Pigtronix Space Rip Review
Verdict and Review Summary
If you've never used this type of pedal there's a bit of a learning curve, but once you get going, the Space Rip is a ton of fun. It produces sounds that I never would have expected from an electric guitar, while refreshing familiar fretboard patterns and making them more addictive.
BEST FOR: Modern rock styles, post-guitar pedalboards, pop rock, recording projects, bass and guitar.
TONE
90
FEATURES
90
VERSATILITY
81
COST/VALUE
83
- Analog, somehow
- Sounds awesome without a lot of playing
- Thrives on fretboard simplicity
- Lots of variety with the control scheme
- Slides sound particularly cool
- A bit of a learning curve if you're not synth savvy
- Expensive for such a small pedal
Rock and metal have gone through some changes, moving from the blues-driven styles of the past to more synth/electronic sounds and a heavier presence of ethereal effects. We still have heavy distortion, but it's in stark contrast to the electronic lean of many new groups.
The Pigtronix Space Rip is a synth pedal designed to give you that sound. It does so by utilizing the following effects and combinations:
- Pitch shifting
- Octaves
- Fuzz
- Filters
- Modulation
Synth-style pedals are usually some combination of these effects, particularly pitch shifting, octaves, and fuzz. If you're into modern rock and metal, or modern pop styles, the Space Rip gives you a lot of tools to work with in one small box. This is our full Pigtronix Space Rip review.
Compare the Space Rip to Similar Pedals
Pedal | Model | Browse |
|---|---|---|
| Pigtronix Space Rip | |
 | Danelectro 3699 | |
 | EarthQuaker Devices Bit Commander | |
 | EHX Pitch Fork |
The Pigtronix Space Rip focuses on pitch shifting, octaves, and filters to create a deep and intensely modern guitar sound.
Price Tools for the Space Rip
Pricing accurate as of Fri, August 21st, 2026.
Sweetwater Pricing
Price Alert
Tone Quality of the Space Rip
The Space Rip sounds chaotic at first, but once you figure out how to harness the sawtooth and square waves you'll get some awesome sounds out of this pedal.
These shapes give you the distinct fuzz-like tone, which is then layered with octaves. This combination ends up giving you a really deep fuzz tone with an electronic bend. If you want something a little less heavy, the Square wave mode takes some of the thickness and bass out of the EQ.
Out of the box, the octaves and fuzz are chainsaw-esque, and extremely heavy.
Aggression, heavy bottom, and modern synth are all good descriptors for the Space Rip.
A good way to describe the tone is that it's simply unique. Having the combination of ethereal and heavy gain gives new life to notes and patterns that would otherwise feel pretty mundane. It's definitely aggressive, even at the most basic settings. Our favorite demo handler - Bonedo - does a great job of showcasing the tones:
You'll hear in the demo that you can move the waveform with modulation, producing a chorus and/or fluttering effect. This along with pitch shifting produce some really bizarre sounds that I found difficult to place.
De-tuning and pitch bends are something I've always struggled to use and know what to do with.
One thing that I really liked was the mix knob which let me pull back in a little bit of my dry signal. This was really helpful because, again, I felt overwhelmed by the pedal at certain settings, so I was able to come back down to earth with the mix knob under 50 percent.
I maintain: Every single guitar pedal should have a mix knob.
Control Scheme
The tune and rate knobs on top control pitch and modulation. As I mentioned, these are the two that I struggled most to implement. But in the right context, they add a significant amount of flexibility and a lot of unique sounds.
De-tuning and pitch bends are something I've always struggled to use and know what to do with.
One thing that I really liked was the mix knob which let me pull back in a little bit of my dry signal. This was really helpful because, again, I felt overwhelmed by the pedal at certain settings, so I was able to come back down to earth with the mix knob under 50 percent.
I maintain: Every single guitar pedal should have a mix knob.
Standout Features
I'm not exactly a genius when it comes to guitar pedal electronics, but I would think that making this pedal analog would be really tricky. Nevertheless, that's what Pigtronix claims and I have no problem believing them (they're a good company).
And it makes sense, because the pedal definitely has a warmth to it, in addition to plenty of grittiness in the fuzz.
The i/o is just the expected 1/4 in and out with true bypass.
The Space Rip runs an analog signal path (which surprised me) and a true bypass connection.
Overall Value (price)
This pedal has the functionality of a much larger stompbox, but it's a small-form pedal, which makes the near-$200 price tag a bit disheartening.
At the same time, I can't fault Pigtronix totally, because keeping the size of the pedal down has almost certainly saved Space Rip buyers some money. Larger pedals cost more to produce and the cost is passed onto the consumer.
So while you have to hold your nose a bit to pay this much for such a small pedal, we'd argue you still get your money's worth.
Ideal Fit and Context
This is a very modern effects pedal. We'd recommend it for pop, rock, or metal guitar/bass players that are trying to take their pedalboard into a more electronic direction. Intermediate to advanced players will likely be best positioned to make good use out of the Space Rip.
Review Conclusion
It's the uniqueness of the Space Rip that I think won me over. Once you figure out how to work with the tones, it's just a ton of fun to play. If you grab one, start with some really simple single-note lines and just get a feel for the effects. It's aggressive, heavy, and seems to have been made with a lot of forethought and intentional combining of certain effects.
I enjoyed testing this one a lot.
If you have questions about our Pigtronix Space Rip review, the pedal itself, or something about our review process, let me know in the comments section below.
More Guitar Pedal Reviews
Written by Matt Dunnett on Pedals & Reviews
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Pedals & Reviews
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Really good review! I will have to get one. Curious to know how it sounds with chords. The video demo has some chords at the end, but more like snippet riffs than full chords.
Thanks a lot, JP. Glad you found it helpful. It’s a great pedal.