EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainer Pedal with Tone Control (Water Blue)

The EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainer Pedal in Water Blue has loads of heavy distortion and smooth sustain with an underlying grit to it that sounds like the speakers are on the verge of ripping apart, all while still delivering amazing clarity that you wouldn’t expect from something this aggressively sounding. As you might expect, there is plenty of output gain on tap, so be careful. Unity is around 9-10 o’clock, and everything above that is set to destroy.

Elk BM Sustainar

The Hizumitas was designed for the one and only guitar sorceress, Wata, from the legendary band, Boris. The Hizumitas is a faithful sonic recreation of her go-to distortion, which has been a staple of her tone for many years: the Elk BM Sustainar. The Elk Sustainar is a Japanese variant of the more well-known 'Triangle' BMP. Heavy saturation with a gritty edge and a massive bottom, while still maintaining a clear and dynamic tone with enough mids and top end to cut through the sludge, are all the characteristics present in this pedal.

Sustain Control, Response, and Power Chords

The Sustain control has a wide range of saturation, even small changes will have a great effect on the overall tone. The Hizumitas has an excellent response to different pickup types and playing dynamics. Power chords sound huge and heavy, open chords are dynamic with fantastic note separation, and single-note leads are smooth and powerful, especially when using the neck pickup.

Tone Control

The Tone control is atypical for this type of distortion and can drastically change the distortion’s character in conjunction with the Sustain setting. This control has a massive effect on the character of the Hizumitas. Bass frequencies are boosted clockwise while treble frequencies are boosted when turned counterclockwise. The treble side can go from piercing highs to an aggressive mid-range grind. As the Tone is turned clockwise, the mids become less present, the highs are tamed, and a massive, thundering low-end comes to the forefront.