The Tone City Holy Aura is a Tone City distortion pedal, currently around $114.89. Close alternatives include the Colorsound Power Boost and the Strymon Riverside. It pairs well with the Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head and the Vox MV50-CE Rock.
Tone City Holy Aura
Tone City · pedal
The Tone City Holy Aura is a USA-amp-inspired high-gain distortion pedal with an independent 20dB clean boost circuit built in, aimed at classic American high-gain amp tone with rich harmonics and sustain. Gain, Presence, and Volume controls pair with a 3-band Bass/Mid/Treble EQ for precise tone shaping, while the onboard boost adds volume and additional gain without sacrificing note definition, letting players push a solo or add extra saturation without a separate boost pedal. It's built to balance tonal flexibility and control, delivering high-gain clarity rather than a single fixed distortion wall.
- boost
- eq
- high gain
- presence
- clarity
- saturation
- american
- harmonics
Price updated Aug 24, 2026
Genres the Tone City Holy Aura is commonly used in
- Metal
- Rock
- Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Hard Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Tone City Holy Aura
Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head
Revv
24% matchRevv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head's smooth balances out the bright tone
Vox MV50-CE Rock
Vox
24% matchVox MV50-CE Rock pushes a high gain tone toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchGallien-Krueger Fusion 210 pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Fender Dual Showman
amplifier
tonal matchFender Dual Showman pushes a high gain tone toward tight
Orange Little Bass Thing
Orange
tonal matchOrange Little Bass Thing leans warm right where the bright tone needs it
Ampeg Micro CL Stack
Ampeg
tonal matchAmpeg Micro CL Stack takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Fuchs ODS II Custom 25/50 Combo
Fuchs
tonal matchFuchs ODS II Custom 25/50 Combo leans warm right where the bright tone needs it
Traynor BB115
Traynor
tonal matchTraynor BB115 pushes a high gain tone toward tight
Pedals that stack with the Tone City Holy Aura
Shin's Music Dumbloid
Shins Music
22% matchFeed a high gain signal into Shin's Music Dumbloid and it comes out closer to tight
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff
Electro-Harmonix
20% matchElectro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff's smooth balances out the bright tone
Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio
Crazy Tube Circuits
19% matchCrazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio's own tight character is the real reason this is worth trying
Boss CE-2W Chorus Waza Craft
Boss
19% matchKeep Tone City Holy Aura's high gain voice out front: Boss CE-2W Chorus Waza Craft goes after Tone City Holy Aura in the signal chain so its analog warmth voice doesn't muddy it
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss
15% matchPut Boss DD-3 Digital Delay after Tone City Holy Aura in the signal chain, clear of Tone City Holy Aura's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Cusack Music Delay TME
Cusack Music
15% matchPut Cusack Music Delay TME after Tone City Holy Aura in the signal chain, clear of Tone City Holy Aura's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Suhr Eclipse
Suhr
tonal matchSuhr Eclipse's own voicing points at a clean amp's front end, and Tone City Holy Aura delivers it
J. Rockett .45 Caliber Overdrive
J Rockett
tonal matchJ. Rockett .45 Caliber Overdrive's own voicing points at a clean amp's front end, and Tone City Holy Aura delivers it
Cheaper alternatives
Electro-Harmonix Micro Metal Muff TOP Boost
Electro-Harmonix
74% similarityShared character: full, boost, presence
Behringer OD300 Overdrive Distortion
Behringer
71% similarityShared character: higher_gain, full, boost
MXR Super Badass Distortion
MXR
70% similarityShared character: boost, treble, middle
Electro-Harmonix LPB-3
Electro-Harmonix
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Behringer Centaur Overdrive
Behringer
72% similarityShared character: full, boost, presence
Crowther Hot Cake
Crowther
71% similarityShared character: presence_control, full, boost
ThorpyFX Electric Lightning
ThorpyFX
71% similarityShared character: higher_gain, full, boost
Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII
Benson Amps
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Death By Audio Thee Treble
Death By Audio
95% similaritysimilar tone character
JHS Colour Box V2
JHS Pedals
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Colorsound Power Boost
Colorsound
71% similarityShared character: volume, boost, treble
Strymon Riverside
Strymon
70% similarityShared character: boost, pedal, high_gain_settings
Behringer PB100 Preamp Booster
Behringer
96% similaritysimilar tone character
DOD YJM308 Preamp Overdrive
Dod
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Catalinbread VariOboost
Catalinbread
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar Dept. 10 Boost
Blackstar
95% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Tone City Holy Aura (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Tone City Holy Aura?+
The closest matches in character are the Colorsound Power Boost, the Strymon Riverside, the Behringer PB100 Preamp Booster. Budget picks: Electro-Harmonix Micro Metal Muff TOP Boost, Behringer OD300 Overdrive Distortion, MXR Super Badass Distortion. Boutique upgrades: Behringer Centaur Overdrive, Crowther Hot Cake, ThorpyFX Electric Lightning.
What pairs well with the Tone City Holy Aura?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head, Vox MV50-CE Rock, Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210 — Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head's smooth balances out the bright tone.
How much does the Tone City Holy Aura cost?+
Around $114.89 (live listing price, updated Aug 24, 2026).
Compare
- vs Behringer PB100 Preamp Booster
- vs Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII
- vs Death By Audio Thee Treble