Earthquaker Hizumitas

The Essentials to Know About the EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas Pedal

• Massive "Muff"-type fuzz: thick saturation, long sustain, and rough grain, designed for heavy riffs as well as singing leads.


• Wata (Boris) Signature: faithful recreation of her Elk BM Sustainar, featuring a rare blend of huge low end and surprising clarity.


• 3 controls, huge palette: Volume, Sustain, and an atypical Tone that radically transforms the bass/treble balance.


• True relay bypass: silent switching, but requires power to pass the signal.

From the Elk BM Sustainar to the Hizumitas: a Cult Fuzz Updated for Today

The Hizumitas was born from a simple yet formidable request: to capture the DNA of Wata's personal fuzz, a key figure in the sound walls of Boris. This pedal is inspired by an Elk BM Sustainar, a Japanese variant of the "Triangle" spirit popularized by Big Muff-type fuzzes. The challenge is that from one unit to another, these vintage circuits and their derivatives can sound very different.

EarthQuaker Devices therefore worked from the original pedal to rediscover what makes its magic: a heavily charged saturation, a grainy quality almost like a speaker on the verge of breakup, a huge low end, while retaining enough mids and highs to cut through a dense mix. The result: a fuzz tailored for heaviness, yet surprisingly clear when you manage the attack and Tone setting.

Who Is the Hizumitas For?

The Hizumitas targets guitarists (or bassists) looking for a fuzz with a strong character, capable of filling space without collapsing into mud. It excels in doom, stoner, sludge, noise, shoegaze, post-rock, alt rock, and any context where you want chords that "breathe" while remaining gigantic.

It suits both beginners (thanks to an ultra-simple interface) and experienced musicians, who will appreciate its response to dynamics and pickups: it reacts very differently depending on whether you play single coils, humbuckers, neck pickup for creamy leads, or bridge pickup for more biting attacks. In the studio, it fits easily into an arrangement; live, it delivers immediate impact on a pedalboard oriented towards big sound.

Simple Controls, Extreme Reactions

The Hizumitas goes straight to the point with three potentiometers, each with a marked influence. The Volume offers a large level reserve: volume balance typically sits around 9 to 10 o'clock, and beyond that, the pedal can push an amp or the next stage in your chain very hard. The Sustain acts as a gain and compression control: small adjustments are enough to change density, hold, and the sensation of a "wall."

The heart of the model's personality lies in the deliberately atypical Tone: turning it to the right emphasizes bass and darkens the overall sound, with a thunderous low end; turning it to the left brings out more treble and attack, up to more incisive textures. Combined with Sustain, this Tone allows you to shift from a thick, dark fuzz to a sharper fuzz, ideal for cutting through a busy mix.

Regarding bypass, switching is handled by a true relay bypass: it's silent and reliable, but the pedal must be powered to pass the signal (even in bypass). It is powered by 9 V DC center negative and must not be used at higher voltages.

The Sound

The Hizumitas stands out with a heavy, saturated, and very sustaining fuzz, with an underlying grain reminiscent of a stressed speaker cone, while maintaining an astonishing note separation for this gain level. Power chords become immense, open chords retain definition, and single-note lines take on a "singing" and thick dimension, especially on the neck pickup.

Its sonic signature is particularly appreciated in massive and textured registers, which explains why it is found in genres ranging from experimental rock to atmospheric metal. Among musicians associated with this pedal are notably Wata (Boris), as well as artists known for their approach to textures and big sound like Jonny Greenwood, Buzz Osborne, Neige, and Frank Iero. On an already warm amp, it thickens and stretches saturation; on a cleaner amp, it builds an immediately usable fuzz wall. If you like sculpting a dark "carpet fuzz," the Tone turned right is a delight; if you want more bite and presence, bring it left and let the pedal express the attack.

Technical specifications

Effects	Fuzz, Effects	Type	sector
Technology	Analog	Use	electric guitar
Format	Pedal	Color	Purple

Dimensions	121 x 64 x 57 mm (with knobs)	Output impedance	less than 10 kOhm
Effect type	fuzz	Required power supply	9 V DC, center negative, 2.1 mm barrel connector
Switching	true relay bypass (power required to pass signal)	Consumption	10 mA
Input impedance	approximately 150 kOhm	Usage	do not use with higher voltage