Hotcake V1

The Crowther Hotcake was created in 1977 by Paul Crowther, drummer for Split Enz, for guitarist Phil Judd to use with his Vox AC30. It predates most overdrive circuits and has been handmade in New Zealand ever since.

The Hotcake V1 uses a single op-amp for clipping rather than diodes, leaving bass frequencies undistorted for a natural, uncompressed distortion sound. The circuit achieves clean boost, edge of breakup, and full fuzz tones within a single drive control.

With controls for Level, Drive, and Presence, the simple interface belies the Hotcake's range. Notable users include Mark Knopfler, Peter Frampton, and Thom Yorke.