Electro-Harmonix
Encyclopedia
Electro-Harmonix is a New York
-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. They are most famous for a series of popular guitar effects pedals introduced in the 1970s and 1990s.
. Himself an R&B keyboard player, he had traded his passion of music for a job as a salesman for IBM
in 1967. Shortly afterwards he realized that his job at IBM no longer suited him, and he was interested in trying once again to make career for himself as a keyboard player. Concerned he may not be able to support his then wife while being unemployed, he aspired to save some money to support her before embarking on his journey to stardom.
Partnering with an acquaintance of his, Bill Berko, an audio repairman who claimed to have his own custom circuit for a fuzz pedal, they jobbed construction of their new pedal to a contracting house, and began distributing the pedals under a deal with the Guild Guitar Company
. Fuzzboxes were in demand following a trail of hits involving their sound, including "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
" by The Rolling Stones
two years prior, and recent popularization of Jimi Hendrix
. The latter connection resulted in the pedals being branded the 'Foxey Lady'.
Following the unexplained departure of his partner, Matthews was introduced to inventor and electric engineer Robert Myer through IBM colleagues. Together the two began conceptualizing a circuit designed to create a distortion-free sustain. While testing a prototype of the this pedal, which later became the Big Muff
pedal, Matthews noticed another small box connected to the prototype. When asked, Myer explained this box was a line booster, designed to boost the guitar's passive signal to an appropriate level for the prototype. Matthews listened as the guitar's volume increased greatly as the booster was turned on, and asked Myer what was involved in manufacturing the pedal. The pedal consisted of a simple circuit and used just one transistor
. This would later become known as the Linear Power Booster (LPB-1), a pedal still manufactured today.
Electro-Harmonix stopped making pedals in the mid-1980s, and in the early 1990s started selling vacuum tube
s re-branded with their name for guitar amplifiers, which they had also been making since the 1970s. However due to demand, and the high prices guitarists were paying for old 1970s pedals on the vintage market, they reissued the more popular old pedals in the mid-1990s, the Big Muff Pi and Small Clone included. In 2002 they started designing new pedals to add to their range. Company policy is that all reissued effects remain as close as possible to the original, vintage designs. This means however that casings, knobs and especially the old-fashioned mini-jack power plug are not up to modern-day standards. This all changed in 2006 with their smaller and more standardized "micro" and "nano" effect lines. A number of its flagship pedals now depend on surface mount technology. The company has been outsourcing its circuit board production, however, the pedals are still assembled in New York.
In 1969 Bob Myer and Mike Matthews designed the pedal that would make the company famous - The Big Muff Pi
. This was a fuzzbox that added a rich, creamy, bass-heavy sustain to any guitar sound. It is referred to (by the company) as "the finest harmonic distortion - sustain device developed to date". Originally this was intended to be a pedal that would mimic the fuzz tones of Jimi Hendrix and other guitarists at the time, but the result was a mix of a fuzz and distortion pedal with a very heavy sound. It also made small amps sound much better and allowed distortion at any volume, even at home. The pedal was extremely popular and was used most notably by Carlos Santana
, Pink Floyd
's David Gilmour
, Alex Lifeson
of Rush
and, later, Metallica
's bassist Cliff Burton
, The Jesus and Mary Chain
, and in the 90's KoRn
's rhythm guitarist Munky, Jack White
of The White Stripes
, J Mascis
of Dinosaur Jr., The Edge
of U2
, and Billy Corgan on The Smashing Pumpkins landmark album, Siamese Dream. The band Mudhoney
even titled their debut EP Superfuzz Bigmuff
after their favorite effect pedals. Although the first Big Muff production date has been mistakenly cited as 1971 for many years, the first version of the Big Muff was actually sold in 1969 as a hand made "perf board" version, then a production version with an etched pcb board was made in early 1970. Mike Matthews was friends with Jimi Hendrix and claims Jimi bought one from Manny's Music in New York, shortly after they were released, and had one in the Foxey Lady Studios shortly before Jimi's death in 1970. Several variations of the Big Muff Pi followed throughout the 70s. Today Electro-Harmonix produces a reissue assembled in New York City
and until 2009 they also produced a version (discontinued) made by Sovtek in Russia
which provides a slightly different tone. The Bass Big Muff replaced the Russian version.
