01—EarthQuaker Devices
Hizumitas
The Boris guitar tone — Pink, Heavy Rocks, Akuma no Uta — boiled into a pedal.
The most authentic 'doom-stoner Big Muff' pedal in production. A specific reference. If you know what an Elk Sustainar is, you already want this.
02—On the bench
EarthQuaker's homage to the Elk BM Sustainar — a rare 1970s Japanese Big Muff-derivative that became famous as the secret weapon of Shinya Yamamoto of Boris. Hizumitas (Japanese: 'distortion') uses NOS Japanese silicon transistors to recreate the Sustainar's gnarly, woolly, mid-scooped fuzz character. Tonally it's a Big Muff family pedal, but darker, looser, and more aggressive — less for lead lines, more for huge stoner-doom power chords. Three knobs: volume, sustain, tone. No frills. Made in collaboration with Yamamoto himself, who used the original Sustainar on Boris's seminal albums. A specific reference, beautifully executed.
- 01darker and woollier than a standard Big Muff
- 02huge mid-scoop — chords sound massive
- 03single notes get lost — buy it for chords
- 04stays controlled even at max sustain
- 05doesn't like a buffer in front
03—In the room
Where else this pedal lives.
- Shinya Yamamoto
- Wata
- J Mascis
EarthQuaker Hoof for a more flexible fuzz; Hizumitas for the specific Sustainar sound.