Earthquaker Devices Sunn O))) Life Pedal V3 | Tones & Teardowns

[@metfan999]

More of these pedal teardowns, please! New, current or old pedals.

[@drgearaustralia]

We’ve got some more in the works, and not just pedals. Amps, instruments and more. Plus we’ll be doing some head to heads of gear including vintage vs reissue gear, versions made in different countries and budget vs boutique.

[@dgfitch]

I don't understand pedal circuits yet but I really enjoyed picking up bits and pieces from your explanation. I just got one of these and it sounds incredible into a twin. Dunno if that's the expected use but I love it. Thanks! 🤘

[@drgearaustralia]

Interesting fact; we’re working on a video featuring this pedal and a very, VERY, special Twin. Keep an eye on the channel. It’s a few months away but it’ll blow some minds.

[@H1KE]

Have to take a drive and come see you about one, I think!

[@the_riffmountain]

Can't wait to get mine! Awesome video!

[@drgearaustralia]

The smart switch on the octave is a game changer.

[@AcidFink666]

I just ordered mine. This thing looks fun as Hell 🤘 I'm excited

[@johnmarlow5007]

Await over-priced disappointment.

[@AcidFink666]

Actually I love it! I bought a 2nd one used.

[@nojuanatall3281]

Thank you for all the information!

[@markg1051]

Great video mate, thank you.

[@Tibbon]

Dig it! I've got an old Sunn 200S that I picked up recently but haven't plugged in yet. Wonder how this might sound through it.

[@drgearaustralia]

Absolutely huge.

[@chiefbucknell]

Wonderfully educational video! As far as repairability goes-last I heard, EQD has a lifetime warranty on all products. With EQD apparently making more and more pedals using surface mount, I wonder whether in the future they’ll be more so repairing or replacing? Don’t know how convenient they have made returns to EQD in Akron, OH for repairs from outside of North America, etc.

[@drgearaustralia]

We’re EQD dealers and whenever a pedal has failed, typically they’re just replaced outright through the local distributor. SMD is used in most electronics however with pedals like these that are simple analogue circuits, they can be repaired with the right tools but the microcontrollers make for a failure point that can only be repaired by EQD themselves.

[@chiefbucknell]

@@drgearaustralia Super informative and good to know; thanks!

[@Sadsoft]

Nice. I’ve been looking for a pedal guts education video

[@boganwalks7058]

Boom, 1000 subs.

[@russellzauner]

Be cool to get one from Correct Custom Sound - they have pedals that are supposed to replicate the preamps from original Sunn amps and one includes a RAT skt lol they look pretty cool but I've never quite taken the leap to invest in one. First they're coming from somewhere in Russia and shipping is always highly variable to where I am from there and second 350 USD is still a lot of cash to me so I haven't just tossed it into the gear hole and crossed fingers it gets here in one piece or even at all.

[@beelbrother1648]

the Life Pedal isn't meant to sound like a Sunn preamp, it's just a modded RAT. Correct Sound Custom made accurate Sunn preamps. Apparently Stephen O'Malley requested they build him a Model T preamp with the RAT circuit, which they later added as one of their main pedals, the Black Sunn...

[@youngbugs]

Are surface-mounted components common in analog boutique pedals? This was surprising to me.

[@drgearaustralia]

It’s getting more and more common. It’s not necessarily a bad thing as it means you can fit more onto a board and manufacture more complex circuits, but on a pedal like this it was an odd choice.

[@lichen8855]

I hate it from a reparability standpoint, but it's becoming more and more the norm. What can you do? I cant help but wonder tho if the relays' pins do go through the board which would make them easier to remove.

[@drgearaustralia]

@@lichen8855 yup they’re just standard through hole DPDT relays. As mentioned in the video, if you have the right equipment and know how you can replace them as they can fail, or you can remove them and install a standard 3PDT switch if the microcontroller fails. However I’m not sure how that would affect the expression pedal input.

[@timwzk1139]

Where the choice is practical, I prefer to go for gear that I can potentially repair with the same soldering equipment I use for patch cables. If the benefits of SMD seem to be going to the manufacturer and not so much to me, I'll look for something else. There's plenty of stuff out there.

