The Catalinbread Carbide is a Catalinbread distortion pedal, currently around $120. Close alternatives include the JHS The Overdrive Preamp and the Catalinbread Carbide Purple Gaze. It pairs well with the Phil Jones Compact 2 (C2 Black) and the Phil Jones C2 RED.
Catalinbread Carbide
Catalinbread · pedal
The Catalinbread Carbide is a silicon fuzz from Portland, Oregon, inspired by the aggressive, buzzing silicon fuzz sounds of late-1960s British gear including the Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII and the early Marshall Supa Fuzz-era sounds. Delivers a grinding, harmonically saturated fuzz character with a distinct buzzing attack and broad sustain. The circuit covers the classic British silicon fuzz voice in a modern, reliable format without temperature sensitivity. Associated with Jimi Hendrix-era tones and classic British rock fuzz. Made in Portland by Catalinbread.
- aggressive
- british
- sustain
- attack
- saturation
- silicon
- reliable
- modern
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Catalinbread Carbide is commonly used in
- Rock
- Blues Rock
- Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Classic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Hard Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Catalinbread Carbide
Phil Jones Compact 2 (C2 Black)
Phil Jones
32% matchInto the C2's articulate, full-range voicing, the Carbide's aggressive distortion stays defined instead of turning to mush.
Phil Jones C2 RED
Phil Jones
10% matchCatalinbread Carbide's own aggressive character is the real reason this is worth trying
Boss Dual Cube Bass LX
Boss
9% matchCatalinbread Carbide leans toward aggressive, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
EVH 010
Evh
tonal matchFeed a saturated signal into EVH 010 and it comes out closer to tight
Friedman JEL-Junior (Jake E. Lee Signature) 20W Head
Friedman
tonal matchFeed a saturated signal into Friedman JEL-Junior (Jake E. Lee Signature) 20W Head and it comes out closer to tight
Gallien-Krueger MB108
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchGallien-Krueger MB108 pushes a saturated tone toward tight
Hiwatt HB210HN
Hiwatt
tonal matchFeed a saturated signal into Hiwatt HB210HN and it comes out closer to tight
Hiwatt HB410HN
Hiwatt
tonal matchHiwatt HB410HN pushes a saturated tone toward tight
Pedals that stack with the Catalinbread Carbide
Shin's Music Dumbloid
Shins Music
25% matchStack the smooth, singing Dumbloid ahead of the Carbide and the aggressive British gain adds edge without burying that note definition.
Z.Vex Super Hard On
Zvex
24% matchPush the Carbide's aggressive, silicon-saturated sustain with the Super Hard-On's clean JFET boost and it saturates harder without losing its edge.
Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio
Crazy Tube Circuits
22% matchSet the Golden Ratio's optical compression ahead of the Carbide so its aggressive attack starts from an already-evened signal.
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
18% matchRun the Parabola's stage-ready tremolo pulse after the Carbide's aggressive, silicon-saturated British sustain and the pulse rides on real weight.
Cusack Music Delay TME
Cusack Music
17% matchPut the Delay TME after the Carbide's aggressive, British-voiced gain so the tempo-synced repeats stay defined instead of smearing. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss
11% matchThe Carbide's aggressive British saturation hits first; the DD-3's clean digital delay just repeats the wash after it. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Laney Billy Corgan signature Amp
Laney
9% matchCatalinbread Carbide leans toward aggressive, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Morley MDB2 Dual Boost Distortion
Morley
8% matchWhat Catalinbread Carbide brings here leans toward aggressive — that's worth building a pairing around
Cheaper alternatives
Boutique & premium upgrades
Univox Super-Fuzz
Univox
71% similarityShared character: 1960s, full, compression
JAM Pedals TubeDreamer MK2
Jam Pedals
70% similarityShared character: circuit, compression, touch
Keeley KA-Orange
Keeley
65% similarityShared character: aggressive_playing
Cusack Music Screamer Fuzz V3
Cusack Music
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Dunlop PSF30
Dunlop
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Catalinbread Gailieo Red Treble Booster
Catalinbread
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
JHS The Overdrive Preamp
JHS Pedals
70% similarityShared character: 1960s, attack, compression
Catalinbread Carbide Purple Gaze
Catalinbread
70% similarity“The Purple Gaze edition has no circuit differences from the standard Carbide, making it a purely cosmetic variant.”
Rarebird effects Hatchet Overdrive
Rarebird Effects
70% similarityShared character: circuit, aggressive_playing, overdrive
Sola Sound Tone Bender MK1
pedal
70% similarityShared character: attack, full, sustain
Dunlop Joe Bonamassa Fuzz Face JB-F3 Copper Top
Dunlop
69% similarityShared character: attack, sustain, boutique_stuff
MXR ZW-44 Berzerker Overdrive
MXR
69% similarityShared character: circuit, full, aggressive_playing
See all alternatives to the Catalinbread Carbide (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Catalinbread Carbide?+
The closest matches in character are the JHS The Overdrive Preamp, the Catalinbread Carbide Purple Gaze, the Rarebird effects Hatchet Overdrive. Budget picks: Catalinbread Elements Fuzz. Boutique upgrades: Univox Super-Fuzz, JAM Pedals TubeDreamer MK2, Keeley KA-Orange.
What pairs well with the Catalinbread Carbide?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Phil Jones Compact 2 (C2 Black), Phil Jones C2 RED, Boss Dual Cube Bass LX — Into the C2's articulate, full-range voicing, the Carbide's aggressive distortion stays defined instead of turning to mush..
How much does the Catalinbread Carbide cost?+
Around $120 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).