The Malekko Thicken is a Malekko chorus pedal. Close alternatives include the Keeley Seafoam+ and the Mr. Black Analog chorus vibrato deluxe. It pairs well with the Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head and the 1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe.
Malekko Thicken
Malekko · pedal
The Malekko Thicken is a chorus and vibrato pedal from US boutique manufacturer Malekko Heavy Industry (Portland, Oregon), delivering lush analog-voiced chorus and vibrato with a Thicken control for adding body and fullness to the modulated signal. The Thicken provides musical chorus and vibrato character at Malekko Portland boutique quality.
What stands out
“The Malekko Thicken is a chorus and vibrato pedal from US boutique manufacturer Malekko Heavy Industry (Portland, Oregon), delivering lush analog-voiced chorus and vibrato with a Thicken control for adding body and fullness to the modulated…”
— from the listing
“The Thicken provides musical chorus and vibrato character at Malekko Portland boutique quality”
— from the listing
“The Malekko Thicken delivers chorus and vibrato with a Thicken body control at Portland boutique Malekko quality for players who want lush modulation from a respected US boutique manufacturer”
— from the community notes
“delivering lush analog-voiced chorus and vibrato with a thicken control for adding body and fullness to the modulated signal”
— from the listing
“Strengths: Chorus and vibrato with the unique Thicken control adds body and fullness to modulated tone at Malekko Portland boutique quality”
— from the reviews
Trade-offs
“In the signal chain modulation sits after drive”
— from the community notes
- chorus
- vibrato
- lush
- modulation
- fullness
- modulated tone
- musical
- analog
Genres the Malekko Thicken is commonly used in
- Ambient
- Shoegaze
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Post Punk
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - New Wave
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Indie
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Malekko Thicken
Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head
amplifier
12% matchWhat Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe
Fender
12% match1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe leans toward transparent, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Pedals that stack with the Malekko Thicken
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff
Electro-Harmonix
8% matchElectro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff's own full character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Univox Super-Fuzz
Univox
8% matchUnivox Super-Fuzz leans toward octave, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Caroline Guitar Company Meteore
Caroline Guitar Company
6% matchPut Caroline Guitar Company Meteore after Malekko Thicken in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Malekko Thicken — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Dunlop - MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe Analog Delay
Dunlop
6% matchDunlop - MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe Analog Delay's analog warmth voice goes after Malekko Thicken in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Malekko Thicken's own modulated character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Keeley Seafoam+
Keeley
73% similarityShared character: vibrato, analog, chorus
Mr. Black Analog chorus vibrato deluxe
Mr Black
68% similarityShared character: vibrato, analog, ambient
Mojo Hand FX Swim Team
Mojo Hand Fx
67% similarityShared character: chorus, ambient, modulation
Catalinbread Callisto Mk. II
Catalinbread
66% similarityShared character: vibrato, analog, chorus
Chase Bliss Warped Vinyl
Chase Bliss Audio
66% similarityShared character: vibrato, chorus, modulation
Strymon Ola dBucket Chorus
Strymon
66% similarityShared character: vibrato, analog, chorus
Source Audio Atlas
Source Audio
64% similarityShared character: vibrato, chorus, ambient
Warm Guitar Pedals WA-C1
Warm Guitar Pedals
64% similarityShared character: vibrato, chorus, modulation
Warm Audio WA-C1 Chorus and Vibrato
Warm Audio
63% similarityShared character: vibrato, analog, chorus
Carl Martin Atlantic Chorus
Carl Martin
62% similarityShared character: vibrato, analog, chorus
ZVEX Instant Lo-Fi Junky Vertical
Zvex
62% similarityShared character: vibrato, chorus, modulation
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector Chorus V2
Old Blood Noise Endeavors
61% similarityShared character: vibrato, chorus, ambient
See all alternatives to the Malekko Thicken (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Malekko Thicken?+
The closest matches in character are the Keeley Seafoam+, the Mr. Black Analog chorus vibrato deluxe, the Mojo Hand FX Swim Team.
What pairs well with the Malekko Thicken?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head, 1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe, Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff — What Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around.