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What is it?
It goes without saying that EarthQuaker Devices – the Ohio-based firm headed up by Jamie and Julie Stillman – has cemented its position as one of the market’s leading specialists in ambient and soundscaping effects pedals. Heck, the company single-handedly reinvented the concept of the reverb pedal and its catalog reads like a Hall of Fame honorary list of gold standard stompboxes. Avalanche Run, Astral Destiny, Afterneath… the list goes on, but that won’t stop EarthQuaker from vying for another space on your pedalboard.
What we have here is a very interesting prospect indeed. The Towers is another entry to that storied EQD reverb lineup, but there’s a bit of a twist. Because, in true ‘Quaker fashion, this one looks to do things a bit differently.
How so? Well, it’s described as a ‘Stereo Reverberant Filter’ that offers “endless possibilities” for experimental reverb sound construction. That sounds a little daunting – and, at times, it is – but the prospect here is enticing all the same.
In practice, Towers catapults your signal through a set of resonant filtered feedback networks and multi-tap delay reflections, which help create everything from always-on cavernous reverbs to incomprehensibly spacious stereophonic expanses.
Perhaps the biggest point of intrigue here is the addition of the ‘Stretch’ footswitch, which, as you’ll see later, slows everything down, doubling reverb lengths, manipulating filter frequencies and just giving your signal flow a healthy helping of mad. No one does reverb like EarthQuaker Devices. Towers is something else entirely, as you’ll see…
Specs
- Launch price: $299 | £329 | €399
- Type: Ambient reverb pedal
- Controls: Three-way mode toggle / Mix, Length, Filter, Frequency, Preset knobs / Activty and Stretch footswitches
- Features: Ambient reverb pedal with three filter modes for expansive soundscaping
- Connectivity: Mono and stereo inputs and outputs / expression pedal jack
- Bypass: Buffered
- Power: 9V DC 85mA
- Dimensions: 4.75 x 4.25 x 2.50″ (121 x 108 x 64 mm)
- Weight: 1.03lbs
- Options: N/A
- Contact: EarthQuaker Devices
Build quality
Build quality rating: ★★★★½
All EarthQuaker Devices pedals are built by hand in the US by the EQD team, and the Towers is as robust as it gets. My bandmate has gigged with the Astral Destiny on multiple occasions, and has never been afraid to give its own Stretch footswitch a serious boot. Never has that once failed him, and the Towers is built to the same sturdy standard. I’d have no fear putting this through the wringer.
And that’s good, because this pedal is destined to receive a serious kicking. Stamping the Activate footswitch, stomping on and off the Stretch feature, twisting the knobs to your heart’s content – this pedal is all about feel and blind exploration. The last thing you want to worry about is a loose or noisy footswitch, or an un-reactive parameter pot that feels loose, or like it could pull off at any moment. Such worries are absent here.
Anything of a sub-bar build quality wouldn’t be able to withstand the rigorous knob-tweaking and switch stamping that a pedal of Towers’ design would require. It’s designed to take a beating and built accordingly. Elsewhere, there’s stereo input and outputs, as well as an expression pedal jack, if you want to get really crazy.
Usability
Usability rating: ★★★★½
The fact the pedal is so easy to operate is a blessing, because Towers is inherently based on feel
For something that promises such otherworldly tones, this is an inherently easy pedal to operate. There are Activate and Stretch footswitches, larger Length and Frequency knobs, smaller Mix and Filter controls, a Preset selector and a three-way mode toggle that moves between three distinct filter frequency modes.
Manual mode is self-explanatory, envelope responds to your picking dynamics, and LFO mode follows an LFO rate set by the Frequency dial. It’s quite impressive that EQD has managed to put such a cavernous array of reverb tones in at the whim of so few controls. The control knob tops are also nicely indented, providing good grip for on-the-fly tweaks.
The fact the pedal is so easy to operate is a blessing, because Towers is inherently based on feel. At times, it’s easy to let the effect run away from you, likewise it’s not uncommon for a tone to pass you by only to never return. Sometimes, it kinda felt like if a Christopher Nolan movie was a pedal – don’t try and understand, just feel it. Anything more complicated would be too much.
Of course, that’s not to say the Towers can’t be tamed. The eight preset slots is a nice touch, and a good way to bottle any reverb effect you might want to return to.
Sounds
Sounds rating: ★★★★½
In basic terms, this could be an ambient-shaper’s dream pedal. The reverbs are incredibly impressive and I found them to be immensely inspiring to navigate, even if at times I did feel a little lost at sea. As someone whose most adventurous dabble with ambient reverbs is the cranked hall setting on the Strymon Flint, or a maxed-out Glitz on the Line 6 HX Stomp, I found the Towers to be genuinely eye-opening and a welcoming entry point to such effects.
It’s a nice blend of being a gateway soundscape reverb and something that more serious shoegazers could really make sing. As mentioned, there’s a huge spectrum of reverb effects, and you really don’t have to work hard to get something usable and workable.
Single-note stabs can be transformed into synth-esque drones with reflections and reverbations a plenty. When the Mix and Length knobs are maxed out, you’re in space. Bump the Frequency and Filter and you start entering wild and wonderful territory.
Shoegazers and sludgers will no doubt find this a dream addition to their pedalboard, function gig enthusiasts probably won’t.
Of course, you’re not buying this pedal to stick it in a subtle ambient room setting and leave at the end of your chain. This is for the occasions where you need something more. And Towers is capable of ‘more’, make no mistake.
That’s also majorly thanks to the Stretch feature, the MVP of the pedal, in my opinion. The reverb length doubles, the filter frequency lowers. Single switches activate it instantly, while pressing the footswitch drags out the effect change, making it more ethereal and whimsical.
Verdict
Of course, you’re not buying this pedal to stick it in a subtle ambient room setting and leave at the end of your chain.
This pedal certainly isn’t for the faint of heart, but those brave enough – and patient enough – to sit down with it and pore over its bottomless pit of sounds will receive their just rewards. It certainly operates within a niche of the market, and it goes without saying that this pedal won’t be for everyone. Shoegazers and sludgers will no doubt find this a dream addition to their pedalboard, function gig enthusiasts probably won’t.
But for those who do lean towards more ambient music – and those partial to reverbs that they can get wild and wacky with – will find much joy here. But that’s not to say I don’t think every player could take some joy from the Towers. It’s incredibly inspiring, and it could make you rethink your entire relationship with reverb.
Guitar World verdict: This pedal certainly isn’t for the faint of heart, but those brave enough to sit down with it and pore over its bottomless pit of sounds will receive their just rewards. Capable of some genuinely awe-inspiring effects, it’ll make you rethink your relationship with reverb.
|
Test |
Results |
Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Build quality |
Designed for heavy-handed (and footed) use, built robustly to withstand it |
★★★★½ |
|
Usability |
Easy access to otherwordly tones with a foolproof layout |
★★★★½ |
|
Sounds |
Awe-inspiring tones on tap but need to be patient and brave enough to realize its full potential |
★★★★½ |
|
Overall |
An ambient soundscaper like no other and a worthy addition to the EQD lineup |
★★★★½ |
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