This is part of our Foundation Celebration series, where we honor the amps and circuitry that inspired our Foundation overdrive pedals.

The Catalinbread SFT is an AMPEG inspired foundation overdrive that bridges the Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out (Stones) and the Desert Sound (Stoner) eras.

We’ve always been smitten by AMPEG. Early on the company was a Jazz purist company, completely overlooking (possibly looking down on) more popular genres like Country & Western and Rock that Fender and Marshall openly embraced. From a design standpoint they took more queues from the hifi world than they did from guitarists as evidenced by their tube complements, gain stages without cathode capacitors, and implementation of the Baxandall tone controls. And they we’re no slouches to innovation either, Flip-top combos is a great example. Not to mention there is at least one model of amplifier that had a torsion bar to adjust the tightness of the speaker baffle.

Treble

Controls the amount of high frequencies in the signal. Set below noon for a darker tone, and above noon for a brighter tone. At higher settings, it boosts upper mids as well.

Volume

Controls the overall output volume of the pedal. Even at low Gain settings, provides plenty of output to boost clean sounds loudly. May not need much adjustment with higher gain settings, especially in Stoner mode

Stones/Stoner

Stones Mode emulates the authentic response of a big Ampeg tube amp and delivers classic, refined tones with a slight emphasis on lower mids, akin to the iconic Ampeg sound. Ideal for achieving clean to slightly overdriven tones. Stoner Mode transforms the pedal into a high-gain distortion powerhouse. Designed for players seeking ripping distortion tones and the ability to produce huge fuzz sounds.

Bass

Adjusts the amount of low frequencies in the signal. Turned down from noon for a tighter response, and up from noon for a bass-heavy sound. At maximum, it provides a huge boost in low-end frequencies, suitable for fuzz settings in Stoner mode.

Gain

Determines the amount of overdrive or distortion in the signal. At lower settings, produces a clean and bright response. From 10:00 to noon, yields an edge-of-breakup tone sensitive to pick attack. Between noon and 2:00, hits the overdrive sweet spot akin to most tube amps. Beyond 2:00, increases crunch and saturation, adding more distortion to the signal.