Why I don't really dig the Earthquaker Devices Plumes || Tubescreamer chat

For my Presets visit: johnnathancord... Regular viewers may know I'm quite keen on Tubescreamers, and I don't necessarily want to do "negative" content, but maybe actual honest reviews still have a place in the world, so here is the Earthquaker Devices Plumes as compared to my preferred Tubescreamer, the Tate FX Antares.
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[@afxmnstr]

The plumes is like under 100 and the Antares is going for almost 300 in some places

[@destroso]

As someone looking for an alternative to my 808, which I hate, I’m liking the plumes

[@joellebrodeur1015]

To be honest, is it bad I like both? Is it bad that both are useful depending on what you're doing? The Antares has a mellow sound signature for laid back smooth overdrive. Plumes is suited for dirty Delta blues given this particular demo. I don't feel it's one or the other. It's really a matter of finding the one that fits what you hear in your head. If it's a boutique or cheap, buy what sounds good for your style.

[@kevinp_25]

I think they both sound good but distinctly different.

[@tomwhittaker9461]

The Plumes just has a brighter sound, but it doesn't sound bad to my ears. It's got very responsive dynamics and would probably do well in a mix.

[@tomolewine5743]

Great video, thanks for sharing. I prefer The Plumes.

[@johnnathancordy]

Looking back on this, there was definitely something that the Plumes was doing that I actually thought worked, funny how I hear it differently now?

[@TheKLeifheit13]

Love that you're honest about it and don't just talk shite man, very respectable 🤘 for smoother blues I agree with you that the Antares is a better fit. In the world of rock I think the EQD is a better fit because there's a lot of grit and boost available. Both are great at what they do

[@KneedleKnees]

Still prefer the Plumes, but I could listen to that track at the end once a day for years. Awesome playing.

[@johnnathancordy]

Looking back at this I really do like the sound of the Plumes in a lot of ways....weird!

[@JakeLoosemore]

You did a really, really nice job of this...you gave your opinion without bashing the pedal even though it’s doesn’t sound anywhere near as good to my ears🤜

[@ryndanriley5348]

I think even thought they used the TS circuit as a starting point, EQD should not have labelled this as a TS variant. I mean, in position 3 you still get a little of that thickening mid hump but definitely not much. The plumes is a TS for people who don't like the TS. It's going more for that "transparent" crunch. Kind of like the space the Timmy fills. That being said, this demo does make it sound like the plumes is inherently grittier than the antares which is not the case. Only the knob sweep is biased grittier, so you would want to set the knob lower to a-b the sounds. It's disingenuous to compare grit based on knob position rather than response. It's just as disingenuous as comparing volume based on knob position rather than volume.

[@ms6465]

Man, that Plumes sounds phenomenal!

[@andyjm7122]

The Plumes sounds best with the toggle to the right in my opinion. Amazing jam at the end!

[@dracul74]

I’ve owned a few EarrhQuaker Devices pedals. I feel like they always are a bit different, not trying to be a clone of another pedal... but often that leads to limitations of use (at least for me). I have the EQ Dirt Devil and Ghost Echo in the closet that I pull out occasionally, but have sold the others.

[@johnnathancordy]

I've had the sea machine which was quite a cool take on a mod pedal, the dunes which was similar to the plumes but with a few more options. I dig the idea of the dispatch master so literally nothing bad to say about EQD just wanted to offer my take for whatever it's worth!

[@jamesthainmusic]

great video man ! people being honest about hat they think about pedals is nice to see !

[@johnnathancordy]

Is it? I can't tell if I'm just being a knob, and I don't want to upset people, but hopefully an honest opinion is worth something?

[@jamesthainmusic]

johnnathancordy nah you’re not being a knob 😂 I actually have the plumes and like it but I’m not the tubescreamers biggest fan

[@okaxis]

Plumes is a very far away from TS style overdrive to my ears (whatever EQD claims it to be). It got its own great sound and just different. If you expect it to sound like a TS, prepare to be dissapointed.

[@jeffball6656]

EQD says it’s inspired by the Tubescreamer. Inspired by. Not a clone.

[@FR-ho6pn]

The Plumes sounds more gritty, the other sounds much cleaner. Two different beasts I guess

[@johnnathancordy]

Yah! Pretty sure that grit would be useful for some uses for sure?

[@jakollee]

I can definitely hear that the Plumes has a raspier, more aggressive sound than the Antares, which is smoother and a little darker sounding (not sure if I can hear the thicker sound you describe). Maybe the Plumes would sound better with humbuckers? I think it would be interesting to see you compare the same two pedals with humbuckers.

[@loopie007]

Ditto.

[@joelburgosrobles]

Tu guitarra se escucha increíble

[@nickp440]

I remember watching some of your videos from the helix FB group and being in awe of your playing. Seeing this pop up in my recommended videos brought a smile to my face. Keep kicking ass dude

[@Brayden329]

I think this is helpful and objective and you didn't bash the pedal. Making a positive review without any dislikes makes me suspicious. It creates a join the owner club pedal community and it makes it harder to shop for pedals. We need to hear the good and bad to make informed purchases. Thank you. Your playing at the end sounded great.

