EarthQuaker Devices Sunn O))) HalfLife Octave Distortion + Booster

The Octave Fuzz, Distortion, and Booster that Pushes Your Vintage Tube Amp to the Brink

The EarthQuaker Devices Sunn O))) HalfLife is no ordinary effects pedal. It's a three-part weapon in one compact enclosure, developed in collaboration with drone-metal legends Sunn O))) and inspired by the sessions for the album Life Metal. For those seeking controlled chaos, massive saturation, and a booster that literally pushes your tube amp over the edge, this is your solution.

At the heart of the HalfLife is a distortion meticulously recreated from the classic 'White Face' circuit, complemented by three clipping options: no diodes for a full Op Amp attack, asymmetrical (two silicon diodes + one LED) for a smooth, tube-amp-like crunch, and the classic dual silicon diode configuration. The analog octave section is a fully discrete full-wave rectifier circuit that gradually blends in the octave effect and can even be controlled via an expression pedal. Play single notes above the twelfth fret on the neck pickup, and the HalfLife sounds like a classic Super Fuzz at its best. The 'Magnitude' booster is a pure clean, MOSFET-based boost with no added color, but with enough output to drive your preamp tubes into full saturation. The signal path runs from Octave to Distortion to Boost, each with its own footswitch.

The HalfLife features two independent footswitches (octave/distortion on the right, booster on the left), an expression input for the octave section, a three-way clipping switch, and standard 9V DC power. The pedal is the mass-production successor to the limited edition Sunn O))) HalfLife Fer MMXXV, which came in a cast-iron enclosure produced using the ancient Nanbu-tekki technique. For those who want to explore the boundary between distortion and cosmic chaos, this is where to start.