Several other variations (some of which are not actually Big Muffs) of the pedal are produced today, including the Metal Muff (intended to achieve the higher gain Metal guitar sound), the Double Muff, which incorporates the original Muff Fuzz circuit, twice in series with a single overdrive control for each circuit, providing the user either with a cascaded 'Double Muff' sound or the original Muff Fuzz circuit, the Little Big Muff, a smaller version, and a variation in circuit, of the NYC Big Muff, which produces yet another variation in sound, and the Big Muff with Tone Wicker, which is similar to the 2008 revision NYC Big Muff, with two added features that include a tone bypass switch allowing you to totally bypass the tone control and another switch that adjusts the frequency of 3 high frequency filters in the circuit.
The hugely popular Small Stone phase shifter
is a 4-stage phaser. It was designed by David Cockerell, whom Electro-Harmonix hired from his former employer EMS
. The phased sounds of French composer Jean-Michel Jarre depended heavily on the Small Stone unit. It was reissued years later by EH and a smaller version of the pedal was eventually introduced in the 'Nano' line (the Nano Small Stone).
The Small Clone chorus
is a very popular chorus pedal, much to do with its use by Kurt Cobain
, both live and in studio. Like the Small Stone, it is also being reissued in both the standard size and a smaller Nano version (the Nano Clone).
The Deluxe Electric Mistress is an analog flanger. It has recently been reissued, as well as a digital recreation called the Stereo Electric Mistress. The Deluxe Electric Mistress features a "Filter Matrix mode" - allowing the user to freeze it at any point in the flange, which offers distinctive chime-like tones. Notable users include David Gilmour
, Todd Rundgren
, Alex Lifeson
, Andy Summers
of The Police
, J Mascis
of Dinosaur Jr. and ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers
guitarist John Frusciante
.
The Flanger Hoax pedal is a more advanced unit, allowing further control of the various parameters of phaser, flanger and chorusing effects.
Lastly, Electro-Harmonix's 'XO' line added the Stereo Polyphase, an analog optical envelope- and LFO-controlled phase shifter
.
and vacuum tube
options. These are available in the Stereo Pulsar (solid-state) and Wiggler (tube) pedals.
-powered Black Finger Compressor which adds distortion-free sustain to the sound and which appeared in the mid 1970s. The solid-state
White Finger followed.
In 1995, Electro-Harmonix owner Mike Matthews commissioned Mike Beigel, former owner of Musitronics Corp. and inventor of the Mu-tron III envelope filter, to design a new envelope filter using the same analog circuitry as the original Mu-tron III, thus keeping the sound as close to the original as possible while adding new features to bring the effect into the new millennium. The pedal featured the same controls as the Mu-tron III and incorporated a "Boost" feature, which activates an internal pre-amp and changes the function of the gain knob giving the Q-Tron a sound almost identical to the Mu-tron III. Another feature added to Q-Tron was an effects loop switch and attack response switch. Units with these features are called the Q-Tron+. A smaller more compact version, the Mini Q-Tron, is also available, as well as an even smaller version, the Micro Q-Tron.
These include the Graphic Fuzz (a fuzzbox which includes an EQ section), the Frequency Analyzer (which creates ring modulation
) and the Voice Box, a vocoder
. The Voice Box has been included in a series of demonstration videos produced by Jack Conte.
Several pedals produced in the decades prior have also been discontinued, many of which are still in high demand for their unique sound.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. They are most famous for a series of popular guitar effects pedals introduced in the 1970s and 1990s.
Founding years (1967–1968)
Electro-Harmonix was founded by Mike Matthews in October 1968 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Himself an R&B keyboard player, he had traded his passion of music for a job as a salesman for IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
in 1967. Shortly afterwards he realized that his job at IBM no longer suited him, and he was interested in trying once again to make career for himself as a keyboard player. Concerned he may not be able to support his then wife while being unemployed, he aspired to save some money to support her before embarking on his journey to stardom.
