CROWTHER AUDIO Hotcake Crowther Audio

This is the V2 Version of the incredible Hotcake by Crowther Audio!

With the new version comes with a few different flavours (or condiments) to sink your teeth into!

The +CREAM setting is a bit smoother than the Bluesberry setting (available as a dip switch inside V1), and is now accessible from the outside. 

The XLF eXtended Low Frequency setting allows more low end through, perfect of for bass and 7 string guitars. This acts as in the same way the “Bass” Dip Switch did internally on the V1. Without it engaged, the low end has a gentle roll off just below the low E on a guitar to reduce any sub harmonic products from heavy guitar chords which may be hard going for a smaller guitar amp. 

The Hotcake was first produced in 1976, while Paul Crowther was in the UK with the band, Split Enz. The Hotcake is designed to leave the undistorted component of the guitar sound unchanged, while providing a nice fat distortion sound without resorting to a treble cut circuit which will also affect the guitar tonality. With the Drive and Presence controls set to minimum, and the Level at around 2 o’clock, you should be hard pressed to hear any change in the sound at all when you switch the Hotcake in and out. You can get a clean volume boost by increasing the Level control. Increasing the Drive will give you a thick distortion sound with a little bit of edge to it, and the Presence control adds some mid-range punch to the sounds. The Hot cake also handles chords well. It is recommended that the Hotcake is patched between the guitar and amplifier, rather than into an amplifier’s effect loop. Generally speaking, if you are happy with your guitar and amplifier combination, the Hotcake will work well as a primary distortion.

As of September 2007, The Hotcake only came in one version, and was internally presettable for “Normal” or “Bluesberrry” voicings, and also for the extended low frequency option for bass. This is now externally accessible on the new version! For reference to the +CREAM setting, the “Bluesberry” voicing of the Hotcake had a slightly less buzzy edge at the onset of distortion.