Hotone Grass review

DO step on the grass (pedal)

  • £54.99
  • €72
We've been impressed by the build quality of Hotone's mini Skyline range - the Grass overdrive is well up to spec

MusicRadar Verdict

The Grass's punchy, midrange-focused tone only sounds better as it gets louder, making it an awesome gig-friendly overdrive.

Pros

  • +

    Build. Very impressive feature list for the size/price. Excellent value for money.

Cons

  • -

    Unsurprisingly, it's mains power only.

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With a tone based on what some guitarists consider the holy grail of amp brands, Dumble, Hotone's tiny Grass overdrive has some pretty big shoes to fill.

"Its smooth dirt capably transports you into boutique overdrive territory"

Given it's small footprint, the Grass has an impressive feature list: a zinc alloy enclosure, a metal rod to protect the controls, LED on/off indicator (built into the top knob), glow in the dark volume, voice and bright knobs and true bypass switching.

Engaged, its smooth dirt capably transports you into boutique overdrive territory. This is no transparent stomper, though; the Grass is hotter than you might expect, and higher gain levels can capably handle classic rock with a bridge humbucker.

The voice control is well focused, too, allowing you to fine-tune the high-end to your liking, while the bright button adjusts for darker amps and guitars.

Michael Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.