The Maxon Sm-9 Pro+ is a Maxon distortion pedal, currently around $190.85. Close alternatives include the Maxon SM9Pro+ Super Metal Pro Plus Distortion and the SONICAKE Black Hammer. It pairs well with the Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp and the Roland Cube Street.
Maxon Sm-9 Pro+
Maxon · pedal
The Maxon SM-9 Pro is a high-gain metal distortion pedal from Maxon's Super Metal series delivering powerful, aggressive distortion with Maxon's Japanese manufacturing precision and consistent component quality. The Pro designation indicates premium component selection over the standard Super Metal for improved tonal character and performance consistency.
What stands out
“The Maxon SM-9 Pro is a from Maxon's Super Metal series delivering powerful, aggressive distortion with Maxon's Japanese manufacturing precision and consistent component quality”
— from the listing
“Maxon's premium version of the Super Metal distortion, providing high-gain metal distortion with Japanese precision manufacturing”
— from the community notes
“Consistent performance and reliable build quality”
— from the reviews
“Maxon Japanese quality is consistent”
— from the community notes
“The SM-9 Pro delivers powerful high-gain metal distortion with Maxon's Japanese manufacturing precision and premium component selection”
— from the reviews
- distortion
- metal
- high gain
- aggressive
- heavy rock
- rock
- consistent performance
Price updated Oct 25, 2026
Genres the Maxon Sm-9 Pro+ is commonly used in
- Metal
- Rock
- Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Hard Rock
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 Maxon Sm-9 Pro+
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 pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Comes later in the signal chain
Roland Cube Street
Roland
19% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Roland Cube Street pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Comes later in the signal chain
Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited
Aguilar
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Stack Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited on top and a high gain tone tightens toward tight
EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo
Ebs
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo pushes a high gain tone toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410 pushes a high gain tone toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 210 Bass Combo
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Stack Gallien-Krueger Legacy 210 Bass Combo on top and a high gain tone tightens toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Phil Jones BG-400 Suitcase Compact Bass Combo
Phil Jones
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Feed a high gain signal into Phil Jones BG-400 Suitcase Compact Bass Combo and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Pedals that stack with the Maxon Sm-9 Pro+
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 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Strymon Eventide TriceraChorus
Strymon
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)
Keep Strymon Eventide TriceraChorus after Maxon Sm-9 Pro+ in the signal chain, clear of Maxon Sm-9 Pro+'s own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Ashdown Triple Shot
Ashdown
14% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Ashdown Triple Shot takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Comes earlier in the signal chain
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 Maxon Sm-9 Pro+ in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Maxon Sm-9 Pro+'s own high gain character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Fathom
Walrus Audio
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)
Put Walrus Audio Fathom after Maxon Sm-9 Pro+ in the signal chain, clear of Maxon Sm-9 Pro+'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 Pico Deep Freeze
Electro-Harmonix
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. (high gain → ambient)
Electro-Harmonix Pico Deep Freeze leans toward ambient, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
MXR CAE Wah
MXR
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
MXR CAE Wah goes in front of Maxon Sm-9 Pro+ — 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 pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Cheaper alternatives
Mooer Blade
Mooer
66% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, distortion
NuX Fireman
Nux
65% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
Donner Extreme Driver
Donner
63% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
NuX Metal Core
Nux
63% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
T-Rex Totenschlager
T Rex
59% similarityShared character: metal, distortion, aggressive playing
Mooer Rage Machine
Mooer
58% similarityShared character: high gain settings, metal, hard rock
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Maxon SM9Pro+ Super Metal Pro Plus Distortion
Maxon
76% similarityShared character: reliable performance, metal, distortion
SONICAKE Black Hammer
Sonicake
69% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
Matthews Effects The Breaker
Matthews Effects
67% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion, aggressive playing
RHC Rat Turbo Rat Distortion
Rhc Audio
66% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
ENO EX-Inferno
Eno
64% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
Matthews Effects The Harbinger Distortion
Matthews Effects
64% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion, aggressive playing
See all alternatives to the Maxon Sm-9 Pro+ (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Maxon Sm-9 Pro+?+
The closest matches in character are the Maxon SM9Pro+ Super Metal Pro Plus Distortion, the SONICAKE Black Hammer, the Matthews Effects The Breaker. Budget picks: Mooer Blade, NuX Fireman, Donner Extreme Driver. Boutique upgrades: Empress Heavy Menace.
What pairs well with the Maxon Sm-9 Pro+?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp, Roland Cube Street, Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited — Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward.
How much does the Maxon Sm-9 Pro+ cost?+
Around $190.85 (live listing price, updated Oct 25, 2026).