Partnering with an acquaintance of his, Bill Berko, an audio repairman who claimed to have his own custom circuit for a fuzz pedal, they jobbed construction of their new pedal to a contracting house, and began distributing the pedals under a deal with the Guild Guitar Company
Guild Guitar Company
The Guild Guitar Company is a USA-based guitar manufacturer founded in 1952 by Alfred Dronge, a guitarist and music-store owner, and George Mann, a former executive with the Epiphone Guitar Company...
. Fuzzboxes were in demand following a trail of hits involving their sound, including "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
" Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards's throwaway three-note guitar riff — intended to be replaced by horns — opens and drives the song...
" by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
two years prior, and recent popularization of Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
. The latter connection resulted in the pedals being branded the 'Foxey Lady'.
Following the unexplained departure of his partner, Matthews was introduced to inventor and electric engineer Robert Myer through IBM colleagues. Together the two began conceptualizing a circuit designed to create a distortion-free sustain. While testing a prototype of the this pedal, which later became the Big Muff
Big Muff
The Big Muff is a fuzzbox produced in New York City by the Electro-Harmonix company, along with their Russian sister company Sovtek, primarily for use with the electric guitar...
pedal, Matthews noticed another small box connected to the prototype. When asked, Myer explained this box was a line booster, designed to boost the guitar's passive signal to an appropriate level for the prototype. Matthews listened as the guitar's volume increased greatly as the booster was turned on, and asked Myer what was involved in manufacturing the pedal. The pedal consisted of a simple circuit and used just one transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
. This would later become known as the Linear Power Booster (LPB-1), a pedal still manufactured today.
First products
The first Electro-Harmonix product was the Axis fuzz pedal, which was also sold under the name "Foxey Lady" for the Guild guitar company. While working with Bob Myer on the early Big Muff design, Mike Matthews used a booster circuit Myer had incorporated into the design and marketed it as the LPB-1 or Linear Power Booster in 1969. This massively boosted a guitar signal to provide gain by clipping the signal, dramatically changing the sound. The new device provided a raw distorted sound, full of sustain and harmonics. Several similar devices followed such as the Treble Booster and Bass Booster. The new devices were extremely popular with guitarists.Change of direction
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
s re-branded with their name for guitar amplifiers, which they had also been making since the 1970s. However due to demand, and the high prices guitarists were paying for old 1970s pedals on the vintage market, they reissued the more popular old pedals in the mid-1990s, the Big Muff Pi and Small Clone included. In 2002 they started designing new pedals to add to their range. Company policy is that all reissued effects remain as close as possible to the original, vintage designs. This means however that casings, knobs and especially the old-fashioned mini-jack power plug are not up to modern-day standards. This all changed in 2006 with their smaller and more standardized "micro" and "nano" effect lines. A number of its flagship pedals now depend on surface mount technology. The company has been outsourcing its circuit board production, however, the pedals are still assembled in New York.
Effects pedals
Electro-Harmonix offers a full range of pedals capable of many different types of sound manipulation suitable for guitar, bass, vocal and keyboard signals, as well as other instruments. They also sell rebranded vacuum tubes carrying the Electro-Harmonix brand name.Big Muff
In 1969 Bob Myer and Mike Matthews designed the pedal that would make the company famous - The Big Muff Pi
Big Muff
The Big Muff is a fuzzbox produced in New York City by the Electro-Harmonix company, along with their Russian sister company Sovtek, primarily for use with the electric guitar...
. This was a fuzzbox that added a rich, creamy, bass-heavy sustain to any guitar sound. It is referred to (by the company) as "the finest harmonic distortion - sustain device developed to date". Originally this was intended to be a pedal that would mimic the fuzz tones of Jimi Hendrix and other guitarists at the time, but the result was a mix of a fuzz and distortion pedal with a very heavy sound. It also made small amps sound much better and allowed distortion at any volume, even at home. The pedal was extremely popular and was used most notably by Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
, Alex Lifeson
Alex Lifeson
Aleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
of Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
and, later, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's bassist Cliff Burton
Cliff Burton
Clifford Lee "Cliff" Burton was an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the American heavy metal band Metallica....
, The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride, Glasgow in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid...
