The Rook Audio Hydra is a fuzz pedal in the Big Muff tradition: Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes it as a "Muff-style fuzz" built on the Civil War Big Muff circuit, a version of the classic Electro-Harmonix design prized for its midrange character. It is a small-batch, hand-built pedal: hand wired on a point-to-point (PTP) board, in a hand etched enclosure, made in the UK1.
Controls
The Hydra keeps the layout simple. It features the three classic knobs for Gain, Volume and Tone, and in addition to the usual controls it has a mid boost and low cut switch1. On a Muff-style circuit, where the stock design is known for scooped mids, a mid boost and a low cut give a player two ways to shape how the fuzz sits in a band mix: pushing the mids forward or trimming the low end that heavy fuzz settings can pile up.
Construction and price
This is not a mass-produced box. Delicious Audio describes it as "a gorgeous-looking PTP Civil War Muff-style box that's hand-made in the UK," hand wired with a hand etched enclosure1. Point-to-point wiring, where components are connected directly rather than on a printed circuit board, is a build approach more often seen in boutique and amplifier work than in production pedals.
As of December 2021 it sold for over $435 USD (£329.00) plus shipping1, which places it firmly in boutique territory.
What reviewers said
Delicious Audio added the Hydra to its roundup of Big Muff-style fuzz pedals in December 2021, and of demo video maker Brett Kingman's take on it, De Gregorio reported simply: "Mr. Brett Kingman digs it."1
Videos
Brett Kingman
Sources (1)
- Rook Audio Hydra Muff-style Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2021-12-22
