TC Electronic Paul Gilbert MojoMojo

The TC Electronic Paul Gilbert MojoMojo is a signature edition of the company's MojoMojo overdrive pedal, built in collaboration with Paul Gilbert, the guitarist known for his work with Racer X and Mr. Big and his solo career¹². TC Electronic announced it in early June 2021, the week after the Zeus Drive launch³.

Gilbert had been a long-time user of the original MojoMojo, but he always used the same voice setting on it⁴. That habit shaped the signature pedal: instead of offering two voices, TC Electronic fixed the pedal at one voice tweaked to Gilbert's taste and used the freed-up switch position for something else, an 11 switch that pushes the pedal into a heavy gain boost³⁴.

What it does: a MojoMojo overdrive tuned to Paul Gilbert's taste

The pedal is an overdrive built on the MojoMojo circuit, "with some twists an turn via Paul," as Pedal of the Day put it¹. TC Electronic describes the result as "like the perfect chicken tender, combining juicy and crunchy in the most delicious way possible!"⁴

The most substantial change reported inside the box is a stepped-up circuit board voltage. Guitar World and GuitarPlayer both reported that this increases headroom and dynamics significantly⁵⁶, and Pedal of the Day described the outcome as "dramatically increased headroom and dynamics for an incredibly alive and soaring overdrive, keeping your tone crisp, but not toasted"¹.

How much of the rest of the circuit differs from the original MojoMojo was not settled at launch. Gearnews wrote that "it isn't clear whether or not the original MojoMojo circuit has been tweaked for Mr Gilbert, or whether it is just a new paint job and rebadging of the original pedal"³. Delicious Audio later described it as "a version of the MojoMojo with a couple of tweaks to the circuit," including an extra gain mod switch, high headroom and precise controls⁷.

The controls and the 11 switch

The control layout carries over from the original MojoMojo, with four knobs and a central toggle⁴⁵.

On the original MojoMojo, that central mini toggle was a Voice switch selecting between two different voice settings³⁸. On the Paul Gilbert edition, the switch "now says 11" and engages the gain boost instead³. TC Electronic's own explanation, quoted by GuitarPlayer and Guitar World, was:

The reasoning was simple: "Paul always uses the same settings on his MojoMojo, which meant there was no need for the additional Voice switch found" on the original⁶. Pedal of the Day made the same point, noting that Paul always used his original MojoMojo with the same voice setting¹.

Otherwise the pedal keeps the original's true bypass functionality, with soft true bypass switching, side-mounted jacks and easy battery compartment access⁴⁵⁶.

History: from the MojoMojo to a Paul Gilbert signature edition

Gilbert's association with the MojoMojo predates the signature pedal by years. MusicRadar's overdrive buying guide noted that the MojoMojo "has been used by none other than virtuoso Paul Gilbert"², and TC Electronic says Paul always uses his original MojoMojo pedal with the same voice setting¹, a long-time habit the maker cited when it asked him to work on a special edition of the pedal bearing his name²¹⁷.

The signature edition was announced in the first week of June 2021³⁵. Gearnews reported it as available for order at announcement³, while GuitarPlayer and Guitar World reported at the same time that price and release details had yet to be announced⁵⁶; guitar.com soon after gave it a price of $69⁴.

Before the TC Electronic signature pedal, there was another Paul Gilbert overdrive in the works. In October 2019, Guitar World reported that Gilbert was working with JHS Pedals on a signature overdrive, and that "guitarists are already speculating it's a replacement for Gilbert's old fave, the TC Electronic MojoMojo"⁹. That collaboration became the JHS Paul Gilbert PG-14, a FET-based overdrive announced at NAMM 2020¹⁰, not a replacement for the MojoMojo, which TC Electronic went on to build its own signature version of a year later.

What reviewers said

Pedal of the Day reviewed the Paul Gilbert edition in August 2024 and summed it up around its sound and its most visible feature, the purple finish¹:

The same review highlighted the "stylish new purple jacket" and the stepped-up circuit board voltage as the pedal's distinguishing features¹. MusicRadar's review of the standard MojoMojo, in a 2026 roundup context, listed its compact chassis design among its points of note⁸.

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