Electro-Harmonix / EHX Tube Zipper envelope filter and distortion (2001) - 300 epochs

The Electro-Harmonix Tube Zipper is a tube-based distortion and envelope filter pedal designed for guitar and other instruments. My unit still runs the stock EHX 12AX7 tubes, which remain lively and rock-solid. The pedal combines a classic tube overdrive circuit with an envelope filter section, featuring Drive, Master, Input Gain, and Modulation controls, letting you dial everything from subtle warmth to full-on aggression. The layout is intuitive, keeping the distortion and filter sections separate, and it retains the dynamic, touch-sensitive response unique to tube circuits. I love how hands-on it feels under the fingers. For this capture, I cranked Drive to 10, Master to 5, and Input Gain to 5, pushing it into a hybrid overdrive-distortion zone that hits like a Zappa riff. Every tweak of a knob changes the feel and response of the pedal instantly, and turning off modulation keeps the distortion clean and focused, letting the tube’s natural grit and compression do all the talking. It’s alive in a way that feels immediate and tactile, like the pedal is reacting to my picking rather than just processing it. Direct capture through my tube preamp equipped with the NOS Brimar 12AU7 / ECC82 WA brings out the Tube Zipper’s full harmonic richness and midrange punch. The final tonal character is punchy, aggressive, and dynamically expressive, capturing that raw, tube-driven bite while retaining the subtle responsiveness that makes it fun to play.