A collaboration between Electro-Harmonix, JHS Pedals, and acclaimed artist/illustrator Daniel Danger, the Lizard Queen is a fire-breather of an octave fuzz pedal straight out of EHX’s early ’70s golden age. The Lizard Queen has a fully blendable analog octave-up effect that will take you anywhere from a slight clang to maxed-out, vintage-octave madness. In lieu of a standard tone control, the Lizard Queen’s Balance knob features two distinct sonic voices at each end of the knob’s spectrum, functioning as a hybrid tone/gain control that unlocks myriad hard-clipped sounds to savor. The Lizard Queen pedal features a fixed-level fuzz circuit fine-tuned for maximum wall-of-sound might. For an idea that began life as a vintage-inspired daydream between JHS founder Josh Scott and Daniel Danger, the EHX Lizard Queen is truly a top-class octave fuzz pedal that’s earned its regal reptile status in the Electro-Harmonix pedal pantheon!

Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen at a Glance:

• Unique transistor-based octave fuzz distortion circuit designed by Josh Scott
• Blendable Octave to dial in the analog octave chaos
• Balance control adjusts between smooth sustaining tones and raspy fuzz tones
• 1970s Electro-Harmonix graphic designed by Daniel Danger
• True Bypass
• 9V Battery included (9V adapter optional)

The legend of the Lizard Queen

So, what’s the story behind the Lizard Queen’s JHS-meets EHX collaboration? In 2022, Josh Scott, founder of JHS Pedals and arguably the world’s foremost pedal historian, teamed up with artist Daniel Danger to create a pedal-themed love letter to Electro-Harmonix. Their idea was to design a “lost EHX pedal” that retained all the brand’s ’70s-era hallmarks, then build that pedal exactly how the company would have built it back in the day, right down to the mail-order font and screen-printed logo. At the end of the video dedicated to the pedal’s story, Josh and Daniel jokingly muse about how cool it would be if their creation wound up becoming a real Electro-Harmonix pedal one day. Mike Matthews, the ever-benevolent founder of Electro-Harmonix, has answered their call: Josh and Daniel’s vintage-inspired, reptile-themed pedal is now a full-fledged Electro-Harmonix creation!

All-analog octave-up control

Unlike the simple on/off switch found on most vintage-style octave-fuzz pedals, the Lizard Queen’s analog octave-up knob allows for a far greater range of fuzzy experimentation. From standard no-octave fuzz carnage to all-out analog octave madness, the Lizard Queen’s Octave knob adds a serious dose of vintage-inspired vibe to your every note.

Unique fixed-gain fuzz design

Die-hard fuzz fans are sure to notice that while the Lizard Queen boasts a full knob dedicated to the octave effect, the pedal comes equipped with the iconic 3-knob control scheme. Instead of the gain-controlling “Sustain” knob found on some fuzzes, the Lizard Queen’s fuzz is set to a fixed level — the crushed and clipped wall-of-sound fuzz. And while it may be non-adjustable, Music Experience guitarists found the Lizard Queen’s gain, feel, and response to be highly reactive regarding how you configure the pedal’s other two controls, in addition to your guitar’s volume knob.

Balance your tone between Sun and Shadow

No mere tone knob, Josh Scott describes the Lizard Queen’s Balance knob as “not a tone control, but it affects the tone; not a gain control, but it affects the gain.” The knob’s two poles, “Shadow” and “Sun,” radically alter the Lizard Queen’s demeanor from a smooth-yet-heavy wallop to a searing treble-heavy bite. It offers a near-endless assortment of sounds to shift between, but that’s only half the fun — blending in the Lizard Queen’s Octave signal drastically changes the character of the Balance control, especially on the control’s highest settings.

What Electro-Harmonix Says...

Originally designed by Josh Scott of JHS Pedals and graphic designer, Daniel Danger as a homage to Electro-Harmonix in what Josh and Daniel consider the company’s design heyday of the 1970s, the EHX Lizard Queen Octave Fuzz is a nano-sized version of the pedal brought to life by the engineers at Electro-Harmonix that has all of the tones and vibes of the original circuit design by Josh. The tone is inspired by EHX’s fuzz pedigree with a unique analog octave up circuit that has all the vibe of the original design first featured on the JHS Show in 2022. This creates a completely new and unique EHX fuzz sound we’ve never heard before. To further tell the tale, the pedal is adorned with vintage EHX-inspired graphics designed by Daniel. Housed in EHX’s Nano-sized chassis, the EHX Lizard Queen is a fixed gain fuzz pedal which features Volume, Octave, and Balance knobs. Volume controls the overall output volume level. The Octave control adjusts the level of the octave-up signal from zero to full octave chaos. Perfect for dialing in a crushing rhythm sound or a chimey, clanging lead sound. The Balance knob sets the tone balance between the smoother Shadow setting and the raspy, biting Sun setting. The effect of the Balance control is especially apparent with the octave set high.