[@everennui1]

EQD is way closer to Boss than it is to Analogman or Frantone. If you're using SM components I don't feel like you're boutique anymore. Once you're available at all times in every Guitar Center I don't think you're Botique anymore. Doesn't bother me. I think Boss, MXR, EHX, Walrus Audio are all great companies. They make great products. I just don't think I'm getting a point to point, hand made 100% analog circuit when I buy from a company that mass produces guitar effects. Looking on google I've seen many different interpretations of what boutique means. So... it's a shitshow. Maybe there should be more than two tiers (boutique or corporate (?)).

[@I_0..0_I]

Great sound but a tad expensive 😅here in Europe is 430 euros...over 410$

[@dodenmanniskan8846]

Are you serious? 430 euros?

[@I_0..0_I]

@@dodenmanniskan8846 unfortunately I am, you can check on reverb. If it was built like the first two I would have given it a thought

[@dodenmanniskan8846]

@@I_0..0_I it's basically that there is for 90 bucks max in there. Maybe cheaper if built on a regular scale. There is no magic unicorn stuffs in it. 250 to 300 euros max is a fair price by what I see here. I may try to check on it to know how much money there is for components.

[@BockwinkleB]

Yea, the cost of pedals is making Helix, Headrush, etc... more and more attractive.

[@dodenmanniskan8846]

@@BockwinkleB honestly, helix and all that stuff is another world. Truly. It aint even comparable. If it was that new multifx compared to computerized amps... well ok. But here?

[@ladobarnovi221]

Where is the 300$ price tag coming from?

[@phxl]

I got no stickers with mine, basically unusable now.

[@drgearaustralia]

The stickers are where the tone is.

[@ryanlusby569]

Does it bother anyone else that the 3rd knob from the left is crooked?

[@drgearaustralia]

That would be the clipping switch. It’s a different footprint to the pots so is about 2mm off compared to the others. If it was lower it wouldn’t be so jarring.

[@BongHuffingCaravan]

Nope

[@danielcarter3928]

is the boost after or before the rat ?

[@prodbypvncho9429]

After

[@dominicmcmahon4798]

Are all 3 switches momentary or just the octave switch? Can someone please confirm...

[@drgearaustralia]

All 3 of them have the smart switch tech.

[@use0fweapons]

this seems like an insane move for this brand and band alike. i have a strong feeling a huge part of EQD's audience is NOT into SMD devices. and sunn doesnt use kempers! the people who this is designed for is an entirely different, and analog loving audience. i guess its ultimately a business move

[@timwzk1139]

It could be the knobs, or I'm going to stop cursing my drill press DIY skills when I fail to get all the pots in a straight line...

[@drgearaustralia]

Yeah the clipping switch is slightly off compared to the pots by about 1-2mm.

[@pepuletrz]

good news!! it has a life time warranty..you will get a new one for free.with minimal hassel..

[@drgearaustralia]

How long is a lifetime? What happens if EQD goes under? What happens if they get bought out and the new company doesn’t want to keep honoring the warranties? A lifetime warranty means nothing if the unit can’t be repaired outside of the company.

[@pepuletrz]

@@drgearaustralia lol..just saying i bought a used plumes pedal last year and it broke somer how and i contacted them and i sent it to them and they sent me a new one. i had ne reciept or anything. but yeah it is a bonus being able to repair.even better when you dont

[@basildog007]

It's called "SUNNOOOOOOOHHH"!!! GOT IT???? Easy, just a very long Ôoooooo...

[@drgearaustralia]

Continue for 9 minutes.

[@jackp1351]

There's a band that took the Sunn amplifier name? And it's logo?!? Worst decision Fender ever made. Or, maybe the best? (Since Sunn amps are superior)

[@drgearaustralia]

From a technical standpoint, many Sunn amps left a lot to be desired when it comes to builds quality unfortunately. Some unique circuits but many are suffering from a number of common faults.

[@ExtremelyOnlineGuy]

@@drgearaustralia they sounded pretty cool when they’d start failing. Some clips of Hendrix playing live in 68 show this pretty well. Like his show in Fort Worth 68. Failing sunns. Sometimes they just clip out entirely at some points. Pretty funny

[@aussieranger2168]

Yea and you buy something and they don't even send it to you then refuse to give you a refund because they use unreliable shitty ass delivery drivers get better company workers bro

[@drgearaustralia]

That sure is a rant there. Literally no idea what you’re referring to however.

