diff --git a/lib/util/error.js b/lib/util/error.js
index 09ff0ed3dc..85dd4747a6 100644
--- a/lib/util/error.js
+++ b/lib/util/error.js
@@ -88,20 +88,19 @@ shaka.util.Error = class {
        */
       this.message = 'Shaka Error ' + categoryName + '.' + codeName +
                      ' (' + this.data.toString() + ')';
+    }
 
-      if (shaka.util.Error.createStack) {
-        try {
-          throw new Error(this.message);
-        } catch (e) {
-          /**
-           * A stack-trace showing where the error occurred.
-           * <i>(Only available in uncompiled mode.)</i>
-           *
-           * @const {string}
-           * @exportDoc
-           */
-          this.stack = e.stack;
-        }
+    if (shaka.util.Error.createStack) {
+      try {
+        throw new Error(this.message || 'Shaka Error');
+      } catch (e) {
+        /**
+         * A stack-trace showing where the error occurred.
+         *
+         * @const {string}
+         * @exportDoc
+         */
+        this.stack = e.stack;
       }
     }
   }
@@ -117,18 +116,15 @@ shaka.util.Error = class {
 };
 
 
-if (goog.DEBUG) {
-  /**
-   * If true, create a stack trace in Error objects.
-   *
-   * Only available in uncompiled mode, and disabled in tests to avoid issues
-   * with karma-jasmine.  See comments in test/test/boot.js for details.
-   *
-   * @type {boolean}
-   */
-  shaka.util.Error.createStack = true;
-}
-
+/**
+ * If true, create a stack trace in Error objects.
+ *
+ * Disabled in tests to avoid issues with karma-jasmine.
+ * See comments in test/test/boot.js for details.
+ *
+ * @type {boolean}
+ */
+shaka.util.Error.createStack = true;
 
 /**
  * @enum {number}
diff --git a/test/test/boot.js b/test/test/boot.js
index 7b4d7fea83..4bf6b81be0 100644
--- a/test/test/boot.js
+++ b/test/test/boot.js
@@ -357,8 +357,8 @@ function configureJasmineEnvironment() {
   // Code in karma-jasmine's adapter will malform test failures when the
   // expectation message contains a stack trace, losing the failure message and
   // mixing up the stack trace of the failure.  To avoid this, we modify
-  // shaka.util.Error not to create a stack trace.  This trace is not available
-  // in production, and there is never any need for it in the tests.
+  // shaka.util.Error not to create a stack trace.  There is never any need for
+  // this trace in the tests.
   // Shimming shaka.util.Error proved too complicated because of a combination
   // of compiler restrictions and ES6 language features, so this is by far the
   // simpler answer.