The Malekko Fetish MKII is a Malekko overdrive pedal, currently around $234.52. Close alternatives include the Fender Godzilla Distortion Limited Edition and the Matthews Effects The Harbinger Distortion. It pairs well with the Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp and the Marshall JCM800 2203.
Malekko Fetish MKII
Malekko · pedal
The Malekko Fetish MkII is a high-gain distortion pedal from Malekko Heavy Industry, an American boutique effects company based in Portland, Oregon. Malekko is known for producing carefully designed, distinctive effects pedals with high build quality and a focus on unique tonal character. The Fetish MkII delivers powerful, aggressive high-gain distortion suited to metal and heavy rock playing.
What stands out
“The Fetish MkII delivers powerful, aggressive high-gain distortion suited to metal and heavy rock playing”
— from the listing
“Malekko is known for producing carefully designed, distinctive effects pedals with high build quality and a focus on unique tonal character”
— from the listing
“Build quality is consistent with Malekko's boutique standard”
— from the community notes
“Part of Malekko Heavy Industry's boutique effects lineup, delivering high-gain distortion with the brand's characteristic American boutique quality”
— from the community notes
“Malekko is respected for producing distinctive, carefully designed effects from their Portland workshop”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“an american boutique effects company based in portland”
— from the listing
- high gain
- distortion
- heavy rock
- aggressive
- unique tonal character
- metal
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the Malekko Fetish MKII is commonly used in
- Metal
- Hard Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Djent
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Death Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Metalcore
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Malekko Fetish MKII
Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp
Laney
19% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Comes later in the signal chain
Marshall JCM800 2203
Marshall
19% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Marshall JCM800 2203 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Comes later in the signal chain
Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited
Aguilar
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Feed a high gain signal into Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited and it comes out closer to tight
EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo
Ebs
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo takes that high gain character and pushes it toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 210 Bass Combo
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Feed a high gain signal into Gallien-Krueger Legacy 210 Bass Combo and it comes out closer to tight
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210 pushes a high gain tone toward 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 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Pedals that stack with the Malekko Fetish MKII
Suhr Shiba Drive
Suhr
16% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Suhr Shiba Drive pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Comes later in the signal chain
Laney Spiral
Laney
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. (high gain → lush)
Run Laney Spiral after Malekko Fetish MKII in the signal chain, clear of Malekko Fetish MKII's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Cusack Music Screamer
Cusack Music
14% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Cusack Music Screamer pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Meris Mercury7 Reverb
Meris
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. (high gain → lush)
Meris Mercury7 Reverb's ambient voice goes after Malekko Fetish MKII in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Malekko Fetish MKII's own high gain character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Electro-Harmonix Oceans 12
Electro-Harmonix
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. (high gain → ambient)
Keep Malekko Fetish MKII's high gain voice out front: Electro-Harmonix Oceans 12 goes after Malekko Fetish MKII in the signal chain so its ambient voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Wampler Ego Compressor
pedal
10% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
What Malekko Fetish MKII brings here leans toward high gain — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
MXR CAE Wah
MXR
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Put MXR CAE Wah in front of Malekko Fetish MKII: a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4
Jam Pedals
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Cheaper alternatives
Maxon Sm-9 Pro+
Maxon
62% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
NuX Fireman
Nux
59% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
NuX Metal Core
Nux
59% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
Wampler Pinnacle Standard V2
Wampler
58% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion, aggressive playing
Donner Extreme Driver
Donner
57% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
Mooer Rage Machine
Mooer
57% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Fender Godzilla Distortion Limited Edition
Fender
63% similarityShared character: tonal character, hard rock, distortion
Matthews Effects The Harbinger Distortion
Matthews Effects
63% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion, aggressive playing
SONICAKE Black Hammer
Sonicake
63% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
Matthews Effects The Breaker
Matthews Effects
61% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion, aggressive playing
MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion
Mxl
59% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
ENO EX-Inferno
Eno
58% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
See all alternatives to the Malekko Fetish MKII (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Malekko Fetish MKII?+
The closest matches in character are the Fender Godzilla Distortion Limited Edition, the Matthews Effects The Harbinger Distortion, the SONICAKE Black Hammer. Budget picks: Maxon Sm-9 Pro+, NuX Fireman, NuX Metal Core.
What pairs well with the Malekko Fetish MKII?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp, Marshall JCM800 2203, Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited — Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward.
How much does the Malekko Fetish MKII cost?+
Around $234.52 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).