Specifications

Bypass: Soft-touch relay switching with true bypass.

Input impedance @ 1 kHz: ~1MΩ

Output impedance @ 1 kHz: <25kΩ

Power: 9V DC, center negative, <50mA current at idle. We recommend a regulated, isolated power supply rated for 100 mA minimum. The PSU input is protected against reverse polarity and over-voltage. Our pedals do not accept batteries.

Dimensions: 6.75” x 3.5” x 2”

Weight: 1.5 lbs

Dirge x Obstructures x EAE - BALANCE

BALANCE was produced in a single batch in Summer/Fall 2026.
This page is retained for archival purposes.

Read the full story here, or watch the minidoc below.

Balance exists because we have been collaborating with Evan at Dirge Electronics for a long time, and we wanted to do something particularly special. We had a very small quantity of leftover 0xEAE enclosures that we had earmarked for a unique project.

With Evan’s retirement from pedals on the horizon, Nate and Matt from Obstructures pitched an in-person collaboration. Together, we designed a pedal specifically to suit Evan’s singular playing style: dynamic and abrasive, but richly textured and fun to play. We voiced it together in the shop, and Evan finished all the enclosures by hand.

Nominally a modified silicon transistor take on a percolator-style fuzz, we expanded the design with an input buffer (to maximize the already huge amount of gain), an aggressive treble shelving network at the input, a James tone stack for extreme frequency changes, and an LM386 at the output for extra volume and saturation.

Even hand-painted and engraved each Balance at our shop in MA. Every unit has a unique paint splatter pattern. The drop cloth used for the painting process was cut into pieces and incorporated into the packaging.

Controls

  • Volume - overall volume level, capable of extremely high output

  • Gain - slide left for cleanish, clangy vibes. Slide right to destroy.

  • Treble - high freq shelving filter; subdued or piercing.

  • Bass - low freq shelving filter; strangled or rumbly.

  • Footswitch: Effect activator. Intelligent momentary/latching.

This thing is deceptively complex for having only four sliders. Everything is interactive! It makes more sense if you watch the demo.