Hilbish Design unveils King Buzzo’s signature distortion, the Pessimiser

Melvins are known for the extremity of, well, everything about them. And frontman King Buzzo’s new signature distortion pedal from Hilbish Design, the Pessimiser, looks to be no different.

The pedal’s gain stage has been based on Melvins’ diverse guitar tones, spanning King Buzzo’s entire career. This means that the gain stage, mainly governed by the boost knob, ranges from a clean boost, to overdrive, to distortion – and begins to approach a fuzz tone at its highest settings. The central ‘mix’ knob lets you blend in a clean signal for some more clarity amidst the sonic chaos, while the 3-band active EQ located below the gain stage allows for fine-tuning of bass, mids and treble. The final control is potentially self-explanatory, as Hilbish Design politely puts it in its description of the pedal: “The Blast control controls your volume, dipshit.”

The pedal comes in a folded 14-gauge powder-coated steel enclosure, meaning you could probably drop it down a few flights of stairs safely. Well, safely for the pedal, at least. The artwork is by graphic designer Mackie Osborne.

The release follows the announcement of King Buzzo’s second solo album, Gift of Sacrifice. The album has been recorded with Trevor Dunn, and will be supported by an eight-week tour. Osbourne also shared the first single from the LP, Science in Modern America.

The Pesssimer lists for $225, and is available now. Find out more over at hilbishdesign.com.