For sale is a vintage Crowther Audio Hot Cake overdrive pedal with the two-knob Level/Drive layout and Normal/Mid Lift toggle switch.

Serial number is 960957, dating this example to 1996. It was handmade in New Zealand by Crowther Audio and is from the earlier generation of Hot Cakes before the later Presence-control versions.

This version has a very simple layout with Level and Drive controls along with the Normal/Mid Lift switch. At lower Drive settings, the Hot Cake can work as a relatively clean boost or light overdrive. Turning the Drive up takes it into a much thicker, more saturated sound while still retaining good definition and the character of the guitar and amplifier underneath it.

The Mid Lift switch is one of the distinguishing features of these older Hot Cakes. Compared with the later Presence-control versions, the older Mid Lift circuit is generally associated with a warmer, thicker character and is increasingly difficult to find.

This is also a pre-Presence-control version, giving it the classic two-knob Hot Cake layout that was used through much of the 1980s and 1990s.

Features:

• Crowther Audio Hot Cake
• Vintage 1996 example
• Serial number 960957
• Two-knob Level and Drive layout
• Normal / Mid Lift toggle switch
• Older Mid Lift circuit
• Handmade in New Zealand
• 9V battery operation

The pedal shows normal cosmetic wear from age and use, including some marks, small chips and wear around the enclosure, which can be seen clearly in the photos. I have not tried to clean up or disguise the cosmetic wear; it presents exactly as you would expect from a nearly 30-year-old pedal that has actually been used.

This is a very cool older example of one of the more distinctive overdrive pedals to come out of New Zealand, and the Mid Lift versions are much less common than the later three-knob Hot Cakes.

It will be carefully packed and fully insured for shipment.