The EQDELUXE recreates the Pultec EQP-1a's inductive EQ and valve-style output stage, with frequencies chosen for bass and guitar and the headroom for line-level use.
Origin Effects has turned one of the most revered pieces of studio outboard into a pedal with the EQDELUXE, an all-analogue equaliser and drive built around the 1950s Pultec EQP-1a. The original is a passive rack EQ prized for its musical curves and gentle saturation, and the EQDELUXE recreates it for guitar and bass, with the frequencies chosen to suit both.
Catch up on all the latest news here.
Built by Pulse Techniques in the 1950s, the EQP-1a is one of the most copied equalisers in recording history. It’s a passive, valve-driven program EQ, meaning it’s made for broad tone shaping rather than surgical correction, and plenty of engineers reach for one not to fix a problem but to make a signal sound better, which is why it remains a fixture in high-end studios and a favourite for plugin emulation. The EQDELUXE brings the same sweetening approach to the pedalboard, aimed at bass and guitar players who want studio-style tone shaping and a bit of warmth in front of an amp or interface.
On the Low Frequency Band, boosting and cutting at the same time produces the famous Pultec low-end trick, a curve that adds weight down low while opening up the midrange, which is where much of the EQP-1a’s reputation for fat bass tones comes from. It works on guitar and other sources too, not only bass.
The Mid Frequency Band uses the pedal’s inductor-based circuitry for a range of mid boosts, again voiced for bass and guitar, while the High Frequency Band handles high-end attenuation to keep things warm and balanced. Even pushed to their extremes, the three bands are voiced to stay musical rather than harsh.
The drive side comes from the Pultec’s output stage. The EQP-1a runs a push-pull valve make-up amplifier at its output, and Origin has recreated that with solid-state circuitry for a controlled, valve-like saturation rather than outright distortion. Its high-headroom design keeps it usable with line-level signals, so it works happily in front of an audio interface or across a mixing console as well as on a pedalboard.
Origin has built the EQDELUXE with buffered bypass and premium components, and designed and made it in England. It runs on a 9V centre-negative supply rather than a battery, drawing 65 mA through a high-current design that uses internal voltage doubling for lower noise.
The EQDELUXE is out now. Head here for more.
