The Tech 21 Marty Friedman is a Tech 21 preamp pedal, currently around $369. Close alternatives include the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster and the Suhr Riot. It pairs well with the Boss CE-2W Chorus Waza Craft and the Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff.
Tech 21 Marty Friedman
Tech 21 · pedal
The Tech 21 Marty Friedman MF-2 is a signature preamp and overdrive from Tech 21 (New York, USA), co-developed with Marty Friedman (Megadeth, solo) to capture his distinctive lead tone combining smooth high-gain distortion with the aggressive midrange cut characteristic of Marty Friedman guitar playing.
What stands out
“Its standout strength is the Marty Friedman signature smooth high-gain distortion with his distinctive midrange cut and lead character”
— from the community notes
“The Tech 21 Marty Friedman MF-2 is a signature preamp and overdrive from Tech 21 (New York, USA), co-developed with Marty Friedman (Megadeth, solo) to capture his distinctive lead tone combining smooth high-gain distortion with the aggressi…”
— from the listing
“to capture his distinctive lead tone combining smooth high-gain distortion with the aggressive midrange cut characteristic of marty friedman guitar playing”
— from the listing
“The Tech 21 Marty Friedman MF-2 delivers Marty Friedman signature lead tone at Tech 21 quality for heavy metal and lead players who want the Megadeth guitar character from a respected NYC manufacturer”
— from the community notes
“Its standout weakness is the signature voice most suited to Friedman-style lead playing”
— from the community notes
- lead
- high gain
- distortion
- smooth
- midrange
- cut
- metal
Good for
- Live
- Silent Recording
- Silent Stage
- Studio
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Tech 21 Marty Friedman is commonly used in
- Metal
- Hard Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - 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. - Djent
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Tech 21 Marty Friedman
Boss CE-2W Chorus Waza Craft
Boss
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 Boss CE-2W Chorus Waza Craft after Tech 21 Marty Friedman in the signal chain, clear of Tech 21 Marty Friedman's own gain stage
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff
Electro-Harmonix
20% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Comes earlier in the signal chain
ZVEX Fuzz Factory
Zvex
20% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
Where this leans bright, ZVEX Fuzz Factory answers back smooth
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio
Crazy Tube Circuits
19% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
What Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio brings here leans toward tight — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Suhr Discovery
Suhr
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.
Put Suhr Discovery after Tech 21 Marty Friedman in the signal chain, clear of Tech 21 Marty Friedman's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
J. Rockett Clockwork Echo
J Rockett
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. (high gain → modulated)
Keep J. Rockett Clockwork Echo after Tech 21 Marty Friedman in the signal chain, clear of Tech 21 Marty Friedman's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Anarchy Audio Flutterby Tremolo
Anarchy Audio
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Anarchy Audio Flutterby Tremolo belongs in front of Tech 21 Marty Friedman, since modulation sits after the gain for a defined swirl
Matthews Effects The Pocket Drive Overdrive Boost
Matthews Effects
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Feed a high gain signal into Matthews Effects The Pocket Drive Overdrive Boost and it comes out closer to clean boost
Cheaper alternatives
Wampler Dracarys
Wampler
54% similarityShared character: metal, distortion, aggressive playing
Behringer UM300 Heavy Metal Distortion
Behringer
53% similarityShared character: metal, distortion, aggressive playing
Friedman BE-OD
Friedman
52% similarityShared character: metal, smooth, distortion
Black Country Customs Monolith
Black Country Customs
52% similarityShared character: metal, smooth, distortion
Amptweaker Tight Rock 2
Amptweaker
50% similarityShared character: metal, smooth, distortion
JHS Ross Distortion
JHS Pedals
48% similarityShared character: metal, distortion, aggressive playing
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster
Dallas
58% similarityShared character: metal, smooth, lead
Suhr Riot
Suhr
58% similarityShared character: metal, smooth, distortion
Laney Ironheart Loudpedal
Laney
55% similarityShared character: metal, distortion, high gain settings
RHC Rat Turbo Rat Distortion
Rhc Audio
53% similarityShared character: metal, distortion, aggressive playing
Joyo Uzi Distortion
Joyo
52% similarityShared character: metal, distortion, aggressive playing
Mooer 008
Mooer
50% similarityShared character: high gain settings, lead
See all alternatives to the Tech 21 Marty Friedman (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Tech 21 Marty Friedman?+
The closest matches in character are the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster, the Suhr Riot, the Laney Ironheart Loudpedal. Budget picks: Wampler Dracarys, Behringer UM300 Heavy Metal Distortion, Friedman BE-OD. Boutique upgrades: Analog Man King of Tone.
What pairs well with the Tech 21 Marty Friedman?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Boss CE-2W Chorus Waza Craft, Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff, ZVEX Fuzz Factory — Put Boss CE-2W Chorus Waza Craft after Tech 21 Marty Friedman in the signal chain, clear of Tech 21 Marty Friedman's own gain stage.
How much does the Tech 21 Marty Friedman cost?+
Around $369 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).