Crowther Audio Hotcake Effect Pedal

Don't let the tepid (and sparse) Amazon reviews fool you: the Crowther Hot Cake is a classic overdrive/distortion circuit, yet one I have to fully admit of that I had not heard of until a few months ago, when I came across an article celebrating the Hot Cake's pairing with Vox-style amps. Created in New Zealand in 1976, you could argue that the Hot Cake did "transparent overdrive" before such a thing was cool. Nowadays, boutique pedals like the Timmy and Klon are endlessly celebrated for what the Hot Cake arguably did decades earlier. At the same time, interacting with the Crowther Hot Cake is not always an automatic or intuitive experience, which (along with it's "obscure" country of origin) might explain why it never became as popular as, say, the Ibanez Tubescremer.BUILD QUALITY - Although the Hot Cake is old enough to be considered "vintage", designer Paul Crowther continued to work with the pedal and made some gradual tweaks to the design to keep it in line with modern sensibilities. In term of size and function, the Hot Cake is nearly identical to an MXR stompbox. The bypass switch has a strong mechanical click to it, and the knobs/pots have firm resistance. Everything is built rock solid. The pedal is also noted for its high quality buffer, so much so that some players notice improved tonal presence plugged into the Hot Cake even when it's switched off. The pedal can be run with a 9V battery behind the screw cover, or with a standard center-negative (BOSS-style) adapter. The Hot Cake is built to last.TONES/VERSATILITY - There's a bit of an urban legend that Paul Crowther designed the Hot Cake specifically to match well with Vox AC30 amps (which are known for being finicky with some drive pedals). This apparently was never true, though it remains true that the Hot Cake is a Vox's best friend. The Hot Cake is really several dirtboxes in one, which you would not guess based on a 3-knob pedal where the Presence control can have a somewhat subtle effect. Crowther designed the pedal to be almost completely transparent with the Drive and Presence set to zero and the Level at about 2:00. Turning up the Drive and Presence gradually from that setting offers a nice variety of clean boost and slightly overdriven tones.Another key design idea behind the Hot Cake is that it is designed not to distort/compress the lower frequencies at many settings. This actually results in a more noticeable low end at settings where other overdrive pedals would be cutting low end. On lower gain settings, the Hot Cake also maintains the type of high end brilliance typical of a Vox amp. As the gain knob goes past 12:00, however, it really becomes an entirely different beast - warm, saturated, and even fuzzy. This portion of the gain range is likely to be more "take it or leave it", as it mimics a gated fuzz sound at times. But I was generally impressed with how well this one pedal could do clean boost, chiming clean-ish overdrive, sustained leads, and thick medium-gain distortion...just by working the gain and presence knobs.MOD SWITCHES - In the modern incarnation of this pedal (after around 2007, I believe), the Hot Cake has featured two (internal) DIP switches. One of these goes between guitar and bass, while the other switches between Original and "Bluesberry" mode. I have not tried the Hot Cake with bass guitar. The "Bluesberry" was originally a separate pedal that was a slight variant of the Hot Cake. It was a little smoother and lower gain, and some players preferred it with single coil pickups. While the switches aren't meant to be flipped back and forth often, it's a nice added piece of versatility to help you adjust to your preferences.I ended up with the Hot Cake not because I "needed" another overdrive, but because I was really enjoying my new Vox AC10C1 combo, and really wanted to try pairing it with this classic Vox-friendly pedal. It absolutely has not disappointed. While I imagine it would sound great with a variety of amps, I've heard people make the comparison that the Hot Cake is to the Vox AC as the ProCo RAT is to a Marshall. It's a classic, great-sounding overdrive pedal with a wider range than I expected.

Love my Klon KTR. This pedal kind of does the same thing but, of course, sounds a bit different. Warmer, IMO, and a bit sweeter or smoother. I like it. Not a heavy metal distortion, which I would have no use for.More of a bluesy overdrive. Not as honky and nasal as a Tube Screamer. I like the Hot Cake much better. Get one.

I play stereo into two VOX AC15C1s. I’ve been searching and searching for the “right” overdrive and buddy…. The “Hot Cake” does it perfectly. The frequencies are purified Rock and Roll. Man o Man, what a pedal and what tone!!!!!!!! Absolutely beautiful creation. Thank You!! Crowther Audio!!

Very happy with this pedal so far! Its reputation is that it is very good with Vox amps, and it pairs well with my new Vox AC10C1.Surprisingly, unlike other reviews I have read elsewhere, I HAVE been able to get a nice, low to mid gain sound at bedroom volumes (I don't really play with heavy gain). Because the AC10C1 gets dirty pretty early in the gain dial, you can tinker with the master volume and gain on the amp to get a "just before dirt" sound at bedroom levels, and then use the Hotcake to drive it into overdrive. (Using the gain on the amp to do this would also drive the volume up, way beyond bedroom volumes!) You also have to play with the dials on the pedal, and use the presence to counter any increased low end that you don't like.P.S. Having used the pedal now for a week or so, I am noticing some "fizz" when the gain/distortion decays, which other reviews elsewhere have mentioned. This may or may not occur at increased volumes or different gain settings than I am currently using. This does not bother me, but I can see how it would irritate some.

Love this pedal! If you’re a fan of warm analog tubey sounding boost and crunch, I suspect you will too. The Hot Cake hasn’t been gracing pedalboards forever for no reason....

I have used this on both Fender and Vox tube amps with humbucker guitars. For me the trick is to dial back the volume and drive on the pedal in order to crank the volume on the amps to get their tubes to cook. I finally have the tone I’ve been looking for.

I bought this Crowther Audio Hotcake after reading some "best OD pedals for Vox Amps" reviews. See, the Vox amplifiers, AC15 and AC30 don't work well with all pedals. Tubescreamers, nope. Big muff, meh. But the Hot Cake? OH BOY! Just what I needed to get a nice transparent OD that retains the Vox tone but adds a lot of thickness and cream like...well...a hot cake. Paired with my Vox AC15HW and my Gibson 335 I am in tone heaven. 10/10

Fantastic sound pared with a Vox AC-15