J. Rockett announces El Hombre overdrive pedal

April 15, 2022 · 3 sources

J. Rockett announced the El Hombre, a new overdrive pedal, on April 15, 2022¹². Guitar.com reported it as the company's first pedal since the Analog Bucket Brigade in 2021¹.

The pedal is based on the tones of Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and is inspired by the Tres Hombres and Fandango! albums, according to Guitar.com¹. MusicRadar reported that it is not a signature pedal made with Gibbons but a homage to his Texas tones³. J. Rockett describes it as a "dynamic overdrive with a fuzzy edge"³.

It has three controls: volume, gain and bite¹²³. Guitar World described a triangular layout of Volume, Bite and Gain knobs². Turning the bite control up produces a more aggressive drive and turning it down gives a smoother tone, which the company compares to Dumble sounds¹²³. Guitar World also reported that, with the volume low and the gain high, the pedal offers Larry Carlton and Robben Ford-style tones, and Plexi-like openness with more bite².

The El Hombre is made in the U.S. and runs on 9V power². MusicRadar reported a draw of 18mA and a hand-built construction in the US³. Guitar World reported top-mounted connections². Guitar World listed it as available now for $199².