Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix is a privately held, NYC-based manufacturer founded in 1968 that designs and hand-assembles over 150 guitar and bass effects pedals, tube amplifiers, vacuum tubes, and analog/DAW hybrid products, sold globally via DTC and dealers to musicians ranging from hobbyists to touring professionals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1968
- HeadquartersLong Island City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Electro-Harmonix does
Electro-Harmonix (EHX) is a privately held, founder-owned manufacturer of music effects equipment headquartered in Long Island City, New York, founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. The company designs, assembles by hand, and tests in its NYC factory a catalog of over 150 effect pedals, plus tube guitar amplifiers, vacuum tubes, and hybrid analog/DAW products, using globally sourced components. Its product line centers on iconic stompboxes such as the Big Muff Pi (in continuous production since 1969), the 9 Series polyphonic instrument-emulation pedals (B9 Organ Machine, C9, KEY9, MEL9, SYNTH9, STRING9, BASS9), the Pico Series (NYC DSP) of compact DSP pedals, and bass-specific units like the Battalion and Bass Big Muff Pi family; recent additions include the MIG-50 and ABRAMS100 tube amplifier heads, the Lizard King octave fuzz, the EHX Percolator harmonic saturator, the Pico Shimmer, and the Big Muff Pi Hardware Plugin that integrates the 1973 Violet Ram's Head Big Muff circuit as a 2-in/2-out USB interface for Pro Tools, Ableton, Logic, Cubase, GarageBand, and Reaper.
EHX generates revenue through one-time hardware sales across pedals, amplifiers, vacuum tubes, and plugin/hardware products, with pedals priced roughly $50-$300+, amplifiers $300-$1000+, and the Big Muff Pi Hardware Plugin at $328.90. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce via ehx.com with a global authorized dealer network that includes Sweetwater, Guitar Center, Reverb.com, and specialty retailers, supported by trade show presence at NAMM and Musikmesse Frankfurt. The brand is sustained by deep artist endorsement relationships (David Gilmour, Jack White, Billy Corgan, The Edge, Flea, Bootsy Collins, J Mascis, Foo Fighters, Jack Conte) and multiple industry honors including the NAMM Milestone Award (2018), a Music & Sound Retailer Lifetime Achievement Award for Mike Matthews (2016), the Vintage Guitar Hall of Fame (2012), and the 2015 MIPA award for the B9 Organ Machine. Customer segments span electric guitar players, bass players, keyboardists/producers, and digital recording artists, addressed through a horizontal segmentation approach across a product portfolio that explicitly spans hobbyist to professional price points.
Electro-Harmonix firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Electro-Harmonix
- Legal name
- Electro-Harmonix
- Website
- https://ehx.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1968
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Electro-Harmonix is a privately held, NYC-based manufacturer founded in 1968 that designs and hand-assembles over 150 guitar and bass effects pedals, tube amplifiers, vacuum tubes, and analog/DAW hybrid products, sold globally via DTC and dealers to musicians ranging from hobbyists to touring professionals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Electro-Harmonix industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Guitar Effects Pedals & Musical Equipment
- NAICS
- Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992), Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (33431)
- SIC
- Musical Instruments (3931)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Sound & Stage Equipment (PA Systems, Amplification, Monitoring) (MPAIAJAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Music Production Hardware (Synthesizers, Drum Machines, Samplers, MIDI Controllers) (MPAIAJAE), Audio Plugins & Virtual Instruments (VST/AU/AAX) (MPAIAIAB)
Keywords
Where Electro-Harmonix is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Long Island City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Electro-Harmonix business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Effects Pedals: Core revenue stream from guitar effect pedals including fuzz, overdrive, delay, reverb, modulation, looper, synthesis, and octave/pitch shifting pedals. Products range from entry-level to premium with prices from under $50 to over $300.
- Guitar Amplifiers: Tube amplifiers including the MIG-50 head, 44 Magnum power amp, and other amp products targeting guitar players seeking premium tube tone.
