The Catalinbread CB-Distortion is a Catalinbread distortion pedal, currently around $88.99. Close alternatives include the Spermophilus Effects GasMask and the Death By Audio Interstellar Overdrive. It pairs well with the Hiwatt Custom DR20H and the Marshall Bluesbreaker.
Catalinbread CB-Distortion
Catalinbread · pedal
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.
What stands out
“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”
— from the listing
“It delivers thick, aggressive crunch with exceptional clarity and dynamic response, covering punk grit, hard rock punch, and metal-ready saturation”
— from the listing
“Used for rock and hard rock applications where reliable distortion performance”
— from the community notes
“This maximum-tone-for-minimal-controls approach trades deep tone-shaping for consistent, powerful distortion that's dialed in from the factory”
— from the listing
“Works effectively into where the pedal provides the full distortion character”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“the trade-off of the simplified format is fewer options for tonal customization compared to more complex catalinbread distortion designs”
— from the reviews
- distortion
- crunch
- saturation
- hard rock
- aggressive
- consistent
- full
- punch
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Catalinbread CB-Distortion is commonly used in
- Hard Rock
- Rock
- Metal
- Punk
- Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Catalinbread CB-Distortion
Hiwatt Custom DR20H
Hiwatt
29% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)
Feed a saturated signal into Hiwatt Custom DR20H and it comes out closer to tight
Comes later in the signal chain
Marshall Bluesbreaker
Marshall
28% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → mid-forward)
Marshall Bluesbreaker leans toward compressed, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Ceriatone HRM 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Ceriatone HRM 50 pushes a crunchy tone toward mid-forward
Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 50 takes that crunchy character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited
Aguilar
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Stack Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited on top and a saturated tone tightens toward tight
EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo
Ebs
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo pushes a saturated tone toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410 pushes a saturated tone toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Stack Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210 on top and a crunchy tone tightens toward mid-forward
Pedals that stack with the Catalinbread CB-Distortion
Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp
Beetronics
19% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → clean boost)
Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp takes that crunchy character and pushes it toward clean boost
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Z.Vex Super Hard On
Zvex
19% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → clean boost)
Stack Z.Vex Super Hard On on top and a crunchy tone tightens toward clean boost
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
14% 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 Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo after Catalinbread CB-Distortion in the signal chain, clear of Catalinbread CB-Distortion's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Origin Effects Cali76 V2 FET Compressor
Origin Effects
13% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Origin Effects Cali76 V2 FET Compressor leans toward tight, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss
8% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Boss DD-3 Digital Delay after Catalinbread CB-Distortion in the signal chain, clear of Catalinbread CB-Distortion'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 Afterneath
EarthQuaker Devices
8% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → ambient)
Run EarthQuaker Devices Afterneath after Catalinbread CB-Distortion in the signal chain, clear of Catalinbread CB-Distortion'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
Stack EarthQuaker Devices Utility Series Buffer Preamp on top and a crunchy tone tightens toward clean boost
Cheaper alternatives
Mooer Blade
Mooer
59% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, distortion
SONICAKE Shark
Sonicake
59% similarityShared character: compact, hard rock, crunch
T-Rex Totenschlager
T Rex
58% similarityShared character: metal, distortion, aggressive playing
T-Rex Nitros
T Rex
54% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion, aggressive playing
Boss DS-1 Distortion
Boss
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Behringer UM300 Heavy Metal Distortion
Behringer
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
JHS Ross Distortion
JHS Pedals
57% similarityShared character: high gain settings, punch, metal
Electro-Harmonix Hellmaster Distortion
Electro-Harmonix
55% similarityShared character: higher gain, hard rock, metal
Dunlop MXR Jail Guitar Doors Overdrive JGD2
Dunlop
54% similarityShared character: hard rock, thickness, crunch
Dunlop MXR Dookie Drive 30th Anniversary DD30
MXR
54% similarityShared character: circuit, distortion, aggressive playing
JAM Pedals Rattler mk.2 Distortion
Jam Pedals
54% similarityShared character: high gain settings, distortion, aggressive playing
Maxon SD-9 Sonic Distortion
Maxon
53% similarityShared character: circuit, distortion, aggressive playing
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Spermophilus Effects GasMask
Spermophilus Effects
58% similarityShared character: higher gain, circuit, distortion
Death By Audio Interstellar Overdrive
Death By Audio
55% similarityShared character: thickness, distortion, aggressive playing
ProCo Lil Rat
Proco
55% similarityShared character: high gain settings, crunch, distortion
T-Rex Vulture
T Rex
54% similarityShared character: distortion, aggressive playing
ProCo RAT 2
Proco
54% similarityShared character: thickness, simple, crunch
Catalinbread Katzenkonig 70
Catalinbread
54% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
See all alternatives to the Catalinbread CB-Distortion (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Catalinbread CB-Distortion?+
The closest matches in character are the Spermophilus Effects GasMask, the Death By Audio Interstellar Overdrive, the ProCo Lil Rat. Budget picks: Mooer Blade, SONICAKE Shark, T-Rex Totenschlager. Boutique upgrades: JHS Ross Distortion, Electro-Harmonix Hellmaster Distortion, Dunlop MXR Jail Guitar Doors Overdrive JGD2.
What pairs well with the Catalinbread CB-Distortion?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Hiwatt Custom DR20H, Marshall Bluesbreaker, Ceriatone HRM 50 — Feed a saturated signal into Hiwatt Custom DR20H and it comes out closer to tight.
How much does the Catalinbread CB-Distortion cost?+
Around $88.99 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).