The Crowther Audio HotCake is an overdrive pedal from New Zealand that dates back to 1976, hand-built by Paul Crowther for 44 years12. Aion FX calls it one of the original boutique distortion pedals2, and it sits in that overlap between the overdrive and distortion categories that players argue about. It is no longer in production: Crowther Audio has closed, and RockBoard's PedalPedia notes that the price of Hot Cakes has been steadily rising since the closure3.
What it does
The Hot Cake is an LM741-based overdrive design, a circuit family that Guitar FX Layouts' builder mirosol worked with when tracing a Hot Cake-derived board4. Its character includes what Aion FX describes as "decay fizz", a top-end artifact of the design: "The Bluesberry mode helps reduce this somewhat, but it's part of the character of the pedal"1. On That Pedal Show, the Hot Cake appeared among overdrives the hosts picked as underappreciated pedals available for sensible prices, and it was demonstrated with a treble booster into it5.
Bluesberry, XLF and Cream modes
The Hot Cake's extra voices have moved around the enclosure over the years, and knowing which version you have tells you where the switches are126.
| Version | Extra modes | Where the controls are |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-2000s | Stock, Bluesberry and XLF sold as three separate variants2 | Separate pedals |
| Bluesberry variant | Alternate voicing via an internal jumper that changes the response from the standard Hotcake sound7 | Internal |
| 2008 revision | Two internal toggle switches, one for XLF and one for Bluesberry2 | Internal |
| Late 2020 (V2/V10) | XLF and Cream toggles86 | External, on the outside of the enclosure1 |
The XLF switch retains all the bass frequencies when activated, which Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio calls "a nod to bass players"8. Cream, new on the 2020 version, is "a mode voiced after the Blues Breaker"81. Note that Cream is not simply the old Bluesberry under a new name: "according to the manufacturer's description the 'Cream' mode is not the same as the earlier 'Bluesberry' mode"1. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson noted the 2020 V2 "covers off a couple of earlier varieties including the limited Blueberry edition - via a couple of additional toggle-switches"6.
The Presence knob question
The original version had no Presence knob. Delicious Audio dates the knob's arrival to V5 around 2001, "although there was a presence switch in some previous and later versions"8. So a Hot Cake from the 1970s through the 1990s will not have one, and some versions around it carry a switch instead.
Versions and the circuit behind it
The circuit was originally designed in the mid-1970s by a New Zealand-born guitarist living in the UK, which is Paul Crowther8. In 2008, Crowther updated the circuit to add the two internal toggle switches for XLF and Bluesberry, and from that point only one model was produced2. An updated version released in late 2020 moved the switches to the outside of the enclosure1.
Bypass is where the Hot Cake differs from most pedals: rather than true bypass, the original uses a relay switching system. Aion FX explains that the relay "essentially turns the whole signal path into a unity gain buffer" when disengaged, with very little frequency-shaping2. In practice that means the pedal buffers your signal when off, which matters on long pedalboards, and it is not a true bypass design.
Aion FX traced the 2008 revision in 2020 and released it as the Anomaly Vintage Distortion, a DIY PCB project for builders who want the circuit without hunting a discontinued original12.
What reviewers said
The Hot Cake is an overdrive pedal from New Zealand that dates back to 19761, and its design sits in the LM741-based overdrive family. As one reviewer put it, "The Crowther Hotcake had been on my radar for a while, so this gave me an excuse to try out this type of LM741-based OD"4.
Because Crowther Audio has closed, new Hot Cakes are not available, and used prices have been rising since the closure3. The 2020 V2 was reported available in the UK through Hot Rox UK at the time6, but the pedal's production status today is discontinued.
Videos
Jackson Brooksby
AndyDemos
David Fisher (tibbon)
Questions
Is the Crowther Hot Cake still in production?
No. Crowther Audio has closed, and the Hot Cake is no longer in production. According to RockBoard's PedalPedia, the price of Hot Cakes has been steadily rising since the closure, so used examples change hands for more than they once did. The pedal was hand-built by Paul Crowther in New Zealand across a run that dates back to 1976, with a 2008 revision and a late 2020 V2 among the later versions.
Does the Crowther Hot Cake have a Presence knob?
The original version did not. According to Delicious Audio, the Presence knob was added in the V5 version around 2001, although some previous and later versions carried a presence switch instead. So whether a given Hot Cake has a knob, a switch or neither depends on which version you are looking at.
Is the Cream mode the same as Bluesberry?
No. According to the manufacturer's description, the 2020 version's Cream mode is not the same as the earlier Bluesberry mode. Delicious Audio describes Cream as a mode voiced after the Blues Breaker, while Bluesberry was an alternate voicing of the standard Hot Cake sound, originally reached through an internal jumper on earlier versions.
What does the XLF switch do on a Hot Cake?
XLF retains all the bass frequencies when activated. Delicious Audio calls it a nod to bass players, since the low end stays intact with the switch engaged. On the 2008 revision the XLF switch was internal; the late 2020 version moved the switches to the outside of the enclosure.
Is the Crowther Hot Cake true bypass?
No. The original Hot Cake uses a relay switching system. When disengaged, the relay disables the gain of the op-amp and deactivates the frequency-shaping filters, turning the signal path into a unity-gain op-amp buffer with very little frequency-shaping, according to Aion FX's technical analysis.
What is the Aion FX Anomaly Vintage Distortion?
It is a DIY project from Aion FX based on the Crowther Hot Cake circuit. Aion FX traced the 2008 revision of the Hot Cake in 2020 and released it as the Anomaly Vintage Distortion, a do-it-yourself PCB that lets a builder recreate the circuit rather than buy a discontinued original.
Sources (8)
- Anomaly Vintage Distortion / Crowther Hot Cake, Aion FX, 2020-11-16
- Tracing Journal: Crowther Hot Cake, Aion FX, 2020-11-16
- Foo Driver by Collateral FX, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Guitar FX Layouts: Effdub Flapjack OD, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2014-09-01
- Underappreciated Overdrive Pedals, That Pedal Show, 2025-09-12
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2020-11-05
- Crowther Audio Hotcake Overdrive/Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2015-04-21
- Crowther Hot Cake Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2024-08-12
