The Blue Colander Grimrobe is a distortion pedal built as a cascaded dual gain stage Super-Rat: a core Rat-style distortion with a second, More stage stacked on top of it, adding hard and soft clipping options, parallel clipping, Octave Distortion and Octave Fuzz along the way12. Guitar Pedal X reviewed it in October 2025 and later ranked it among the year's best new distortion pedals, awarding it SILVER in its December 2025 roundup alongside the Fortin Meshuggah and Krozz Devices RoyalBreaker3.
A cascaded dual-gain Super-Rat
The Grimrobe's topology is the point: the More stage is not an independent second channel. As Stefan Karlsson put it in his Guitar Pedal X review, "The More stage is not independent - it's an additional stage that comes on top of the core Rat Distortion"1. In practice that means the right-hand footswitch engages the core Rat distortion and the left-hand footswitch stacks the More stage on top of it, for a heavier, cascaded gain sound1.
The core Rat stage uses the OP07 op-amp, which Karlsson calls "the current most popular one for contemporary Rats"1. The clipping arrangement is flexible: the pedal offers hard clipping, soft clipping and parallel clipping, plus the Octave Distortion and Octave Fuzz modes2. With the Limit Hard Clipping three-way switch set to Silicon, Karlsson found "you get the Classic Rat voicing"1.
Blue Colander positions the Grimrobe above its Tremond in output: Karlsson writes that it "both overlaps it, and takes over where the Tremond ends - ramping up the output by several more levels of potency"2. The maker's range also includes the Astronomy Domine reverb-plus-dirt pedal2.
The controls in the two modes
The pedal's controls split between its two modes, each with its own footswitch31.
| OP07 RAT mode (right footswitch) | LM386 MORE mode (left footswitch) |
|---|---|
| Volume | More (Distortion) |
| Distortion | Harmonics: 9 o'clock is Octave Fuzz, 10 o'clock is Octave Distortion, 11 o'clock is Overblown, then Regular Distortion |
| Limit Hard Clipping: Silicon / Off / LEDs | Voice |
| Comp Soft Clipping: Silicon / Off / LEDs |
The core Rat stage itself carries Volume, High, Low and Distortion controls1.
"Fantastic sounding Dual Cascaded Rat with superb high octane playback modes - including Octave Distortion and Octave Fuzz"
Power, price and availability
The Grimrobe needs 9 to 18V DC center negative and draws 20mA2. The 18V headroom option is worth noting for players running higher-voltage supplies.
Pricing has moved between reports. At launch in May 2025 the pedal was listed at €210, with UK pricing expected around £2102. By Guitar Pedal X's December 2025 roundup it was listed at €210 / £1953. The two UK figures differ, and the newer listing gives £195.
The pedal sold out on Blue Colander's own site shortly after its May 2025 release, with stock awaited at retailer Joe's Pedals at the time of that report2.
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Questions
What power does the Blue Colander Grimrobe need?
The Grimrobe runs on 9 to 18V DC with a center negative input. Because it draws 20mA, a standard daisy chain supply may not be ideal, so a dedicated isolated output on a pedalboard power supply is the safer choice. There is no battery option mentioned in the published coverage.
How much current does the Grimrobe draw?
Guitar Pedal X reports a current draw of 20mA at the 9 to 18V DC input. That is modest by modern pedal standards, but it is above what some very low draw pedals need, so it is worth checking your power supply's per-output budget.
What does the More stage do on the Grimrobe?
The More stage is an additional gain stage that comes on top of the core Rat distortion rather than being an independent second channel. In LM386 MORE mode it adds a More distortion control and a Harmonics control, and it is engaged with the left-hand footswitch.
Does the Grimrobe have Octave Fuzz and Octave Distortion?
Yes. In the More stage's Harmonics control, the 9 o'clock position gives Octave Fuzz and the 10 o'clock position gives Octave Distortion, with further settings at 11 o'clock (Overblown) and beyond (Regular Distortion). Guitar Pedal X called these high octane modes superb.
What op-amp does the Grimrobe use in its core Rat stage?
The first stage core op-amp is the OP07, which Guitar Pedal X describes as the currently most popular chip for contemporary Rat-style pedals.
How much does the Grimrobe cost in the UK?
At launch in May 2025, UK pricing was expected around £210. By Guitar Pedal X's December 2025 year-end roundup the pedal was listed at €210 / £195. The two published figures differ, and the newer listing gives £195.
Sources (3)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-10-06
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-05-19
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-12-05
