The Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker is an Electro-Harmonix fuzz pedal, currently around $96.02. Close alternatives include the Fender Hello Kitty Fuzz and the Fuzzrocious Croak. It pairs well with the Fender Vibrolux 6G11 and the Magnatone Twilighter Stereo 22W Head.
Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker
Electro-Harmonix · pedal
The Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker is a fuzz pedal from EHX designed to simulate the sound of a torn or ripped loudspeaker cone, capturing the distinctive buzzy, sputtery distortion character associated with early rock records where physical speaker damage produced novel tonal effects. The pedal references the sound of Link Wray punching holes in his speaker cones and the distorted texture of dying tubes and depleting batteries. Premier Guitar and Guitar Player reviewed it as delivering spiky Fuzzrite-style distortion at lower settings through to warm, bluesy tones at moderate settings, with a Bias control for the characteristic sputtery response.
What stands out
“The Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker is a fuzz pedal from EHX designed to simulate the sound of a torn or ripped loudspeaker cone, capturing the distinctive buzzy, sputtery distortion character associated with early rock records where physic…”
— from the listing
“Premier Guitar and Guitar Player reviewed it as delivering spiky Fuzzrite-style distortion at lower settings through to warm, bluesy tones at moderate settings, with a Bias control for the characteristic sputtery response”
— from the listing
“Fuzz simulating a torn speaker cone, producing a buzzy, sputtery character that references early rock recording distortion effects from physical speaker damage, associated with Link Wray and the experimental damage-derived tones of early el…”
— from the community notes
“Used for lo-fi, garage rock, blues, and experimental contexts where the specific broken, angular quality of speaker-damage fuzz is the intended aesthetic”
— from the community notes
“the distinctive character that differs from conventional smooth or warm fuzz designs is the most cited appeal for players who want something other than standard fuzz aesthetics”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“The intentionally broken aesthetic is narrow in its application, suiting lo-fi, garage, and experimental contexts but being largely unusable for conventional blues lead, shoegaze, or rock fuzz applications”
— from the reviews
- fuzz
- spiky
- distortion
- experimental
- smooth
- bluesy
- blues
- distinctive character
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker is commonly used in
- Rock
- Shoegaze
- Alternative Rock
- Blues
- Garage Rock
- Experimental
Amps that pair well with the Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker
Fender Vibrolux 6G11
amplifier
21% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
Fender Vibrolux 6G11 layers modulated onto an already fuzzy signal
Comes later in the signal chain
Magnatone Twilighter Stereo 22W Head
Magnatone
17% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
Magnatone Twilighter Stereo 22W Head stacks modulated on top of the fuzzy already here
Comes later in the signal chain
Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp
Gibson
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp in front and the fuzzy tone leans further toward modulated
Magnatone 510
Magnatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Magnatone 510 in front and the fuzzy tone leans further toward modulated
Pedals that stack with the Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker
Univox Uni-Vibe
Univox
22% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
Put Univox Uni-Vibe after Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker in the signal chain, clear of Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Ages
Walrus Audio
20% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (fuzzy → clean boost)
Walrus Audio Ages stacks clean boost on top of the fuzzy already here
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Fender Blender
Fender
20% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → octave)
Put Fender Blender in front and the fuzzy tone leans further toward octave
Walrus Audio Melee Wall of Noise Black
Walrus Audio
13% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → octave)
Keep Walrus Audio Melee Wall of Noise Black after Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker in the signal chain, clear of Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Pigtronix Echolution
Pigtronix
13% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
Run Pigtronix Echolution after Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker in the signal chain, clear of Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
PRS Mary-Cries Compressor
PRS
10% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
What Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker brings here leans toward fuzzy — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Subdecay Octave Theory Octave Modulator Synthesizer
Subdecay
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Put Subdecay Octave Theory Octave Modulator Synthesizer in front of Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker: pitch tracking is cleanest before anything colours the note
EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things
EarthQuaker Devices
Cheaper alternatives
Boutique & premium upgrades
Fjord Fuzz Frei
Fjord Fuzz
56% similarityShared character: fuzz
Dunlop Screamadelica Fuzz Face Distortion
Dunlop
52% similarityShared character: fuzz, alternative, smooth
Fjord Fuzz Dovre
Fjord Fuzz
51% similarityShared character: fuzz
ThorpyFX Hanami Fuzz
ThorpyFX
50% similarityShared character: fuzz, alternative
Fjord Fuzz MÅNE
Fjord Fuzz
49% similarityShared character: fuzz
Fuzzrocious Wicked Jawn
Fuzzrocious
49% similarityShared character: fuzz, alternative
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Fender Hello Kitty Fuzz
Fender
60% similarityShared character: fuzz
Fuzzrocious Croak
Fuzzrocious
58% similarityShared character: fuzz, alternative, smooth
Dunlop Joe Bonamassa Fuzz Face JB-F3 Copper Top
Dunlop
54% similarityShared character: fuzz, alternative, smooth
Walrus Audio Fundamental Series Fuzz
Walrus Audio
47% similarityShared character: fuzz, lead
Electronic Audio Experiments Eldritch Blast
Electronic Audio Experiments
47% similarityShared character: fuzz, alternative
Dunlop JHM S1
Dunlop
91% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker?+
The closest matches in character are the Fender Hello Kitty Fuzz, the Fuzzrocious Croak, the Dunlop Joe Bonamassa Fuzz Face JB-F3 Copper Top. Budget picks: Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi, Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff. Boutique upgrades: Fjord Fuzz Frei, Dunlop Screamadelica Fuzz Face Distortion, Fjord Fuzz Dovre.
What pairs well with the Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Fender Vibrolux 6G11, Magnatone Twilighter Stereo 22W Head, Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp — Fender Vibrolux 6G11 layers modulated onto an already fuzzy signal.
How much does the Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker cost?+
Around $96.02 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).