The Gamechanger Audio PLASMA Pedal is a high voltage distortion pedal that clips your signal in a way no diode, transistor or vacuum tube does: it amplifies the instrument's signal up to 3500 Volts and pushes it through a xenon-filled gas discharge tube, where the distortion is produced by the electrical discharges themselves123. Gamechanger Audio describes the result as heavy fuzzed-out distortion with grainy, sizzling textures and sharp, massive pick attacks4. The tube sits on the face of the pedal, so you can watch the discharges flash with every note5.
The pedal was released in 201864 and is built by the maker in Riga, Latvia, which backs it with a lifetime warranty4. MusicRadar priced it at $299 in the US in March 20217; the maker's current shop page lists it at £224.00 and €247.0048.
Distortion from a xenon gas discharge tube
Every conventional distortion and fuzz pedal clips the signal with components: diodes, transistors or vacuum tubes. The PLASMA Pedal does not. Gamechanger Audio states that instead of relying on traditional LED, transistor or vacuum-tube circuits, the pedal transforms the instrument's live signal into continuous high-voltage discharges inside the xenon tube12. Delicious Audio called it the first and only commercial musical device that literally amplifies audio signal to 3500 Volts10.
What that means for a player is a distortion with a character nothing else shares. MusicRadar's Alex Lynham wrote that the Plasma sounds like nothing so much as a static discharge resembling your guitar signal7. The maker describes a wide picking response, from sputtery gated sounds to long sustaining leads, because the clipping is a physical arc in gas rather than a fixed clipping threshold4.
The pedal is marketed as a distortion unit, but reviewers consistently heard fuzz in it. MusicRadar found its spiky, aggressive tone much more akin to a fuzz711, and Guitar World's Chris Gill wrote that the Plasma and Plasma Coil radically update the beloved fuzz effect with precise definition and bold, unusual textures11.
How the high-voltage circuit works
The circuit is inspired by Nikola Tesla's electrical resonant transformer design, the Tesla Coil8. Gamechanger Audio gives a simplified signal chain:
- Input
- EQ (if switched on)
- Transformer steps the signal up to high voltage
- Xenon tube, where the signal becomes electrical discharges
- Antenna picks up the electromagnetic vibrations surrounding the tube
- EQ (if switched off at the earlier stage)
- Blend with the clean signal
- Output4
Guitar World describes the same topology: a step-up flyback transformer, a xenon gas tube and an antenna convert the guitar's signal into extremely high voltage impulses, up to 3,500 volts, and the electrical energy is transformed back into an audio signal11. Because the discharges are picked up electromagnetically rather than passed through the tube as current, the pedal is an analog design throughout125.
A useful side effect: with the BLEND knob maxed, the output is fully wet, produced only by the gas-discharge tube, which means there is no output at all when you are not playing. Delicious Audio describes this as a natural noise gate2.
The controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| BLEND | Mixes the plasma distortion with your clean signal, or with an already overdriven sound; maxed out it gives a fully wet signal with a natural noise gate45 |
| VOLTAGE | Changes the signal threshold needed for a connection to be made in the gas discharge tube, from wide-open sustain to chopped, sputtery gated sounds8 |
| EQ LOW | Boost or cut of ±9dB at a 600Hz corner frequency8 |
| EQ HI | Boost or cut of ±10dB at a 1.5kHz corner frequency8 |
The EQ section is powerful enough for what the maker calls a massive LOW or HIGH frequency boost, and a toggle switch sets whether the EQ affects only the plasma drive signal or both the wet and dry paths8. Guitar World notes the EQ can be set to adjust only the processed signal or the dry and processed signal together via a switch on the rear panel11.
The Blend control is what makes the pedal usable at less than full intensity. Guitar World's reviewer found it makes the Plasma Pedal a better choice for players who may not want to go all in with their fuzz effects, as it can be layered more subtly in the background11. The maker adds that the pedal works in an amp's FX loop, blending clean or overdriven sound with the plasma sound4.
Power and connections
The PLASMA Pedal runs on a standard 9V DC center-negative pedal power supply delivering at least 250 mA; the maker's stated power requirement is 300 mA at 9V DC48.
No power supply is included in the box4. The 300 mA requirement rules out battery power and means the pedal needs its own isolated output, or a supply rated well above a typical 100 mA daisy-chain slot.
Other electrical facts from the maker: peak power consumption is 2.7 W, mean consumption 1 W, and standby consumption 0.025 W9. Frequency response is 20Hz to 22kHz9. The pedal is mono in / mono out, with a check indicator white LED and IN, OUT and DC connectors9.
