EarthQuaker Devices Avalanche Run Review

The ambient pedal that refuses to be just one thing

Disclosure. I have version 1 and it’s one of my all time favourites. Has not left my board since I picked it up years ago!

There’s a type of pedal that looks straightforward on the surface, then completely swallows your afternoon once you actually plug in. The EarthQuaker Devices Avalanche Run V2 is exactly that pedal. What reads on the box as “stereo delay and reverb” turns out to be a full ambient toolkit that’ll have you playing the same three chords for two hours and not noticing.

EarthQuaker built this thing out of their Akron, Ohio workshop — hand-assembled, hand-tested, the whole deal. It started life as a grown-up version of their Dispatch Master, and the V2 tightened up the reverb algorithm, added proper stereo to both channels, and threw in a flexi-switch system that lets you run it in momentary or latching mode. Small changes on paper. Significant difference in practice.

What It Actually Does

At its core you’ve got delay and reverb running in series, each with enough control to be genuinely useful on their own. The delay covers up to 2 seconds of time, a wide-range tone control that takes you from warm tape-ish repeats to brighter bucket brigade territory, and tap tempo with subdivision control. The reverb is a plate-style with decay and mix controls and just a hint of modulation — lush without being soupy.

But the thing that separates the Avalanche Run from a hundred other delay-reverb combos is the three operating modes. Normal mode is what it says. Reverse mode flips the delay line — the reverb stays forward, the delay plays backwards. Swell mode is the one people don’t expect: it responds to your picking dynamics and applies a volume swell to the whole signal path, like having a built-in auto-volume pedal integrated into the effect. It’s genuinely strange and genuinely great for ambient and post-rock stuff.

Then there’s the expression jack, which maps to any parameter you choose — including the mode toggle. That’s where things get properly interesting on a live rig.

Who It’s For

Look, if you play straightforward rock and you want your delay to sit politely behind your tone and not cause trouble, this isn’t your pedal. There are cheaper, simpler options that’ll do that job without complaint.

The Avalanche Run is for players who want to build textures. Post-rock, ambient, shoegaze, experimental stuff. It earns its place on pedalboards where it’ll be actually used rather than set-and-forgotten. Players like Paul Gregory of Lanterns on the Lake, who treat stereo reverb as the foundation of their sound rather than an afterthought, tend to get the most out of it.

It also pairs absurdly well with EQD’s own Dispatch Master — run both and you’re basically in a different room.

The Used Market

New, the Avalanche Run V2 retails around USD $350, which puts it firmly in boutique territory. On the used market — eBay and Reverb both have solid stock — you’re looking at roughly USD $180–230 depending on condition and whether the box is included. That’s a reasonable entry point for what you’re getting, and EQD’s lifetime warranty transfers, so buying used isn’t the risk it might be with other brands.
Worth knowing: the V1 trades cheaper and sounds similar but lacks true stereo on the reverb side and the flexi-switch. If stereo running is important to you, hold out for a V2.

Verdict

The Avalanche Run V2 is a genuinely good pedal that’s easy to recommend — with the caveat that you need to actually want what it does. It’s not a utility player. It has a personality, and that personality is atmospheric, expansive, and slightly obsessive. If that sounds like your kind of Friday night, you’ll get a lot of use out of this one.

Used market price: USD $180–230 | Search eBay listings →

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