EarthQuaker Devices has partnered with guitar amp expert Dr. Z for the ZEQD-Pre – a tube-loaded preamp that might just be the pedal that digital modeler users have been dreaming of.
It’s a pretty big collaboration. On the one hand, you have one of the gear world’s pre-eminent effects pedal makers. On the other, you have a boutique amp manufacturer whose builds have been championed by the likes of Joe Walsh.
The ZEQD-Pre Tube Pre Amp, then, is enticing indeed. Effectively, it aims to replicate the sound, feel, and response of an all-analog tube amplifier. Simple on paper, but there’s more to it than that.
As EQD and Dr. Z both concluded, the only viable options for players looking for a device that could achieve this were either expensive boutique boxes, or digital emulations. Both have their pitfalls: not everyone can afford boutique builds, and digital alternatives aren’t always wholly convincing.
What’s more, the ZEQD-Pre comes loaded with an actual tube – an EF86 pentode, to be precise – which is favored for its ‘pedal platform potential’ and usually found at the heart of the Dr. Z, Bad Cat, and Matchless amps.
The EF86 promises to provide “classic tube character” to anything it's paired with, be that digital amp modelers, physical modeling combos, or even regular ol’ amps that need a bit of extra sonic juice.
It is designed to sit at the very end of your rig, and, as EQD says in a launch video, is intended to be “the ultimate end-of-signal-chain tonal tool”.
There are a few applications here, but for this writer, its potential to become an essential part of an ampless digital rig is the most appealing. An always-on, amp-aping overdrive is usually a smart idea for modelers that need some additional cajoling – but the ZEQD-Pre has the added benefit of introducing an actual tube into the chain.
Indeed, players who rely on additional means to make their digital tones sound less digital – more ‘tube-like’ – would be hard pressed to find something that does the job better than an actual tube.
Plus, with an additional Boost function and a three-band EQ, it can be tailored to your tonal setup, and there’s even an XLR with analog cab sims for backline-free gigs, recording, and hybrid signal chains. That means it can also function as a standalone chain-ender after your usual pedalboard. Put in front of a modeling amp for some tube spice. You get the picture. It’s a nifty gadget indeed.
So, yes, the impact this could have on a digital modeler is very intriguing indeed, and that’s something that both EQD and Dr. Z were robustly aware of going into this collaboration.
“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 is having on tube amp sales,” says President and Founder of EarthQuaker Devices, Jamie Stillman.
“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.”
We’ve seen tube-loaded pedals before, but the ZEQD is a different proposition. It’s not an overdrive, nor is it strictly an ‘amp-in-a-pedal’ like you’d get from Friedman or Victory. It is, instead, a tool that will take your pedals, make them sound that bit sweeter, and give your tone some valve-y oomph.
“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,” says Stillman.
“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.”
Elsewhere, you’ll find a 1/4” headphone output for silent practice, a ground-lift switch, and footswitches for boost and bypass. It ships for $399, and comes with a lifetime warranty.
Head over to EarthQuaker Devices to find out more.
