The Damnation Audio Spite Box is a distortion and fuzz box built in three stages: an upper octave crossover distortion preamp, a saturated full range distortion circuit, and a powerful active bass boost. The maker says the three stages work together to build deep, complex tones ranging from traditional bass distortion to resonant clanging walls of bass fuzz chaos1. It sits in the same family as the maker's other bass-oriented dirt pedals, such as the Damnation Audio SILVER MBD and RED TEXT MBD, and belongs to the broader world of fuzz pedals and distortion pedals.
Where it came from
The Spite Box is a ground up custom redesign of the Damnation Audio Ugly Twin Boosted Octave Fuzz. The maker says it captures the favorite bass sounds from that pedal while sporting its own circuit1. When the pedal first appeared, Premier Guitar's news coverage came from the maker trading as Salt Box Workshop, and described it as featuring "a complex textured octave preamp and a focused bass boost designed to deliver powerful tones"2.
The Spite Box began as a limited initial run. Premier Guitar reported in June 2022 that the initial run was available from Salt Box Workshop2. As of 26 October 2026 the pedal is listed as sold out on the Damnation Audio site1.
The controls
The Spite Box keeps things simple: three knobs, each doing a distinct job.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the output volume of the pedal. The maker notes ample boost is available for the bold. |
| Bass (Depth) | A boost-only control that adds low end at 100Hz. It is a focused peaking filter aimed at bass and baritone guitars. Fully counterclockwise is flat. As boost increases, the circuit rolls off low mids between 200Hz and 300Hz to keep the bass from becoming boomy or muddy. |
| Octave (Spite) | Blends crossover distortion and upper octave into the preamp circuit to add cutting power and complex overtones. |
All three control descriptions come from the maker's product page1.
The Bass (Depth) control is the one that marks the Spite Box as a bass-first design. Because it is boost-only and flat at minimum, it adds low end without cutting it, and the automatic low mid roll-off between 200Hz and 300Hz is there to keep that added weight from turning to mud. Players of standard guitars get the same behavior, but the control is voiced around bass and baritone low ends1.
Power, bypass and size
The Spite Box takes a standard 9V DC negative tip power supply, the center-negative format used by virtually all pedalboard power supplies1. The maker does not list a current draw figure for the pedal. Switching is true bypass, so the pedal is out of the signal path when off1. The enclosure measures approximately 3 5/8" x 4 5/8" x 2 1/4"1.
Videos
Andy Bassist
Demos In The Dark
bleezar
Questions
Is the Damnation Audio Spite Box true bypass?
Yes. Damnation Audio lists the Spite Box as having true bypass construction, meaning the pedal takes itself out of the signal path completely when switched off. Premier Guitar's coverage of the pedal's launch also lists true bypass switching among its features.
What power supply does the Spite Box need?
The Spite Box takes a standard 9V DC power supply with a negative tip, the same center-negative arrangement used by most pedalboard supplies. Damnation Audio does not list a current draw figure for the pedal.
Is the Spite Box made for bass or guitar?
The Spite Box is aimed at bass players first: its bass control is described as giving authority to bass and baritone guitars, and the maker describes tones from traditional bass distortion to bass fuzz chaos. Guitarists can use it too, but the low end shaping is built around bass and baritone instruments.
How big is the Damnation Audio Spite Box?
Damnation Audio lists the enclosure at approximately 3 5/8 inches by 4 5/8 inches by 2 1/4 inches, a compact footprint by pedal standards.
Is the Spite Box still available?
As of 26 October 2026 the Spite Box is listed as sold out on the Damnation Audio website. The pedal first appeared in 2022, when Premier Guitar reported the initial run was available from the maker, then trading as Salt Box Workshop.
Sources (2)
- Spite Box, Damnation Audio
- Salt Box Workshop Unveils the Spite Box Fuzz, Premier Guitar, 2022-06-22
