14,000+ reviews

EarthQuaker Devices ZOAR Dynamic Audio Grinder Fuzz / Distortion Pedal

M00010174 - RRP $249.99
Only 1 left
In store: 1
Online: Yes
In-Store
$219.00
  • MasterCard
  • VISA
  • American Express
  • PayPal
  • Zip
  • Apple Pay

free

shipping!*

year warranty

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the shipping rates?

We offer free shipping on most items to metro areas in ACT, NSW, VIC, and QLD. If you are in a regional area we do offer great shipping rates, though it is often too expensive for us to offer free shipping. You can calculate shipping costs in the checkout and on item pages with your postcode.
Orders under $50 incur a minimum order fee to cover shipping.

Standard vs Express Shipping

Our shipping platform will automatically determine and display the Express or Standard shipping options that are available to you. If Express is not displaying, you're either located too far away from our store in Canberra, or the Standard shipping option will get it to you just as fast for the same price. Express shipping is 1-5 days, Standard 2-10 days depending on how far you are away from our store in Canberra.

What payment methods do you offer?

We offer secure checkout options like Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Zip Pay and Bank Deposit.
American Express payments are also accepted, although most AmEx transactions will require manual authorization after payment (Someone from the team will contact you to confirm the transaction after checkout)

What payment methods do you offer?

We offer secure checkout options like Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Zip Pay and Bank Deposit.
American Express payments are also accepted, although most AmEx transactions will require manual authorization after payment (Someone from the team will contact you to confirm the transaction after checkout)

Can I cancel my order?

If you need to cancel your order it is best to give our online team a call on (02) 6282 3199
On weekends our online team may not be operating. Either give us a call monday morning or reply to your order email and we will endeavour to stop goods leaving the store.

Need Assistance?

Feel free to contact us by phone, email or chat

  • (02) 6282 3199
  • Talk to our experts on live chat
  • 18 Salamander Court, Phillip 2606, ACT
  • Map
  1. Analog / Digital: Analog
  2. Power included?: None
  3. Power usage (V/mA): 9-18v DC

Earthquaker are always giving us Zoar. Hitting hard with a new "discrete" mid-high gain distortion / fuzz in their ranks, this pedal uses multiple transistor stages, rather than op-amps, to push, grit, carve and amplify your signal. Check it out, if you love dynamic and hard hitting distortion sounds it won't disappoint!

Dynamic Audio Grinder

Zoar is a medium-high gain discrete distortion (using only transistors; no opamps or diodes in here!) that has that touch sensitive amp-like quality to it that everyone craves. It has been finely tuned to create a highly tweakable hi-fi and modern sounding distortion, but with the ghosts of old school circuitry to deliver a grind that is both instantly familiar and delightfully unique. Want that defined sparkle and tightness of an overdrive? This has it. Want that low-medium gain fuzz that’s perfect for drop tuned guitars and basses? This has it. Want to be able to dial in and control every nuance of your tone from jangly on-the-verge of break up to blowing the walls out heavy saturation? Then this is the pedal for you.

Customize Your Sound
 
This meticulously crafted box has six knobs that allow you to truly customize your sound with the Level, Weight, Gain, Bass, Middle, and Treble controls. The red LED light indicates when the distortion is activated by the Flexi-Switch® enabled footswitch.

The Gain control on Zoar goes from the edge of break up all the way over the cliff into the crunchy, grinding abyss. The character of the distortion is heavily dependent on the setting of the Weight control as well as your guitar’s pickup type, and it is further fine-tuned by the EQ section.

Touch-Sensitive Controls

While having its roots in a very familiar past, the passive 3-band EQ has been finely tuned for modern tones. While this style of tone shaping seems simple on the surface, it is deceptively complex and highly interactive.

The 3-band EQ and Gain controls give you nearly unlimited options with great focus and sensitive precision, but the real powerhouse of Zoar is the Weight control. This control dictates the amount of low end that is passed into the circuit, thus controlling the entire character of the pedal. From a mere clean boost to a high gain distortion to overdrive to the crispy Hi-Fi fuzz territory, this function gives you everything.

The Level control hits unity gain around noon, but this is dependent on where the other controls are set. In addition to controlling the output volume, it also plays a small part in the controlling the voice of Zoar. By adjusting the Level control with any combination of EQ (boosting the frequency bands and cutting the output volume), you can achieve drastically different curves that have the feel of the more traditional low pass filter type tone control.

Running Zoar at 18v

Want to elevate your sonic spirit to a higher level? Try running Zoar at higher voltage! Zoar can handle power up to 18v DC. Higher voltages will yield a different frequency response with more defined dynamics and a faster response. When powered at 18v, the range of clean tones are widened, dirty tones become punchier with better note articulation, low frequencies are tightened, the Treble control will cover a broader spectrum without becoming harsh and the output volume nearly doubles! The experience is not unlike plugging into a wall of high wattage tube amplifiers!

Controls:

Level: Adjusts the output volume.

Weight: This is an input frequency control that changes the voice and saturation of the distortion. Turning Weight clockwise allows more low frequencies to pass through. This increases the gain, allows lower frequencies to clip faster and can shift the tone of the pedal from tight distortion to a loose fuzz.

Gain: Turn clockwise to increase distortion. This adjusts the transistor bias. A little static sound when turning is completely normal.
Bass: Passive bass control, adjusts the low frequency content between 0 and 800Hz +/- 15dB.

Middle: Passive middle control, adjusts the midrange frequency content between 500Hz and 3kHz +/- 10dB.

Treble: Passive treble control, adjusts the high frequency content between 1kHz and 10kHz +/-15dB.

Power 
This device takes a 9-18 volt DC power supply with a standard 2.1mm negative center barrel plug. We recommend using a pedal-specific, transformer-isolated, wall-wart power supply or a power supply with multiple isolated-outputs. Pedals will make extra noise if there is ripple or unclean power. Switching-type power supplies, daisy chains and non-pedal specific power supplies do not always filter dirty power and may result in unwanted noise. DO NOT POWER THE ZOAR HIGHER THAN 18V!

More Information
Brand EarthQuaker Devices
Effect Category Distortion, Fuzz
Model / Manufacturer ID Zoar
Analog / Digital Analog
Power included? None
Power usage (V/mA) 9-18v DC
Mini Size? No
Frank

Got Questions?

Read our FAQ, find our contact deets or book a Video Call with an expert from our store. We can answer any and all questions live, and even demo products for you!

Customer Reviews

Free Musician Advice

Get in touch to request a 1 on 1 consultation
with our expert musicians.
Available Mon - Fri.
Alternatively call us on (02) 6282 3199

Book a virtual Consultation Book now

Want to know more about music?

We write a bunch of helpful articles, news and reviews

Visit our blog
Servicing & Repairs
LEARN MORE
AV Installations
LEARN MORE
Trade-ins!
LEARN MORE
Pre-owned pianos
LEARN MORE