The Caroline CROM is a fuzzstortion pedal from Caroline Guitar Company, a small builder in Columbia, South Carolina. Caroline describes it as "a BC184 Supa Tone Bender style fuzzstortion like our original Olympia™", meaning it takes the circuit family behind the company's earlier fuzz pedal, the Olympia, and packages it as its own model. The list price is $189.00 USD as shown on the maker's product page1.
Controls and voicings
The Crom keeps Caroline's habit of naming controls on its own terms:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| SWORD | Gain control1 |
| MOUNTAIN | Classic tweed amp style tone control that interacts with the SWORD gain control1 |
| TURBO button | Side-mounted button that gives the pedal extra power and gain1 |
The MOUNTAIN tone control is the point of difference from similar circuits. Caroline says it is "a LOT less lossy and less scooped than the classic M*ff style tone control in these circuits, giving the pedal an immediate and punchy response"1. In plain terms, where a Big Muff-style tone stage can pull mids out of the signal, Caroline's tweed-amp-style approach is designed to keep them.
The TURBO button is more than a boost switch. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio reported that "Engineered for a fuller midrange, the Crom features two voicings delivering different gain range and frequency responses"2, so the button switches between two distinct characters rather than simply turning the pedal up.
From Olympia variant to regular model
The Crom did not start life as a regular catalog pedal. It was released as an advance, limited edition Black Friday 2021 offering, and in July 2022 Delicious Audio reported that "the Crom is now part of the regular Caroline roster and it's available for shipping"2.
Its family tree runs back to the Olympia, the company's fuzz, which Premier Guitar's Matthew Holliman reviewed in 20123. Caroline has a history of limited Olympia variants: in April 2012 it announced the Fat Tone exclusive "White Russian" Olympia, built for Carter Gravatt, with "intentionally mismatched germanium and silicon diodes in the first clipping stage" and "different biasing and emitter resistors throughout", in a cream finish with powder blue graphics4. Caroline described that variant as voiced with "a little bit less fire and hair, abundant low end at lower gain settings, while still very capable of saturation" compared with "the flamethrower we normally make"4. The Crom follows the same idea of revoicing the Olympia platform, but as a lasting model rather than a one-off run.
The Crom was a Black Friday 2021 limited edition before joining the regular lineup in 20222. Early units come from that limited first release.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Caroline Crom the same as the Olympia?
No, but they are closely related. Caroline describes the Crom as a BC184 Supa Tone Bender style fuzzstortion like its original Olympia fuzz. The Crom began as a limited edition Black Friday 2021 release and later joined the regular Caroline roster, while the Olympia is the company's earlier fuzz design. Caroline has also made limited Olympia variants, such as the 2012 Fat Tone exclusive White Russian, which used different biasing and emitter resistors and mismatched germanium and silicon diodes.
What does the Turbo button do on the Crom?
The TURBO button sits on the side of the pedal and, in Caroline's words, gives it extra power and gain. It is a second voicing rather than a separate effect: Delicious Audio reported that the Crom features two voicings delivering different gain range and frequency responses, engineered for a fuller midrange.
How is the Crom's tone control different from a Big Muff-style tone control?
The Crom's MOUNTAIN control is a classic tweed amp style tone control that interacts with the SWORD gain control. Caroline says it is a lot less lossy and less scooped than the classic Big Muff style tone control used in these circuits, giving the pedal an immediate and punchy response.
Where is the Caroline Crom made?
Caroline Guitar Company builds the Crom at its small batch distortery in Columbia, South Carolina, where the company says the pedal is dreamed, designed, and created.
What finishes does the Crom come in?
Caroline's product page lists two versions: Standard Black and Special Bronze.
Was the Crom ever a limited edition?
Yes. Delicious Audio reported that the Crom was originally created as a limited edition release for Black Friday 2021, and that by July 2022 it had become part of the regular Caroline roster and was available for shipping.
Sources (4)
- CROM™ - Caroline Guitar Company - Caroline Guitar Company, Caroline Guitar Company, 2026-09-07
- Now Shipping: Caroline Crom Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2022-07-14
- NICE!!! Great review of Olympia! Check it out., Caroline Guitar Company, 2012-03-12
- The Fat Tone Exclusive "White Russian" Carter Gravatt Olympia, Caroline Guitar Company, 2012-04-20
