Catalinbread Formula 5

Mismatched Knob, box not included.

The first device in the storied Tweed lineup at Catalinbread HQ, the Formula 5 was designed to emulate those reedy, touch-sensitive ‘50s tones of yore without too much fuss. Topologically similar to the newer Formula 55 but with a much different gain structure, we decided that more people should experience the magic and simplicity of this old device. The Formula 5 is designed with circuits formulated to simulate real tubes, the Formula 5 serves up a healthy dose of gain right up front that interacts wonderfully with your guitar’s controls, harkening back to a time when other pedals just didn’t exist—one player, one guitar, one amp. And just like the old school tweed machines, all controls are interactive on this badboy, with Tone tied directly to Gain to emphasize certain frequencies depending on where both are set. This makes multiple “sweet spots” available across both knobs that are infinitely tailorable to any amp-and-guitar setup you can throw at it. With the gain maxed out, you can push the second “tube” into some light chewy sag or let the Tweediness shine with the gain control backed off.