Time to Dime it?

 Sonicake Cowboy Distortion Review – A Mini Pedal with a Surprising Amount of Muscle

Sonicake have made a bit of a name for themselves in the world of mini pedals. Their range covers everything from ambient delays and modulation to bread-and-butter drives, all at seriously affordable prices. For players who want to experiment without dropping boutique money, Sonicake has become a bit of a go-to brand.

The Cowboy Distortion is their take on high-gain tones, but it’s not just another budget distortion box. What makes this one stand out is its powerful EQ section, its surprising versatility, and the way it captures that late-80s, hot-rodded amp vibe - it doesn't just get you Dimebag tones...

Let’s dig in and see what this tiny pedal has to offer.

EQ – Simpler but Still Powerful

One of the headline features of the Cowboy is its EQ. If you’ve ever used the Boss Metal Zone (MT-2), you’ll know it has one of the most powerful EQ sections ever built into a distortion pedal (for better or worse). You’ll also know that’s both a blessing and a curse. The Metal Zone can be shaped to sound incredible, but it can also be dialled into some truly horrendous tones if you’re not careful.

The Cowboy takes a more streamlined approach. The EQ here is still muscular enough to let you sculpt your sound, but it’s less intimidating and easier to work with. In practice, that means you can get useful tones more quickly without the fear of falling down a rabbit hole of endless tweaks.

Depending on your perspective, this is either a strength or a weakness. If you’re someone who loves ultra-precise tone shaping and enjoys the surgical flexibility of the Metal Zone, you might find the Cowboy’s EQ slightly limiting. But if you prefer plug-and-play simplicity and just want to get to the good sounds fast, the Cowboy really nails that balance.

Gain Range – From Blues Crunch to ’80s Firepower

Another surprise with the Cowboy is just how much gain it has on tap. A lot of mini-pedals in this price range stick to one niche — either low-gain overdrive, mid-gain crunch, or saturated distortion. The Cowboy covers all three.

• Low gain: Roll the knob back and you’ll find yourself in crunchy blues-rock territory. It’s dynamic enough to respond to your picking and guitar volume, which gives it a nice dynamic feel.
• Medium gain: Set the control around noon and you get a really satisfying hard rock crunch. Think stadium rock riffs, palm-muted power chords, and sustaining lead tones. It’s tight enough to keep things articulate but still has the thickness to fill out a band mix.
• High gain: Crank it, and you’re straight into late-’80s and early-’90s high-gain tones. Imagine a hot-rodded Marshall stack being pushed with a Tube Screamer up front — that’s the vibe. It roars without getting too fizzy, which is impressive at this price point.

I’ll be the first to admit: I’m not a die-hard high-gain distortion fan. My personal taste leans more towards lower-gain drives and edge-of-breakup tones. That said, the Cowboy manages to be versatile enough that you can still find usable settings at every stage of the gain range. Players who live in heavier styles will probably get even more out of it.

Build Quality and Details

Like all of Sonicake’s mini pedals, the Cowboy is built like a little tank. The metal enclosure feels reassuringly solid, the footswitch has a reassuringly quality feel, and the knobs are easy to use (despite being so small).

Sonicake also do something I really appreciate: they include a perfectly cut strip of Velcro in the box. It’s such a small touch, but it makes life easier if you want to get the pedal onto your board straight away. No digging through drawers, no messy scissors job. It’s thoughtful little details like this that make Sonicake feel like a company that actually thinks about the practical needs of musicians.

And given how compact this pedal is, it’s easy to slot onto even the busiest boards. For players who like to travel light, it’s a great candidate for a grab-and-go setup.

Tone Thoughts – and an Open Question

I’ve shared my impressions above, but here’s where I want to throw the question back to you all. I’m not the biggest high-gain distortion authority, and I’ll freely admit that. What I hear in the Cowboy is a convincing late-’80s high-gain sound, with enough versatility to cover crunch and bluesier edges as well.

But for those of you who live and breathe high-gain tones, I’d love to hear your take. Does it stack up against your go-to distortion pedals? Does it have enough character to replace something like a Metal Zone, or is it more of a “fun extra” to keep on the board? Drop your thoughts in the comments — I’m always up for learning more about how different ears hear pedals like this.

Who is the Cowboy For?

It'll do Dimebag tones, sure. It covers a whole load of other ground too. With the powerful EQ and a gain range that gives you so much control, you can dial in so much more than just the nasal, scratchy tone found on so many of those Pantera records (Dimebag was one heck of a guitarist, but his tone was certainly nowhere near as good as his playing).

It’s probably not for the player who wants the absolute maximum control over their EQ and is happy to spend hours fine-tuning. There are plenty of metal pedals out there that give you EQ control to the Nth degree, but you certainly aren't paying less than you are for the Sonicake.

Final Thoughts

The Sonicake Cowboy Distortion is a great example of what Sonicake does best: making affordable, practical, and surprisingly good-sounding mini pedals. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it delivers exactly what it promises — a versatile distortion with a powerful yet easy-to-use EQ.

The gain range makes it usable for more than just metal, the build quality inspires confidence, and the little extras (like pre-cut Velcro) show that Sonicake care about the small stuff.

It may not unseat legendary pedals like the Metal Zone in terms of sheer tweakability, but for the price and footprint, the Cowboy makes a strong case for itself. If you’re curious about distortion pedals and want a budget-friendly way to explore heavier tones, this little pedal is well worth a look.

And like I said earlier — I’d love to hear from the high-gain fans out there. Where does the Cowboy sit for you? Hidden gem, budget hero, or just a fun experiment? Let me know, because the more perspectives on pedals like this, the better.

If you'd like one of your own and you'd like to support the channel at the same time, please consider using this affiliate link (use code: budgetpedalchap for a discount): 

https://www.sonicake.com/products/cowboy?sca_ref=1425095.S0avGvl0i2