[@johnnathancordy]

I hope it is vaguely useful I'm not intending to bash the pedal, but I do think there's a bit of a blanket of positive reviews or demos of everything which make it pretty tricky to notice the difference between similar pedals? So maybe this is useful or maybe it'll just annoy some people. Not sure yet!

[@Justin_-id3bt]

Agree with you conclusion as it would sit much better in a mix. As a hobbyist am happy with my cheap joyo clone. Dont feel a need to upgrade it.

[@BrySquatch]

Great comparison. They honestly both sound awesome, the Plumes just sounds like it has more highs and lows, and is a bit less compressed. It's a cool sound, but I agree it's not as much a traditional TS sound, which the Antares nails. Antares is a little warmer, bit more mids, and generally smoother. I hadn't heard of that pedal before this, will have to look into it. Great playing.

[@marcusdluxe]

The Antares is a great pedal. With the clean mix about 50% I use it into my semi driven Vox. Thus giving it a a clean boost and some added gain from the 50% dirty signal.

[@dver4624]

I had a Earthquaker Palisades and wasn't blown away. I love Tubescreamers, but that one just wasn't great. It was noisy as Hell, too. Got a JHS Bonsai recently and I love it.

[@luisangelmedia4459]

Damn dude. I thought the video was over and then you gave us a sick song. I subscribed so fast after hearing you play like that!

[@RogerThat902]

Good review. I have the Plumes. It's not my favorite for all the things you pointed out. It's a little too "transparent" to be a true tube screamer IMO. For that transparent drive I love the Keely Phat Mod. I actually feel like the Plumes is a really great drive for some people and find it really versatile...funny enough though, if you're looking for a tubescreamer that's kind of where the disappointment set in for me. I didn't really want versatile, I wanted a tubescreamer cousin. This isn't that IMO. Anyways, I will keep it because it does do that raspy thing well and for the price it's not a huge hit to keep. It's just not something I could see using a ton.

[@felixiiisoriano116]

I have the maxon apex 808. Its like the antares which has a smoother effect compared to the plumes. Like it for blues kind of tone. But if I want my sound to be grittier I use the plumes as a boost

[@shane17thsun]

I dug the Antares at home but like the cut of the Plumes with the band better. That being said, I always go back to my stock 80’s Ts808 every time.

[@Starch1b2c3d4a]

Damn. Nice playing

[@StizyP]

can you tell me as I have been watching other videos you have done. your strat is going into the pedal then amp but are you using OX or iridium to get tones to video ? sounds very natural. please share your chain

[@jmichaelE68]

Just wondering John, how do you eliminate single coil hum from your vids? Is it something you edit out? Cheers!

[@johnnathancordy]

The main thing is to be sat about 2 metres away from your PC monitor, otherwise there's no way to avoid it!

[@grosebud4554]

What amp are you using, great playing man!

[@levijessegonzalez3629]

i think the "DUNES" is better than the "Plumes". both roughly a T.S. type but the dunes is awesome

[@johnnathancordy]

Yeh I had the Dunes for a bit!

[@tuzmore5754]

Had been checking out the Plumes for a while and hadn't heard of the Antares... Thanks for the comparison, the Antares sounds much closer to what I'm looking for. Cheers!!!

[@johnnathancordy]

I think also the ibanez TS mini punches above its weight - the Plumes could be absolutely ideal for some players though - perhaps humbuckers or for certain applications where that presence is essential?

[@JohnAnthonyPlaysMusic]

Great video and top guitar playing.

[@jspartacus]

Plumes is thin and raspy. Overrated for sure.

[@johnnathancordy]

I'm wondering if it's more suited to humbuckers so may give that a whirl on saturday

[@jspartacus]

@@johnnathancordy I think it'll be even worse with humbuckers treble wise because you'll be driving it harder, but it might get a bit fatter in the bass response.

[@johnnathancordy]

@@jspartacus let's see. The other thing is I guess if I was playing into a dark amp or sumat maybe that extra bite stuff might be useful?

[@johnnathancordy]

@@jspartacus just trying it now yeh and I'm not enjoying it

[@jspartacus]

If it has to be used with a specific amp and guitar to sound good, that spells inflexibility to me. But we'll see.

[@marike1100]

Enjoy using Plumes because it is so versatile. From op amp clean boost to filthy raunchy overdrive. But it might not be the first choice for smooth jazz.😉

[@smellytele9629]

I didn't care for the Plumes either. SO many people raved about it and the price point is excellent, but I couldn't get on with it.

[@0megalul309]

Same

[@todddammit4628]

Honestly sometimes I preferred the Plumes and other times I preferred the Antares. And sometimes they were close enough that I couldn't decide. I think its just that clean knob that's making the difference. Blending in the clean adds a lot of body.

