Earthquaker Devices The Warden V2 Optical Compressor Pedal

Fresh from the claustrophobic confines of EarthQuaker Devices' maximum security wing in Akron, Ohio, comes an all-new and upgraded version of The Warden, a mean-as-they-come optical compressor with a feature set usually reserved for studio grade compression units, including high-grade components and an internal 18v power unit.

So, What's New?

The Warden V2 is home to a few neat little upgrades in comparison to its previous incarnation, including enhanced long-term durability and a new soft-click relay switching system.

In addition to an all-new soft-click relay switching system, the Warden V2 also has a brand-new Flexi-Switch. This means that in addition to the familiar "On/Off" switching you would normally get with an effects pedal, you now have the option of using the Momentary operation, effectively adding just a quick and effective burst of altered sound into your playing without the need to look like you're Riverdancing.

Squeezes your tone 'til it promises to behave

The Warden has plenty of gain and sustain on tap, giving you bags of control over the attack, release, sustain and ratio to produce a nice "not-quite-absent-but-almost" subtle compression, up to a nice, heavy, heavily squashed sound with fast attack and release. Here's a more indepth look at the controls:

• Tone boosts or cuts the Treble to add some slight colouration to your tone
• Level is where you control the overall output. This setting is affected by both Sustain and Ratio, so bear this in mind when twiddling with those knobs
• Sustain is the heart and soul of the Warden. With this control you determine just how hot the signal is, changing the dynamics of the compression (the higher the Sustain setting, the heavier the compression levels)
• Ratio is how you set the levels at which the gain reduction affects the signal (max setting is full compression)
• Attack controls the speed in which the compressor reacts and begins leveling the signal
• And finally, Release is where you'd state just how long you want the signal to take in raising back up to the level determined by Sustain and Ratio

To sum up: the Warden V2 is a hand-made, professional-grade compression unit, with features that you'd normally only see on compressors in a studio, and is small enough to fit snuggly on any pedalboard with ease.

If you have any queries as to the availability of this awesome pedal, please contact our online sales team directly.

Highlights

• Optical compressor
• Enhanced feature set enabling control over parameters typically reserved for studio grade units
• Delivers everything from subtle sparkly studio compression to a tight chicken-pickin' squash
• True bypass - Silent relay-based switching
• All Analog signal path
• Top-mounted jacks - for effortless pedalboard implementation

Features

• Controls: Tone, Level, Sustain, Ratio, Attack & Release
• Power: 9v DC
• Dimensions: 4.625" x 2.5" x 2.25" with knobs

All pedals from EarthQuaker Devices take a standard 9v DC power supply with negative centre barrel. We recommend that you use a pedal-specific, transformer-isolated power adapter as they help filter out any unwanted noise from unclean signals. Do NOT run this pedal at higher voltages than specified. The current draw of The Warden is 20 mA