The newest effect offering from our friends at EarthQuaker Devices, the Gary, all started with a request from Lee Kiernan of the band Idles. Kiernan wanted the EQD masterminds to create a compact version of the brand's now-discontinued Gray Channel pedal, which had been a mainstay on his pedalboard and a key component of his drive tone.
Instead of simply recreating the circuit in full, EQD carefully deconstructed and explored the darker sides of Gary—"Gary after dark, Saturday night Gary," as they'd say. "The result is a real exercise in light and dark; smooth to shredded and everything in between."
The Gary blends two core sensibilities. On the right, there's a dynamic, destructive, and interactive fuzz, with an envelope-controlled variable pulse width, tons of volume, and tons of sensitivity. On the left, you get a softer, simpler, and more natural-sounding overdrive. This side of the circuit is based on the Gray Channel's green channel, which is EQD's own interpolation of a certain little yellow overdrive.
"Lee used this pedal with the clipping switch permanently set to the middle position, which removes all the diodes from the circuit, producing a full-bodied, cutting opamp distortion with plenty of volume on tap," EQD explains. "We have reproduced that tone here with exacting precision."
The EarthQuaker Devices Gary pedal is available now, right here on Reverb in a limited-edition colorway. Click the shop button above to get one while you can, and check out the video above to see the new Gary circuit in action.