The EVH Modern High Gain is an MXR distortion pedal, currently around $269.99. Close alternatives include the JHS Pedals JHS Kilt V10 and the TC Electronic Eyemaster. It pairs well with the Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp and the Roland Cube Street.
EVH Modern High Gain
MXR · pedal
The MXR EVH Modern High Gain is a signature distortion pedal developed in collaboration with Eddie Van Halen, designed to capture the high-gain amp character of the Van Halen 5150 amplifier in a compact stompbox format. The pedal was developed with Van Halen beginning in 2015 and delivers the scooped, tight, high-gain distortion associated with the 5150 amplifier, which became one of the most influential high-gain amp designs in rock and metal history. The EVH Modern High Gain covers modern high-gain hard rock and metal distortion territory with the frequency response and gain character associated with Eddie Van Halen stage tone.
What stands out
“The MXR EVH Modern High Gain is a signature distortion pedal developed in collaboration with Eddie Van Halen, designed to capture the high-gain amp character of the Van Halen 5150 amplifier in a compact stompbox format”
— from the listing
“The scooped modern high-gain voicing is narrow in its application range, suiting modern hard rock and metal but limiting its crossover utility for players who also need classic rock or vintage-voiced drive from the same pedal”
— from the reviews
“The pedal was developed with Van Halen beginning in 2015 and delivers the scooped, tight, high-gain distortion associated with the 5150 amplifier, which became one of the most influential high-gain amp designs in rock and metal history”
— from the listing
“Lead playing at high gain produces a sustained, smooth distortion with a consistent frequency response suited to modern hard rock production values”
— from the reviews
“High-gain distortion capturing Eddie Van Halen modern 5150 amp character, suited to hard rock and metal lead and rhythm playing where tight, scooped modern high-gain tone is the primary requirement”
— from the community notes
- high gain
- hard rock
- distortion
- frequency response
- tight
- scooped
- modern
- rock
Price updated Oct 22, 2026
Genres the EVH Modern High Gain is commonly used in
- Classic Rock
- Rock
- Alternative Rock
- Metal
- Hard Rock
- Christian Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the EVH Modern High Gain
Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp
Laney
25% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (scooped → mid-forward)
Feed a scooped signal into Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Comes later in the signal chain
Roland Cube Street
Roland
25% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (scooped → mid-forward)
Feed a scooped signal into Roland Cube Street and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Comes later in the signal chain
Roland Cube Street EX
Roland
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Roland Cube Street EX pushes a scooped tone toward mid-forward
Gallien-Krueger GK Legacy 4x10 Bass Combo Amp
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger GK Legacy 4x10 Bass Combo Amp takes that scooped character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Ceriatone HRM 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Feed a scooped signal into Ceriatone HRM 50 and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Phil Jones BG-400 Suitcase Compact Bass Combo
Phil Jones
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Phil Jones BG-400 Suitcase Compact Bass Combo pushes a scooped tone toward mid-forward
ENGL E610II Savage 120 MkII Head
Engl
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Stack ENGL E610II Savage 120 MkII Head on top and a scooped tone tightens toward mid-forward
Gibson Dual Falcon 20
Gibson
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Stack Gibson Dual Falcon 20 on top and a scooped tone tightens toward mid-forward
Pedals that stack with the EVH Modern High Gain
J. Rockett The Dude
J Rockett
23% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (scooped → mid-forward)
J. Rockett The Dude pushes a scooped tone toward mid-forward
Cusack Music Screamer
Cusack Music
23% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (scooped → mid-forward)
Stack Cusack Music Screamer on top and a scooped tone tightens toward mid-forward
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Orange Series Phaser
Orange
19% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep EVH Modern High Gain's high gain voice out front: Orange Series Phaser goes after EVH Modern High Gain in the signal chain so its mid-forward voice doesn't muddy it
Comes later in the signal chain
Xotic SP Compressor
Xotic
12% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (scooped → mid-forward)
What Xotic SP Compressor brings here leans toward smooth — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
MXR Analog Delay
MXR
10% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put MXR Analog Delay after EVH Modern High Gain in the signal chain, clear of EVH Modern High Gain's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Universal Audio Golden Reverberator
Universal Audio
9% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Universal Audio Golden Reverberator after EVH Modern High Gain in the signal chain, clear of EVH Modern High Gain's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Cry Baby Dunlop Cry Baby Classic GCB95F
Cry Baby
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Cry Baby Dunlop Cry Baby Classic GCB95F belongs in front of EVH Modern High Gain, since a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
Cry Baby Dunlop Cry Baby Standard GCB95
Cry Baby
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Cry Baby Dunlop Cry Baby Standard GCB95 belongs in front of EVH Modern High Gain, since a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
Cheaper alternatives
MXR Super Badass Distortion
MXR
61% similarityShared character: distortion, classic rock, high gain settings
Black Country Customs Monolith
Black Country Customs
56% similarityShared character: hard rock, smooth, distortion
Wampler SLOstortion
Wampler
53% similarityShared character: hard rock, smooth, distortion
Free The Tone IF-1D
Free The Tone
53% similarityShared character: hard rock, alternative, distortion
Tone City TC-T38 Metal Storm classic British-style high
Tone City
52% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion, classic rock
Fender Hammertone Metal
Fender
52% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion, vintage charm
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
JHS Pedals JHS Kilt V10
JHS Pedals
55% similarityShared character: hard rock, alternative, distortion
TC Electronic Eyemaster
TC Electronic
54% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion, high gain settings
JHS Pedals Hard Drive Distortion
JHS Pedals
52% similarityShared character: hard rock, alternative, distortion
Suhr Riot
Suhr
51% similarityShared character: hard rock, smooth, distortion
ISP Technologies Distortion
Isp Technologies
50% similarityShared character: high gain settings, hard rock, alternative
Joyo Maximum Overdrive
Joyo
50% similarityShared character: distortion, high gain settings, lead
See all alternatives to the EVH Modern High Gain (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the EVH Modern High Gain?+
The closest matches in character are the JHS Pedals JHS Kilt V10, the TC Electronic Eyemaster, the JHS Pedals Hard Drive Distortion. Budget picks: MXR Super Badass Distortion, Black Country Customs Monolith, Wampler SLOstortion.
What pairs well with the EVH Modern High Gain?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp, Roland Cube Street, Roland Cube Street EX — Feed a scooped signal into Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp and it comes out closer to mid-forward.
How much does the EVH Modern High Gain cost?+
Around $269.99 (live listing price, updated Oct 22, 2026).