- Vacuum Tubes: EHX manufactures and sells vacuum tubes, positioning the company as one of the world's largest tube manufacturers alongside their pedal business.
- DAW Plugins and Software: Plugin products like the Big Muff Pi Hardware Plugin that bridge analog and digital domains, sold alongside hardware products.
- Merchandise and Accessories: Merchandise line including power adapters, cables, and branded accessories for guitar players.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | EHX Percolator Harmonic Saturator at $99.00 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Big Muff Pi Hardware Plugin at $328.90 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Various pedals at various price points |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Electro-Harmonix product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Electro-Harmonix designs, manufactures, and sells guitar and bass effects pedals, tube-based guitar amplifiers, vacuum tubes, and a small line of hardware-based DAW plugins. The company offers over 150 pedal variants across fuzz, overdrive, delay, reverb, modulation, octave/pitch shifting, looper, and synthesis categories, with final assembly and musician-led testing performed at its New York City factory from globally sourced components. Products are sold direct through ehx.com and via an authorized global dealer network.
Product overview
Electro-Harmonix is a music effects equipment manufacturer founded in 1968, producing a diverse portfolio of guitar and bass effects pedals, amplifiers, vacuum tubes, and plugins. The product lineup centers on iconic effects pedals including the legendary Big Muff Pi fuzz/distortion series (Big Muff Pi, Little Big Muff Pi, Bass Big Muff Pi, and variants), the 9 Series polyphonic pedals (B9 Organ Machine, C9, KEY9, MEL9, SYNTH9, STRING9, BASS9) that emulate instruments, and the innovative Pico Series (NYC DSP) of compact pedals featuring advanced effects like shimmer reverb, harmony generation, and pitch shifting. The company also offers guitar amplifiers (MIG-50, ABRAMS100), the Big Muff Pi Hardware Plugin bridging analog and digital domains, bass-specific pedals (Battalion, Lizard King, Bass Soul Food, Soul POG), and various overdrive, modulation, and utility pedals. Products are manufactured using globally sourced components with final assembly and testing in their NYC factory.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Big Muff Pi NYC original fuzz pedal known for rich, creamy, violin-like sustain and crushing distortion with adjustable tone, revered by contemporary guitarists and rock legends as a defining rock guitar effect.
- Little Big Muff Pi
Quantifiable outcome
- Big Muff Pi has been defining rock guitar sound for over 40 years
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Electro-Harmonix
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Electro-Harmonix technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature4 records
Electro-Harmonix partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Otoboke BeaverminorJapanese punk band Otoboke Beaver performed with custom EHX MIG-50 amplifiers at Lollapalooza and on tour with Foo Fighters, featuring EHX products in their performances and promotional content.
- MixWaveminorEHX partnered with MixWave for a plugin collection giveaway and promotion, offering users a chance to win while showcasing EHX's software products.
- JHScoreEHX collaborated with JHS on the Lizard Queen pedal in 2023, which directly inspired the EHX Lizard King. The Lizard King takes the octave fuzz circuit from Lizard Queen and optimizes it for bass players.
- Delicious Audio (Brooklyn Synth + Pedal Expo)minorEHX participated in the Brooklyn Synth + Pedal Expo organized by Delicious Audio, providing a venue for customers to demo EHX pedals in person.
- Reverb.comminorReverb.com featured EHX products and historical content, including coverage of the Big Muff Pi and vintage EHX pedal collections.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Electro-Harmonix competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MXR: MXR (owned by Jim Dunlop) is a direct competitor in guitar effects pedals, offering iconic circuits like the Phase 90 and Distortion+ that compete head-to-head with EHX's Big Muff, Phase effects, and overdrive lines for the same guitarist customer base.
- Boss: Boss (a Roland brand) is one of the world's largest guitar pedal manufacturers, offering competing distortion, modulation, delay, and multi-effects pedals that target the same electric guitarist customers as EHX across entry-level to pro segments.
