EarthQuaker Devices is here to consolidate all your low-end crunchy into a single all-analog command center built specifically for the realities of modern bass playing. Enter your new in-depth bass pedal, the Scrolls Bass Odyssey.
Developed in collaboration with Japanese bassist Kentaro Nakao, Scrolls is a fully integrated tone-shaping platform designed to handle saturation, direct recording, live amplification, modern ampless rigs, and complex routing scenarios.
At the heart of the pedal sits a tube amp-inspired overdrive circuit controlled by an onboard Blend knob, allowing players to mix clean bass signal alongside the driven tone to preserve punch while adding grit.
But the real secret weapon is the Bandwidth control. Rather than functioning like a traditional tone knob, it changes where the distortion itself becomes most prominent across the frequency spectrum. Rolled counterclockwise, the clipping emphasizes warmer low-end saturation with a thicker response. Push it clockwise, and the drive tightens into a sharper, more focused attack.
The EQ section is equally ambitious. Bass, Middle, and Treble controls all feature center-detented flat positions for precise adjustment, but the real standout feature is the Variable Frequency control.
Operating across a massive range from approximately 20Hz to 10kHz, it allows players to target and shape highly specific frequency areas rather than relying on fixed EQ points that may or may not align with their instrument, cabinet, or mix environment.
In practical terms, that means players can surgically tame muddy low mids, enhance pick attack, reinforce sub frequencies, or carve out clarity in crowded arrangements with far greater precision than most onboard pedal EQ systems typically allow.
Three additional voicing switches push the flexibility even further. Deep adds an 80Hz boost for added low-end heft, Process introduces a scooped low-mid response tailored for modern aggressive bass tones, and Bright adds a 5kHz lift that sharpens attack and upper-frequency presence.
Perhaps most impressive is how thoughtfully Scrolls approaches signal routing. The pedal’s effects loop sits directly between the drive and EQ sections, allowing players to place modulation, delay, or ambient effects after the distortion stage while still feeding everything through the final EQ for unified tonal shaping.
Beyond that, Scrolls includes a buffered parallel output for sending a clean signal to a second amp, tuner, or separate processing chain, alongside a balanced XLR direct output featuring analog speaker-style filtering intended to emulate the feel of a bass cabinet in direct recording or front-of-house situations. A ground lift switch rounds out the professional feature set for noise management in live environments.
Physically, the pedal remains consistent with EarthQuaker’s boutique identity, built one at a time in Akron, Ohio with the kind of rugged industrial aesthetic the company has become known for.
Get the EarthQuaker Devices Scrolls Bass Odyssey EQ and Overdrive Pedal here for $349.99 and keep up with all our EarthQuaker Devices coverage right here!