[@aussieranger2168]

@@drgearaustralia really?? Because u sent me a stomplab pedal and literally took half a year to send it mate so wake up and take responsibility and stop blaming me bud anyone else can get it delivered ez.. but for some reason u take 6 months it's very interesting

[@drgearaustralia]

@@aussieranger2168 still literally no idea what you're referring to unfortunately as we sell dozens of Stomplab pedals a quarter and generally try to be on top of any delivery delays or issues when customers bring them to our attention. The last 12 months have been a challenge for all shipment related matters due to massive backlogs, flooding, shipping costs tripling and numerous companies changing their shipping policies. I would assume if you had an item that wasn't received and you contacted us about it we would have either sent a replacement, or if one was not available, processed a refund for you as is our regular procedure. Sometimes for items purchased through budget third party marketplaces the procedure is more drawn out unfortunately due to the fact we don't process the sale directly, but that's the risk one takes when buying through those marketplaces rather than direct through our site where we have more control over the procedure. Regardless, we're unable to resolve your issue through a youtube comment so you'll have to reach out to customer service through the channel it was purchased through to get it sorted.

[@haraldvonhinten8921]

400+ $ for a pedal.... What a rip-off. No Pedal, no matter how good, should cost that much.

[@drgearaustralia]

Some pedals are worth that because of the time and effort that goes into not only the design and development, but also the cost of parts and manufacturing in small scales. Anything digital is going to be a costly endeavor for a small company as the effort to code and design hardware isn’t a small job and can take hundreds of man hours.

[@haraldvonhinten8921]

@@drgearaustralia They're running a "pretty big global business" according to one of the founders. Their stuff is available at Thomann, Music Store etc. and they're working with famous musicians. So much for "small company manufracturing in small scales". And also keep in mind that this is basically a Re-Re-Release. Demanding 400$ + bucks for this product (or ANY guitar pedal) is just not justifiable. It's just a marketing scheme that goes along with intentionally limiting supply. And obviously it works. Don't get me wrong though. It's a great pedal like many other form EarthQuaker. I just think the price tag is absolutely ridiculous.

[@jimsasak1144]

I can’t believe they went to all SMD, disappointing.

[@rivendrive]

But the components are equivalent. I don't see the issue

[@nicknickson3650]

No LM308 in the version 3. Extremely disappointing. They literally posted articles about the Lm308's importance to Life Pedal v1 and v2. Now they just stop using it? weak.

[@drgearaustralia]

If you refer to the comments we made in the video, the OP07 is functionally identical in this circuit because of the identical slew rate which is one of the most important elements in the sound of the Rat. In a double blind test, no one would be able to pick the difference between the two chips. Replacing it with say, a 4558 or TL071 would change the sound in a meaningful way as the slew rate is so much faster.

[@nicknickson3650]

@@drgearaustralia every Rat enthusiast knows there's a very clear difference in the sound of an LM308 vs an OP07

[@drgearaustralia]

@@nicknickson3650 and I have yet to find one who could tell the difference between them in a double blind test. Speaking as someone who studied electronic engineering at a tertiary level, I don't just speak in anecdotes or without a solid understanding of the underlying electronic concepts and theories in their operation. But hey, maybe that would make a good video. Bunch of 'experts', some circuits, see if any of them can tell the difference between them definitively.

[@nicknickson3650]

@@drgearaustralia there's tons of videos of people comparing OP07 and LM308 rats. use the youtube search function.

[@ryanhumphreys5281]

Agreed, i had 2 identical rats, replaced one with a vintage lm308n (motorola) and removed the clipping diodes in both and yes there is a huge sound difference at high gain rates.

[@stephenkeddy6849]

So this pedal doesn’t have the lm308?

[@drgearaustralia]

It has the OP07 which in a Rat style circuit is effectively identical. The important factor, that being the slew rate, is the same as the LM308 so provides the same content at clip.

[@stephenkeddy6849]

@@drgearaustralia did they do this for mass production do you think?

[@drgearaustralia]

@@stephenkeddy6849 the OP07 is a far easier to obtain part than the LM308 and because it’s functionally identical in the circuit, that’s why they went with it. Many LM308s you see on the market are actually just OP07s that have been relabeled, especially the ones you see on eBay.