Earthquaker Devices Special Cranker Effects Pedal?
An overdrive you can trust
A fully discrete analog distortion enhancement device designed to give your signal a bit more grit and energy without radically altering your tone while preserving all the natural nuances and character of your amp. Think of it as adding an extra preamp tube to your amplifier for more saturation. Single notes will bloom and flourish with rich harmonics and singing sustain with a sensitive sag, similar to a tube. Powerful chords will sound thicker and crunchier, a bit more ragged around the edges. Complex chords will remain distinct and complex, as the Special Cranker is designed to preserve the integrity of your tone without muddying the lows or choking the mids.
Controls
- Level: Adjusts the output volume. Unity gain is between 10 and 12 o’clock depending on the selected diodes.
- Diode Selector: Germanium on the left for a softer, more transparent sound and Silicon on the right for a brighter, more modern sound.
- More: Adjusts the gain. This control changes the transistor bias, so you may hear a bit of noise when adjusting it. Don’t worry, this is completely normal. At maximum gain, the Special Cranker can achieve explosive overdriven sounds depending on your pickups’ output.
- Tone: Reduces treble counterclockwise and increases treble clockwise. A flat response can be found just around 3 o’clock.
Design Notes
The Special Cranker picks up where our beloved Speaker Cranker left off. It has the same spongy, dynamic, and touch-sensitive character as the original, but with more gain, double the output volume (now with a user-friendly level control), an additional tone control to shape your signal, and a diode selector featuring the original asymmetric silicon diodes as well as a new germanium diode option.
The More control ranges from an almost clean sound to a medium-gain overdrive when fully turned up. This control adjusts the transistor bias, so you may hear a bit of noise when turning the knob. Don’t panic, this is perfectly normal. Gain characteristics depend on the chosen diodes. When germanium diodes are selected, the Special Cranker offers a softer, rounder response with tamed highs and lower output, while silicon diodes add a brighter, more modern edge and higher output. Both are exceptionally responsive to playing dynamics and offer excellent clarity. The Tone control allows the user full control over the high frequencies, cutting treble when turned counterclockwise and adding a slight high-frequency boost when turned clockwise. The Level control adjusts the output level from zero to nearly double at maximum.
Specifications:
- Dimensions: 121 x 64 x 57 mm (4.75 x 2.50 x 2.25 in.) including knobs.
- Current draw: 15 mA
- Input impedance: ≈5 MΩ
- Output impedance: <25 kΩ
Flexi-Switch Technology
This device features Flexi-Switch® technology! This relay-based true bypass switching style allows you to use both momentary and latching switching simultaneously.
- For standard latching operation, tap the pedal once to engage the effect, then tap again to bypass it.
- For momentary operation, hold the pedal down for as long as you want the effect engaged. As soon as you release the switch, the effect is bypassed.
Since the switching is relay-based, it requires power to pass the signal.
Power Supply
This device must be powered by a standard 9V DC power supply with a 2.1 mm center-negative barrel. We always recommend pedal-specific wall supplies, transformer-isolated, or isolated multi-output power supplies. Pedals emit additional noise if powered by ripple or non-compliant supplies. Switching power supplies, daisy chains, and non-pedal-specific supplies do not filter dirty current as well and allow unwanted noise to pass through.
The Special Cranker can be safely used between 9 and 18 volts.
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