The Catalinbread Carbide is a Catalinbread distortion pedal, currently around $120. Close alternatives include the Wren and Cuff Your Face 70s and the Caroline Guitar Company Crom Hi-Gain Fuzzstortion. It pairs well with the Hiwatt DR103H and the Peavey MiniMAX.
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.
What stands out
“British-inspired silicon fuzz delivering aggressive buzzing saturation with harmonic richness and broad sustain, based on the late-1960s British silicon fuzz tradition of the Tone Bender and Marshall fuzz designs”
— from the community notes
“The Carbide delivers the British silicon fuzz character convincingly -- the aggressive buzzing attack and harmonically dense sustain that defines the late-1960s British fuzz sound”
— from the reviews
“Associated with Jimi Hendrix-era tones and classic British rock fuzz”
— from the listing
“Delivers a grinding, harmonically saturated fuzz character with a distinct buzzing attack and broad sustain”
— from the listing
“Single-note playing reveals the character most clearly: the buzzing upper partial that emerges from the silicon clipping is distinctive and musical”
— from the reviews
- silicon fuzz
- aggressive
- british
- rock
- harmonic richness
- attack
- saturation
- silicon
Price updated Oct 23, 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. - Psychedelic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Catalinbread Carbide
Hiwatt DR103H
Hiwatt
31% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)
Stack Hiwatt DR103H on top and a saturated tone tightens toward tight
Comes later in the signal chain
Peavey MiniMAX
Peavey
31% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)
Stack Peavey MiniMAX on top and a saturated tone tightens toward tight
Comes later in the signal chain
Supro Keeley Combo
Supro
12% matchWhat Catalinbread Carbide brings here leans toward silicon — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
Komet Ambikab 80W 3-Way Wet/Dry/Wet Cabinet
Komet
11% matchCatalinbread Carbide's own silicon character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes later in the signal chain
Traynor BB115
Traynor
10% matchCatalinbread Carbide leans toward silicon, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Peavey 112-6 1x12
Peavey
10% matchCatalinbread Carbide leans toward silicon, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Blackstar Acoustic Core 30
Blackstar
10% matchCatalinbread Carbide leans toward silicon, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Synergy SYN-20IR 3-Channel 20W Modular Head
Synergy
9% matchCatalinbread Carbide's own silicon character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes later in the signal chain
Pedals that stack with the Catalinbread Carbide
Walrus Audio EB-10 Black Edition
Walrus Audio
27% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → clean boost)
Walrus Audio EB-10 Black Edition pushes a saturated tone toward clean boost
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Warm Audio Pedal 76 Compressor
Warm Audio
25% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Catalinbread Carbide leans toward silicon, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Z.Vex Super Hard On
Zvex
25% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → clean boost)
Push the Carbide's aggressive, silicon-saturated sustain with the Super Hard-On's clean JFET boost and it saturates harder without losing its edge.
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
18% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run the Parabola's stage-ready tremolo pulse after the Carbide's aggressive, silicon-saturated British sustain and the pulse rides on real weight.
Comes later in the signal chain
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss
11% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
The 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)
Comes later in the signal chain
TC Electronic Triple Flashback Delay
TC Electronic
10% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run TC Electronic Triple Flashback Delay after Catalinbread Carbide in the signal chain, clear of Catalinbread Carbide's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things
EarthQuaker Devices
EarthQuaker Devices Utility Series Buffer Preamp
EarthQuaker Devices
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Utility Series Buffer Preamp pushes a saturated tone toward clean boost
Cheaper alternatives
Boutique & premium upgrades
Spaceman Effects Apollo VII
Spaceman
59% similaritySimilar voicing: silicon, bright
Caroline Guitar Company Crom
Caroline Guitar Company
53% similarityShared character: attack, aggressive playing
EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter V2
EarthQuaker Devices
53% similarityShared character: circuit, overdrive
Catalinbread Giygas Gold
Catalinbread
52% similarityShared character: sustain, aggressive playing, full
Suhr Riot Mini Black Edition
Suhr
48% similarityShared character: sustain, touch, aggressive playing
Chase Bliss Automatone Preamp MKII
Chase Bliss Audio
45% similarityShared character: touch, aggressive playing, overdrive
Similar character
Wren and Cuff Your Face 70s
Wren And Cuff
64% similarityShared character: aggressive playing
Caroline Guitar Company Crom Hi-Gain Fuzzstortion
Caroline Guitar Company
55% similarityShared character: aggressive playing
EarthQuaker Devices Hoof
EarthQuaker Devices
52% similarityShared character: full
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff PI- Made
Electro-Harmonix
51% similarityShared character: sustain, circuit
Colorsound Power Boost
Colorsound
51% similarityShared character: 1960s, compression, touch
Dunlop JHW2
Dunlop
51% similarityShared character: 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 Wren and Cuff Your Face 70s, the Caroline Guitar Company Crom Hi-Gain Fuzzstortion, the EarthQuaker Devices Hoof. Budget picks: Source Audio Soundblox Multiwave Distortion, EarthQuaker Devices Special Cranker. Boutique upgrades: Spaceman Effects Apollo VII, Caroline Guitar Company Crom, EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter V2.
What pairs well with the Catalinbread Carbide?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Hiwatt DR103H, Peavey MiniMAX, Supro Keeley Combo — Stack Hiwatt DR103H on top and a saturated tone tightens toward tight.
How much does the Catalinbread Carbide cost?+
Around $120 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).