, and in the 90's KoRn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
's rhythm guitarist Munky, Jack White
Jack White (musician)
Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
of The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, J Mascis
J Mascis
J Mascis is an American musician, best known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter for Dinosaur Jr.. In 2011, he was ranked in Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.- Biography :...
of Dinosaur Jr., The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
of U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, and Billy Corgan on The Smashing Pumpkins landmark album, Siamese Dream. The band Mudhoney
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the...
even titled their debut EP Superfuzz Bigmuff
Superfuzz Bigmuff
Superfuzz Bigmuff is the debut EP by the Seattle grunge band Mudhoney. It was released in October 1988 through record label Sub Pop. The songs later appeared on their 1990 compilation album Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles...
after their favorite effect pedals. Although the first Big Muff production date has been mistakenly cited as 1971 for many years, the first version of the Big Muff was actually sold in 1969 as a hand made "perf board" version, then a production version with an etched pcb board was made in early 1970. Mike Matthews was friends with Jimi Hendrix and claims Jimi bought one from Manny's Music in New York, shortly after they were released, and had one in the Foxey Lady Studios shortly before Jimi's death in 1970. Several variations of the Big Muff Pi followed throughout the 70s. Today Electro-Harmonix produces a reissue assembled in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and until 2009 they also produced a version (discontinued) made by Sovtek in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
which provides a slightly different tone. The Bass Big Muff replaced the Russian version.
Several other variations (some of which are not actually Big Muffs) of the pedal are produced today, including the Metal Muff (intended to achieve the higher gain Metal guitar sound), the Double Muff, which incorporates the original Muff Fuzz circuit, twice in series with a single overdrive control for each circuit, providing the user either with a cascaded 'Double Muff' sound or the original Muff Fuzz circuit, the Little Big Muff, a smaller version, and a variation in circuit, of the NYC Big Muff, which produces yet another variation in sound, and the Big Muff with Tone Wicker, which is similar to the 2008 revision NYC Big Muff, with two added features that include a tone bypass switch allowing you to totally bypass the tone control and another switch that adjusts the frequency of 3 high frequency filters in the circuit.
Phasers, chorus and flanger
Electro-Harmonix often produces a range of pedals based on a single effect, and then combines two or more into higher end units. For instance, Chorus, Phaser and Flanger are often combined in some order.The hugely popular Small Stone phase shifter
Phaser (effect)
A phaser is an audio signal processing technique used to filter a signal by creating a series of peaks and troughs in the frequency spectrum. The position of the peaks and troughs is typically modulated so that they vary over time, creating a sweeping effect...
is a 4-stage phaser. It was designed by David Cockerell, whom Electro-Harmonix hired from his former employer EMS
Electronic Music Studios (London) Ltd
Electronic Music Studios Ltd. is a synthesizer company formed in 1969 by Dr. Peter Zinovieff, Tristram Cary and David Cockerell....
. The phased sounds of French composer Jean-Michel Jarre depended heavily on the Small Stone unit. It was reissued years later by EH and a smaller version of the pedal was eventually introduced in the 'Nano' line (the Nano Small Stone).
The Small Clone chorus
Chorus effect
In music, a chorus effect occurs when individual sounds with roughly the same timbre and nearly the same pitch converge and are perceived as one...
is a very popular chorus pedal, much to do with its use by Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
, both live and in studio. Like the Small Stone, it is also being reissued in both the standard size and a smaller Nano version (the Nano Clone).
The Deluxe Electric Mistress is an analog flanger. It has recently been reissued, as well as a digital recreation called the Stereo Electric Mistress. The Deluxe Electric Mistress features a "Filter Matrix mode" - allowing the user to freeze it at any point in the flange, which offers distinctive chime-like tones. Notable users include David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
, Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
, Alex Lifeson
Alex Lifeson
Aleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
, Andy Summers
Andy Summers
Andy Summers is an English guitarist born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. Best known as the guitarist for rock band The Police, he has also recorded twelve solo albums, collaborated with many other artists, toured extensively under his own name, published several books, and composed...
of The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, J Mascis
J Mascis
J Mascis is an American musician, best known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter for Dinosaur Jr.. In 2011, he was ranked in Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.- Biography :...
of Dinosaur Jr. and ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
guitarist John Frusciante
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
.
The Flanger Hoax pedal is a more advanced unit, allowing further control of the various parameters of phaser, flanger and chorusing effects.
