The Hell Horse is a fuzz and delay pedal in one box, built by Haunted Labs in collaboration with Dirty Haggard Audio. Announced in December 2020, it pairs what Premier Guitar called "a wickedly potent fuzz circuit and delay powered by a PT2399 integrated chip" with an EQ section that manipulates two separate frequency peaks, one in the bass and one in the treble1.
The delay side is built around the PT2399 chip, a part often used for creative tape-style echo pedals, and Haunted Labs describes it as "a savoury, sinister analog-style echo of up to 460 milliseconds"23. Gearnews found the delay is geared toward adding thickness and sludge rather than clean, crystalline repeats, and noted the EQ section carries hints of the Boss HM-2's sound4.
Fuzz and PT2399 delay in one box
The Hell Horse puts two effects on one footswitchable box: a fuzz circuit and a delay. The delay is powered by the PT2399 integrated chip, a widely used delay chip that Delicious Audio notes is "often used for creative tape-style echo pedals"2. It is not a bucket-brigade analog delay; press coverage describes it as an analog-style echo, with Haunted Labs calling it "degraded," a character the maker leans into rather than hides1.
The delay time runs from about 50 milliseconds, slapback territory, at one end of the knob to about 460 milliseconds at the other2. The number of repeats is hard-set and not user adjustable, so the pedal is voiced as a thickening, sludgy echo rather than a versatile multi-repeat delay2.
On the fuzz side, the EQ circuit is the distinctive part. It manipulates two separate frequency peaks, one in the bass and one in the treble, and the Tone knob can boost or cut both peaks simultaneously by up to +/- 15 dB4. Gearnews heard "hints of the fabled sounds of the Boss HM-2" in that EQ section, a comparison players of Swedish-style doom will recognize4.
"Regardless, I think the repeats suit this style of pedal perfectly. The delay is geared more towards adding thickness and sludge, and not about crystalline repeats."
The controls
The Hell Horse carries six knobs: Fuzz, Delay Time, Delay Mix, Tone, Shift and Volume2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fuzz | An input attenuator arrangement. The input signal passes fully for maximum fuzz distortion, or is attenuated by turning the control counter-clockwise2 |
| Delay Time | Sets the delay time. All the way left is the longest delay, approx. 460 ms; all the way right is slapback at approx. 50 ms2 |
| Delay Mix | Controls how much of the delayed signal is mixed with the normal signal. All the way left is no added delay; all the way right is full-volume delay2 |
| Tone | Boosts or cuts both EQ frequency peaks simultaneously by up to +/- 15 dB4 |
| Shift | Selects the distance between the two affected frequencies: further apart clockwise, closer together counter-clockwise2 |
| Volume | Attenuates or boosts the output amplitude. Unity gain is at approximately the 3 o'clock position as tested with single-coil pickups1 |
The Shift control is the unusual one. Rather than a standard treble roll-off, it spreads or narrows the two frequency peaks of the EQ, which MusicRadar described as setting "how far apart these two frequency peaks are"3. Combined with the Tone knob's simultaneous boost or cut of both peaks, it gives the pedal a two-band EQ that can be shaped aggressively, which is where the HM-2 comparison comes from4.
Power, bypass and build
The Hell Horse runs on a 9V DC power supply, which is not included, and has no battery compartment1. It uses true bypass switching, so the signal passes through unbuffered when the pedal is off1. The pedal is designed and made in the USA using high-quality components, per Gearnews4.
No battery compartment means the Hell Horse must be powered from a pedalboard supply. Plan for a 9V DC output on your power supply, since none is included with the pedal1.
Where it came from
Videos
MrExcane
foreverbroke
Harsh Tones, Inc.
Questions
Is the Hell Horse delay analog?
The delay is powered by a PT2399 integrated chip, the same chip used in many analog-style echo pedals. Haunted Labs describes the result as a savory, sinister analog-style echo, and press coverage calls it an analog-style delay rather than a true bucket-brigade analog circuit.
How long is the delay on the Hell Horse?
The delay time runs from about 50 milliseconds of slapback at one end of the Delay Time knob to about 460 milliseconds at the other. The number of repeats is hard-set and not adjustable by the player.
Does the Hell Horse take a battery?
No. The pedal has no battery compartment and runs on a 9V DC power supply, which is not included. You will need a standard pedalboard power supply to run it.
Is the Haunted Labs Hell Horse true bypass?
Yes. The Hell Horse uses true bypass switching, so with the pedal off your signal passes through without buffering or coloring.
Sources (4)
- Haunted Labs Introduces the Hell Horse Fuzz Delay, Premier Guitar, 2020-12-11
- Haunted Labs & Dirty Haggard Hell Horse Fuzz/EQ/Delay, Delicious Audio, 2022-10-18
- Haunted Labs and Dirty Haggard Audio's Hell Horse is one beastly Fuzz/Delay, MusicRadar, 2020-12-15
- Unleash the doom! Haunted Labs & Dirty Haggard Audio collaborate on new Hell Horse Fuzz Delay, gearnews.com, 2020-12-14