The MXR WA38 is an MXR chorus pedal, currently around $129.68. Close alternatives include the Wampler Nirvana Chorus and the Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble. It pairs well with the Mesa Boogie Mark I and the Mesa Boogie Lone Star Head.
MXR WA38
MXR · pedal
The MXR WA38 Wylde Audio Chorus is Zakk Wylde's signature chorus, released to mark twenty years of his collaboration with Dunlop, built on rich analog bucket-brigade circuitry. It is voiced to thicken walls of distortion and add liquid dimension and texture to clean passages, with Level, Rate, and Depth controls plus High and Low cut filters for shaping the modulation. Dual outputs allow a wide, sweeping stereo spread across two amps for maximum spatial chorusing. It ranges from subtle background shimmer to prominent, wave-like modulation, making it useful for both heavy rock rhythm work under high gain and lush clean arpeggios. The warm, vintage-style analog tone suits players who want characterful chorus that holds up with distortion.
What stands out
“Players describe it as a rich, warm analog chorus that uniquely holds together under heavy distortion while also delivering shimmering cleans, reflecting Zakk Wylde's high-gain style”
— from the community notes
“It is used to thicken distorted rhythm and add dimension to clean passages, sitting in the modulation section and excelling in stereo across two amps”
— from the community notes
“The warm, vintage-style analog tone suits players who want characterful chorus that holds up with distortion”
— from the listing
“Dual outputs allow a wide, sweeping stereo spread across two amps for maximum spatial chorusing”
— from the listing
“and depth controls plus high and low cut filters for shaping the modulation”
— from the listing
Trade-offs
“It ranges from subtle background shimmer to prominent, wave-like modulation, making it useful for both heavy rock rhythm work under high gain and lush clean arpeggios”
— from the listing
- distortion
- stereo
- chorus
- filter
- cut
- rhythm
- high gain
- clean
Price updated Oct 25, 2026
Genres the MXR WA38 is commonly used in
- Rock
- Metal
- Neo Soul
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Post Punk
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Ambient
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the MXR WA38
Mesa Boogie Mark I
Mesa Boogie
27% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (transparent → mid-forward)
Mesa Boogie Mark I leans toward high gain, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Mesa Boogie Lone Star Head
amplifier
27% matchWhat Mesa Boogie Lone Star Head brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
Ampeg BA300
Ampeg
25% 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 MXR WA38 after Ampeg BA300 in the signal chain, clear of Ampeg BA300's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Ampeg PF-50T
Ampeg
21% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run MXR WA38 after Ampeg PF-50T in the signal chain, clear of Ampeg PF-50T's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Aguilar Tone Hammer 210 Combo
Aguilar
17% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Add the WA38's stereo, filtered chorus on top of the Tone Hammer 210's own warm, tube-driven saturation for texture.
Comes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 212
Gallien Krueger
16% 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 MXR WA38 after Gallien-Krueger Fusion 212 in the signal chain, clear of Gallien-Krueger Fusion 212's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Ampeg Micro CL Stack
Ampeg
11% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
MXR WA38's bright voice goes after Ampeg Micro CL Stack in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Ampeg Micro CL Stack's own tight character
Comes later in the signal chain
Ampeg V-4
Ampeg
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Ampeg V-4 goes after MXR WA38 in the chain
Pedals that stack with the MXR WA38
Catalinbread Belle Epoch
Catalinbread
28% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
MXR WA38's bright voice goes after Catalinbread Belle Epoch in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Catalinbread Belle Epoch's own analog warmth character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Nobels ODR-1
Nobels
27% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (transparent → mid-forward)
Nobels ODR-1 leans toward full, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff
Electro-Harmonix
27% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (transparent → mid-forward)
What Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff brings here leans toward full — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Systech Harmonic Energizer
Systech
23% 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 MXR WA38 after Systech Harmonic Energizer in the signal chain, clear of Systech Harmonic Energizer's own gain stage
Comes earlier in the signal chain
JAM Pedals Delay Llama Mk.3
Jam Pedals
20% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
MXR WA38's bright voice goes after JAM Pedals Delay Llama Mk.3 in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with JAM Pedals Delay Llama Mk.3's own analog warmth character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss
18% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Boss DD-3 Digital Delay after MXR WA38 in the signal chain, where it won't crowd MXR WA38 — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Keeley Magnetic Echo
Keeley
18% 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 MXR WA38's bright voice out front: Keeley Magnetic Echo goes after MXR WA38 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
Dophix Michelangelo Gold Edition
Dophix
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.
Put MXR WA38 after Dophix Michelangelo Gold Edition in the signal chain, clear of Dophix Michelangelo Gold Edition's own gain stage
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Cheaper alternatives
TC Electronic Corona Chorus
TC Electronic
58% similarityShared character: stereo, chorus, rich
Behringer Chorus Symphony
Behringer
57% similarityShared character: stereo, modulation, warm
TC Electronic Gravy
TC Electronic
56% similarityShared character: stereo, chorus, modulation
MXR ZW38 Zakk Black Label Chorus New
MXR
55% similarityShared character: countless rock and metal players, chorus, hard rock
Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
Boss
55% similarityShared character: modulation, filter, stereo
TC Electronic SCF Gold SE Stereo
TC Electronic
55% similarityShared character: rich, stereo, chorus
Boutique & premium upgrades
JAM Pedals Chill
Jam Pedals
59% similarityShared character: rich, mix, modulation
Strymon Ola dBucket Chorus
Strymon
55% similarityShared character: stereo, chorus, modulation
Boss CE-20 Chorus Ensemble
Boss
55% similarityShared character: stereo, chorus, warm
Fuzzrocious Cosmic Bull Shark
Fuzzrocious
55% similarityShared character: hard rock, chorus, modulation
Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble
pedal
94% similaritysimilar tone character
T-Rex Tremonti Phaser
T Rex
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Wampler Nirvana Chorus
Wampler
66% similarityShared character: stereo, chorus, rich
Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
Roland
59% similarityShared character: filter, stereo, modulation
Strymon Eventide TriceraChorus
Strymon
58% similarityShared character: stereo, chorus, rich
Mr. Black Double Chorus
Mr Black
56% similarityShared character: chorus, rich, modulation
Carl Martin Classic Chorus
Carl Martin
55% similarityShared character: stereo, chorus, modulation
JP Labs Cosmic Choir
Jp Labs
54% similarityShared character: chorus, rich, modulation
See all alternatives to the MXR WA38 (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the MXR WA38?+
The closest matches in character are the Wampler Nirvana Chorus, the Roland CE-5 Chorus Ensemble, the Strymon Eventide TriceraChorus. Budget picks: TC Electronic Corona Chorus, Behringer Chorus Symphony, TC Electronic Gravy. Boutique upgrades: JAM Pedals Chill, Strymon Ola dBucket Chorus, Boss CE-20 Chorus Ensemble.
What pairs well with the MXR WA38?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Mesa Boogie Mark I, Mesa Boogie Lone Star Head, Ampeg BA300 — Mesa Boogie Mark I leans toward high gain, and that's a real, usable character to pair with.
How much does the MXR WA38 cost?+
Around $129.68 (live listing price, updated Oct 25, 2026).