Conclusion:
I’m a known D*A*M fan-boi so remember to take my views with that in mind. The Zeke is a unique piece of kit that covers a vast range of sonic territory and is unlike anything else that I’ve tried. The full range blend 0-100% means you can mix to whatever you heart desires while retaining low-end punch (or not!). This comes at a cost though, as every knob on the pedal can impact final volume so when you fiddle with one knob, you have to fiddle with the level knob as well.
The gain knob sees it’s largest usability when set to at least the 12 o’clock mark. Settings below that are often subtle to the point of being non-existent. The filter knob also had a limited useful range in my experience where settings about the 12 o’clock mark were a bit muted and had the ‘blanket over my amp’ sound.
The ‘flavor’ knob acted a little bit different than I was expecting but provides cascading levels of gain as you move through the settings, rather than clear ‘modes’. My active and passive basses each responded a little differently to this configuration. With the passive P there was a clear progression as you moved through the flavors, each one presenting ‘more’. With my active J, overdrive and distortion responded that way, but ‘Furious Anger’ and ‘Great Vengeance’ acted more as extremely high gain dirty boosts without the same level of fuzziness I got with the P. I don’t know if this is unique to my pedal & bass combination, but rather than sounding ‘weak’ or ‘bad’ it’s just totally different! So your mileage may vary.
The question of value for a pedal like this is a difficult one. Are there unique sounds here that no other pedal can duplicate? Probably not. Are there a unique SET of sounds here that no other pedal can duplicate? Yes. Is it harder to get and more expensive than a Schuman PLL? No, it isn’t. Could you buy 5-10 other pedals with what it will cost you? Yes.
As always, if you have any questions, leave a comment or let me know
Note: A rating of 5 = acceptable and should considered a ‘good’ basic score
Versatility: 8
Sound: 7
Value: 3
Overall: 6
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After A/B ing the Zeke and the Blackstone, I still prefer the later and the Blackstone remains at the top of my dirt box list.
After A/B ing the Zeke and the Blackstone, I still prefer the later and the Blackstone remains at the top of my dirt box list.