Demo: Earthquaker Devices Sound Shank

Time to get lethal with your tone! Today’s pedal review is of the Earthquaker Devices Sound Shank! I will say right now that the Sound Shank is razor sharp in its focus and brutal in its gain textures. I wanted to do a video on this pedal merely because its name got my attention, and the graphics are tough. Now I am here to testify that it is a real killer.

Photo credit: Audio Fanzine

This germanium fuzz is based off the Buzzaround fuzz that was made in England by Baldwin-Burns Ltd. roughly between 1966-1968. I am a big fan of this version because it has the top end of a sushi knife…sharp with insane cutting ability. I mean this in the sense that this fuzz cuts the mix and has just such a wicked throaty grind to it. I imagine the Sound Shank will sound great with a Travis Bean or a guitar or bass by Electrical Guitar Company.

I have a wide variety of taste when using fuzzes and this Sound Shank is very aggressive when using it with quick stops, the crunch is undeniably great. I also love how quiet this pedal is for such an onslaught of fuzz.

Once upon a time Sound Shank had an earlier version/build and this version happened to be a limited run. Unfortunately it is unavailable from them directly but always keep an eye out on craigslist, Reverb or eBay and you might get lucky. As always, stay tuned to Pedals And Effects for more pedal reviews!

-Juan