The Tone City Wildfro is a compact distortion pedal made in collaboration with UK guitarist Rabea Massaad. Tone City describes it as "an aggressive-sounding distortion pedal with dangerous levels of gain on tap," and it sits apart from the brand's usual catalog: Tone City notes that most of its dirt pedals are designed to offer traditional low-to-medium gain overdrive sounds, while the Wildfro is built for high gain. It is part of the maker's T-collaborated series, a line of artist-designed pedals, and Tone City says the circuit is based on its popular Wild Fire stompbox, slightly modified to meet Massaad's specific tonal demands.1
What it does to your sound
The Wildfro is aimed at players who want more gain than a typical overdrive. Tone City says the pedal "remains tight and focused even with its 'Gain' control cranked," which points to a circuit that keeps its shape at high settings rather than turning to mush. The Tone control is pitched at heavy players too: turning it up adds definition, and Tone City says you can "cut through effortlessly in even the most frantic of metal mixes."1
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of distortion, crankable for high gain while staying tight and focused1 |
| Tone | Turning it up adds definition and helps the pedal cut through dense metal mixes1 |
Where it came from
The Wildfro is an artist collaboration: Tone City's Chinese-language product page describes it as a distortion designed jointly with Rabea Massaad, and the brand's artist page explains the starting point simply, saying "Rabea Massaad knows exactly what kind of distortion tone he need."23 Rather than design a circuit from scratch, Tone City took its Wild Fire stompbox and modified it to meet Massaad's tonal demands.1 The brand itself has been established for 10 years as of 2026.4
"The Wild Fro has been slightly modified to meet Massaad's specific tonal demands."
On the board
The Wildfro is a small, light pedal: 9.4 cm long, 4.5 cm wide and 4.8 cm tall, weighing 0.26 kg, so it fits easily on a crowded board. It runs on a DC 9V adapter and draws 10 mA, a light load that any standard pedalboard power supply output can handle. Tone City lists true bypass switching, so the circuit is out of the signal path when the pedal is off. Input impedance is 500K and output impedance is 10K.1
If the Wildfro's high gain approach is more than you need, Tone City's range covers the other end of the dirt spectrum, from the Model M-Classic British Style Distortion to the Loong preamp, alongside other distortion designs in the distortion pedals category.
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Questions
Is the Tone City Wildfro true bypass?
Yes. Tone City lists the Wildfro as true bypass, so when the pedal is off, your guitar's signal passes through without the distortion circuit loading it. Combined with its low 10 mA current draw, it sits easily on a pedalboard without complicating your switching or power setup.
Who designed the Tone City Wildfro?
The Wildfro is an artist collaboration design made with Rabea Massaad, the guitarist Tone City worked with on the pedal. It is part of the brand's T-collaborated series, a line of pedals designed jointly with artists, and the circuit was modified to meet Massaad's specific tonal demands.
What is the Wildfro based on?
Tone City says the Wildfro is based on its popular Wild Fire stompbox, with slight modifications to suit Rabea Massaad's playing. The core circuit is the same family, tuned for the aggressive, high gain sound Massaad wanted.
What power does the Wildfro need?
The Wildfro runs on a DC 9V adapter. There is no mention of battery operation, so plan on a standard 9V pedal power supply or a spot on your isolated power brick.
How much current does the Wildfro draw?
Tone City lists the Wildfro's current draw at 10 mA. That is a very light load, so it will run comfortably from any standard 9V pedalboard power supply output.
Sources (4)
- Wildfro-Collaborated Distortion with Rabea Massaad-TONE CITY ▏Analog Pedals & Power supplies, Tone City, 2026
- Wildfro-Rabea Massaad 艺术家联合设计失真-桂林华声乐器有限公司, Tone City Audio (桂林华声乐器有限公司), 2026
- Rabea Massaad-TONE CITY ▏Analog Pedals & Power supplies, Tone City Audio, 2026
- ULTIMATE-TONE CITY ▏Analog Pedals & Power supplies, Tone City Audio, 2026
Rabea Massaad
