The Boss PS-5 Super Shifter is a Boss pitch shifter pedal, currently around $99. Close alternatives include the Electro-Harmonix Slammi Plus and the Hotone Skyline Harmony Pitch Shifter/Harmonist. It pairs well with the Marshall Plexi 1959SLP and the Dumble Overdrive Special Amp Head.
Boss PS-5 Super Shifter
Boss · pedal
The Boss PS-5 Super Shifter is a pitch-shifting pedal delivering harmonizers and detuning effects. Its expression pedal input and footswitch allow dynamic pitch control. The PS-5 appeals to lead players seeking harmonic effects.
What stands out
“It's a lot of fun to use live, and ideal for some experimental pitch bending sounds”
— from the community notes
“Give it an expression pedal and you're ready to go ala Morello”
— from the community notes
“— Seems when people ask me about where I got sound "x" sound 50% of the time it always seems to include this pedal in some way-on tons of sources, I do have the Boss Harmonist HR-2 pedal as well- but this one combines the Harmonist with mo…”
— from the community notes
“9% of the time and therefore needed a Whammy-like device”
— from the community notes
“Its expression pedal input and footswitch allow dynamic pitch control”
— from the listing
Trade-offs
“Now the Harmonist usually just sits on a shelf,… • Why do you need a whammy for”
— from the community notes
“with delay pds 2000 is awesome”
— from the community notes
- pitch
- expression pedal
- whammy
- pitch shifter
- chorus
- tremolo
- noise
- experimental
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Boss PS-5 Super Shifter is commonly used in
- Experimental
- Electronic
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Boss PS-5 Super Shifter
Marshall Plexi 1959SLP
amplifier
16% matchWhat Marshall Plexi 1959SLP brings here leans toward aggressive — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
Dumble Overdrive Special Amp Head
Dumble
15% matchDumble Overdrive Special Amp Head leans toward dynamic, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Pedals that stack with the Boss PS-5 Super Shifter
Beetronics Overhive
Beetronics
11% matchWhat Beetronics Overhive brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
MXR Distortion+
MXR
10% matchWhat MXR Distortion+ brings here leans toward gritty — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
Roland SDE-3000D
Roland
6% matchPut Roland SDE-3000D after Boss PS-5 Super Shifter in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Boss PS-5 Super Shifter — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Mako D1 High-Fidelity Stereo Delay V1
Walrus Audio
6% matchKeep Walrus Audio Mako D1 High-Fidelity Stereo Delay V1 after Boss PS-5 Super Shifter in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Boss PS-5 Super Shifter — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Boutique & premium upgrades
DigiTech Whammy DT
Digitech
63% similarityShared character: whammy, pitch modulation, expression pedal
Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork Polyphonic Pitch Shifter
Electro-Harmonix
62% similarityShared character: pitch modulation, whammy, expression pedal
Boss X-100 Poly Shifter
Boss
58% similarityShared character: whammy, expression pedal
Boss XS 100 Poly Shifter
Boss
57% similarityShared character: whammy, expression pedal
TC Electronic Pitchfork
TC Electronic
55% similarityShared character: pitch modulation
TC Electronic Brainwaves Pitch Shifter
TC Electronic
55% similarityShared character: pitch modulation
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Electro-Harmonix Slammi Plus
Electro-Harmonix
66% similarityShared character: pitch modulation, whammy, expression pedal
Hotone Skyline Harmony Pitch Shifter/Harmonist
Hotone
56% similarityShared character: pitch modulation
Meris MR Hedra
Meris
55% similarityShared character: pitch modulation, whammy, delay
Mooer Polyphonic
Mooer
51% similarityShared character: pitch modulation
DigiTech Whammy MN Mono Neon
Digitech
49% similarityShared character: whammy, pitch modulation, expression pedal
Cooper FX Pitch Card
Cooper Fx
46% similarityShared character: pitch modulation, delay
See all alternatives to the Boss PS-5 Super Shifter (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Boss PS-5 Super Shifter?+
The closest matches in character are the Electro-Harmonix Slammi Plus, the Hotone Skyline Harmony Pitch Shifter/Harmonist, the Meris MR Hedra. Boutique upgrades: DigiTech Whammy DT, Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork Polyphonic Pitch Shifter, Boss X-100 Poly Shifter.
What pairs well with the Boss PS-5 Super Shifter?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall Plexi 1959SLP, Dumble Overdrive Special Amp Head, Beetronics Overhive — What Marshall Plexi 1959SLP brings here leans toward aggressive — that's worth building a pairing around.
How much does the Boss PS-5 Super Shifter cost?+
Around $99 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).