Airis Effects 51-Filthy vs Free The Tone IF-1D
The Airis Effects 51-Filthy and the Free The Tone IF-1D are both pedals sharing crunchy. The Airis Effects 51-Filthy leans tight and high gain. The Free The Tone IF-1D leans fuzzy and full. Current prices: $169 vs $159.
cited
Blended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.38% — somewhat different
cited
Genres both listings are associated with.- Hard Rock
- Alternative Rock
- Metal
cited
Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- crunchy
cited
Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$169via Reverb
$159via Reverb
The Airis Effects 51-Filthy is a tight, articulate high-gain preamp pedal from the Ontario, Canada-based boutique builder founded by Richard Seidlitz in 2014, voiced somewhere between a block-letter EVH 5150 and a Diezel Hagen, delivering crunchy, saturated distortion without losing note definition even at aggressive gain settings. Handbuilt in small runs and backed by a two-year warranty, it represents Airis's focus on high-gain metal and hard rock tones within a boutique pedal format, aimed at players wanting studio-quality amp-in-a-box distortion rather than a simple fuzz or overdrive circuit.
The Free The Tone IF-1D Iron Forest is a high-gain distortion pedal from Tokyo builder Free The Tone, voiced toward modern hard rock and metal rather than vintage grit. Four controls -- Level, Gain, Bass and Treble -- set a tight, focused distortion with a bright top end and a sharp, percussive pick attack that keeps fast riffing articulate instead of smearing. Gain runs from thick rhythm crunch up to saturated, sustaining lead tones, and the two-band EQ lets players scoop or thicken the midrange to sit against a dense mix. The IF-1D uses Free The Tone's HTS (Holistic Tonal Solution) buffer circuit, which preserves high-frequency detail and low-end tightness through long cable runs and complex pedalboards. It suits players wanting an aggressive, articulate distortion with plenty of sustain and a defined, cutting character.
cited
Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Rock
- tight
- high gain
- fuzzy
- full
- mid-forward
- sustaining