The Mask Audio Electronics Hot Water is a fuzz pedal built on Big Muff-inspired circuitry with a twist: the maker says that, while using the same transistor count as the classic fuzz, its engineers have managed to extract four times the gain1. It arrives as a new pedal in MAE's value line, alongside the Trust Yourself pedal2.
Sound and circuit
The Hot Water sits in the fuzz family, but it leans toward synth-like tones rather than the classic Muff voicing. Mask Audio Electronics describes it as "heavy, synthy, and compressed, but still has enough dynamic range that your original signal will shine through" when you pull back gain or volume1. De Gregorio's take matches: "a thick, synth-like compression that maintains just enough dynamic range to clean up when players" roll back their guitar's volume knob2.
The circuit story is the pedal's headline. Rather than adding stages, the design extracts more from the Big Muff's usual transistor count. As Delicious Audio put it, "While using the same transistor count as the classic fuzz, engineers have managed to extract four times the gain"2. For players who know the Big Muff lineage, MAE has worked this territory before: the Black Math and the YES! both draw on Muff-style circuits, and the Part Garden was an earlier collaboration fuzz.
Controls
The Hot Water keeps operation simple with just two knobs2.
| Control | Function |
|---|---|
| MORE | Traditional gain control. The higher the gain, the more compressed the fuzz gets1 |
| LOUD | Master volume; turn up for more loud1 |
De Gregorio summarizes the same layout: "MORE controls gain saturation (increasing compression at higher settings)" while "LOUD adjusts output volume"2. There is no tone control, so shaping happens at the gain stage and on your guitar.
Power
Mask Audio Electronics specifies a standard Boss style power supply: 9VDC through a 2.1mm center-negative connector1. The pedal can also be powered at 18V, but the maker says it will sound better at 9V, and Delicious Audio likewise notes MAE specifically recommends 9V operation for optimal tone2. In practice, a normal 9V center-negative supply or daisy chain output is what you want on the board.
The maker says the Hot Water "can be powered at 18v, but it will sound better at 9v"1. If you run an 18V output on your supply, keep the Hot Water on a 9V outlet.
The MAE value line
The Hot Water is part of the new MAE budget line alongside the Trust Yourself pedal1. Delicious Audio reported it as a new pedal in MAE's value line at launch2, which places it as a lower-priced entry in the maker's range rather than one of the boutique-priced collaborations like the Cascader.
Videos
Mask Audio Electronics
collector//emitter
Questions
Is the Mask Audio Hot Water based on a Big Muff?
Yes, in spirit. Mask Audio Electronics says the Hot Water takes the same number of transistors normally found within a Big Muff and gets four times the amount of gain out of them. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described it as Big Muff-inspired circuitry with a surprising twist, so it draws on the classic fuzz design rather than copying it outright.
Is the Hot Water center-negative?
Yes. The pedal uses a standard Boss style power supply: 9VDC through a 2.1mm center-negative connector. Delicious Audio likewise describes it as running on a standard center-negative power supply, so it will work with a typical pedalboard supply or daisy chain.
Does the Hot Water clean up when I roll back my guitar volume?
Mask Audio Electronics says the Hot Water is heavy, synthy, and compressed, but still has enough dynamic range that your original signal will shine through when gain or volume is pulled back. Delicious Audio describes the same trait: a thick, synth-like compression that keeps just enough dynamic range to clean up from the guitar's volume knob.
What is the MAE value line?
The value line is Mask Audio Electronics' budget range of pedals. The Hot Water is part of the new MAE budget line alongside the Trust Yourself pedal, and Delicious Audio reported it as a new pedal in MAE's value line when it launched in July 2025.
Sources (2)
- Hot Water, Mask Audio Electronics
- New Pedal: Mask Audio Hot Water Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2025-07-07
