About Catalinbread Pedals
Founded in Portland Oregon in 2003 by Nicolas Harris, Catalinbread played an important role in the 21st century renaissance of small-pedal builders. By scouring historic designs for fresh inspiration and re-imagining them for contemporary applications, Catalinbread assembled a mighty line of pedals that offered something for every kind of electric guitarist.
Sadly, Harris passed away in 2015, but in 2020 the company was purchased by Portland-based musicians and studio technicians, Kyle Sears and Brandon Rush. Channeling the passion and ingenuity of the company’s founder, the 2020s are positioned to be a promising decade for Catalinbread. As we woodshed our tones and prepare for our return to the stage, these effects pedals can help us conjure the past and future of rock & roll.
Amp in a Box Style Pedals
For an electric guitarist, the amp is just as important, if not more so, than the guitar. That said, unless you have a legion of roadies at your disposal and ample space in your practice room, owning more than a few quickly becomes impractical. For these reasons, Catalinbread first emerged on the scene with a family of amp-in-a-box style pedals which transform your tone from the front end. By replicating the circuits of specific historic tube amp and pedal combinations, Catalinbread pedals can make you sound like early Black Sabbath (Sabbra Cadabra, inspired by a Laney Supergroup+Treble Booster), The Rolling Stones (SFT, based on the Ampeg SVT tone of “Get Your Ya-Yas” Out” era Stones), or even Queen (Galileo, an arsenal of AC30s ravished by a Rangemaster Treble Booster).
Delay and Reverb Pedals Galore
In addition to tube amp profiles, Catalinbread possesses expansive and intimate knowledge of the history of reverb and delay effects. Their Belle Epoch Deluxe replicates the exact circuitry of the original EP-3 EchoPlex, but substitutes 24- digital delay for tape. Their Echorec recreates the sound and rhythmic possibilities of the Binson multi-head drum Echo. Their Adikeno draws inspiration from the eerie, lo-if oil can delay units originally produced by Tel-Ray. They even have a delay based on the skipping of a compact disc player known as CSIDMAN.
The Future of Catalinbread
Catalinbread is always innovating. We are proud to carry their foundational pedals, and always eager to see what they come up with next. Earthquake-inducing fuzz and ethereal modulation are all part of their distinctive cosmology. As guitarists fond of bold flavors, Catalinbread pedals are a natural choice for Midwood Guitar Studio. Give us a call today and let’s talk about which box you need on your board!