The Suhr Shiba Mini is a compact overdrive pedal from Suhr, built around what the maker describes as an identical circuit and tone to the Shiba Reloaded Mini circuit, itself inherited from the full-size Shiba Drive Reloaded12. Suhr's manual calls it a smooth sounding overdrive pedal that works well with a clean amp to deliver a wide range of warm bluesy rhythm tones, and can also push an already overdriven amp into creamy violin-like sustain for solos1.
The pedal carries the Classic Hi-Gain DNA of its larger sibling in a smaller, more pedalboard-friendly, powder coated die-cast enclosure2. Suhr's product page lists it at $169.00 USD and, as of October 2026, shows it as out of stock2.
The controls
The Shiba Mini keeps the same control set as the Shiba Drive Reloaded Mini, only smaller in size, as Guitar.com noted when the mini format launched3. There are three knobs and one switch:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Controls the amount of drive from the circuit, taking you from a bluesy crunch to a smooth, sustaining overdrive1 |
| Tone | Shapes the overall tonal response of the pedal, from warm and smooth to bright and cutting4 |
| Level | Controls the output level; enough level to push the front end of a tube amp into natural clipping, or to add sustain to an already overdriven amp4 |
| Smooth (Hi-Cut) switch | Two positions: left activates a pronounced high-end roll off, right retains all the presence without any high-end roll off2 |
The Smooth switch is the pedal's voicing choice. Suhr describes the left position as excellent for chunky rhythms and violin-like lead tones, while the right position keeps the Shiba's presence intact52. One practical note from the manual: the modes have less effect at lower gain and tone settings, so the switch matters most when the pedal is working harder1.
The footswitch engages or bypasses the effect, with an orange LED that illuminates when the effect is on4.
Power: 9V, 8mA
The Shiba Mini runs on any 9V DC center negative power supply through a standard 2.1mm x 5.5mm barrel connector, drawing only 8mA12. That low draw makes it easy to run from a typical pedalboard power supply alongside plenty of other pedals.
The Shiba Mini has no battery compartment. When Suhr downsized the Shiba Drive Reloaded into the mini format, it dropped the battery compartment along with the FX Link connector3. The pedal needs external 9V DC power.
The earlier Shiba Drive Reloaded Mini manual listed an operating voltage of 4V to 18V (nominal 9V) and accepted power supplies in the range of 9 to 18 VDC center negative5. The current Shiba Mini manual and product page specify 9V DC center negative12.
Shiba Reloaded in a smaller box
The Shiba line goes back to the original Shiba Drive, which Suhr revised into the Shiba Drive Reloaded. The Reloaded brought a new spiral-faced enclosure anodized in a deep saturated blue with translucent control knobs6. Suhr describes the Reloaded as more amp-like, with a tighter low-end, focused mids, and 50% more gain than the original Shiba57.
Suhr also shrank the Reloaded into the Shiba Drive Reloaded Mini, a mini-format, pedalboard-friendly enclosure8. Gearnews welcomed the smaller footprint, noting that fitting Suhr pedals on a medium-sized board had been an issue and that "this thing is pretty compact"8. The Reloaded Mini is described as retaining all the tube-like tones of its bigger brother3, and the Shiba Mini carries a list price of $1692.
The current Shiba Mini carries that same circuit forward. Suhr's product page states it has an identical circuit and tone to the Shiba Reloaded Mini circuit, with all of the Classic Hi-Gain DNA of the larger sibling in a smaller, more compact, pedalboard-friendly design2. The full-size Suhr Shiba Drive sold today likewise carries the Shiba Reloaded circuit, with the original Shiba circuit discontinued9.
For players comparing the family side by side:
| Model | Circuit | Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shiba Drive (original) | Original Shiba circuit | Full size | Predecessor of the Reloaded |
| Shiba Drive Reloaded | Reloaded circuit, 50% more gain than the original10 | Compact stompbox6 | Spiral-faced blue enclosure6 |
| Shiba Drive Reloaded Mini | Same Reloaded circuit | Mini, pedalboard-friendly8 | Retains the tube-like tones of the bigger brother3 |
| Shiba Mini | Shiba circuit in a smaller format | Mini | $169 list price2 |
Suhr also built a signature version of the circuit with Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro, the Suhr Kiko Loureiro Signature Shiba Drive Reloaded, based on the Shiba Drive with minor tweaks and a laser-etched case11.
Warranty
JS Technologies warrants the Shiba Mini for the lifetime of the initial retail purchaser against defects in workmanship, with electronic components such as capacitors, resistors, filters, transformers, jacks and pots covered for 5 years. Suhr notes that this warranty policy only applies to customers in the USA1.
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Questions
Is the Suhr Shiba Mini the same circuit as the Shiba Drive Reloaded?
Yes. Suhr describes the Shiba Mini as having an identical circuit and tone to the Shiba Reloaded Mini circuit, which itself carries the Classic Hi-Gain DNA of the full-size Shiba Drive Reloaded. The controls are the same too, only smaller, so the Mini is a pedalboard-friendly version of the same overdrive.
Is the Suhr Shiba Mini true bypass?
Yes. Suhr lists true bypass switching and an on/off effect status indicator among the pedal's features. The Shiba family has used relay-based true bypass since the Shiba Drive Reloaded, which Suhr says allows remote switching and produces less popping when switching.
What does the Smooth switch on the Shiba Mini do?
It is a two-position voicing switch. Left activates a pronounced high-end roll off, which Suhr calls excellent for chunky rhythms and violin-like lead tones. Right retains all the presence without any high-end roll off. Suhr notes the modes have less effect at lower gain and tone settings.
Can the Shiba Mini run on a battery?
No. When Suhr downsized the Shiba Drive Reloaded into the mini format, it dropped the battery compartment along with the FX Link connector. The Shiba Mini is powered by a 9V DC center negative power supply drawing 8mA, so it needs a pedalboard power supply or a 9V adapter.
Is the Suhr Shiba Mini discontinued?
Suhr's product page lists the Shiba Mini as out of stock as of October 2026, though the page and its user guide remain live. The pedal is not stated as discontinued, but players wanting one may need to look at the full-size Shiba Drive, which carries the same Reloaded circuit.
Sources (11)
- Shiba-Mini-User-Guide-070924.pdf, Suhr (JS Technologies, Inc.), 2024-07-09
- Shiba Mini, Suhr (www.suhr.com)
- Suhr shrinks Shiba Drive into pedalboard-friendly stompbox, Guitar.com, 2018-07-09
- ShibaReloadedMini_Manual-1.pdf, Suhr (media.suhr.com), 2022
- Shiba-Reloaded-Mini-User-Guide-100120.pdf, Suhr (media.suhr.com), 2020-10-01
- Suhr Announce 'Reloaded' Editions of Riot and Shiba Drive Pedals, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2013-08-19
- Shiba Reloaded copy, Suhr (media.suhr.com), 2022
- Suhr shrinks its Shiba Drive Reloaded pedal into a mini format version, gearnews.com, 2018-07-03
- Shiba Drive, Suhr (www.suhr.com)
- Shiba Reloaded copy, Suhr (media.suhr.com), 2022
- Suhr Kiko Loureiro Signature Shiba Drive Re|Loaded: Megadeth leads?, gearnews.com, 2016-11-27
