The Sitek Cocoa Distortion is a distortion pedal from Sitek, a maker based in Gdynia, Poland, where the pedal is handmade. Delicious Audio, covering its introduction in May 2023, describes it as an op-amp based 100% analog circuit designed with two carefully selected clipping characteristics, and files it under the growing category of versatile gain pedals.1
Two clipping voices: Soft and Hard
The Cocoa's central feature is its pair of operation modes, which Delicious Audio says allow the user to achieve different distortion profiles. In Soft mode the pedal gives a smooth, overdrive-like tone, closer to the territory of an overdrive pedal, while Hard mode delivers the fuller distortion character.1
The pedal also has a life at lower gain settings. Delicious Audio notes that it works well as a boost at lower levels in the Soft voicing, and can provide enough output to overdrive the input stage of an amp, which puts it in the same flexible territory as a dedicated boost pedal.1
Controls and power
The control set is simple:
- Level: controls the output volume of the pedal1
- Mode: selects between the Soft and Hard clipping voices1
Power comes from a 9V DC supply or a 9V battery, so the pedal can be used without a power supply on small boards or in a pinch.1
Build and where it comes from
The Cocoa is handmade in Gdynia, Poland, in a durable powder-coated enclosure. It weighs 240g and measures 11.5cm x 6cm x 5cm (L x W x H), a compact format for a pedalboard.1
The Cocoa Distortion is a two-voiced distortion from Sitek, built around Soft and Hard clipping modes. Sitek describes the pedal's Soft/Hard operation as letting the user "achieve different distortion profiles," with Soft mode giving a smooth, overdrive-like tone and Hard mode the heavier character.1
What reviewers said
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio summed up the pedal's character this way:
"the Sitek Cocoa is a distortion that can be filed under the growing category of 'versatile gain pedals.'"1
His coverage highlights the two clipping modes as the pedal's distinguishing feature and points to its usefulness as a boost into an amp's input stage.1
Videos
EytschPi42
intheblues
Lee Butler Guitarist
Questions
Is the Sitek Cocoa Distortion true bypass?
Yes. According to Delicious Audio's product coverage, the Cocoa Distortion uses true bypass switching, so when the pedal is off, your guitar's signal passes through without the distortion circuit loading it. The pedal is built in a durable powder-coated enclosure and runs on a 9V DC supply or a 9V battery.
Can the Sitek Cocoa Distortion be used as a boost?
Delicious Audio reports that it can. At lower levels in the Soft voicing, the Cocoa works well as a boost, and it puts out enough level to overdrive the input stage of a tube amp. That makes it a two-role pedal: a distortion in its own right and a clean-ish push for an amp that is already breaking up.
Where is the Sitek Cocoa Distortion made?
The Cocoa Distortion is handmade by Sitek in Gdynia, Poland. Delicious Audio describes it as handmade with love in Gdynia, and the maker's pedals, including the earlier Wuffy, come from the same workshop.
How much does the Sitek Cocoa Distortion weigh?
The pedal weighs 240g, with dimensions of 11.5cm x 6cm x 5cm (length x width x height). That compact footprint and modest weight suit a crowded pedalboard, and the powder-coated enclosure is described as durable.
Sources (1)
- New Pedal: Sitek Cocoa Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2023-05-11