The Maestro Agena is a Maestro wah pedal, currently around $59. Close alternatives include the Emma DiscomBOBulator and the Keeley Neutrino V2. It pairs well with the Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head and the Bad Cat Cub.

Maestro Agena

Maestro · pedal

The Maestro Agena is an all-analog envelope filter, part of Gibson's revived Maestro pedal line, delivering classic auto-wah and funk filter tones with simple, expressive controls. A three-knob layout of Sense, Attack, and Decay shapes how the filter responds to pick dynamics, while a two-position Mode toggle selects between Hi and Lo frequency ranges. Hi mode emphasizes higher frequencies for a crystal-clear attack that punches through a mix, and Lo mode focuses the filter lower for a rounder, deeper quack. It changes the timbre musically without sounding overly affected, and true bypass preserves the dry tone when off. It suits funk, fusion, and players wanting an easy, vintage-flavored envelope filter that does its one job extremely well.

What stands out

  • “The Maestro Agena is an all-analog envelope filter, part of Gibson's revived Maestro pedal line, delivering classic auto-wah and funk filter tones with simple, expressive controls”

    — from the listing

  • “The main caveat is a somewhat , more tweakable filters, so players wanting extreme or highly varied filter textures may find it focused”

    — from the community notes

  • “Strengths are sound quality, ease of use, expressive dynamics, and clean operation”

    — from the reviews

  • “Hi mode emphasizes higher frequencies for a crystal-clear attack that punches through a mix, and Lo mode focuses the filter lower for a rounder, deeper quack”

    — from the listing

  • “It changes the timbre musically , and true bypass preserves the dry tone when off”

    — from the listing

  • envelope filter
  • filter
  • expressive
  • attack
  • bypass
  • auto wah
  • decay
  • dynamic
$59View on Reverb

Price updated Oct 23, 2026

Genres the Maestro Agena is commonly used in

  • Soul
  • Funk
  • Experimental
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Electronic
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Reggae
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.

Amps that pair well with the Maestro Agena

Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head

Revv

19% match
$2699via Reverb

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)

Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head's smooth balances out the bright tone

Comes later in the signal chain

Bad Cat Cub

Bad Cat

18% match

shapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)

Bad Cat Cub's own harmonically rich character is the real reason this is worth trying

Comes later in the signal chain

Friedman Small Box 50W EL34 Amp Head

Friedman

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Into a dynamic tone, Friedman Small Box 50W EL34 Amp Head brings a pull toward compressed that's missing

Mesa/Boogie Stiletto Deuce Stage II

Mesa Boogie

tonal match
$1147.50via Reverb

Comes later in the signal chain

Into a dynamic tone, Mesa/Boogie Stiletto Deuce Stage II brings a pull toward compressed that's missing

ENGL Special Edition E670

Engl

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Into a dynamic tone, ENGL Special Edition E670 brings a pull toward compressed that's missing

Ampeg Rocket Watts

Ampeg

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Ampeg Rocket Watts leans this dynamic tone toward compressed, which it doesn't make on its own

Hughes & Kettner Coreblade

Hughes & Kettner

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Put Hughes & Kettner Coreblade after Maestro Agena

Blackstar Unity Bass U250

Blackstar

tonal match
$520.75via Reverb

Comes later in the signal chain

Blackstar Unity Bass U250 leans this dynamic tone toward compressed, which it doesn't make on its own

Pedals that stack with the Maestro Agena

J. Rockett Archer Ikon

J Rockett

22% match

shapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)

J. Rockett Archer Ikon leans this dynamic tone toward compressed, which it doesn't make on its own

Comes later in the signal chain

Dunlop MXR Distortion Plus

Dunlop

20% match

shapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)

Into a dynamic tone, Dunlop MXR Distortion Plus brings a pull toward compressed that's missing

Comes later in the signal chain

Eventide Modulated Delay

Eventide

9% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Keep Maestro Agena's dynamic voice out front: Eventide Modulated Delay goes after Maestro Agena in the signal chain so its modulated voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte

Caroline Guitar Company

8% match
$199via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Keep Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte after Maestro Agena in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Maestro Agena — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

Dophix Dante

Dophix

tonal match
$236.30via Reverb

Comes later in the signal chain

Dophix Dante leans this dynamic tone toward compressed, which it doesn't make on its own

Dunlop MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion, model RR104C

Dunlop

tonal match
$155via Reverb

Comes later in the signal chain

Into a dynamic tone, Dunlop MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion, model RR104C brings a pull toward compressed that's missing

Wampler Moxie TS10 Tube Screamer Style Mini Overdrive

Wampler

tonal match
$219.80via Reverb

Comes later in the signal chain

Wampler Moxie TS10 Tube Screamer Style Mini Overdrive goes after Maestro Agena in the chain

Dunlop MXR M78 Custom Modified OD, also known as the Bad Ass Modified OD

Dunlop

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Into a dynamic tone, Dunlop MXR M78 Custom Modified OD, also known as the Bad Ass Modified OD brings a pull toward compressed that's missing

Cheaper alternatives

Donner Dynamic wah

Donner

50% similarity
$45via Reverb

Shared character: filter, pick attack, simple

Boutique & premium upgrades

Electro-Harmonix Q-Tron Plus

Electro-Harmonix

54% similarity
$162.43via Reverb

Shared character: filter, mix, response

Xotic Robotalk 1 New Old Stock

Xotic

51% similarity
$439.08via Reverb

Shared character: fusion, filter, response

Electro-Harmonix Doctor Q

Electro-Harmonix

48% similarity
$85.50via Reverb

Shared character: filter, pick attack, simple

Ashdown Type 23 Three Band Filter

Ashdown

48% similarity
$243.31via Reverb

Shared character: filter, attack, response

Electro-Harmonix XO Micro Q-Tron

Electro-Harmonix

48% similarity
$77.19via Reverb

Shared character: filter, pick attack, response

Carl Martin Ottawa Vintage Optical Envelope Auto-Wah/Envelope Filter

Carl Martin

47% similarity
$142.98via Reverb

Shared character: wide range, filter, attack

Similar charactersee all similar tone character →

Emma DiscomBOBulator

pedal

58% similarity

Shared character: filter, pick attack, attack

Keeley Neutrino V2

Keeley

58% similarity

Shared character: fusion, filter, pick attack

Guyatone WRm5 Wah Rocker

Guyatone

57% similarity

Shared character: fusion, filter, pick attack

Musitronics Mu-Tron III

Musitronics

54% similarity

Shared character: fusion, filter, pick attack

Aitone AT-08

Aitone

53% similarity

Shared character: filter, true bypass, response

Guyatone Wah Rocker WR3

pedal

52% similarity

Shared character: fusion, wide range, filter

See all alternatives to the Maestro Agena (cheaper + boutique) →

Questions people ask

What are good alternatives to the Maestro Agena?+

The closest matches in character are the Emma DiscomBOBulator, the Keeley Neutrino V2, the Guyatone WRm5 Wah Rocker. Budget picks: Donner Dynamic wah. Boutique upgrades: Electro-Harmonix Q-Tron Plus, Xotic Robotalk 1 New Old Stock, Electro-Harmonix Doctor Q.

What pairs well with the Maestro Agena?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head, Bad Cat Cub, Friedman Small Box 50W EL34 Amp Head — Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head's smooth balances out the bright tone.

How much does the Maestro Agena cost?+

Around $59 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).

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