The Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion is a Fender distortion pedal, currently around $173.62. Close alternatives include the Ibanez Tube King TK999OD Overdrive and the Dunlop MXR Distortion Plus. It pairs well with the Friedman Dirty Shirley and the Laney Ironheart Foundry Leadtop 60W Head.
Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion
Fender · pedal
The Fender MTG Tube Distortion is a distortion pedal from Fender featuring a genuine 12AX7 vacuum tube in the preamp stage, providing authentic tube saturation and harmonic complexity in a compact pedal format. The MTG delivers the warm, musical distortion character of tube preamp saturation driven by the actual 12AX7 tube, producing the harmonic richness and natural compression of tube amplifier drive without requiring a full amplifier. The tube circuit is accompanied by Gain, Level, Treble, Bass, and a Mid switch, and the MTG suits classic rock, hard rock, and blues applications where tube character is the priority.
What stands out
“The Fender MTG Tube Distortion is a distortion pedal from Fender featuring a genuine 12AX7 vacuum tube in the preamp stage, providing authentic tube saturation and harmonic complexity in a compact pedal format”
— from the listing
“Tube distortion with an actual 12AX7 preamp tube providing genuine tube saturation and harmonic character, most used for classic rock and hard rock applications where authentic tube warmth and harmonic complexity are the tonal priority”
— from the community notes
“Used as a standalone tube drive or as a preamp to push a solid-state power amp stage”
— from the community notes
“The 12AX7 tube stage produces a different saturation texture than solid-state alternatives, with the characteristic warmth, compression, and harmonic richness of a tube preamp stage”
— from the community notes
“The 12AX7 tube adds authentic saturation but also increases power consumption and eventually requires tube replacement, adding maintenance considerations that solid-state distortions do”
— from the reviews
- tube
- saturation
- distortion
- drive
- harmonic richness
- stage
- solid state
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion is commonly used in
- Hard Rock
- Blues
- Alternative Rock
- Classic Rock
- Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion
Friedman Dirty Shirley
Friedman
23% matchInto a transparent tone, Friedman Dirty Shirley brings a pull toward high gain that's missing
Comes later in the signal chain
Laney Ironheart Foundry Leadtop 60W Head
Laney
23% matchLaney Ironheart Foundry Leadtop 60W Head leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Comes later in the signal chain
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Synergy SL2 Module leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Into a transparent tone, Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt brings a pull toward high gain that's missing
EVH 000
Evh
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Into a transparent tone, EVH 000 brings a pull toward high gain that's missing
Ceriatone 2202H
Ceriatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Ceriatone 2202H leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Randall KH103 Kirk Hammett Signature 3-Channel 120W Head
Randall
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Into a transparent tone, Randall KH103 Kirk Hammett Signature 3-Channel 120W Head brings a pull toward high gain that's missing
Pedals that stack with the Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion
Soldano SLO
Soldano
21% matchSoldano SLO leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Comes later in the signal chain
Wren and Cuff Box of War Small Foot Fuzz
Wren And Cuff
19% matchWren and Cuff Box of War Small Foot Fuzz leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Comes later in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Monument CS
Walrus Audio
15% 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 Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion's saturated voice out front: Walrus Audio Monument CS goes after Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion in the signal chain so its harmonically rich voice doesn't muddy it
Comes later in the signal chain
Vox Valvenergy Silk Drive
Vox
11% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Vox Valvenergy Silk Drive leans toward smooth, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Electro-Harmonix Memory Boy Analog Delay
Electro-Harmonix
7% 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 Electro-Harmonix Memory Boy Analog Delay after Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion in the signal chain, clear of Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Electro-Harmonix Nano Memory Toy
Electro-Harmonix
7% 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 Electro-Harmonix Nano Memory Toy after Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion in the signal chain, clear of Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Donner Big Mouth Distortion
Donner
tonal matchDonner Big Mouth Distortion leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Warm Audio Jet Phaser
Warm Audio
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Warm Audio Jet Phaser belongs after Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion, since modulation sits after the gain for a defined swirl
Cheaper alternatives
Electro-Harmonix Howitzer
Electro-Harmonix
61% similarityShared character: solid state, warm, alternative
Behringer VT999 Vintage Tube Monster
Behringer
56% similarityShared character: solid state, compression, warm
Blackstar HT-Boost
Blackstar
53% similarityShared character: solid state, compression, warm
DigiTech SC-2 Valve Distortion
Digitech
51% similarityShared character: warm, gain, distortion
Maxon OD808
Maxon
49% similarityShared character: hard rock, middle, warm
DigiTech Metal Master
Digitech
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Mission Engineering NuAudio Nutube Velocity Overdrive/Distortion
Mission Engineering
56% similarityShared character: solid state, treble, compression
Lovepedal ProValve 2
Lovepedal
53% similarityShared character: warm
DSM Humboldt Electronics Silver Linings
Dsm Humboldt Electronics
49% similarityShared character: compression, gain, stage
Crazy Tube Circuits Orama
Crazy Tube Circuits
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Ibanez Tube King TK999OD Overdrive
Ibanez
64% similarityShared character: solid state, warm, alternative
Dunlop MXR Distortion Plus
Dunlop
60% similarityShared character: compression, hard rock, middle
J. Rockett Mark Sampson Max
J Rockett
59% similarityShared character: warm, classic rock
Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker Pre-Amp
Crazy Tube Circuits
57% similarityShared character: compression, hard rock, warm
Carl Martin TOD High-Gain Overdrive
Carl Martin
54% similarityShared character: compression, hard rock, warm
Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII
Benson Amps
52% similarityShared character: treble, compression, warm
See all alternatives to the Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion?+
The closest matches in character are the Ibanez Tube King TK999OD Overdrive, the Dunlop MXR Distortion Plus, the J. Rockett Mark Sampson Max. Budget picks: Electro-Harmonix Howitzer, Behringer VT999 Vintage Tube Monster, Blackstar HT-Boost. Boutique upgrades: Mission Engineering NuAudio Nutube Velocity Overdrive/Distortion, Lovepedal ProValve 2, DSM Humboldt Electronics Silver Linings.
What pairs well with the Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Friedman Dirty Shirley, Laney Ironheart Foundry Leadtop 60W Head, Synergy SL2 Module — Into a transparent tone, Friedman Dirty Shirley brings a pull toward high gain that's missing.
How much does the Fender MTG LA Tube Distortion cost?+
Around $173.62 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).
Compare
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