The Pettyjohn Electronics ROUS Fuzz/Distortion is a compact distortion pedal from Pettyjohn Electronics. The maker describes it as "the ROUS, 'Rodent of Unusual Size', a highly evolved member of the RAT family," blurring the line between overdrive and distortion1. RockBoard's PedalPedia lists it simply as a distortion2, and Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio noted that the references to the RAT are not disguised: "ROUS stands for 'Rodent of Unusual Size', but, of course, this is far from a RAT clone"3.
Controls
The pedal carries four knobs and a clipping-mode switch. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson described the layout in his 2020 roundup: "It has the same 4 knobs as the RAIL fuzz - Level, Drive, Lows, Highs; and it has a Fire/Swamp Clipping Option switch - Silicon/Germanium"4. The same controls appear in his 2024 guide to RAT-style pedals4.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Output level |
| Drive | Amount of drive |
| Mode switch: Fire | Silicon hard clipping |
| Mode switch: Swamp | Germanium soft clipping |
| Lows | Low EQ |
| Highs | High EQ |
The Fire/Swamp switch is the pedal's central idea: two different clipping types, silicon hard clipping or germanium soft clipping, selected on the fly5. The maker's page also lists "White Knobs" among the pedal's features1.
Where it came from
Guitar Pedal X listed the ROUS among the year's new fuzz pedals in December 2020, at $199/£199, noting at that date that it was "still incoming, early next year seems more likely"4. The pedal shares its control layout with the PettyJohn Electronics Rail, the maker's fuzz pedal4.
Videos
AndyDemos
Mike Hermans
Iga Massardi
Sources (5)
- CoreX | Pettyjohn Elec, Pettyjohn Electronics
- ROUS by Pettyjohn, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Pettyjohn Rous Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2020-10-26
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2020-12-18
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-08-30
