The Crushing Power of the Life Pedal — Now Half the Size
The Guitar Sanctuary is proud to welcome an absolute modern titan to EarthQuaker Devices' permanent production lineup: the Sunn O))) HalfLife Octave Distortion + Booster. Born from the smoke and thunder of the legendary Life Metal recording sessions captured by engineer Steve Albini, the HalfLife packs the world-shaking sonic identity of the full-sized Life Pedal V3 into a highly practical, pedalboard-friendly chassis.
Co-developed directly with drone-metal pioneers Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson, this three-headed gain beast delivers massive, decadent saturation, brutal clipping dynamics, and harmonic feedback bliss designed to push premium tube amplifiers straight into total overload ecstasy.
Why We Love It (Sanctuary Expert Note) "If you've ever lusted after the massive, room-levelling walls of sound produced by a vintage Sunn O))) Model T amplifier full stack, the HalfLife is your golden ticket. EQD head designer Jamie Stillman didn't just shrink the circuit; he meticulously refined the analog octave section, giving it a cleaner, more pronounced tracking response while fully preserving the subterranean low-end punch that heavy music demands."
The Three-Headed Gain Circuit Anatomy
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The Input Stage (Analog Octave Fuzz): An all-discrete full-wave rectifier octave-up effect inspired by the historic Shin-Ei FY2 and FY6 units. The blendable dial can transform your signal from subtle note definition to a swelling, chaotic Super Fuzz-style fury.
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The Distortion Stage (Classic "Rodent" Saturation): Modeled faithfully after the revered, vintage "White Face" rodent distortion device with a low-pass Filter sweeping from 500 Hz to 30 kHz.
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The Output Stage (MOSFET Clean Boost): A 100% clean, high-impedance "Magnitude" booster designed to smash your preamp tubes without altering your core tonal coloration.
3-Way Multi-Clipping Toggle Options
To adapt effortlessly to any boutique guitar rig, the HalfLife features three distinct clipping behaviors:
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OpAmp Mode (No Diodes): Pure, uncompressed operational-amplifier assault at maximum volume. Ideal for devastatingly loud, grinding rhythm tracking.
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Asymmetrical Mode (Two Silicon Diodes + One LED): A smoother, slightly compressed crunch that beautifully mimics the organic sag and response of a cooking valve amp.
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Symmetrical Mode (Stock Double Silicon Diodes): The classic, compressed, tight rodent-style crunch that has defined heavy rock and doom for decades.
Technical Specifications Matrix
- Instrument Type: Octave Distortion & Boost
- Best For: Doom Metal, Stoner Rock, Sludge, Experimental Noise, and Avant-Garde Studio Tracking
- Tone Profile: Aggressive, Punchy, Vintage-Voiced, Compressed, and Brutally Saturated
- Compared To: EarthQuaker Devices Life Pedal V3, ProCo RAT2, Shin-Ei Super Fuzz
- Switching Technology: Proprietary EQD Flexi-Switch® relay-based true bypass (simultaneous momentary and latching operation)
- Control Layout: Octave (O), Filter (F), Distortion (D), Magnitude (MAG), 3-Way Clipping Switch
- Expression Control: 1/4" Expression pedal input specifically mapped to sweep the analog octave blend hands-free
- Power Requirements: 9VDC center-negative power supply, 15 mA current draw (Do not run at higher voltages!)
- Dimensions: 5.00" x 2.75" x 2.25" (127 mm x 70 mm x 57 mm)
- Origin: Designed and hand-assembled in the dark corridors of Akron, Ohio, USA
Dimensions: 5.00 × 2.75 x 2.25 in. (127 × 70 x 57 mm) with knobs
Current Draw: 15 mA
Octave Distortion
Input Impedance: 1 MΩ
Output Impedance: <1 kΩ
Booster
Input Impedance: 500 kΩ
Output Impedance: <1 kΩ
Flexi-Switch® Technology
This device features Flexi-Switch® Technology! This relay-based, true bypass switching style allows you to simultaneously use momentary and latching style switching.
• For standard latching operation: tap the footswitch once to activate the effect and then tap again to bypass.
• For momentary operation: hold the footswitch down for as long as you’d like to use the effect. Once you release the switch the effect will be bypassed.
Since the switching is relay based, it requires power to pass signal.
Power
This device takes a standard 9 volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel. We always recommend pedal-specific, transformer-isolated wall-wart power supplies or multiple isolated-output supplies. Pedals will make extra noise if there is ripple or unclean power. Switching-type power supplies, daisy chains and non-pedal specific power supplies do not filter dirty power as well and let through unwanted noise. DO NOT RUN AT HIGHER VOLTAGES!
Artwork by Stephen O’Malley
Irradiated rat fossil drawing by Savage Pencil
We are open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am until 6pm CDT.
Any order placed before 3pm CDT Tuesday through Saturday is processed for shipment the same day. Orders placed Sunday-Monday will be processed for shipment the following Tuesday.
For Free Shipping items, Effects pedals and small goods items are generally shipped via USPS Priority Mail, and Guitars and Amplifiers are generally shipped via UPS Ground.
Due to our central location in the middle of the US, most orders will be delivered within 1-3 days delivery time.
Other shipping methods are available (at an additional cost), including next day air.
Please call us directly at (972)540-6420 if you have any questions regarding shipping for your order.
