The Crowther Audio HotCake is an overdrive/distortion pedal designed in 1976 by Paul Crowther, guitarist with Split Enz, and hand built in New Zealand1. Crowther Audio describes its design goal as leaving the undistorted component of the guitar sound unchanged while providing a nice fat distortion sound, without a treble cut circuit2. The result is a pedal that cleans up like an amp rather than thinning out, and that handles chords well2.
Crowther Audio has since closed, and RockBoard's PedalPedia reports that prices of Hot Cakes have been steadily rising since the closure3. The pedal is no longer in production, but its circuit lives on in DIY projects such as the madbean Fritter and the Aion FX Anomaly, both based on the Hotcake4.
The controls: Drive, Presence and Level
The HotCake keeps it to three knobs, and each does one clear job.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Increasing it gives a thick distortion sound with a little bit of edge to it2 |
| Presence | Adds some mid-range punch to the sound2 |
| Level | Sets the output level; increasing it can give a clean volume boost2 |
The suggested starting point, per the instructions Pedal of the Day reviewed, is Drive and Presence at zero with Level set to 2 o'clock, which also happens to be the clean boost setting1. At low Drive the pedal stays close to the guitar's own character, because the design leaves the undistorted component of the signal unchanged2. Turning Drive up pushes it into the crunch territory Pedal of the Day described: "the venerable Crowther Hotcake OD/Distortion pedal is all about crunch"1.
The same reviewer found it delivered "that classic rock rhythm sound in spades, and produces a great old-school lead tone" with a stock Strat into a Deluxe Reverb1.
The jumper switches: Bluesberry and Bass Accentuation
Since 2008, the Hotcake has included a jumper switch system inside the pedal5. It gives two alternate settings:
- Bluesberry specification: a voicing with a slightly less buzzy edge at the onset of distortion, which Crowther Audio says often works well with amplifiers that have an extra extreme treble boost, like some Marshalls6.
- Bass Accentuation: a facility on the same jumper switch system that shifts the low-end response7.
Crowther Audio advises that the jumper settings should not be altered on a regular basis: the system is in place to fix a setting, not for constant switching2. If you want both voicings on a board without opening the case, the Double Hotcake puts two Hotcakes in one box, an A unit in Bluesberry voicing and a B unit in normal voicing, and when both are switched on together the A drives the B, with an extra Drive control switched in to adjust gain6.
The jumper switches are internal on units built from 2008 onward. Aion FX notes that an updated version released in late 2020 moved the switches to the outside of the enclosure, so later units can be re-voiced without opening the pedal8.
Aion FX's tracing of the circuit found that during the mid-2000s the Hot Cake was sold as three separate variants, stock, Bluesberry and XLF, before the 2008 revision consolidated them into internal switches95. Guitar Pedal X's buying guide describes the V2's external toggles as XLF (More Bass) and +Cream (More Smoothness)10.
History: Paul Crowther's design and its updates
The first Hotcake was made in 1976, while Paul Crowther was in the UK with Split Enz7. Jed's Ped's, which sells a Hotcake-based kit, calls the circuit "first designed in the mid 70's by pedal god Mr Paul Crowther"11. Crowther built the pedals at his home in New Zealand with his wife, a detail noted by fellow New Zealand maker Red Witch Pedals12.
The timeline of the design's updates:
- 1976: Paul Crowther designs the Hotcake while with Split Enz17.
- Mid-2000s: Sold as three variants: stock, Bluesberry and XLF9.
- 2008: Jumper switch system added, letting any unit be set to the Bluesberry specification or Bass Accentuation, ending the separate variant models59.
- Late 2020: Updated version moves the switches to the outside of the enclosure8.
The circuit has also spread through the DIY world. The madbean Fritter project is a DIY build based on the Crowther Audio Hotcake4.
Placement, pairing and power
Crowther Audio recommends patching the Hotcake between the guitar and the amplifier rather than into an amplifier's effects loop2. Delicious Audio notes it is "known to pair particularly well with Vox AC30/AC15, amps"13, and on That Pedal Show's video on underappreciated overdrives, Dan and Mick demonstrated a treble booster feeding into a Hot Cake1314.
On power: the socket takes 9 to 12V DC on a 2.1mm pin-negative plug, compatible with most popular AC adapters, and current draw is approximately 3.5 mA with the LED on2. Crowther Audio adds that if more than one pedal is powered from the same adapter, a regulated type should be used to minimize hum (100/120Hz) from circulating ripple currents2.
The HotCake is not true bypass. When switched off, the circuit becomes a high quality buffer with gold plated contacts2, so it will drive long cable runs rather than leave them loading your pickups.
Videos
Prymaxe
TheSuperFunAwesomeHappyTimePedalShow
JetCityMusic
Questions
Is the Crowther HotCake true bypass?
No. Crowther Audio describes the bypass as the circuit converting into a high quality buffer, with simple, quiet, seamless switching using gold plated contacts. When the pedal is off, it acts as a buffer rather than passing the signal straight through. On the Double Hotcake, the A unit uses this buffered bypass while the B unit is hard bypassed with gold plated contacts.
Can the HotCake be used as a clean boost?
Yes. Crowther Audio says you can get a clean volume boost by increasing the Level control, and Pedal of the Day found it works as a clean boost with Drive and Presence set to zero and Level around 2 o'clock. Because the pedal is designed to leave the undistorted part of the guitar sound unchanged, low Drive settings stay relatively clean.
What is the Bluesberry setting on the HotCake?
Bluesberry is an alternate voicing selected by the pedal's internal jumper or dip switch. Crowther Audio describes it as having a slightly less buzzy edge at the onset of distortion, and says it often works well with amplifiers that have an extra extreme treble boost, like some Marshalls. Since 2008 the setting has been available inside standard Hotcakes.
Should the HotCake go in an amp's effects loop?
No. Crowther Audio recommends patching the Hotcake between the guitar and the amplifier rather than into an amplifier's effects loop. Like most overdrive and distortion pedals, it is built to see the guitar's signal directly and interact with the amp's front end, not the line-level send of a loop.
Where is the Crowther HotCake made?
In New Zealand. Pedal of the Day described it as hand built in New Zealand, and Red Witch Pedals, a fellow New Zealand maker, notes it was made at Paul Crowther's home by him and his wife. Crowther Audio has since closed, and RockBoard's PedalPedia reports prices of Hot Cakes have been steadily rising since.
Sources (14)
- Crowther Audio Hotcake Overdrive/Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2015-04-21
- Hotcake | Crowther Audio, Crowther Audio, 2005-09-06
- Foo Driver by Collateral FX, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Fritter.pdf, madbeanpedals.com, 2020
- Hotcake | Crowther Audio, Crowther Audio, 2008
- Double Hotcake, Crowther Audio
- Hotcake | Crowther Audio, Crowther Audio
- Anomaly Vintage Distortion / Crowther Hot Cake, Aion FX, 2020-11-16
- Tracing Journal: Crowther Hot Cake, Aion FX, 2020-11-16
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2020-03-29
- Hotcake and Berries, Jed's Ped's
- Pax Harmonia Unique Incandescent Univibe, Red Witch Pedals
- Crowther Hot Cake Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2024-08-12
- Underappreciated Overdrive Pedals, That Pedal Show, 2025-09-12
