TC Electronic Magus Pro

The TC Electronic Magus Pro is a compact analog distortion pedal aimed at high-gain playing. TC Electronic describes it as a "Versatile Classic Analog Distortion" with strong mids, a treble filter control and three clipping modes¹. It was announced in May 2021 and was available immediately at launch, listing for $59 in the US².

What sets the Magus Pro apart from most budget distortions is its circuit. TC Electronic says it "specially designed a circuit to recreate the classic slow slew of the infamous LM308 op-amp using readily available" modern parts¹. The LM308 is the op-amp found in the most prized examples of the Pro Co Rat, which places the Magus Pro squarely in the Rat-style distortion family³. Guitar.com also described the Magus Pro as a smaller version of TC Electronic's earlier Magus distortion, itself a Rat-style pedal⁴.

What it does to your sound

The core of the pedal's character comes from that slow slew rate. In TC Electronic's words, "By keeping the slew rate slow, harsh unwanted harmonic overtones and interference are eliminated, leaving you with a smo"oth layer of pure distortion at high gain¹. In practice, the maker is claiming the circuit smooths out the fizzy, spiky harmonics that high-gain distortion circuits can produce, so the pedal stays usable with the Gain knob high.

Pedal of the Day's review expanded on the playing experience, describing "evenly balanced harmonic resonance" that produces "effortless and lasting sustain" and musical feedback at high gain settings⁷. The reviewer characterized it overall as "a simple, stripped-down pedal" with a powerful amp-driving character⁷.

Controls and modes

The Magus Pro keeps its control surface minimal: three knobs and one switch⁵⁶.

The three modes each change the pedal's character:

• Classic mode: TC Electronic describes it as "oldskool, high gain, punchy MIDS and a gripping tight bottom end"¹.
• Turbo mode: Engages LED clipping diodes "for greater headroom, less saturation and higher output level"¹. LED clipping is a harder clipping style, which is why Turbo gives more output with less compression.
• Fat mode: "Gives the low end a boost while re-shaping the upper MIDS for that ultimate hard rock tone"¹.

The Filter knob deserves a note for players new to distortion pedals. It is not a full tone control: it is a hi-cut, meaning it only removes treble as you turn it, it does not add anything. Delicious Audio described it as "a hi-cut filter that lets the player tailor the tone's top-end bite"⁸, and TC Electronic calls it "an extremely effective Hi-cut filter"¹. Because high-gain circuits can get harsh, a simple treble roll-off is often all the tone shaping a pedal like this needs.

Build, power and pedalboard footprint

The Magus Pro is housed in what TC Electronic calls "an amazingly compact, built-like-a-tank metal box"¹. Two practical design choices matter for pedalboard builders: the jack sockets and the power input are mounted on the top of the housing rather than the sides, which saves space when pedals sit side by side¹⁹, and the pedal uses true bypass switching, so the signal passes through untouched when the pedal is off¹.

Power comes from a 9V DC supply, with a current draw of 40mA⁵. That draw is low enough that the pedal is not demanding on a multi-output power supply.

Where it came from

The Magus Pro was launched in May 2021. MusicRadar's launch coverage highlighted the same story the maker tells: "a trio of clipping modes and a circuit that replicates the much-coveted LM308 op-amp"⁵. Guitar World noted the LM308 connection to the Pro Co Rat directly, calling the op-amp "as found in the most prized examples of the Pro Co Rat"³. Gearnews reported the same circuit claim at launch and noted the $59 US price¹⁰.

The pedal sits in TC Electronic's broader line of distortion pedals, alongside models like the Dark Matter, Eyemaster, Fangs and Röttweiler.

What reviewers said

Reviewers have been positive about the pedal's value and versatility.

Gearnews called it "a decent little Rat-style distortion pedal," adding that "having three modes is a neat little bonus, making it more versatile than other distortion pedals on the market" for the price¹⁰. MusicRadar found "the £45 / $59 asking price is very respectful to your bank balance"⁵.

By March 2026, Gearnews's budget-pedal guide listed the Magus Pro at $19.80, well under its launch price, and praised its build at that price point⁶. Pedal of the Day's 2023 review summed it up as a classic high-gain distortion with fat mids, and appreciated having "a simple, stripped-down pedal" in the lineup⁷.

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