NPD: EarthQuaker Devices Plumes

[D_Malone]

I know I’m late to the party on this one, and I’ll admit, it wasn’t what I was expecting, but I love it, regardless.

Apparently it’s a modified Tube Screamer, but it’s pretty far from a TS in my opinion. I think it would have been better if EQD made no reference to the TS when describing the Plumes, because it leads one to believe it sounds like a tweaked or improved TS. It doesn’t.

It’s nowhere near as smooth or compressed as a TS. The clipping sounds/feels hard, and is a bit raspy.

It has a ton of available boost. Way more than a TS. Mode 2 is an amazing clean boost. Just huge.

It has way more low end than a TS, even in mode 3, which is supposed to be the closest to a TS.

It is very bright. I never have the tone control above 9 o’clock. But it’s not harsh.

I feel it’s best into a dirty amp, or for boosting another dirt/fuzz pedal. Kinda sounds trashy into a clean amp. But, boosting a dirty amp, or dirt/fuzz pedal, it is stellar. So punchy and dynamic. It has a low mid emphasis that just fattens things up.

I’m loving the Plumes, but be aware, it’s nothing like a TS.

 

[dswo]

Thanks for this review.

 

[Chmason85]

I always sing the praise of this pedal from the moment I got mine, it’s the best! I actually run mine in mode 1 with the drive basically off, it still adds nicely to the sound without much breakup.

 

[Festofish]

Glad to hear it’s not a TS. I might be interested.

 

[Ben Harmless]

It is very bright. I never have the tone control above 9 o’clock. But it’s not harsh.

Frustratingly, because I love EQD, I actually found it to be prone to icepick if icepick is present. I'm sure with some humbuckers, it might smooth out, but I'm 97% Tele, and that doesn't really work. I think it's about how they voiced the tone control, so I'll give credit for innovation, but it's just not for me.

Unfortunately, this one's my least favorite EQD box. I did pick up a Special Cranker, and I like that one a lot more. On the other hand, I'm not really a dirt-pedal guy, and only impulsively buy them on the grounds that they're "more flavors for recording" and then I never use them for that, either.

EDIT: Sorry - I don't mean to be a downer. I LOVE EQD, and have: Two Dispatch Masters, a Ghost Echo, a Levitation Reverb, an Avalanche Run, a Special Cranker, a Park Fuzz, and a Tone Job - and I'm still keeping the Plumes in case I change my mind, which is almost inevitable.

 

[Marc Morfei]

I have the EQD Dunes, which I understand is similar to the Plumes. but honestly it's hard to know the difference. EQD describes both as "808-style". Over the years some people have commented, "oh, that's just a TS." but like you, I have a TS and to me it doesn't sound like that. Maybe if you tried you could set it up to sound similar. But the EQD pedals seem to have WAY WAY more tonal range. The Dunes has 2 different voices, and a couple other toggles for tone shaping. It's actually too many options. The Dunes has a huge amount of output. Unity volume is around 1.5. But it sounds great, and kinda does everything.

 

[D_Malone]

Frustratingly, because I love EQD, I actually found it to be prone to icepick if icepick is present. I'm sure with some humbuckers, it might smooth out, but I'm 97% Tele, and that doesn't really work. I think it's about how they voiced the tone control, so I'll give credit for innovation, but it's just not for me.

Unfortunately, this one's my least favorite EQD box. I did pick up a Special Cranker, and I like that one a lot more. On the other hand, I'm not really a dirt-pedal guy, and only impulsively buy them on the grounds that they're "more flavors for recording" and then I never use them for that, either.

EDIT: Sorry - I don't mean to be a downer. I LOVE EQD, and have: Two Dispatch Masters, a Ghost Echo, a Levitation Reverb, an Avalanche Run, a Special Cranker, a Park Fuzz, and a Tone Job - and I'm still keeping the Plumes in case I change my mind, which is almost inevitable.

Not a downer at all. It is VERY bright. I keep the tone control somewhere between minimum and 9 o’clock. It’s definitely not going to work for everyone.

It also has a little too much low end for some situations, IMO.

If it had bass and treble controls I think I’d really get a lot more out of it.