Guitar World Verdict
The affordably priced EHX Lizard King pedal is a highly welcome creative tool for bass players, but its mammoth frequency range and tones with the warmth of a blazing inferno make it a worthy option for guitarists as well.
Pros
- +
Distinctive fuzz/octave-up effect.
- +
Sounds equally good with bass or guitar.
- +
Blend and Sun/Shadow controls.
- +
Impressive dynamics and clarity.
- +
Octave-up effects are smoother and less strident than typical Octavia-style fuzz.
Cons
- -
The octave effects may be slightly too subtle for lead guitarists.
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Last year’s Lizard Queen pedal – a collaboration between Electro-Harmonix and Josh Scott of JHS Pedals – was sort of a mashed-up combo of old DIY circuits with its own unique character.
As the pedal caught on with adventurous bass players, EHX decided to further enhance the effect for low end specialists, and the result is the new Lizard King Octave Distortion.
Delivering massive tones that obliterate, like Godzilla bouncing the bullet train to oblivion, the Lizard King is certain to please the most aggressive, distortion-loving bassists. However, guitarists are equally well served by its truly distinctive tones that hit many ideal sweet spots.
Whereas most octave-up fuzz effects for guitarists sound like squealing mosquitoes in a bottle, the Lizard King produces a gut-punching effect that is the guitar equivalent of the mighty roar of Toho and Legendary’s King of the Monsters.
Although the Lizard King shares a few features with the Lizard Queen, it’s more of a reboot than a sequel, featuring an updated circuit optimized for bass guitar and a wider selection of controls for tweaking a bigger palette of sounds with greater precision.
In addition to Volume and Octave knobs – the latter now dialing in more intense octave up effects when adjusted clockwise past 12 o’clock or providing deeper growl when twisted counterclockwise – the pedal also has a Blend knob for adjusting the mix between dry and effected signals.
There there’s a Tone knob that provides full frequency response at maximum and rolls off high frequencies as it’s turned down, and a Sun/Shadow micro toggle switch that boosts the fuzz effect’s mids while scooping mids from the dry signal in the Sun setting while providing an unadulterated, tight fuzz effect in the Shadow setting.
The Lizard King is a bass fuzz enthusiast’s dream come true, delivering beefy, organic-sounding octave fuzz effects that are like a modernized Maestro Bass Brassmaster with a technicolor/surround-sound upgrade.
I find it equally tantalizing with guitar, especially if you’re looking for octave-up fuzz effects with more voluptuous body and sweeter upper register overtones without the usual strident, piercing qualities.
The fuzz/octave effects sound great when cranked through an amp dialed to a clean setting, but they also admirably hold their ground as you crank up the gain and distortion, producing delightfully gnarly tones with an expanded bass and treble range while maintaining excellent definition and clarity. Best of all, it sounds completely unlike any other fuzz and/or octave effect out there.
Specs
- PRICE: $129 / £119
- TYPE: Bass octave fuzz
- CONTROLS: Volume, Octave, Blend, Tone, Sun/Shadow voice switch
- BYPASS: True bypass
- POWER: 9V DC or battery (included), current draw 8mA
- CONTACT: Electro-Harmonix
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