The Airis Effects 51-Filthy is an Airis Effects preamp pedal, currently around $169. Close alternatives include the Airis Effects -Nemesis Preamp and the Suhr Riot Mini Black Edition. It pairs well with the Origin Effects RevivalDrive and the Ibanez Pentatone Preamp.

Airis Effects 51-Filthy

Airis Effects · pedal

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.

What stands out

  • “Its use case is aggressive rhythm and lead metal tones where note clarity matters even under heavy distortion, , undefined low end some cheaper produce”

    — from the community notes

  • “The Airis Effects 51-Filthy is a tight, articulate 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 c…”

    — from the listing

  • “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”

    — from the listing

  • “The standout caveat is that, as a small-batch boutique product, availability and pricing reflect hand-built production”

    — from the community notes

  • “Metal and hard rock guitarists researching boutique discuss the 51-Filthy as a genuinely tight, well-defined alternative to running a full amp head, citing its specific tonal reference points, 5150 crossed with a Diezel Hag…”

    — from the community notes

Trade-offs

  • “a genuinely difficult voicing to nail since many either sound thin or collapse into undefined mush under heavy distortion”

    — from the reviews

  • distortion
  • tight
  • high gain
  • production
  • hard rock
  • articulate
  • amp in
  • aggressive
$169View on Reverb

Price updated Oct 23, 2026

Genres the Airis Effects 51-Filthy is commonly used in

  • Hard Rock
  • Alternative Rock
  • Metal
  • Heavy Metal
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Djent
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Death Metal
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.

Pedals that stack with the Airis Effects 51-Filthy

Origin Effects RevivalDrive

Origin Effects

30% match

pushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)

The RevivalDrive's dynamic, tube-compressed response stacks with the 51-Filthy's tight, boutique metal distortion.

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Ibanez Pentatone Preamp

Ibanez

27% match

pushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)

The Pentatone's reliable direct-recording preamp stacks with the 51-Filthy's own tight, metal-voiced distortion.

Gamechanger Audio Plasma Pedal

Gamechanger Audio

25% match
$289.63via Reverb

pushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)

Stack Airis Effects 51-Filthy on top and a saturated tone tightens toward tight

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Catalinbread Teaser Stallion

Catalinbread

25% match
$146.81via Reverb

pushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)

Stack Airis Effects 51-Filthy on top and a saturated tone tightens toward tight

Comes earlier in the signal chain

EarthQuaker Devices Palisades

EarthQuaker Devices

24% match

pushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)

Airis Effects 51-Filthy takes that saturated character and pushes it toward tight

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Peavey Joshua Homme Decade Preamp

Peavey

23% match

pushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)

Feed a saturated signal into Airis Effects 51-Filthy and it comes out closer to tight

Coppersound Pedals Loma Prieta Tremolo

Coppersound Pedals

23% match
$199via Reverb

Airis Effects 51-Filthy leans toward tight, and that's a real, usable character to pair with

Comes earlier in the signal chain

MXR Mdu JHM8

MXR

23% match
$157.65via Reverb

pushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)

Stack Airis Effects 51-Filthy on top and a saturated tone tightens toward tight

Comes earlier in the signal chain

See all 56 pedals that pair with the Airis Effects 51-Filthy →

Cheaper alternatives

Mad Professor Stone Grey Distortion

Mad Professor

58% similarity
$119.99via Reverb

Shared character: hard rock, distortion, high gain settings

Mooer Micro PreAmp 001 (Diezel Hagen)

Mooer

58% similarity
$83.05via Reverb

Shared character: hard rock, aggressive playing, high gain settings

Black Country Customs Monolith

Black Country Customs

55% similarity
$119via Reverb

Shared character: metal, hard rock, distortion

MXR Super Badass Distortion

MXR

53% similarity
$99via Reverb

Shared character: distortion, aggressive playing, high gain settings

DigiTech Metal Master

Digitech

95% similarity
$39.99via Reverb

similar tone character

Boutique & premium upgrades

Fortin Amplification Natas

Fortin Amplification

64% similarity
$299.99via Reverb

Shared character: high gain settings, metal, distortion

Fortin Amplification 33

Fortin Amplification

52% similarity
$288.79via Reverb

Shared character: metal, distortion, high gain settings

Diezel Zerrer 2-Channel Preamp

Diezel

95% similarity
$590via Reverb

similar tone character

Friedman BE-OD Deluxe

Friedman

95% similarity
$229.49via Reverb

similar tone character

Similar charactersee all similar tone character →

Airis Effects -Nemesis Preamp

Airis Effects

69% similarity
$185.24via Reverb

Shared character: high gain settings, effects loop, hard rock

Suhr Riot Mini Black Edition

Suhr

63% similarity
$169via Reverb

Shared character: metal, hard rock, distortion

Wampler Dracarys

Wampler

59% similarity
$199via Reverb

Shared character: high end, metal, distortion

JHS PG-14 Paul Gilbert Signature Distortion

JHS Pedals

56% similarity

Shared character: high gain settings, hard rock, distortion

Friedman BE-OD

Friedman

55% similarity
$169.99via Reverb

Shared character: metal, hard rock, distortion

Airis Effects SPEC-Defier

Airis Effects

55% similarity
$169via Reverb

“designed the SPEC-Defier as a follow-up to their well-received 51-Filthy preamp”

See all alternatives to the Airis Effects 51-Filthy (cheaper + boutique) →

Questions people ask

What are good alternatives to the Airis Effects 51-Filthy?+

The closest matches in character are the Airis Effects -Nemesis Preamp, the Suhr Riot Mini Black Edition, the Wampler Dracarys. Budget picks: Mad Professor Stone Grey Distortion, Mooer Micro PreAmp 001 (Diezel Hagen), Black Country Customs Monolith. Boutique upgrades: Fortin Amplification Natas, Fortin Amplification 33, Diezel Zerrer 2-Channel Preamp.

What pairs well with the Airis Effects 51-Filthy?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Origin Effects RevivalDrive, Ibanez Pentatone Preamp, Gamechanger Audio Plasma Pedal — The RevivalDrive's dynamic, tube-compressed response stacks with the 51-Filthy's tight, boutique metal distortion..

How much does the Airis Effects 51-Filthy cost?+

Around $169 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).

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