The KHDK My Big Fat Rawk is a distortion pedal with a joke for a body and a serious high-gain circuit underneath. Conceived by Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy and comedian Brian Posehn, it was built by KHDK Electronics as an artist collaboration, and Guitar.com described it as a phallic-themed "dickstortion pedal." Under the humor sits a MOSFET-based amp distortion fed by an in-built treble-boosting circuit, aiming for what Guitar.com calls "the sound of a distorting, treble-boosted amp"1.
The pedal was a limited edition sold by pre-order only. It launched on 1 April 2021, pre-orders stopped at the end of April 2021, and the product was then discontinued, with units shipping two to three months after being ordered123.
Where it came from
KHDK pitched the pedal as its latest artist collaboration, pairing the company with Posehn and Trohman2. The name is a play on Big Fat Rock, a track from Posehn's 2020 metal album Grandpa Metal12. Guitar.com quoted the pedal's tagline as "add big size to your little sound, spew high-gain gravy"1.
The design work came from KHDK's Antonin Salva2. It followed the company's recent Nergal signature LCFR overdrive/boost pedal, and KHDK has since continued its artist line with other signature designs3.
"a very high-gain voicing best suited to hard rock"
The controls
The enclosure carries four controls, and the names keep the theme running2:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Hardness | Gain12 |
| Girth | Pre-distortion EQ, taking the tone "from tight bass to thick massive tone"2 |
| Shrinkage | Controls a passive low-pass filter2 |
| Length | Output level, the volume control on any dirt box2 |
The footswitch engages the distortion and is labeled "add ten inches"1. It is a soft touch switch, and the pedal has two LED status lights3. The enclosure itself is pink, with the pedal's name printed in white as a penile silhouette and the footswitch placed on it13.
This was a one-run pre-order release. Pre-orders stopped at the end of April 2021 and the pedal was discontinued afterward, so it turns up only secondhand now12.
My Big Fat Rawk or My Big Fatt Rawk?
Both spellings circulated at launch. Guitar.com reports the name as My Big Fat Rawk, while MusicRadar and gearnews.com use My Big Fatt Rawk, with a double T123. The name traces to the same source either way: Big Fat Rock from Grandpa Metal12.
The circuit
Guitar.com describes the topology as "a mosfet-based amp distortion after an in-built treble-boosting circuit"1. MusicRadar adds that the pedal uses solid-state and MOSFET components offering "some old-school treble-boosting"2. In practice that means a treble booster stage pushes the signal into the distortion stage, which is the arrangement behind the pedal's stated aim of a distorting, treble-boosted amp sound1. Players comparing it within KHDK's range will find the same builder's hand in other signature designs, such as the KHDK Dark Blood, which also pairs MOSFET circuitry with a treble booster.
For more on where a pedal like this sits, see the site's pages on Distortion Pedals, Boost Pedals and Preamp Pedals.
Questions
Who designed the KHDK My Big Fat Rawk?
The pedal was conceived by Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy and comedian Brian Posehn, as an artist collaboration with KHDK Electronics. The circuit itself was designed by KHDK's Antonin Salva. The name comes from Big Fat Rock, a track on Posehn's metal album Grandpa Metal, and the pedal carries the collaboration's deliberately crude humor throughout, from the pink enclosure to the footswitch label.
Is it My Big Fat Rawk or My Big Fatt Rawk?
Both spellings appear in press coverage. Guitar.com reports it as My Big Fat Rawk, while MusicRadar and gearnews.com use My Big Fatt Rawk, with a double T. The name is a play on Big Fat Rock, the track from Brian Posehn's 2020 album Grandpa Metal that gave the pedal its title.
What does the "add ten inches" footswitch label mean?
It is part of the pedal's joke. The footswitch engages the distortion, and KHDK labeled it "add ten inches," continuing the phallic theme that runs through the pedal's name, its pink enclosure and the penile silhouette printed on it. Functionally it is just the on/off switch for the effect.
Is the KHDK My Big Fat Rawk still available?
No. The pedal was a pre-order limited edition. Pre-orders opened on 1 April 2021 and stopped at the end of April 2021, after which the product was discontinued. Units shipped roughly two to three months after being ordered, with gearnews.com reporting shipping 8 to 12 weeks after pre-orders ended.
What circuit does the My Big Fat Rawk use?
Guitar.com describes it as a MOSFET-based amp distortion preceded by an in-built treble-boosting circuit, built with solid-state and MOSFET components. MusicRadar characterizes the treble-boosting stage as old-school. The aim, per Guitar.com, is the sound of a distorting, treble-boosted amp.
Sources (3)
- KHDK launches the My Big Fat Rawk, a “dickstortion pedal” that compensates for low gain, Guitar.com, 2021-04-13
- KHDK teams up with Brian Posehn and Fall Out Boy's Joe Trohman for an NSFW “Dickstortion“ pedal, My Big Fatt Rawk, MusicRadar, 2021-04-13
- KHDK launches My Big Fatt Rawk, a 'dickstortion' pedal, gearnews.com, 2021-04-12
