--- product_id: 19081390 title: "Hotcake Effect Pedal" brand: "crowther audio" price: "2039 zł" currency: PLN in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 category: "Crowther Audio" url: https://www.desertcart.pl/products/19081390-hotcake-effect-pedal store_origin: PL region: Poland --- # High-Quality Components Versatile Overdrive Dynamic Range Control Hotcake Effect Pedal **Brand:** crowther audio **Price:** 2039 zł **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 🎶 Elevate Your Sound Game with Hotcake Magic! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Hotcake Effect Pedal by crowther audio - **How much does it cost?** 2039 zł with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pl](https://www.desertcart.pl/products/19081390-hotcake-effect-pedal) ## Best For - crowther audio enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted crowther audio brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Built to Last:** Crafted with premium components for durability and reliability. - • **Compact Design:** Space-saving footprint perfect for any pedalboard. - • **Tailored Dynamics:** Adjustable gain and tone controls for personalized sound. - • **Unleash Your Sound:** Transform your guitar tone with rich, creamy overdrive. - • **Pro-Level Performance:** Designed for musicians who demand the best in their gear. ## Overview The Crowther Audio Hotcake Effect Pedal is a premium overdrive pedal designed for guitarists seeking a rich, dynamic sound. With adjustable gain and tone controls, it allows for personalized tonal shaping while its compact design makes it a perfect fit for any pedalboard. Built with high-quality components, this pedal promises durability and professional-level performance. ## Description Hand-made in New Zealand by Paul Crowther, the Hotcake is a boost/overdrive pedal designed to leave the undistorted component of the guitar sound unchanged while providing a nice fat distortion sound without resorting to a treble cut circuit which will also affect the guitars tonality. Easy to use with its three controls you can get a clean volume boost by increasing the Level control, increasing the Drive will give you a thick distortion sound with a little bit of edge to it, and the Presence control adds some mid-range punch to the sounds. This is the updated version of the Hot Cake, updated by Paul Crowther with a newer version of the "Bluesberry" setting dubbed "+Cream" and available to activate via a toggle switch as opposed to the older version with an internal switch. There's also an extended frequency "XLF" switch! Two slight changes that make the already incredible Hot Cake pedal even better! Review: Best overdrive pedal I've ever used - Love this pedal. Great amount of gain on tap, but it cleans up nicely with the volume control or playing dynamics. This is the drive pedal I had been looking for. Big sound. I hear this is essential for an AC-style amp, but sounds great with my Mesa California Tweed. Very glad it became available. If you don't have one, and you seen one available, grab it! These are hard to find at MSRP in the US. Review: Classic under-appreciated circuit perfectly suiting Vox amplifiers - Don't let the tepid (and sparse) desertcart 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. ## Features - Crowther Audio Hotcake Effect Pedal ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B003TY94S8 | | Amperage | 10 Milliamps | | Audio Output Effects | Distortion, Overdrive | | Best Sellers Rank | #87,489 in Musical Instruments ( See Top 100 in Musical Instruments ) #664 in Guitar Distortion & Overdrive Effects #22,919 in Guitar & Bass Accessories | | Brand | Crowther Audio | | Brand Name | Crowther Audio | | Color | Black, White | | Controls Type | Knob | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 39 Reviews | | Item Dimensions | 8 x 8 x 8 inches | | Manufacturer | Crowther Audio | | Manufacturer Part Number | HOTCAKE | | Model Name | Hotcake | | Model Number | HOTCAKE | | Power Source | Audio | | Signal Format | Analog | | Style | Bass,Distortion,Overdrive | | UPC | 133588824819 | | Voltage | 9 Volts | ## Images ![Hotcake Effect Pedal - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61X+h6iah3L.jpg) ![Hotcake Effect Pedal - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61SbmyPJtAL.jpg) ![Hotcake Effect Pedal - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41GLOOTL4TL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best overdrive pedal I've ever used *by C***R on September 9, 2023* Love this pedal. Great amount of gain on tap, but it cleans up nicely with the volume control or playing dynamics. This is the drive pedal I had been looking for. Big sound. I hear this is essential for an AC-style amp, but sounds great with my Mesa California Tweed. Very glad it became available. If you don't have one, and you seen one available, grab it! These are hard to find at MSRP in the US. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Classic under-appreciated circuit perfectly suiting Vox amplifiers *by S***1 on May 23, 2016* 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. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good pedal for Vox AC10C1! *by S***I on September 16, 2016* 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. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pl/products/19081390-hotcake-effect-pedal](https://www.desertcart.pl/products/19081390-hotcake-effect-pedal) --- *Product available on Desertcart Poland* *Store origin: PL* *Last updated: 2026-05-29*