[@SocialAutism]

Hearing a side-by-side comparison of two 808 inspired pedals, I definitely see what Earthquaker Devices meant by dynamic compression. I dig it

[@matthouston4686]

Is there a volume difference? The thing that I don’t really like about the EQD variants of TS style pedals is how hot the output is. I’d rather have just enough boost as opposed to having too much on tap. Am I the only one that thinks this?

[@williampatterson5067]

Never been a fan of earthquaker pedals period, there good pedals for some, just not for me, I think they are way overrated.

[@johnnathancordy]

One that I do really like is the Earthquaker Devices Sea Machine?

[@johnsguitarmusicanddemos]

I like the way you did your demonstration in the way that backs up your feeling about the device. I also had tried one before at a Guitar Center when it was a used unit and I did not get a good vibe from it. Especially for the price that they go for.

[@hieronymus932]

I liked the sound of the Plumes better, sounded a bit more aggressive to me. Both sounded great!

[@johnnathancordy]

Yeh a bit more raspy and presence in the top end - for sure will work for some people!

[@hellosailoreffectsofficial]

Not tried the Plumes but the Antares is my favourite ts style pedak for sure 👌

[@nylonsteel]

I like to use the technical term that some OD have alittle "SH#$" around the notes.. Some like that .I think the EQD has more of that around the notes.. not as pleasing

[@johnnathancordy]

Excellent!

[@ticklesmcqueen2702]

get a loop switcher lol *click*Clack*Click*Clack

[@alphanumeric1529]

Some people NEED to realize that above a certain threshold of quality (and even that threshold is variable to a degree), one pedal is not better than another, it really is a matter of taste. That is a concept, but literalizing that term, taste, and saying one pasta sauce is not better than another, it is a matter taste, one has more garlic, do you enjoy more garlic or less? One can be better for you if you enjoy more garlic... and that is helpful to know. Now, the degree to which we can experience the taste of a pedal through KZbin is fairly dubious. But I do appreciate your attempt at it. And there really is a problem with EarthQuaker marketing, it has a sort of reality distortion field around it. I don't know how they've managed to achieve it, but it is real, and it is powerful. It makes decision making difficult. After lusting after EQD pedals a ways back, I actually got to play through some and was amazed at their poor build quality, previously I had a sense that they were very solid, but they were not. They were no more solid than EHX pedals which everyone seems to want to poopoo. So, ah, the world is false and we're all doomed to falsity! What's new?

[@johnnathancordy]

Ah really! I think they have a really attractive aesthetic, which is maybe what folks latch onto?

[@alphanumeric1529]

@@johnnathancordy Their aesthetic, branding, yep top notch, and it is defo a big part of it. Just that EQD font carries a LOT of water, imo,

[@thisisme4858]

I was after the plumes. I think I may get the Antares instead. It sounds cleaner and more sweet which is what I like. Does it still have that nice natural compression that one gets from a tube screamer?

[@johnnathancordy]

It does, but also the ibanez ts mini is a pretty decent option if you're just looking for a good ts that does that classic thing?

[@thisisme4858]

johnnathancordy I’m just looking for a tube screamer than is a bit more transparent/clean but with all the characteristics of a tubescreamer. I love the way all the notes just seem to glue together with a tube screamer and to my ears that comes from the compression (but I don’t like compressor pedals) so if I could get something similar to a tube screamer but more sweet and clean sounding that would be cool. I also use a tube screamer as an always on pedal with the drive all the way down. I use the tone and volume knobs of my tele/strat to get from clean to overdrive. The Antares is very expensive though that’s the thing. I have a joyo ultimate drive tube screamer clone which is amazing but like I say would like something that sounds tighter, sweeter and more transparent. The tone I play most of the time is actually very similar to the tone you seem to use on this video

[@johnnathancordy]

@@thisisme4858 hmm yes I see! Tbh the Antares is awesome with the clean blend too. The only other TS I have that I liked almost as much was the ts10?

[@thisisme4858]

johnnathancordy fair man I don’t think I’ve ever tried a ts10. I only use a drive pedal when I’m jamming with people if it’s by myself I prefer just the sound of the amp so I can never decide weather a pedal is right for me till Iv had a jam with people. It means Iv purchased and sold a lot of pedals. I reckon once I see an Antares going second hand for a good deal I will buy one. For now I can’t justify the price

[@longkniives]

Just turn the tone knob to zero

[@johnnathancordy]

That doesn't do what you think it's doing. Just moves the peak of the mid frequencies

[@longkniives]

@@johnnathancordy I have 2 plumes, trust me, Jamie at EQD uses it this way, off or maybe to 9:00, the pedal is also designed to destroy the front end of an amp, with all the volume on tap the bass increases so much that a treble booster is useful in that situation to get clarity, the tone cranked sounds awesome with EMG’s running into high gain.

[@johnnathancordy]

@@longkniives yeh but it doesn't roll of high end, it moves the mid peak. Looking back now I kinda like the way it sounds anyway!

[@thisisme4858]

Hello it’s me again. I had some questions. Does the blend knob on the Antares bring back your original clean tone or does it bring back a clean tone that is of a different colour to the original amp tone? Also does the Antares still have the same amount of compression as a normal tube screamer?