounds massive. Too good to retire yet too tired to keep going. That is where we came in. We were tasked with replicating the exact sound of this pedal but it a reliable format that can withstand the stresses of this modern world. No easy feat, for sure, but we persevered and have brought you the Chelsea."

Features

• All-analog signal path
• True bypass
• Electronic relay-based switching
• Limited lifetime warranty
• Current Draw: 10 ma
• Input Impedance: 50 kΩ
• Output Impedance: <10 kΩ
• Retail Price: $179.00

Named after the guitar shop in which it was purchased back in 1989, the Chelsea recreates all the idiosyncrasies of the original but without the threat of total collapse. With only three controls, this deceptively powerful pedal offers you everything from light overdrive to full on distortion with all the clarity and blissful grinding that make the original so special. Just like the original, a Tone On/Off switch allows you to remove the tone control from the circuit, opening up a whole new world of midrange grind. Switch it off for a simplified and straightforward attack or leave it on for a full-bodied distortion with loads of low end with a slight natural scoop. Roll up the Sustain for wall-shaking bass notes or sustaining lead and adjust the Tone for a wild and wide frequency response from aggressive top end to low-end rumble. This thing is deep and will cover pretty much anything you can throw at it.

Each Chelsea is handmade at EarthQuaker Devices headquarters in always sunny Akron, Ohio, USA.