Earthquaker Devices Scrolls | Bass Odyssey | EQ & Overdrive Pedal

EarthQuaker Devices Scrolls Bass Odyssey EQ & Overdrive Pedal | No Limit Guitar Co, Idaho Falls

The EarthQuaker Devices Scrolls Bass Odyssey is a comprehensive, all-analog bass tone-shaping platform that combines tube amp-like drive with active EQ, flexible signal routing, and professional direct output capability in a single handbuilt stompbox — designed in collaboration with Japanese bassist Kentaro Nakao and built one at a time in Akron, Ohio. A tube-style overdrive section with Blend, Bandwidth, Level, Drive, and Tone controls preserves the fundamental low-end weight and clarity of the bass signal while adding grit on top. An active EQ section with Bass, Middle, Treble, Variable Frequency, Deep, Process, and Bright controls provides surgical tonal shaping across the full frequency spectrum. An effects loop sits between the drive and EQ stages for post-drive external pedal integration. A buffered Parallel Out sends an always-active clean signal externally. A balanced XLR direct output with analog speaker-style filtering handles ampless and recording setups. A ground lift manages hum in direct configurations. The Scrolls is the one pedal that handles amp rigs, direct recording, and modern ampless bass setups with equal capability.

Product Overview

The Scrolls is organized around two independently footswitchable sections — drive and EQ — that can be used separately or together, giving bassists the flexibility to engage either or both depending on what the musical situation requires. The drive section sits first in the signal chain, with the EQ section following after it, and the hardwired effects loop positioned between the two allows external pedals — modulation, delay, or any other effect — to be placed after the drive but before the final EQ stage, meaning the EQ section always shapes the complete output signal regardless of what external processing is in the loop.

The drive section is built around tube amp-style saturation designed specifically to preserve the bass signal's low-end character rather than thinning or clipping it at the expense of fundamental frequency weight. The Blend control is the most critical parameter for bass overdrive applications — it mixes clean and overdriven signal in parallel, allowing the grit and character of the drive to be added on top of a clean bass foundation rather than replacing it. This parallel clean blend approach is the standard by which most professional bass overdrive applications are measured, and the Scrolls implements it directly. The Bandwidth control changes the frequency emphasis of the clipping itself — counterclockwise rotation shifts clipping emphasis toward warmer low frequencies for a thick, saturated low-end grind, while clockwise rotation moves the clipping emphasis toward tighter, more focused high frequencies for a more present, aggressive overdrive character. Level, Drive, and Tone controls handle output level, gain intensity, and top-end rolloff respectively.

The active EQ section provides the kind of frequency-shaping precision that passive EQ circuits can't achieve. Bass, Middle, and Treble controls with center-detented flat positions make it immediately intuitive to work from a flat starting point and add or subtract specific frequency ranges. The Variable Frequency control covers approximately 20Hz to 10kHz — the full audible frequency range and then some — allowing a boost or cut to be targeted at any specific frequency rather than a fixed midrange point. Three push-button voicing tools expand the EQ section further without requiring knob adjustment: Deep adds an 80Hz boost for added low-end weight and fundamental reinforcement, Process creates a low-mid scoop for a more modern, scooped, defined tone, and Bright adds a 5kHz boost for attack, presence, and string clarity.

The XLR direct output includes analog filtering designed to approximate the character of a bass speaker cabinet — the kind of frequency shaping and high-end rolloff that a real speaker cabinet imparts on the bass signal — making the Scrolls suitable for ampless performance where the XLR feeds directly to a PA system or recording console without sounding like an unfiltered, uncolored direct signal. The buffered Parallel Out sends an always-active clean signal simultaneously to a tuner, separate amp, DI, or secondary pedal chain, enabling complex parallel routing configurations. Drive input impedance of 500 kOhm, EQ input impedance of 10 MOhm, and output impedances of less than 1 kOhm throughout ensure proper signal loading and level management across diverse rig configurations.

Ideal For

• Bass players who want a single pedal to handle drive, active EQ, direct recording, and ampless performance without external preamps, DI boxes, or separate EQ units
• Rock, metal, and funk bassists who want tube-style overdrive with a clean blend control that preserves low-end weight and fundamental character through the gain stage
• Players who need the Variable Frequency control's precision targeting across 20Hz to 10kHz for surgical frequency management in live and recording contexts
• Bassists who run complex parallel or split-signal rigs and need a buffered Parallel Out, an effects loop between drive and EQ stages, and a ground-lift equipped XLR output in one unit
• Bass players in Idaho Falls looking for the most comprehensively specified all-in-one bass drive and EQ platform EarthQuaker Devices has ever produced

Key Features

Tube Amp-Like Drive with Clean Blend Control
Tube-style saturation specifically voiced to preserve low-end clarity and fundamental weight, with a Blend control that mixes clean and overdriven signal in parallel — grit on top of a solid clean foundation rather than in place of it.

Bandwidth Control — Variable Clipping Frequency Emphasis
Counterclockwise rotation emphasizes warmer low-frequency clipping for thick, saturated low-end grind. Clockwise rotation shifts to tighter, more focused high-frequency clipping for a more present, aggressive overdrive character — the same gain amount, applied to a different part of the frequency spectrum.

Active EQ with Variable Frequency Control (20Hz–10kHz)
Active Bass, Middle, and Treble controls with center-detented flat positions, plus a Variable Frequency control that allows a boost or cut to be targeted at any frequency from 20Hz to 10kHz — more precise than any fixed-point midrange EQ control.

Deep, Process, and Bright Push-Button Voicing
Three push-button controls add 80Hz low-end reinforcement (Deep), a modern low-mid scoop for definition (Process), and a 5kHz attack and presence boost (Bright) — instant tonal character without adjusting the EQ knobs.

Effects Loop Between Drive and EQ Stages
A hardwired effects loop positioned after the drive and before the EQ allows external pedals to be placed in the signal chain post-drive while still being shaped by the final EQ stage — a sophisticated routing option rarely available in a single bass pedal.

Buffered Parallel Out and Balanced XLR Direct Output
The buffered Parallel Out sends an always-active clean signal to any external destination. The balanced XLR direct output includes analog speaker-style filtering for cabinet-approximated direct tone in ampless setups — plus a ground lift for hum management.

Two Independent Footswitches — Drive and EQ
Drive and EQ sections engage and disengage independently via separate footswitches, with relay-based true bypass on the drive side — maximum flexibility for using either or both sections in any combination.

Handbuilt in Akron, Ohio
Built one at a time by EarthQuaker Devices in Akron, Ohio using premium components — the same boutique craftsmanship applied to every pedal in the EQD lineup.

What's Included

• EarthQuaker Devices Scrolls Bass Odyssey EQ & Overdrive Pedal
• Free standard shipping

Note: 9V DC center-negative power supply (2.1mm barrel) sold separately.

Technical Specifications

Get Your Hands on This Bass Overdrive and EQ Pedal Today

The EarthQuaker Devices Scrolls Bass Odyssey is available now at No Limit Guitar Co in Idaho Falls. Stop in to work through the drive, EQ, and routing options in person, or reach out online to order yours — one pedal, every bass tone application covered.