The Catalinbread Formula 51 is a Catalinbread overdrive pedal, currently around $134.99. Close alternatives include the Colorsound Power Boost and the Catalinbread Gailieo Red Treble Booster. It pairs well with the Friedman Dirty Shirley and the Blackstar St. James 100.
Catalinbread Formula 51
Catalinbread · pedal
The Catalinbread Formula 51 is a Fender amplifier-inspired overdrive from Portland, Oregon, part of the Formula series that captures the tonal character of specific Fender amplifier designs. Like the Formula 55 and Formula 5F6, the Formula 51 extracts the warmth, bloom, and harmonic character of a Fender amp driven naturally, with the specific voicing and response of its inspiration circuit. Covers the range from clean boost through warm, organic overdrive with natural compression and American amp character. Made in Portland by Catalinbread.
- overdrive
- american
- bloom
- warm
- organic
- compression
- harmonic
- clean boost
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Catalinbread Formula 51 is commonly used in
- Blues
- Alternative Rock
- Rock
- Country
- Americana
- Indie Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Catalinbread Formula 51
Friedman Dirty Shirley
Friedman
24% matchRun Friedman Dirty Shirley into that transparent platform and it finally gets some high gain
Blackstar St. James 100
Blackstar
23% matchBlackstar St. James 100's high gain fills in what this transparent tone doesn't make on its own
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchInto a transparent tone, Synergy SL2 Module brings the high gain it's missing
Friedman BE-Mini Head
Friedman
tonal matchThe transparent tone has headroom to spare — Friedman BE-Mini Head gives it high gain to fill it with
Ceriatone 2202H
Ceriatone
tonal matchInto a transparent tone, Ceriatone 2202H brings the high gain it's missing
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchInto a transparent tone, Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 brings the high gain it's missing
Friedman Jose LTD
Friedman
tonal matchThe transparent tone has headroom to spare — Friedman Jose LTD gives it high gain to fill it with
Hughes & Kettner Coreblade
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchRun Hughes & Kettner Coreblade into that transparent platform and it finally gets some high gain
Pedals that stack with the Catalinbread Formula 51
Pigtronix Octava Micro
Pigtronix
22% matchPigtronix Octava Micro's high gain fills in what this transparent tone doesn't make on its own
EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas
EarthQuaker Devices
22% matchEarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas's high gain fills in what this transparent tone doesn't make on its own
Walrus Audio Monument CS
Walrus Audio
16% matchKeep Catalinbread Formula 51's warm voice out front: Walrus Audio Monument CS goes after Catalinbread Formula 51 in the signal chain so its low gain voice doesn't muddy it
Demeter Compulator
Demeter
15% matchDemeter Compulator leans toward compressed, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Eventide Modulated Delay
Eventide
9% matchPut Eventide Modulated Delay after Catalinbread Formula 51 in the signal chain, clear of Catalinbread Formula 51's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Maxon AD10 Analog Delay
Maxon
9% matchKeep Catalinbread Formula 51's warm voice out front: Maxon AD10 Analog Delay goes after Catalinbread Formula 51 in the signal chain so its analog warmth voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Electro-Harmonix EH-1335/EH-3075 Hot Tubes
Electro-Harmonix
tonal matchCatalinbread Formula 51 leans into a clean amp's front end, precisely the platform Electro-Harmonix EH-1335/EH-3075 Hot Tubes wants
DOD YJM308 Preamp Overdrive
Dod
tonal matchCatalinbread Formula 51 leans into a clean amp's front end, precisely the platform DOD YJM308 Preamp Overdrive wants
Cheaper alternatives
Boutique & premium upgrades
ThorpyFX Peacekeeper V2 Low-Gain Overdrive
ThorpyFX
72% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, boost, presence
Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster
Dallas
70% similarityShared character: tonal_character, boost, compression
Blackstar HT-Metal
Blackstar
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Browne Amplification Alkene Nashville Overdrive
Browne Amplification
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar Dept. 10 Dual Drive
Blackstar
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Keeley White Sands Luxe Drive
Keeley
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Colorsound Power Boost
Colorsound
71% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, boost, compression
Catalinbread Gailieo Red Treble Booster
Catalinbread
70% similarityShared character: high_end, boost, presence
Catalinbread Formula 5F6
Catalinbread
70% similarity“Like the Formula 55 and Formula 5F6, the Formula 51 extracts the warmth, bloom, and harmonic character of a Fender amp”
Catalinbread Formula 55
Catalinbread
70% similarity“Like the Formula 55 and Formula 5F6, the Formula 51 extracts the warmth, bloom, and harmonic character of a Fender amp”
TC Electronic Zeus Drive Overdrive
TC Electronic
69% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, boost, warm
Crazy Tube Circuits Venus
Crazy Tube Circuits
95% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Catalinbread Formula 51 (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Catalinbread Formula 51?+
The closest matches in character are the Colorsound Power Boost, the Catalinbread Gailieo Red Treble Booster, the Catalinbread Formula 5F6. Budget picks: Behringer OD300 Overdrive Distortion, Electro-Harmonix Spruce Goose. Boutique upgrades: ThorpyFX Peacekeeper V2 Low-Gain Overdrive, Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster, Blackstar HT-Metal.
What pairs well with the Catalinbread Formula 51?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Friedman Dirty Shirley, Blackstar St. James 100, Synergy SL2 Module — Run Friedman Dirty Shirley into that transparent platform and it finally gets some high gain.
How much does the Catalinbread Formula 51 cost?+
Around $134.99 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).