The Red Witch Empress is a Red Witch chorus pedal, currently around $249. Close alternatives include the Wylde Audio MXR WA38 Chorus and the Keeley Seafoam Plus Chorus/Vibrato. It pairs well with the Marshall Super Bass and the Fender Deluxe Reverb.
Red Witch Empress
Red Witch · pedal
The Red Witch Empress is a boutique chorus-vibrato pedal from the New Zealand maker, delivering lush, dimensional modulation with the warmth of analog-voiced circuitry. Blending chorus and vibrato voicings, it produces everything from subtle shimmer to deep, watery swirl, favored by players wanting rich, organic modulation with premium build quality.
What stands out
“The Red Witch Empress is a boutique chorus-vibrato pedal from the New Zealand maker, delivering lush, dimensional modulation with the warmth of analog-voiced circuitry”
— from the listing
“Blending chorus and vibrato voicings, it produces everything from subtle shimmer to deep, watery swirl, favored by players wanting rich, organic modulation with premium build quality”
— from the listing
“Players value the Empress for its lush, three-dimensional chorus and vibrato and its warm, organic character, a premium modulation pedal”
— from the community notes
“A lush, dimensional chorus-vibrato with a warm, organic character, blending the two voicings into rich, watery modulation that ranges from gentle shimmer to deep swirl”
— from the reviews
“The voicing is warm and musical , and it is boutique-priced”
— from the reviews
- modulation
- lush
- organic
- chorus
- vibrato
- watery
- shimmer
- rich
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the Red Witch Empress is commonly used in
- Ambient
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Post Punk
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Shoegaze
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Indie
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - New Wave
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Electronic
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Red Witch Empress
Marshall Super Bass
Marshall
19% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Where this leans warm, Marshall Super Bass answers back bright
Comes later in the signal chain
Fender Deluxe Reverb
Fender
19% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Run Fender Deluxe Reverb after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright
Comes later in the signal chain
Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt after Red Witch Empress
Peavey 6505 MH 20W Mini Head
Peavey
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Peavey 6505 MH 20W Mini Head goes after Red Witch Empress in the chain
Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H
Marshall
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H after Red Witch Empress
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Synergy SL2 Module goes after Red Witch Empress in the chain
Friedman BE-Mini Head
Friedman
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Friedman BE-Mini Head goes after Red Witch Empress in the chain
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 goes after Red Witch Empress in the chain
Pedals that stack with the Red Witch Empress
Wren and Cuff Box of War Small Foot Fuzz
Wren And Cuff
22% matchWhat Wren and Cuff Box of War Small Foot Fuzz brings here leans toward fuzzy — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Fjord Fuzz Midnattssol
Fjord Fuzz
20% matchWhat Fjord Fuzz Midnattssol brings here leans toward fuzzy — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Strymon El Capistan
Strymon
9% 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 Strymon El Capistan after Red Witch Empress in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Red Witch Empress — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Boss DD-200 Digital Delay
Boss
9% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Boss DD-200 Digital Delay's shimmer voice goes after Red Witch Empress in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Red Witch Empress's own modulated character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Death By Audio Destruction
Death By Audio
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Put Death By Audio Destruction in front of Red Witch Empress
Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler V2
Dr Scientist
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler V2 goes in front of Red Witch Empress in the chain
Subdecay F-Bomb
Subdecay
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Put Subdecay F-Bomb in front of Red Witch Empress
Warm Audio Jet Phaser
Warm Audio
tonal matchPut Warm Audio Jet Phaser after Red Witch Empress: modulation reads clearest once the core tone is set
Cheaper alternatives
Providence ADC-4 Anadime Analog Chorus
Providence
71% similarityShared character: voicing, modulation, subtle
SolidGoldFX Aurras Optical Vibraphase
Solidgoldfx
70% similarityShared character: voicing, vibrato, modulation
TC Electronic Corona Mini Chorus Effetto A
TC Electronic
65% similarityShared character: chorus, modulation, subtle
Electro-Harmonix Eddy Vibrato/Chorus
Electro-Harmonix
64% similarityShared character: vibrato, rich, modulation
Dunlop JHMS3 Hendrix Shrine Series Uni-Vibe
Dunlop
63% similarityShared character: vibrato, chorus, modulation
Walrus Audio Fundamental Chrous
Walrus Audio
62% similarityShared character: chorus, modulation, subtle
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Wylde Audio MXR WA38 Chorus
Wylde Audio
72% similarityShared character: voicing, chorus, rich
Keeley Seafoam Plus Chorus/Vibrato
Keeley
66% similarityShared character: vibrato, chorus, modulation
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector Chorus V2
Old Blood Noise Endeavors
61% similarityShared character: vibrato, chorus, rich
JP Labs Cosmic Choir
Jp Labs
60% similarityShared character: chorus, rich, modulation
ZVEX Instant Lo-Fi Junky
Zvex
58% similarityShared character: vibrato, chorus, modulation
Keeley Seafoam+
Keeley
57% similarityShared character: vibrato, chorus, modulation
See all alternatives to the Red Witch Empress (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Red Witch Empress?+
The closest matches in character are the Wylde Audio MXR WA38 Chorus, the Keeley Seafoam Plus Chorus/Vibrato, the Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector Chorus V2. Budget picks: Providence ADC-4 Anadime Analog Chorus, SolidGoldFX Aurras Optical Vibraphase, TC Electronic Corona Mini Chorus Effetto A. Boutique upgrades: Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble.
What pairs well with the Red Witch Empress?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall Super Bass, Fender Deluxe Reverb, Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt — Where this leans warm, Marshall Super Bass answers back bright.
How much does the Red Witch Empress cost?+
Around $249 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).