Dwarfcraft Devices is no longer trading. In April 2020, Ben and Louise Hinz announced a hiatus after 13 years in operation, described at the time as lasting several months and possibly not permanent34. The company said it would continue repairing pedals under warranty for a few months and that some products were still available while stock sold down4. No return has been announced, so its pedals are now mostly found on the used market.
What Dwarfcraft was known for
The company's reputation rested on fuzz, distortion and effects that behave like synth circuits. Its fuzzes included the Eau Claire Thunder, a fuzz and distortion pedal that Delicious Audio said "cranks out all manner of fuzz from the blunted, smokey kind of Sabbath style fog to the much more modern aggressive waves of noise rock bliss"5; the Necromancer, a fuzz made in the USA that works on both bass and guitar6; the Reese Lightning, a small fuzz with a Timewarp toggle that engages octave-up clipping diodes7; and the Great Destroyer, a distortion pedal that RockBoard says "delivers mind-bending oscillation and heavy fuzz from the murky depths"8.
Beyond fuzz, the range stretched into filters, pitch, reverb and modulation:
| Pedal | Type | What set it apart |
|---|---|---|
| Hax 2 | Ring modulator | Sine or square wave ring modulation, lowpass and bandpass filters, envelope following, expression control and a CV output for external synths2 |
| Ghost Fax | Phaser | Called "no ordinary phaser pedal" by Guitar.com, with hidden controls9 |
| Treeverb | Reverb | Three reverb modes in a compact, pedalboard-friendly enclosure with jacks on top10 |
| Grazer | Granular repeater | Shown at the second L.A. pedal show in 201811 |
| Curse | Analog delay | Many knobs, far from a set-and-forget echo box12 |
Ben, Louise and the Dwarfcraft crew
The company was a family operation. Pedal of the Day credited "Benjamin and Louise" with creating its unique and weird pedals1, and later toasted "Ben and Louise and the Dwarfcraft crew" for another original effect10. Ben Hinz also appeared in person to demo new releases, shooting the Hax 2 video at Delicious Audio's Stompbox Booth2 and releasing a demo video of the Memento in 201413.
Demo videos were a real part of the brand's character. Pedal of the Day wrote that "Aen makes some of the funniest and most insightful demo videos for his pedals that are out there"14.
"Aen makes some of the funniest and most insightful demo videos for his pedals that are out there"
The Shiva becomes the She Fuzz
One of Dwarfcraft's best-known fuzzes started life under a different name. The Shiva was renamed the She Fuzz in May 2013 after a naming conflict: Bogner, the amp maker, had put out an amp called Shiva around the same time and wanted to release a pedal with the same name15. As Delicious Audio put it, "Dwarfcraft decided to play nice and has since renamed their pedal the She Fuzz"15. Ben also updated the case artwork at the same time15.
The pedal's later versions, side by side:
The She Fuzz's later history is tied to Dwarfcraft's wider wind-down. Ben and Louise Hinz, the makers of Dwarfcraft, announced their hiatus officially on their website, saying, "we have been doing the pedal thing for so many years but it is time to take a break to try something new."15 After 13 years, the company wound down with a special final run of Eau Claire Thunder fuzzes, produced in a partnership with Japanese experimental doom rockers, Boris16. For now, it is a hiatus for the next several months, possibly not permanent17.
Delays and the Eau Claire Thunder Gold Standard
Dwarfcraft's delays arrived before the company's wind-down, and that wind-down shaped what remained available. The company had been selling down its pedal stock, though some products were still available for purchase14. Dwarfcraft also continued to repair pedals under warranty for the next few months, and the website remained active12.
The Eau Claire Thunder itself got a farewell edition. After 13 years, the company wound down with a special final run of Eau Claire Thunder fuzzes, produced in a partnership with Japanese experimental doom rockers, Boris3. The closure was something the company had been working on for over six months3.
Availability after the hiatus
At the time of the closure announcement, Guitar Pedal X counted 129 Dwarfcraft listings on Reverb.com and 34 on eBay, plus stock with several dealers, including 4 dealers in the UK18. Since then, the pedals have been a used-market proposition, alongside the occasional limited reissue that sold out during the company's final year.
The range (21)
News
Questions
Is Dwarfcraft Devices still in business?
No. In April 2020, founders Ben and Louise Hinz announced a hiatus after 13 years of building pedals, saying they wanted to try something new. The company said it would keep repairing pedals under warranty for a few months and that some stock remained for sale, but no return has been announced.
Why was the Dwarfcraft Shiva renamed She Fuzz?
Bogner, the amp maker, had released an amp called Shiva around the same time Dwarfcraft released a pedal of the same name, and Bogner wanted to release a pedal called Shiva too. Dwarfcraft renamed its pedal the She Fuzz in May 2013, and Ben Hinz also updated the case artwork at the same time.
Where was Dwarfcraft Devices based?
Dwarfcraft Devices was based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Press coverage repeatedly described it as an Eau Claire based manufacturer, and its founders, Ben and Louise Hinz, were described as coming straight out of Wisconsin.
What was the first Dwarfcraft delay pedal?
The Minivan Echo, released in February 2016. Pedal of the Day reported it as the company jumping into a new genre, since Dwarfcraft had until then been mainly a fuzz and octave maker. A second delay, the analogue Curse, followed in 2017.
What was the Eau Claire Thunder Gold Standard?
A limited edition of the Eau Claire Thunder fuzz and distortion pedal. Announced in 2019, the Gold Standard was a compact version of the original without the feedback loop section, built with germanium diodes and NOS Fairchild 2n5133 transistors, in a run of 70 units priced at $229.
Who makes the Dwarfcraft demo videos?
Ben Hinz shot demo videos for the company's own pedals, including the Memento in 2014 and the Hax 2 in 2020. Pedal of the Day also credited Aen with making funny and insightful demo videos for the pedals.
Sources (18)
- Dwarfcraft Devices Hax Ring Modulator, Pedal of the Day, 2014-05-23
- Dwarfcraft Devices Hax 2 Ring Modulator, Delicious Audio, 2020-04-24
- Dwarfcraft Devices closes down, issues special Eau Claire Thunder fuzz pedals, gearnews.com, 2020-04-20
- Dwarfcraft Devices closes indefinitely, Guitar World, 2020-04-21
- Pedal Review: Dwarfcraft Devices Eau Claire Thunder, Delicious Audio, 2012-01-12
- Dwarfcraft Necromancer fuzz, www.gearnews.com, 2016-03-23
- Reese Lightning Fuzz by Dwarfcraft Devices, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- The Great Destroyer by Dwarfcraft Devices, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- The Ghost Fax is no ordinary phaser pedal, Guitar.com, 2018-03-21
- Dwarfcraft Devices Treeverb Reverb, Pedal of the Day, 2019-03-13
- Dwarfcraft Devices Grazer, Delicious Audio, 2018-06-04
- Dwarfcraft Devices' The Curse: an evil new twist on guitar delay pedals, gearnews.com, 2017-07-25
- Dwarfcraft Devices Memento, Delicious Audio, 2014-07-09
- Dwarfcraft Devices Minivan Echo, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2016-02-11
- Guitar Pedal News: The Dwarfcraft Shiva Becomes She Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2013-05-28
- Dwarfcraft Devices revisit two fuzz pedals: Baby Thunder and SheFuzz, gearnews.com, 2016-11-21
- Dwarfcraft Devices reissues the SheFuzz pedal in a 50-unit limited edition, gearnews.com
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2020-04-19