Pedal Mob HwaCha Distortion

HwaCha Distortion is a true bypass pedal by the South Korean company Pedal Mob. It derives its name from a weapon described as ‘an arm shooting many arrows at once, used from the 15th through 17th centuries in Chosun (formerly Korea) to fight against Japan and China. You will see this depicted in the background images in the demo below:



The HwaCha Distortion was engineered and based on MESA/Boogie’s V-Twin tube pedal distortion section. It has a very thick and robust mid-range with intricate highs, and although there is excellent bottom end, it remains tight and articulate. This was achieved by filtering out rarely-used low frequencies, and also the top high-end frequencies, which makes the Tone knob act more like a Presence control. In effect, the Tone knob’s entire spectrum is usable, although that would depend on your mix.

Power chords remain clear, and when playing lead, you get those grainy screeches and squeals. This pedal definitely pops in a mix, as it remains smooth, yet gritty with a focused sound pressure you can feel while playing and when listening. Although not a pre-amp, it has amp-like response and sound with its meaty characteristics and percussive response.

Unlike many cheaper made Chinese pedals, the standards and quality of Pedal Mob’s HwaCha is spot on, and for a fantastic price of $72.80 USD through eBay (I address quality of standards in the review I did on the Choir Master Chorus, also by Pedal Mob). Music gear is increasing in price quite dramatically, and so I find Pedal Mob’s offerings a serious consideration if you’re looking for that MESA sound at an unbeatable price.

At a standard pedal size and weight (4x2.8x1.9 inch/101x71x47 mm and 0.45lbs/205g), the HwaCha Distortion is powered by DC9V center-negative with a current draw of 30mA.

https://www.pedalmob.com/pedals