EAE Beholder

[Erik S]

Build Rating

4.00 star(s)

I don’t remember exactly why I bought this.
Probably someone here posted about it and it sounded interesting. I do remember finding out about EAE, and thinking they were a cool company doing cool stuff, and seemed to have the right approach to interacting with the DIY community.

It’s a fuzz into a belton reverb with a momentary switch for drone/ feedback. The demos I was able to find honestly weren't very compelling, and it says right on the silkscreen that you’re probably going to hate it. I went in with very low expectations.

So far I like it better than I thought I would. It’s a weird effect, but it seems usable at less extreme settings, and the momentary ramp up is fun.

The boards are nice and the docs are very good. Also came with one of the coolest stickers in the game. I ignored the other board they have for sale since it included some smd stuff, but I got a hot air station recently, so I might go back and check that one out too.

I like this fancy color from stompboxparts a lot. I’ll probably keep battling to find some good sounds just because I like the look of it.

EDIT: Just realized I described this effect backwards! It’s a reverb into a fuzz, not the other way around. That’s why it’s a weird pedal. Fuzz into reverb wouldn’t be weird at all.

 

[drgonzo1969]

Nice! I bought one of these boards and the smd boost they have. Still haven’t put them together yet. Both are about halfway done haha. Still need to buy a brick and the smd components.

 

[mkstewartesq]

Wait - is the lettering on the enclosure … handwritten? It looks amazing.

 

[Erik S]

Wait - is the lettering on the enclosure … handwritten? It looks amazing.

Thanks! It is done with a pen, but not exactly handwritten. It’s done with an old K&E Leroy lettering set. They used to use em for lettering hand drawn/ drafted documents.

I did a write up on it a while back. I’ve since abandoned the step with the masking tape, but I’m still using the same lettering rig.

Obsessive pedal lettering

First off, a disclaimer: I don’t mean to recommend this method to anyone. The last time I posted about this someone said they tracked one of these lettering sets down on eBay, and I worry that I led them down a frustrating path. This is slow, complicated, and difficult, and there are about 1000...

forum.pedalpcb.com

 

[Fama]

The demos I was able to find honestly weren't very compelling, and it says right on the silkscreen that you’re probably going to hate it.

Ahh, but technically they didn't say that, they said other people would hate your music you make with this pedal!

Speaking of which, any demo possibilities?

A very nice and clean looking build inside and outside!

 

[Erik S]

Ahh, but technically they didn't say that, they said other people would hate your music you make with this pedal!

True! Also accurate. My friend stopped by while I was testing it. He said it was making him feel sick, but I was having fun.

Speaking of which, any demo possibilities?

I am not a demo-maker, but there are some samples on the EAE page:

Beholder — Electronic Audio Experiments

www.electronicaudioexperiments.com

None of the demos I found spent much time with the reverb turned down low which is where I like it. I also used pn2222a transistors instead of the 2n2222. I didn’t measure them, but I suspect they may be higher gain than the ones in the original. Mine gets gated at the upper end of the gain knob which is fun, and is extra weird with the reverb going into it.

A very nice and clean looking build inside and outside!

Thanks!