The Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2 is a Rainger Fx overdrive pedal, currently around $211.07. Close alternatives include the Spaceman Polaris and the EarthQuaker Devices Life Pedal V3. It pairs well with the Friedman Dirty Shirley and the Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp.
Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2
Rainger Fx · pedal
The Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2 is a compact reimagining of the brand's classic synth-distortion filter device, combining a resonant filter with an overdrive circuit sourced from Rainger's discontinued El Distorto, effectively two pedals in one. With the filter engaged and white noise blended in, it produces Moog-style, high-resonance funk textures or stinging synth-like lead tones; with the filter off, it delivers a tweaked midrange fuzz character associated with Billy Gibbons' tone. It works equally well as a standalone fuzz or as a filtered synth-overdrive hybrid, depending on how the filter and noise blend are set.
What stands out
“The Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2 is a compact reimagining of the brand's classic synth-distortion filter device, combining a resonant filter with an overdrive circuit sourced from Rainger's discontinued El Distorto, effectively two pedals…”
— from the listing
“With the filter engaged and white noise blended in, it produces Moog-style, high-resonance funk textures or stinging synth-like lead tones; with the filter off, it delivers a tweaked midrange fuzz character associated with Billy Gibbons' to…”
— from the listing
“Versatility between funk-synth textures and classic midrange fuzz makes it more broadly useful than a single-purpose novelty pedal”
— from the reviews
“Primary use case spans funk and lead tones wanting Moog-style resonant filtering, as well as straightforward Billy Gibbons-style midrange fuzz with the filter disengaged”
— from the community notes
“It works equally well as a standalone fuzz or as a filtered synth-overdrive hybrid, depending on how the filter and noise blend are set”
— from the listing
- filter
- synth
- fuzz
- midrange
- funk
- resonant
- noise
- lead
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2 is commonly used in
- Experimental
- Funk
- Soul
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Electronic
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Stoner Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Noise Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2
Friedman Dirty Shirley
Friedman
20% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → high gain)
Friedman Dirty Shirley layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Comes later in the signal chain
Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp
Gibson
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run fuzzy into Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp for more modulated on top
Magnatone 510
Magnatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run fuzzy into Magnatone 510 for more modulated on top
Pedals that stack with the Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2
Fulltone OF-2 Octafuzz
Fulltone
22% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → octave)
Fulltone OF-2 Octafuzz stacks octave on top of the fuzzy already here
Comes later in the signal chain
JHS Colour Box V2
JHS Pedals
21% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → fuzzy)
Put JHS Colour Box V2 in front and the mid-forward tone leans further toward fuzzy
Comes later in the signal chain
Univox Uni-Vibe
Univox
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. (fuzzy → modulated)
Keep Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2's fuzzy voice out front: Univox Uni-Vibe goes after Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2 in the signal chain so its modulated voice doesn't muddy it
Comes later in the signal chain
Pigtronix Echolution
Pigtronix
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. (fuzzy → modulated)
Put Pigtronix Echolution after Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2 in the signal chain, clear of Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2'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 Stereo Memory Man Vintage
Electro-Harmonix
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. (fuzzy → modulated)
Put Electro-Harmonix Stereo Memory Man Vintage after Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2 in the signal chain, clear of Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Jackson Audio Bloom V2 Compressor/EQ
Jackson Audio
10% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
What Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2 brings here leans toward fuzzy — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
MXR Poly Blue Octave
MXR
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
MXR Poly Blue Octave layers octave onto an already fuzzy signal
Matthews Effects Architect
Matthews Effects
tonal matchMatthews Effects Architect stacks clean boost on top of the fuzzy already here
Cheaper alternatives
Source Audio Soundblox Multiwave Distortion
pedal
55% similarityShared character: mono synth, noise, fuzz
Electro-Harmonix Mainframe Bit Crusher
Electro-Harmonix
50% similarityShared character: mono synth, filter, noise
Alexander Pedals Hot Pink Drive
Alexander Pedals
46% similarityShared character: filter, lead, overdrive
ProCo RAT 2
Proco
45% similarityShared character: filter, noise, fuzz
Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion
Boss
44% similarityShared character: noise, fuzz, distortion
Boss OS-2 OverDrive/Distortion
Boss
43% similarityShared character: overdrive circuit, distortion, overdrive
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar character
Spaceman Polaris
Spaceman
64% similarityShared character: overdrive circuit, mono synth, resonant
EarthQuaker Devices Life Pedal V3
EarthQuaker Devices
48% similarityShared character: resonant, fuzz, distortion
Friedman BE-OD Deluxe
Friedman
46% similarityShared character: noise, distortion, lead
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Excess V2
Old Blood Noise Endeavors
46% similarityShared character: filter, noise, distortion
Abasi Pathos Distortion
Abasi
45% similarityShared character: distortion, lead
Silktone Overdrive Plus
Silktone
43% similarityShared character: fuzz, distortion, lead
See all alternatives to the Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2 (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2?+
The closest matches in character are the Spaceman Polaris, the EarthQuaker Devices Life Pedal V3, the Friedman BE-OD Deluxe. Budget picks: Source Audio Soundblox Multiwave Distortion, Electro-Harmonix Mainframe Bit Crusher, Alexander Pedals Hot Pink Drive. Boutique upgrades: Chase Bliss Automatone Preamp MKII, ProCo Sterling Vermin.
What pairs well with the Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Friedman Dirty Shirley, Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp, Magnatone 510 — Friedman Dirty Shirley layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal.
How much does the Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2 cost?+
Around $211.07 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).