Lastly, Electro-Harmonix's 'XO' line added the Stereo Polyphase, an analog optical envelope- and LFO-controlled phase shifter
Phaser (effect)
A phaser is an audio signal processing technique used to filter a signal by creating a series of peaks and troughs in the frequency spectrum. The position of the peaks and troughs is typically modulated so that they vary over time, creating a sweeping effect...
.
Delays and loopers
Electro-Harmonix also manufactures delay pedals, which include the Deluxe Memory Man, Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai, and #1 Echo. Electro-Harmonix also offers the '2880' pedal, which allows complex looping and multi-track overdubbing. The #1 Echo provides basic digital echo capability, while the Deluxe Memory Man provides more control over length, repeats, etc. The Deluxe Memory Man also includes built-in chorusing and vibrato effects. The digital Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai (not to be confused with the Analog Deluxe Memory Man) also includes reverse echo effect and looping/overdubbing. Also recently announced were the Memory Toy and Memory Boy delay pedals, essentially smaller budget versions of the Deluxe Memory Man. The Memory Man effects pedal is widely popular due to its use by Edge from the band U2. He used the Memory Man most notably to record the songs "I Will Follow" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday."Reverb
The Holy Grail, Holy Grail Plus, Holier Grail (discontinued), Holiest Grail (discontinued) and Cathedral pedals produce reverb. As is implied by the naming scheme, these cover a range of capability, including reverb length, room simulation, etc. The company's Holy Stain multi-effects pedal also includes two different types of reverb.Tremolo and Vibrato
Tremolo and vibrato are included as well, in both solid-stateSolid state (electronics)
Solid-state electronics are those circuits or devices built entirely from solid materials and in which the electrons, or other charge carriers, are confined entirely within the solid material...
and vacuum tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
options. These are available in the Stereo Pulsar (solid-state) and Wiggler (tube) pedals.
Octave, pitch and synthesizer
Also available are a series of pitch modulation pedals. These include the Micro Synthesizer (for bass or guitar), HOG (Harmonic Octave Generator), POG (Polyphonic Octave Generator), POG 2 (released in 2009), and Octave Multiplexer.Envelope, EQ and compression
Electro-Harmonix offers several pedals for envelope/equalization modulation. Amongst them are the Bassballs (appropriately named for its intended use with bass guitars), Doctor Q and the Q-Tron. Another pedal of note was the vacuum tubeVacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
-powered Black Finger Compressor which adds distortion-free sustain to the sound and which appeared in the mid 1970s. The solid-state
Solid state (electronics)
Solid-state electronics are those circuits or devices built entirely from solid materials and in which the electrons, or other charge carriers, are confined entirely within the solid material...
White Finger followed.
In 1995, Electro-Harmonix owner Mike Matthews commissioned Mike Beigel, former owner of Musitronics Corp. and inventor of the Mu-tron III envelope filter, to design a new envelope filter using the same analog circuitry as the original Mu-tron III, thus keeping the sound as close to the original as possible while adding new features to bring the effect into the new millennium. The pedal featured the same controls as the Mu-tron III and incorporated a "Boost" feature, which activates an internal pre-amp and changes the function of the gain knob giving the Q-Tron a sound almost identical to the Mu-tron III. Another feature added to Q-Tron was an effects loop switch and attack response switch. Units with these features are called the Q-Tron+. A smaller more compact version, the Mini Q-Tron, is also available, as well as an even smaller version, the Micro Q-Tron.
Other pedals
Additionally, Electro-Harmonix produces several other pedals.These include the Graphic Fuzz (a fuzzbox which includes an EQ section), the Frequency Analyzer (which creates ring modulation
Ring modulation
Ring modulation is a signal-processing effect in electronics, an implementation of amplitude modulation or frequency mixing, performed by multiplying two signals, where one is typically a sine-wave or another simple waveform. It is referred to as "ring" modulation because the analog circuit of...
) and the Voice Box, a vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
. The Voice Box has been included in a series of demonstration videos produced by Jack Conte.
Several pedals produced in the decades prior have also been discontinued, many of which are still in high demand for their unique sound.
External links
- Electro-Harmonix
- An Interview with Mike Matthews
- The EH Man's Electro-Harmonix Extravaganza (vintage EH information)