Fender Hammertone Distortion

The Fender Hammertone Distortion is one-ninth of the new affordable line of pedals released by the electric guitar giant in early 2022.

The US company’s 2018 Pugilist distortion was very well received (and it’s currently on top of our article about the best distortion pedals) but we don’t know if this $80 pedal inherits anything from that circuit.

The pedal’s look and layout is rather generic and – frankly – unremarkable (c’mon Fender, a better font ain’t going to break the bank, is it?), with knobs for Level, Gain, and active EQ controls for Treble and Bass.

Under the hood, a mid-range trim pot lets you add bite and bark, while a tone control lets you roll off super-high frequencies to taylor the pedal to your amp.

Have a listen to how it sounds in the videos below.

Fender Hammertone Distortion, Builder’s Notes

The sound of rock’n’roll – from light drive to heavy crunch, guitar wouldn’t be the same without it.
The Hammertone™ Distortion delivers the legendary distorted tones you need for nearly any style of music. The active 2-band Bass and Treble EQ controls provide modern tone-shaping flexibility, while the pedal board-friendly top-mounted in & out jacks and true bypass footswitch mean it will integrate seamlessly into your rig.

FEATURES
Fender®-Designed Analog Distortion Circuit
2-Band Active Bass & Treble EQ
Top Mount Input/Output Jacks
True-Bypass Switching
Powered by 9-Volt Battery or Center Negative AC Adaptor, Not Included

ORIGINAL FENDER®-DESIGNED DISTORTION CIRCUIT
Designed by our in-house experts, the Hammertone™ Distortion is a low-noise, high-power rock machine with a dynamic and versatile sound.

ACTIVE EQ CONTROLS
Active Bass and Treble controls provide massive control over your tone, with up to 15db of boost or cut.

INTERNAL TONE CONTROLS
The internal trim-pot controls allow for pre-set adjustments to further shape your sound. A mid-range trimmer lets you add bite and bark, while the tone control allows you to dial down super-high frequencies to tame your amp.

CUSTOM COLOR “F” LOGO KNOBS
Paying homage to Fender’s historic custom colors, these “F” logo knobs are easy to read, easy to grip and stand out on stage.

RUGGED, ROAD-WORTHY HARDWARE
The rugged aluminum enclosure and metal hardware deliver road-worthy reliability. True bypass switching ensure easy setup and pure tone.

TOP-MOUNT JACKS
Top-mounted input and output jacks allow more pedals to be used on the same board, as well as increasing pedal routing options.