The El Hombre is a three-knob overdrive pedal from J. Rockett Audio Designs, released in April 2022 and aimed squarely at early ZZ Top tones, with the name and circuit pointing at Billy Gibbons, the "famous bearded axe-slinger from Texas"12. It is built in the USA and launched at $19932.
The premise is simple: Volume, Gain and a tone knob called Bite. Premier Guitar describes it as "simple in format but complex in its abilities," with a tone section the site calls "very effective"1. The maker says it captures "the nuances and touch sensitivity of an amplifier," going "from mild to wild with the turn of the gain knob"1.
What it does
The El Hombre is an overdrive pedal with three controls: Volume, Gain and Bite5. Premier Guitar calls the format simple but the abilities complex, and notes the tone section is very effective1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the output level6 |
| Gain | Covers a very wide range, from low-level grit through to something reminiscent of a cranked Marshall Plexi3 |
| Bite | A tone knob that exerts a powerful influence on the sound3 |
The Bite control is the distinctive one. Premier Guitar describes it as altering the drive style: turned up (clockwise) it becomes more aggressive, turned down (counter-clockwise) it becomes smoother, reminiscent of Dumble tones1. Guitar World's Trevor Curwen calls it "a tone knob labelled Bite, which exerts a powerful influence on the sound"3, while Premier Guitar's reviewer calls it "the more mysterious bite dial" alongside the self-explanatory volume and gain controls6.
Delicious Audio sums up the maker's sound description: "From added harmonics to chewy sag El Hombre has it all!"7.
Where it came from
The El Hombre grew out of an older J. Rockett design that was originally developed to emulate Van Halen sounds. According to Pedal of the Day, the designers were heavily listening to early ZZ Top records at the time, such as ZZ Top's (First Album), Tres Hombres and Fandango, and one circuit "popped out as simply amazing in terms of how natural it sounded but it also had a strange familiarity," so they reworked it for those early ZZ Top tones2. Guitar World's Trevor Curwen reports the same lineage: J. Rockett's designers were listening to early ZZ Top records and evolved the new pedal from the older Van Halen-oriented design3.
The name follows the inspiration: Pedal of the Day notes the pedal "was aimed right at Billy Gibbons and his tone, so of course that is where 'El Hombre' came from"2.
What reviewers said
Reviewers found the El Hombre touch-sensitive and versatile despite its three-knob format.
- Pedal of the Day: "Sometimes, all you need are three knobs to create an absolute wall of sound"2.
- guitar.com's Ed Oleszko found it shines as an "amp in a box" core tone shaper, "due to its superbly tactile feel, and its dynamic response to both pick attack and the guitar's volume and tone control"8.
- Guitar World's Trevor Curwen found the Gain knob covers a very wide range, from low-level grit through to something reminiscent of a cranked Marshall Plexi3.
"Sometimes, all you need are three knobs to create an absolute wall of sound"
How it compares in the J. Rockett range
The El Hombre sits in J. Rockett's lineup of overdrives alongside the Archer and Archer Select Klon-style drives, the Dumble-inspired The Dude and HRM, and the .45 Caliber, which recreates the sound of a 1962 Marshall JTM 45. Where those pedals chase Klon, Dumble and Marshall references, the El Hombre's reference point is early ZZ Top and Billy Gibbons' tone2.
Videos
Premier Guitar
Sweetwater
J. Rockett Audio Designs
Questions
What does the J. Rockett El Hombre do?
It is a three-knob overdrive pedal inspired by early ZZ Top records and Billy Gibbons' tone. Volume and Gain set the level and drive amount, while the Bite control shifts the character from smoother, Dumble-like tones counter-clockwise to more aggressive clockwise. Reviewers found it touch-sensitive and responsive to guitar volume and pick attack.
How much does the El Hombre cost?
It launched in April 2022 at $199 in the US, also listed at £185 in the UK. It was available at launch from J. Rockett Audio Designs dealers.
How is the El Hombre powered?
It runs on a 9V battery or a 9V to 18V DC adaptor, which is not supplied, drawing 18mA. It has true bypass switching and standard input and output jacks.
Sources (8)
- J. Rockett Audio Designs El Hombre, Premier Guitar, 2022-05-05
- J. Rockett Audio Designs El Hombre, Pedal of the Day, 2022-04-15
- J. Rockett Audio Designs El Hombre review, Guitar World, 2022-07-27
- J. Rockett Audio aims to serve up overdrive á la Billy Gibbons with new El Hombre pedal, Guitar World, 2022-04-15
- J. Rockett's new El Hombre overdrive is a Billy Gibbons-inspired amp-in-a-box Texas tone machine, MusicRadar, 2022-04-15
- J. Rockett El Hombre Review, Premier Guitar, 2022-09-23
- J. Rockett El Hombre Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2022-10-21
- J Rockett El Hombre review: A compact drive pedal that goes beyond its ‘ZZ Top tribute’ brief, guitar.com, 2022-05-13
