ORIGIN EFFECTS

M-EQ Driver pedal

- DAVE HUNTER

BRITISH MAKER ORIGIN Effects ascended quickly into the upper echelon of high-end boutique pedal makers largely with its Cali76 compressor, based on the legendary Urei 1176 studio rack compressor. They're back at it with the new M-EQ Driver, which channels another classic processor, the vaunted Pultec passive EQ made famous in the 1950s for its ability to sweeten and boost, in particular, a signal's midrange.

Rather than tap the Pultec circuit purely for its frequency-adjusting capabilities, Origin takes advantage of the original circuit's ability to drive a signal into sweet, harmonically saturated distortion. It's a low-gain overdrive at best, but a succulent and musically enriching effect that has become as much a part of the Pultec's magic as its EQ capabilities themselves. Put it all together, and the Origin M-EQ Driver is an enticing mid-boost and drive pedal that speaks to some highly creative design thinking before you've even plugged it in.