The Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive is a Walrus Audio overdrive pedal, currently around $199. Close alternatives include the Strymon Riverside and the Colorsound Power Boost. It pairs well with the Friedman Dirty Shirley and the Blackstar St. James 100.
Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive
Walrus Audio · pedal
The Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive is an overdrive pedal built around a five-position rotary switch offering distinct clipping modes, from low-gain silicon soft clipping to high-gain silicon hard clipping, each with its own tonal character ranging from smooth and compressed to punchy and saturated. A parallel-path topology lets players blend the dry signal with the effected path via a dedicated Dry control, alongside Gain, Volume, Bass, and Treble knobs and a boost/cut low-frequency control, making it as usable for transparent boost as for hard-hitting saturation.
- low gain
- clipping
- boost
- dry
- parallel
- transparent
- smooth
- drive
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive is commonly used in
- Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Country
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Classic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive
Friedman Dirty Shirley
Friedman
28% matchThe low gain tone has headroom to spare — Friedman Dirty Shirley gives it high gain to fill it with
Blackstar St. James 100
Blackstar
27% matchInto a low gain tone, Blackstar St. James 100 brings the high gain it's missing
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchRun Synergy SL2 Module into that low gain platform and it finally gets some high gain
Friedman BE-Mini Head
Friedman
tonal matchRun Friedman BE-Mini Head into that low gain platform and it finally gets some high gain
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchRun Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 into that low gain platform and it finally gets some high gain
Hughes & Kettner Coreblade
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchInto a low gain tone, Hughes & Kettner Coreblade brings the high gain it's missing
Ceriatone 2202H
Ceriatone
tonal matchRun Ceriatone 2202H into that low gain platform and it finally gets some high gain
EVH 000
Evh
tonal matchInto a low gain tone, EVH 000 brings the high gain it's missing
Pedals that stack with the Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive
Greer Black Mountain
Greer
25% matchGreer Black Mountain's fuzzy fills in what this low gain tone doesn't make on its own
JHS Smiley
JHS Pedals
25% matchJHS Smiley's fuzzy fills in what this low gain tone doesn't make on its own
MXR ZW90 Wylde Phase
MXR
20% matchKeep MXR ZW90 Wylde Phase after Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive in the signal chain, clear of Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive's own gain stage
Ampeg Opto Comp Compressor
Ampeg
15% matchRun the Opto Comp's smooth compression ahead of Ages for even dynamics before the low-gain, parallel clipping reacts.
Mr. Black Bloodmoon
Mr Black
12% matchKeep Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive's low gain voice out front: Mr. Black Bloodmoon goes after Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive in the signal chain so its dark voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Eventide Modulated Delay
Eventide
11% matchKeep Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive's low gain voice out front: Eventide Modulated Delay goes after Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive in the signal chain so its modulated voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz
Behringer
tonal matchWalrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive leans into a clean amp's front end, precisely the platform Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz wants
Electro-Harmonix EH-1335/EH-3075 Hot Tubes
Electro-Harmonix
tonal matchInto Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive, Electro-Harmonix EH-1335/EH-3075 Hot Tubes is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end
Cheaper alternatives
EarthQuaker Devices Plumes Signal Shredder
EarthQuaker Devices
75% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, pedal, compression
Dunlop MXR Timmy Overdrive, sold as Dunlop CSP027
Dunlop
73% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, treble, transparent
Mythos Air Lane Drive
Mythos
72% similarityShared character: pedal, smooth, treble
Tone City Dry Martini
Tone City
71% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, pedal, transparent
Electro-Harmonix Nano Operation Overlord
Electro-Harmonix
95% similaritysimilar tone character
ProCo RAT 2
Proco
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Strymon Riverside
Strymon
75% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, pedal, pick_attack
Colorsound Power Boost
Colorsound
75% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, volume, smooth
Walrus Audio 385 MkII Overdrive
Walrus Audio
74% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, pedal, volume
Tru-Fi The Newton
Tru Fi
73% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, boost, treble
Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal
Benson Amps
73% similarityShared character: pick_attack, volume, treble
Boss OD-1 Overdrive
Boss
72% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, pedal, smooth
See all alternatives to the Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive?+
The closest matches in character are the Strymon Riverside, the Colorsound Power Boost, the Walrus Audio 385 MkII Overdrive. Budget picks: EarthQuaker Devices Plumes Signal Shredder, Dunlop MXR Timmy Overdrive, sold as Dunlop CSP027, Mythos Air Lane Drive. Boutique upgrades: Analog Man King of Tone, Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster, Klon Centaur.
What pairs well with the Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Friedman Dirty Shirley, Blackstar St. James 100, Synergy SL2 Module — The low gain tone has headroom to spare — Friedman Dirty Shirley gives it high gain to fill it with.
How much does the Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive cost?+
Around $199 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).