The Catalinbread Formula 51 is a Catalinbread overdrive pedal, currently around $134.99. Close alternatives include the Crazy Tube Circuits Venus and the Lovepedal Super Six standard. It pairs well with the Friedman Dirty Shirley and the Soldano Astro-20 Head.
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.
What stands out
“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”
— from the listing
“Covers the range from clean boost through warm, organic overdrive with natural compression and American amp character”
— from the listing
“At clean to low gain settings the Formula 51 adds bloom and presence that makes the guitar signal fuller and more alive”
— from the reviews
“At higher gain settings the compression becomes more pronounced and the overdrive character more apparent”
— from the reviews
“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”
— from the listing
Trade-offs
“the fender-specific voicing makes the formula 51 more naturally suited to american amp styles than british-voiced alternatives”
— from the community notes
- overdrive
- american
- bloom
- warm
- organic
- compression
- harmonic
- response
Price updated Oct 24, 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
21% matchFriedman Dirty Shirley leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Comes later in the signal chain
Soldano Astro-20 Head
Soldano
21% matchSoldano Astro-20 Head leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Comes later in the signal chain
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Into a transparent tone, Synergy SL2 Module brings a pull toward high gain that's missing
Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H
Marshall
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Friedman BE-Mini Head
Friedman
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Into a transparent tone, Friedman BE-Mini Head brings a pull toward high gain that's missing
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Into a transparent tone, Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 brings a pull toward high gain that's missing
Ceriatone 2202H
Ceriatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Into a transparent tone, Ceriatone 2202H brings a pull toward high gain that's missing
Pedals that stack with the Catalinbread Formula 51
Greer Black Mountain
Greer
19% matchInto a transparent tone, Greer Black Mountain brings a pull toward fuzzy that's missing
Comes later in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas
EarthQuaker Devices
19% matchEarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Comes later in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Monument CS
Walrus Audio
16% 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 Catalinbread Formula 51's warm voice out front: Walrus Audio Monument CS goes after Catalinbread Formula 51 in the signal chain so its harmonically rich voice doesn't muddy it
Comes later in the signal chain
Vox Valvenergy Silk Drive
Vox
12% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Vox Valvenergy Silk Drive leans toward smooth, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Alexander Pedals Now We Are Ghosts Reverb
Alexander Pedals
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.
Put Alexander Pedals Now We Are Ghosts Reverb 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)
Comes later in the signal chain
Eventide Modulated Delay
Eventide
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.
Put 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)
Comes later in the signal chain
Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler V2
Dr Scientist
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Into a transparent tone, Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler V2 brings a pull toward fuzzy that's missing
Warm Audio Jet Phaser
Warm Audio
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Warm Audio Jet Phaser goes after Catalinbread Formula 51 — modulation sits after the gain for a defined swirl
Cheaper alternatives
Mad Professor Big Tweedy Drive
Mad Professor
51% similarityShared character: compression, natural, response
Crazy Tube Circuits Stardust Overdrive
Crazy Tube Circuits
51% similarityShared character: boost, natural, crunch
TC Electronic Zeus Drive Overdrive
TC Electronic
51% similarityShared character: high gain settings, boost, natural
Black Country Customs Monolith
Black Country Customs
49% similarityShared character: high gain settings, presence, crunch
Boutique & premium upgrades
Catalinbread Formula 55
Catalinbread
61% similarity“Like the Formula 55 and Formula 5F6, the Formula 51 extracts the warmth, bloom, and harmonic character of a Fender amp”
Catalinbread Formula 5F6
Catalinbread
57% similarity“Like the Formula 55 and Formula 5F6, the Formula 51 extracts the warmth, bloom, and harmonic character of a Fender amp”
Truetone V3 Route 66 Overdrive
Truetone
52% similarityShared character: compression, clean, overdrive
ThorpyFX Peacekeeper V2 Low-Gain Overdrive
ThorpyFX
50% similarityShared character: high gain settings, boost, presence
Blackstar HT-Metal
Blackstar
49% similarityShared character: high gain settings, crunch, warm
JAM Pedals TubeDreamer MK2
Jam Pedals
49% similarityShared character: high gain settings, boost, compression
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Crazy Tube Circuits Venus
Crazy Tube Circuits
57% similarityShared character: high gain settings, compression, warm
Lovepedal Super Six standard
Lovepedal
57% similarityShared character: warm, overdrive
Lovepedal Amp 50
Lovepedal
53% similarityShared character: warm, overdrive
Maxon OD808
Maxon
49% similarityShared character: boost, natural, crunch
One Control Honey Bee Overdrive
One Control
49% similarityShared character: natural, response, warm
TC Electronic Ampworx Vintage Series Jims 45
TC Electronic
49% similarityShared character: warm, clean
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 Crazy Tube Circuits Venus, the Lovepedal Super Six standard, the Lovepedal Amp 50. Budget picks: Mad Professor Big Tweedy Drive, Crazy Tube Circuits Stardust Overdrive, TC Electronic Zeus Drive Overdrive. Boutique upgrades: Catalinbread Formula 55, Catalinbread Formula 5F6, Truetone V3 Route 66 Overdrive.
What pairs well with the Catalinbread Formula 51?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Friedman Dirty Shirley, Soldano Astro-20 Head, Synergy SL2 Module — Friedman Dirty Shirley leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own.
How much does the Catalinbread Formula 51 cost?+
Around $134.99 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).