Catalinbread CB-Distortion vs JHS Ross Distortion
The Catalinbread CB-Distortion and the JHS Ross Distortion are both pedals. The Catalinbread CB-Distortion leans crunchy and saturated. The JHS Ross Distortion leans bright and tight. Current prices: $89.99 vs $129.86.
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Blended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.47% — somewhat different
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Genres both listings are associated with.- Hard Rock
- Metal
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$89.99via Reverb
$129.86via Reverb
The Catalinbread CB Distortion is a single-knob distortion from the minimalist CB Series, with gain and tone locked at the circuit's tonal sweet spot so the only control is output level. It delivers thick, aggressive crunch with exceptional clarity and dynamic response, covering punk grit, hard rock punch, and metal-ready saturation without extensive tweaking. This maximum-tone-for-minimal-controls approach trades deep tone-shaping for consistent, powerful distortion that's dialed in from the factory. It suits players wanting simple, no-fuss, purposeful high-gain distortion rather than a pedal with extensive parameter adjustment.
The JHS Ross Distortion is a faithful recreation of the vintage Ross Distortion, a 1970s distortion pedal that used a circuit topology closely related to the ProCo RAT and the MXR Distortion+ family. The Ross Distortion was known for its aggressive, cutting distortion character with a specific op-amp voicing that produced a bright, punchy saturation suited to hard rock and early metal of the period. JHS recreates the Ross circuit with modern components while preserving the original circuit topology and tonal character.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Rock
- Punk
- Alternative Rock
- crunchy
- saturated
- transparent
- full
- bright
- tight