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Earthquaker Devices Aqueduct

ManualsBrandsEarthQuaker Devices ManualsGuitar & Bass EffectsAqueduct - Vibrato
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GUITARIST DECEMBER 2018
Aqueduct
A huge range of vibrato sounds, along with a few surprises, too…
MANUFACTURER
EARTHQUAKER DEVICES
MODEL
AQUEDUCT
CONTACT
WWW.EARTHQUAKERDEVICES.COM
PRICE
£205
PEDALBOARD
PROS
Clear and even output signal;
broad range of LFO waveshapes;
interactive ‘Envelope-Controlled’ vibrato
CONS
No presets/storage; no tap tempo;
no expression pedal; no MIDI connectivity
Words Rod Brakes Photography Olly Curtis
W
hile some of EarthQuaker’s
current 42 pedals are concise,
modern refinements of classic
vintage sounds, many others – including
this Aqueduct vibrato – have virtually
kidnapped conventional analogue wisdom
and given it a RoboCop-style digital
makeover. With the Aqueduct vibrato,
EarthQuaker hasn’t so much ‘reinvented
the wheel’ as ripped the axle off and
replaced it with turbojets.
That age-old effect, the humble vibrato,
has migrated from our fingers to whammy
bar, to amp, to analogue pedal, and has
now arrived with a digital superbrain –
meaning it does way more than merely
replicate a woozy old Magnatone. We
hasten to add it does that thing very well
(think chorus without the dry signal),
but that’s very much just scratching the
Aqueduct’s watery surface.
There are two standard controls when
it comes to vibrato: rate and depth –
how quickly and how much the pitch is
modulated up and down by an LFO (low
frequency oscillator). The typical LFO in a
vibrato circuit will have a sine waveshape,
and this smooth, familiar bobbing sound
is the first of the Aqueduct’s eight vibrato/
waveshape modes. Move the rotary mode
selector switch anti-clockwise to the next
position, Triangle, and things suddenly get
very choppy. At this point, the Aqueduct
already feels like unfamiliar waters – and
that’s just the beginning.
Moving on to Ramp and Square modes,
the overall effect intensifies and becomes
overtly rhythmic in nature. Subsequently,
using these less subtle LFO waveshapes
calls for a more reactive approach to
playing. The next mode, Random, is a law
unto itself and requires a sturdy set of sea
legs to explore with, but its experimental
‘vibe’ should be enough to prise most
guitarists out of their comfort zone.
The Aqueduct’s pièce de résistance,
however, is its three ‘Envelope-Controlled’
modes of Rate, Depth and Pitch. This
ability to interact with the effect by
way of playing dynamics is a functional
masterstroke of originality and is bound to
push players into new areas creatively.
VERDICT
One of the most interactive, inspiring and
intuitive of modulation effects to appear
in some time – if you can think of a way to
make it wobble, it probably will.
EARTHQUAKER DEVICES
ALSO TRY...
If warm, chewy two-pitch vibrato is all you want,
TC’s Tailspin is both inexpensive and classic in
tone. It’s an all-analogue design with true-bypass
switching and it streets even cheaper than this.
Waza Craft is Boss’s custom shop and, accordingly,
this bucket-brigade vibrato is a lovingly modded
version of the classic VB-2, with Standard and
Custom modes, the latter unlocking all-new tones.
The go-to high-end vibrato for many players,
including prog star Steven Wilson, the Diamond
has a blend control to mix in dry signal for chorus
effects, plus dark voicing and high-depth modes.
Tailspin Vibrato £51 VB-2W Waza Craft Vibrato £165 VIB1 Vibrato £281
Tailspin Vibrato
£51
Tailspin Vibrato
VB-2W Waza Craft Vibrato
VB-2W Waza Craft Vibrato
£165
VB-2W Waza Craft Vibrato
VB-2W Waza Craft Vibrato
£281
VIB1 Vibrato
TC ELECTRONIC BOSS DIAMOND
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT440.peds_earth.indd 112 31/10/2018 21:00

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