EarthQuaker Devices Scrolls Bass Odyssey Pedal
The EarthQuaker Devices Scrolls Bass Odyssey Pedal is like having every bass tone you’ve ever wanted in one compact box. Whether you play smooth vintage grooves or heavy modern riffs, this pedal helps you shape your sound exactly the way you hear it in your head. It’s built for bass players who want flexibility without hauling extra gear, making it perfect for gigs, practice, or recording at home.
EarthQuaker Scrolls Bass Odyssey Review
The EarthQuaker Devices Scrolls Bass Odyssey Pedal is not just another bass pedal you toss onto your board and forget about. It feels more like a complete tone-shaping system built specifically for players who want control, flexibility, and consistency in any situation. At its core, this pedal combines two powerful sections, a drive circuit and a full EQ, working together to help you build a sound that fits exactly what you need, whether you are playing live, recording, or practicing at home.
The drive section delivers a wide range of tones, from light warmth to full-on grit. What makes it especially useful for bass players is how well it preserves the low end. The Blend control plays a big role here, letting you mix your clean signal with the driven tone, so your bass never loses its foundation. You can push the Drive control for more aggression, then fine-tune the feel with the Bandwidth knob, which changes where the distortion is most active. This means you can keep things thick and round for vintage tones or tighten everything up for a sharper, more modern sound. The Tone control then helps you shape the top end, making it easy to dial in just the right amount of brightness or smoothness.
On the EQ side, Scrolls gives you a deep level of control without feeling overwhelming. You get the familiar Bass, Middle, and Treble knobs, but the real standout is the Variable Frequency system. This allows you to select a specific frequency range and boost or cut it, giving you the ability to clean up muddy lows, enhance punchy mids, or add clarity to the highs. It covers a very wide range, so you are not stuck making broad changes. Instead, you can make precise adjustments that really refine your tone. The addition of quick switches like Deep, Bright, and Process makes things even easier by letting you shape your sound instantly without needing to tweak multiple knobs.
Another strength of this pedal is how well it fits into different setups. The signal flow places the drive before the EQ, which is a natural and musical arrangement, and the built-in effects loop sits right between them. This allows you to insert other effects, such as modulation, without compromising your tone's clarity or balance. The always-on Parallel Out is also a great feature, providing a clean signal path to another amp or device. This can be especially useful in live situations where you want both a processed and a clean tone simultaneously.
Connectivity is where Scrolls really proves its versatility. You can run it into a traditional bass amp using the standard output, or go straight to a mixer or recording interface using the balanced XLR output. The XLR includes subtle analog filtering that helps your signal sound more like it is coming from a real speaker cabinet, a huge advantage for ampless setups. Whether you are playing on stage, going direct at a venue, or recording at home, this pedal is ready to handle it.
Build quality is what you would expect from EarthQuaker Devices. Each unit is made one at a time and features an all-analog signal path, helping preserve the natural character of your instrument. The switching is solid and reliable, with true bypass on the drive section, so your tone stays intact when the pedal is off.
In real-world use, the Scrolls Bass Odyssey stands out because it removes limitations. Instead of being tied to one style or one rig, you can adapt your tone on the fly and still sound consistent. It is the kind of pedal that can replace multiple pieces of gear while giving you even more control. For bass players who want a single, powerful solution for shaping their sound, this pedal delivers in a big way.
EQD Scrolls Bass Odyssey Effect Pedal Controls
Drive Footswitch
This footswitch activates or bypasses the drive section of the pedal. It lets you quickly switch between a clean tone and a driven sound during a song, making it easy to add impact to certain parts without adjusting your settings.
EQ Footswitch
Engages the EQ section so you can apply your tone shaping controls. This is useful when you want to switch between a flat sound and a carefully sculpted tone for different sections of your performance.
Drive Level
Controls the output volume of the drive channel. You can use this to match your clean and driven levels or push your signal slightly louder when the drive is active for added presence.
Blend
Blends your clean bass signal with the driven tone. This control is key for bass players, as it helps retain clarity and low-end power even when adding heavy distortion.
Drive
Adjusts the amount of gain applied to your signal. Lower settings add subtle warmth and grit, while higher settings deliver a more aggressive and saturated tone.
Bandwidth
Determines where the distortion is most focused in your signal. Turning it down emphasizes lower frequencies for a smoother, rounder tone, while turning it up shifts the focus to higher frequencies for a tighter, more cutting sound.
Tone
Acts as a high-end filter for the drive section. Turning it down softens the top end for a warmer sound, while turning it up keeps your tone bright and clear.
EQ Level
Sets the overall output level when the EQ section is active. This helps you balance your volume when switching the EQ on or off, or use it as a slight boost.
Vari
Boosts or cuts the frequency selected by the Vari Freq control. It allows you to either highlight or reduce specific parts of your tone for better clarity or balance.
Vari Freq
This knob allows you to choose the exact frequency you want to adjust. With a full range, you can target deep lows, mids, and high-end frequencies with precision.
Bass
Adjusts the low-frequency content of your signal. Increasing it adds more depth and fullness, while reducing it can tighten your sound and remove unwanted boominess.
Middle
Controls the midrange frequencies, which are crucial for helping your bass cut through a mix. Boosting mids adds presence, while cutting them can create a smoother, more modern tone.
Treble
Adjusts the high frequencies in your signal. Raising it adds clarity and attack, while lowering it softens the overall brightness.
Deep Switch
Adds a boost to the low end, giving your tone more weight and fullness. This is especially useful when you want a bigger sound without adjusting multiple controls.
Process Switch
Applies a midrange scoop for a more modern and polished tone. This can help create a cleaner sound that sits well in certain musical styles.
Bright Switch
Boosts the high frequencies to add sparkle and definition. It helps bring out details in your playing, especially when using darker tones.
Parallel Out
Provides a clean, unaffected version of your signal at all times. This allows you to send your dry tone to another amp, pedal chain, or tuner while still using the pedal’s effects.
Direct Out
Offers a balanced XLR output for direct connection to a mixer, interface, or PA system. It includes a built-in analog cabinet simulation with subtle filtering to give your signal a real-amp sound when going direct.
Ground Lift
Helps eliminate unwanted noise or hum when using the XLR output. Engaging it can clean up your signal in live or studio environments where grounding issues may occur.
EarthQuaker Devices Scrolls Preamp Pedal Features
- Lets you shape your bass tone for almost any style of music
- Built-in drive adds warmth and punch without losing low end
- Easy-to-use controls help you dial in your sound quickly
- Works great for live shows, studio use, or practice setups
- Sends a clean signal out while still shaping your main tone
- Compact design that fits neatly on your pedalboard
EarthQuaker Scrolls Pre-Amp Specs
- Requires a 9-volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center
- Current draw 70 mA
- All analog signal path that features true bypass switching
- Relay-based switching for the drive section
- Balanced XLR direct output with cabinet-style filtering
- Input and output impedance optimized for bass signal clarity
What’s in the box of our EQD Scrolls Bass Preamp Pedal?
- EarthQuaker Devices Scrolls Bass Odyssey Pedal
- Quick start guide
- Pedal box
- Cloth pedal bag
- EarthQuaker Devices sticker
- DeathCloud merch
- Candy
EarthQuaker Scrolls Preamp Dimensions
- Height: 2.25 inches
- Width: 4.5 inches
- Depth: 4.75 inches
- Weight: 1.16 lbs
