The EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainar is a huge, saturated fuzz developed in collaboration with Wata of Boris, recreating the distinctive sound of her long-serving vintage Elk BM Sustainar.

Rather than working from a generic vintage circuit, EarthQuaker Devices analysed Wata's actual pedal. What they found was a particularly distinctive example with massive bottom end, heavy saturation and an underlying gritty distortion character, while still retaining enough mids, top end and dynamics to cut through a dense mix.

The result is the Hizumitas: enormous power chords, smooth sustaining leads and thunderous low end, but with considerably more note separation than you might expect from such an aggressive fuzz.

It's an obvious choice for doom, sludge, stoner rock, shoegaze, psychedelic, noise and experimental guitar, but the responsive Sustain and powerful Tone controls give it plenty of scope beyond extreme settings.

Why Choose the EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas? Based on Wata's Own Elk BM Sustainar

This is the most important part of the Hizumitas story.

During development, EQD tested several vintage BMP and Elk circuits and discovered substantial variation between individual examples. To accurately reproduce Wata's sound, she sent them the actual vintage Elk BM Sustainar she'd been using for years.

The Hizumitas was then voiced to recreate the characteristics of that particular pedal.

That gives it a more specific identity than a generic vintage-style fuzz recreation.

Huge Low End Without Losing Definition

The Hizumitas is capable of serious saturation.

Expect:

• Massive low-frequency response
• Thick fuzz and distortion
• Long sustain
• Gritty attack
• Powerful harmonic content
• Excellent power-chord weight
• Surprisingly clear open chords
• Smooth single-note leads

EQD specifically highlights the pedal's ability to keep open chords dynamic and articulate despite the amount of gain available.

That's particularly useful for players who want enormous fuzz sounds without everything collapsing into an indistinct wall of noise.

Sustain – More Than Just Maximum Fuzz

The Sustain control determines the amount of distortion and sustain.

Turn it clockwise for increasing saturation, compression and sustain.

Back it off and the Hizumitas becomes considerably less extreme, retaining plenty of gritty drive character even towards the bottom of its range. EQD's own demonstrations show it can work surprisingly well as a fuzz/drive rather than only as an all-out doom machine.

Small adjustments make a noticeable difference, so it's worth exploring the whole range rather than immediately turning it to maximum.

Powerful Tone Control

The Tone control is one of the Hizumitas' standout features.

Unlike a simple treble roll-off:

Turn clockwise for more bass, reduced mids and highs, and the enormous low-frequency response associated with the pedal.

Turn anticlockwise to emphasise the upper frequencies, moving through aggressive midrange grind towards much sharper sounds.

EQD demonstrates that the brighter end can even move towards RAT/HM-2-like territory, while the bass-heavy end produces the colossal response most associated with doom and sludge.

Serious Output on Tap

The Hizumitas has plenty of output available.

Unity gain sits at approximately 9–10 o'clock on the Volume control, leaving substantial output above that point for hitting your amplifier or another pedal harder.

This makes it useful for pushing:

• Valve amplifiers
• Dirty amplifiers
• Overdrive pedals
• Additional distortion
• Other gain stages

It's one reason the Hizumitas can feel as much like a powerful distortion platform as a conventional fuzz.

Hizumitas vs Traditional Triangle-Style Fuzz

The Hizumitas has a clear historical relationship with Triangle-style BMP circuits, but there's an important distinction.

The Elk BM Sustainar was a Japanese variation of that circuit family, and EQD found considerable differences between the vintage examples it examined. The Hizumitas was specifically designed around Wata's individual Elk rather than around an idealised generic Triangle circuit.

Choose the Hizumitas if you want:

• More aggressive distortion character
• Huge low end
• Strong sustain
• Plenty of output
• Better-than-expected chord definition
• A powerful and unusually wide-ranging Tone control
• Wata's specific Elk-inspired voicing

Interestingly, Wata's stage technician describes her original Elk as leaning more towards distortion than conventional fuzz, which helps explain the Hizumitas' distinctive combination of bite, articulation and massive bottom end.