For placement, Gamechanger Audio suggests putting the pedal after other drive pedals and before modulation effects for guitar or bass; for synth or studio use, almost at the end of the chain, before the reverb9.
History and versions
The pedal turned a lot of heads at NAMM 201826, and guitar.com's history of the design records that Ilja Krumins and Martins Melkis, who started Gamechanger Audio in 2015, created the Plasma pedal in 20186. The prototype was built from xenon tubes taken from old camera flashbulbs and a transformer from a plasma ball device; production models use custom-made transformers and tubes6.
The Plasma circuit has since spread across several formats:
- Plasma Rack: a 1U rack unit built on the same analog signal processing approach developed by Gamechanger Audio1314.
- Plasma Drive Eurorack: a high voltage distortion module for modular systems, with a 16HP panel width15.
What reviewers said
Later verdicts were more measured. MusicRadar's Alex Lynham concluded:
"Though it may not replace your classic distortion boxes, the Gamechanger Audio Plasma is without doubt startlingly unique, both aesthetically and sonically."16
In an earlier MusicRadar fuzz roundup, the same reviewer found it a bit too fizzy and unmusical in timbre to be worth the cost, and hard to fit into a band mix, while still calling it genuinely one of a kind and worth trying7. Guitar World's Chris Gill saw the Plasma and Plasma Coil together as pedals that radically update the fuzz effect with precise definition and bold, unusual textures for modern players looking for new inspiration11.
Videos
Andertons Music Co
Sweetwater
Gamechanger Audio
News
Questions
Is the Gamechanger Plasma a fuzz or a distortion?
Gamechanger Audio markets it as a distortion pedal, but reviewers heard it differently. MusicRadar's Alex Lynham found its spiky, aggressive tone much more akin to a fuzz, and Guitar World's Chris Gill described the Plasma and Plasma Coil as pedals that radically update the beloved fuzz effect. The maker's own description is heavy fuzzed-out distortion.
Does the Plasma Pedal come with a power supply?
No. Gamechanger Audio states plainly that the power supply is not included in the box, so you need your own 9V DC center-negative pedal power supply delivering at least 250 mA. A standard 300 mA output covers the maker's stated 300 mA power requirement.
Where should the Plasma Pedal go in a signal chain?
Gamechanger Audio suggests putting it after other drive pedals and before modulation effects for guitar or bass. For synth or studio use, the maker recommends placing it almost at the end of the chain, before the reverb. The Blend control also lets it work in an amp's FX loop.
What is the difference between the Plasma Pedal and the Plasma Coil?
The Plasma Coil is a special version of the Plasma Pedal created by Gamechanger Audio with Third Man Records. It adds multiple octave-style circuits, an extra Effects footswitch that toggles between latching and momentary, and it removes the Blend control, so the signal is always 100 percent plasma.
Can you see the tube light up on the Plasma Pedal?
Yes. The xenon-filled tube sits on the face of the pedal, so the high voltage discharges that create the distortion are visible as light reacting to your playing. Pedal of the Day noted you can clearly see what is happening with your signal as you play.
Is the Plasma Pedal true bypass?
Yes. Gamechanger Audio describes the Plasma Pedal as a true bypass design pedal, so with the effect switched off your signal passes through without processing. The related Plasma Coil and Plasma Rack are also true bypass designs.
Sources (16)
- PLASMA Pedal, Gamechanger Audio, 2025-01-16
- Gamechanger Audio Plasma Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2023-07-11
- NAMM 2018: Plasma Pedal, gearnews.com, 2018-01-25
- PLASMA PEDAL, Gamechanger Audio, 2026-09-23
- Gamechanger Audio PLASMA High Voltage Distortion, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2018-12-26
- The Genius Of… The Gamechanger Audio Plasma Pedal, guitar.com, 2023-03-22
- 5 fuzz pedals guitar players need to try, MusicRadar, 2021-03-16
- PLASMA Pedal, Gamechanger Audio, 2026-08-28
- PLASMA PEDAL Support, Gamechanger Audio, 2025-11-12
- Gamechanger Audio Plasma Coil (with Third Man Records), Delicious Audio, 2022-06-03
- Pedal and Plasma Coil, Guitar World, 2020-04-27
- Plasma Pedal by Gamechanger Audio, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- PLASMA RACK, Gamechanger Audio, 2026-09-23
- PLASMA Rack, Gamechanger Audio, 2026-02-16
- PLASMA Drive Eurorack, Gamechanger Audio, 2026-02-16
- Gamechanger Audio Plasma Pedal review, MusicRadar, 2019-01-03
