The Tech 21 Marty Friedman is a Tech 21 preamp pedal, currently around $369. Close alternatives include the Suhr Riot and the Laney Ironheart Loudpedal. It pairs well with the Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff and the Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser.

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.

  • lead
  • midrange
  • cut
  • metal
  • preamp
  • high gain
  • distortion
  • megadeth guitar character

Good for

  • Live
  • Silent Recording
  • Silent Stage
  • Studio
$369View on Reverb

Price updated Aug 28, 2026

Genres the Tech 21 Marty Friedman is commonly used in

  • Metal
  • Hard Rock
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Heavy Metal
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Rock
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.

Pedals that stack with the Tech 21 Marty Friedman

Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff

Electro-Harmonix

23% match
$94.75via Reverb

Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff's smooth balances out the bright tone

Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser

Spaceman

23% match

Put Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser after Tech 21 Marty Friedman in the signal chain, clear of Tech 21 Marty Friedman's own gain stage

ZVEX Fuzz Factory

Zvex

20% match
$199via Reverb

Where this leans bright, ZVEX Fuzz Factory answers back smooth

Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio

Crazy Tube Circuits

18% match

What Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio brings here leans toward tight — that's worth building a pairing around

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

Boss

15% match
$139via Reverb

Keep Tech 21 Marty Friedman's mid-forward voice out front: Boss DD-3 Digital Delay goes after Tech 21 Marty Friedman in the signal chain so its transparent voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

NuX Damp Reverb

Nux

15% match
$58.84via Reverb

Run NuX Damp Reverb 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)

Behringer Chorus Symphony

Behringer

tonal match
$90.90via Reverb

Run Behringer Chorus Symphony after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth

Friedman Buxom Boost

Friedman

tonal match
$169via Reverb

Tech 21 Marty Friedman leans into a high-gain amp's front end, precisely the platform Friedman Buxom Boost wants

Cheaper alternatives

Wampler Dracarys

Wampler

68% similarity
$199via Reverb

Shared character: high_gain_settings, amp, distortion

Dunlop MXR Timmy Overdrive, sold as Dunlop CSP027

Dunlop

67% similarity
$145.80via Reverb

Shared character: high_gain_settings, amp

J. Rockett 10 Ton Hammer Overdrive

J Rockett

92% similarity
$199via Reverb

similar tone character

Xotic ACB-V2

Xotic

91% similarity
$180via Reverb

similar tone character

Wampler Tumnus Deluxe

Wampler

91% similarity
$189.73via Reverb

similar tone character

Carl Martin Crush Zone

Carl Martin

91% similarity
$85via Reverb

similar tone character

Boutique & premium upgrades

Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster

Dallas

69% similarity
$3558.02via Reverb

Shared character: smooth, lead, amp

Similar charactersee all similar tone character →

Suhr Riot

Suhr

68% similarity

Shared character: smooth, high_gain_settings, distortion

Laney Ironheart Loudpedal

Laney

68% similarity
$473.22via Reverb

Shared character: preamp, high_gain_settings, amp

DOD YJM308 Preamp Overdrive

Dod

68% similarity

Shared character: players, lead, high_gain_settings

Soldano SLO

Soldano

68% similarity

Shared character: high_gain_settings, amp, preamp

Klon KTR

Klon

68% similarity

Shared character: high_gain_settings, amp, distortion

Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer

Ibanez

68% similarity

Shared character: smooth, preamp, metal

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 Suhr Riot, the Laney Ironheart Loudpedal, the DOD YJM308 Preamp Overdrive. Budget picks: Wampler Dracarys, Dunlop MXR Timmy Overdrive, sold as Dunlop CSP027, J. Rockett 10 Ton Hammer Overdrive. Boutique upgrades: Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster.

What pairs well with the Tech 21 Marty Friedman?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff, Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser, ZVEX Fuzz Factory — Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff's smooth balances out the bright tone.

How much does the Tech 21 Marty Friedman cost?+

Around $369 (live listing price, updated Aug 28, 2026).

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