Excellent with Humbuckers

Humbuckers are a natural pairing with the Hizumitas.

They can push it towards:

• Huge power chords
• Thick riff sounds
• Long sustaining leads
• Doom and sludge
• Heavy psychedelic textures

Wata herself is closely associated with Les Paul-style humbucker-equipped guitars, and EQD's official sound examples include her Les Paul Custom into a Matamp GT120.

Don't Ignore Single Coils

The Hizumitas is also highly responsive to pickup type and playing dynamics.

Single coils can bring out more attack and definition, making them particularly interesting when you want the Hizumitas' saturation without maximising its already substantial low-frequency weight.

The neck pickup is also particularly effective for smooth, powerful single-note lead sounds.

Not Just for Doom

The obvious genres are:

• Doom
• Sludge
• Stoner rock
• Shoegaze
• Noise
• Psychedelic rock
• Experimental
• Drone
• Heavy alternative

But that's not the limit.

Back off Sustain, move Tone towards the brighter side and the Hizumitas can become a much more cutting fuzz/distortion.

EQD's own demonstrations show it covering everything from gritty lower-gain sounds to enormous maximum-saturation tones.

Great for Gain Stacking

The Hizumitas also works well alongside other gain pedals.

Wata has used additional overdrive with her fuzz sound, and EQD demonstrates the Hizumitas stacked with another drive to create even heavier textures.

Try:

Guitar → Overdrive → Hizumitas → Amplifier

for additional attack and saturation.

Or experiment with:

Guitar → Hizumitas → Overdrive → Amplifier

for a different approach to controlling the Hizumitas' enormous frequency range.

Simple Three-Knob Operation

Despite the amount of sound available, operation couldn't be much simpler.

Volume
Controls overall output. Unity is approximately 9–10 o'clock.

Sustain
Controls distortion and sustain.

Tone
Moves between aggressive upper-frequency emphasis anticlockwise and huge bass-heavy sounds clockwise.

There are no menus, presets or secondary functions.

Power Requirements

The EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas requires a standard regulated 9V DC, 2.1mm centre-negative pedal power supply.

Current draw is approximately 10mA.

Do not operate the Hizumitas at higher voltages.

One useful ownership detail: because the pedal uses relay-based true-bypass switching, it requires power to pass signal even when bypassed.

What's Included?

• EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainar Pedal

Fair Deal Music Verdict

The EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas is a standout choice for anyone who wants truly massive fuzz without giving up all sense of articulation.

Best suited for: Doom, sludge, stoner rock, shoegaze, psychedelic, alternative and experimental players.

Main benefit: Huge saturation and low-end weight combined with surprisingly strong note separation.

Standout feature: Its direct connection to Wata's own vintage Elk BM Sustainar gives the Hizumitas a very specific sonic target rather than simply being another vintage-inspired fuzz.

Customers usually upgrade from: More conventional Muff-style fuzz pedals when looking for greater low-end authority, output and a more aggressive fuzz/distortion crossover.

Most commonly paired with: Valve amplifiers, overdrive, delay and reverb.

Our tip: Don't start with Sustain at maximum. Set it around halfway and explore the Tone control first. The difference between its aggressive treble/midrange side and enormous bass-heavy side is substantial.

Showroom feedback: The Hizumitas makes particular sense for players who love Muff-family sustain but want something with a grittier, more distortion-like attack and enough definition for complex chords.

Why Buy From Fair Deal Music?

When you buy from Fair Deal Music, you're choosing one of the UK's most established, independent family run music retailers since 1987.

Our Birmingham showroom is backed by a knowledgeable musician-led team with experience across guitars, effects, amplification and complete pedalboard setups.

Whether you're putting together a doom rig, looking for your first serious fuzz or deciding how the Hizumitas will interact with your existing amplifier and gain pedals, our team can offer friendly, knowledgeable advice.