- Strymon: Strymon is a high-end boutique pedal manufacturer focused on delay, reverb, and modulation pedals that directly compete with EHX's premium offerings (Deluxe Memory Man, Pico Series reverbs/delays) for the professional guitarist segment.
- EarthQuaker Devices: EarthQuaker Devices is a boutique pedal maker in Akron, Ohio with a similarly broad catalog of fuzz, drive, modulation, and experimental pedals, competing for the same indie/pro guitarist customer that EHX targets with its analog-forward product lines.
- Walrus Audio: Walrus Audio is a boutique pedal manufacturer based in Oklahoma producing reverb, delay, fuzz, and modulation pedals that compete with EHX's premium and Pico Series offerings in the pro/semi-pro guitarist segment.
- Chase Bliss Audio: Chase Bliss Audio is a boutique pedal maker specializing in experimental and high-end analog+digital hybrid effects, directly competing with EHX's Pico Series and Hardware Plugin strategy at the premium end of the market.
- TC Electronic: TC Electronic (part of Behringer/Music Tribe) produces guitar effects pedals, TonePrint-enabled products, and DAW plugins that compete with EHX across modulation, delay, reverb, and the DAW plugin space including the Big Muff Pi Hardware Plugin.
- Eventide: Eventide produces high-end stompbox effects pedals and H9-series multi-effects that compete with EHX's premium modulation, delay, and pitch effects lines for the same professional and prosumer guitarist and studio market.
Broad incumbents
- Ibanez: Ibanez is a major guitar and bass manufacturer with a long-running Tube Screamer and effects pedal line, overlapping with EHX's overdrive, distortion, and bass pedal categories from a much larger musical instrument portfolio perspective.
Emerging players
- Universal Audio: Universal Audio's UAFX pedal line brings analog emulations (including the 1176, Spring Reverb, and amp simulations) into stompboxes with built-in DSP, directly competing with EHX's Hardware Plugin and Pico Series strategy of bridging analog heritage with digital workflows.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Electro-Harmonix social profiles
Digital presenceElectro-Harmonix financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Electro-Harmonix leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Electro-Harmonix funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Electro-Harmonix M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Electro-Harmonix
What does Electro-Harmonix do?
Electro-Harmonix designs, manufactures, and sells guitar and bass effects pedals, tube-based guitar amplifiers, vacuum tubes, and a small line of hardware-based DAW plugins. The company offers over 150 pedal variants across fuzz, overdrive, delay, reverb, modulation, octave/pitch shifting, looper, and synthesis categories, with final assembly and musician-led testing performed at its New York City factory from globally sourced components. Products are sold direct through ehx.com and via an authorized global dealer network.
Is Electro-Harmonix a public or private company?
Electro-Harmonix is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Electro-Harmonix founded?
Electro-Harmonix was founded in 1968. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Electro-Harmonix based?
Electro-Harmonix is headquartered in Long Island City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Electro-Harmonix make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Effects Pedals are the primary driver. The others are guitar Amplifiers, vacuum Tubes, DAW Plugins and Software and merchandise and Accessories.
Who are Electro-Harmonix's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MXR, Boss, Strymon, EarthQuaker Devices, Walrus Audio, Chase Bliss Audio, TC Electronic and Eventide. Ibanez is listed as a broad incumbent. Universal Audio is listed as an emerging player.
Does Electro-Harmonix have an API?
No public API is recorded for Electro-Harmonix.
What industry is Electro-Harmonix in?
Electro-Harmonix's product category is Guitar Effects Pedals & Musical Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAJAD, Live Sound & Stage Equipment (PA Systems, Amplification, Monitoring), with a secondary code of MPAIAJAE, Music Production Hardware (Synthesizers, Drum Machines, Samplers, MIDI Controllers). Its NAICS code is 339992 and its SIC code is 3931.