Earthquaker Scrolls

A Collaboration Designed as an "Atlas" of Bass Sounds

Created in partnership with Kentaro Nakao, the Scrolls embraces a very musical approach: rather than a single-character effect, it is a tool capable of recreating rig sensations and taking you on a journey through the electric bass universe. The idea is simple: to provide bassists with a modern pedal, precise enough to fit a "recording" aesthetic and inspiring enough to move from a Motown sound to rock or metal textures without losing the foundation of the low spectrum.
The nod to the "flip-top" sound with a 15-inch speaker perfectly illustrates its philosophy: to recover that generous low midrange, natural compression, and presence that "holds" in a mix, while maintaining the freedom to explore much more contemporary and aggressive tones.

For Which Bassist and Styles?

The Scrolls is aimed at bassists who want to master their sonic identity and no longer rely solely on amp or console EQ. It suits both progressing musicians (who want to understand how EQ and gain truly transform their playing) and seasoned bassists seeking a reliable preamp / EQ / saturation for live and studio use.
In blues, soul, funk, and pop, it helps place the bass "up front" with clean lows, clear mids, and controlled attack. In rock, it adds harmonic density to better cut through the mix without bloating the low end. In metal, its gain approach aims to preserve wide, intact lows-a crucial point when guitars already occupy a lot of space.
On a pedalboard, it can become the heart of your sound: a pedal that stabilizes your signal, harmonizes the output of passive or active basses, and provides a consistent "reference point" from one stage or session to another.

Controls and Architecture: Sculpting, Routing, Saturating

The Scrolls focuses on comprehensive EQ controls with extremely customizable frequencies: the goal is to treat the bass like in the studio, precisely adjusting the fundamental range, midrange definition, and air in the high spectrum. This precision serves both to correct room or backline issues and to shape an aesthetic (vintage, modern, hi-fi, rougher).
Its flexible routing facilitates integration into many setups: classic effects chain into the amp input, rig oriented as a preamp, or used as a shaping tool before other saturations, modulations, and ambience effects. The idea is to avoid the feeling of a "finicky pedal": the Scrolls is designed to adapt to your system, not the other way around.
Finally, the tube-style gain channel is designed to be versatile: from subtle warmth (harmonics, slight compression, presence) to more pronounced saturation. Above all, the philosophy is clear: even when pushing the gain, the bass must remain wide, deep, and intact, with a low end that doesn't collapse and dynamics that respond to your touch (fingers, pick, slap).

The Sound

The Scrolls is characterized by a very sculptable signature: it can remain relatively transparent when mainly balancing the instrument, or become more colored as soon as saturation and more pronounced EQ curves are used. In a vintage register, you can aim for a round bass centered on the low mids, with a soft attack and a thickness reminiscent of classic takes.
Conversely, in a modern context, it can deliver a tighter, edgier sound, with biting mids and presence that help the bass stay intelligible in dense arrangements. The "tube-style" saturation adds useful harmonics for note clarity while preserving the foundation: a key point to avoid the "distortion eating the lows" effect.
Result: whether you seek the precise sound of a California-born bass pushed through a vintage combo, or the bite of an active bass in a transistor stack, the Scrolls is designed to give you the right character and the right foundation, with responsiveness that follows your playing.

Technical specifications

Effects	EQ, Distortion / Overdrive / Fuzz, Preamp	Type	sector
Technology	Analog	Use	electric guitar
Format	Pedal	Color	Multicolor
EQ	3 channels

Signal shaping tool

preamp / equalization / saturation