They're not exactly subtle, they can make your guitar sound like, well, not a guitar anymore, and maybe they shouldn't be engaged with young kids or pets in the room, but ring modulators can take your guitar to places you've only dreamed about—and further. For a sampling of what's available out there, we've rounded up 10 to consider climbing aboard.
Gonkulator
This updated version of the ’90s original still brings all the clangy and robotic sounds to the table, but is now equipped with true bypass and a more flexible/adjustable carrier signal control.
Grumbly Wolf
Featuring an asymmetrical hard-clipping distortion circuit followed by an octave/ring mod effect based on the classic Green Ringer, this box offers up crunchy overdrive to fuzzy octave insanity.
Super Ringtone
This 16-step version of the original Ringtone boasts features such as MIDI sync, tap-tempo control and sync, expression-pedal friendliness, and eight user-programmable memory locations.
Randy’s Revenge
This all-analog oscillator provides space travel in a small package and features expanded control voltage (CV) capabilities that permit interactions beyond the simple stacking of effects.
Vitruvian Mod
The Vitruvian takes its cues from the principle of cross modulation and was designed to be easy to dial in and forget, even when making changes in key.
Crystal Dagger
This all-analog, dual-harmonic pedal features independent true-bypass circuits for octave-up fuzz and a unique collection of ring modulation, octaving, and phasing for bone-chilling sounds.
Ring Thing
Complex modulations with interactive parameters are on tap with the Ring Thing’s articulate pitch shifting, preset tuning, and selectable waveforms.
Syntax Error
Incorporating an advanced 32-bit microcontroller, which adds presets, expression, and MIDI capability, this pedal’s ring mode combines a ring modulator with a sample-and-hold LFO.
MF-102
A direct descendant of the original Moog modular synths, the MF-102’s ring modulator can conjure effects from subtle trem to rich distortion along with sweeps, swoops, and whatever else can be dreamt up.
String Ringer
Primed for exploration, this modern replica of the Lovetone Ring Stinger features a classic LT44 transformer for a distinctive, vintage ring-mod sound plus ’60s germanium distortion.
