The Catalinbread Formula No.55 is a Catalinbread overdrive pedal, currently around $161.49. Close alternatives include the Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone and the Abasi Pathos Distortion. It pairs well with the Friedman Small Box 50 Head with 1x12 Cabinet and the Revv Generator 100P MkIII 3-Channel Head.
Catalinbread Formula No.55
Catalinbread · pedal
The Catalinbread Formula No. 55 is an amp-voiced overdrive pedal from the Portland boutique effects builder, designed to capture the tone and response of specific vintage amplifier settings in the tradition of their Formula pedal series. Like other Catalinbread Formula pedals, it models the circuit behavior and harmonic characteristics of a target amplifier front end rather than functioning as a generic drive pedal. It delivers warm, natural saturation with the feel and dynamic response of a pushed tube amplifier. Suited for blues, classic rock, and studio players seeking an authoritative amp-in-a-box overdrive tone.
- natural
- overdrive
- saturation
- blues
- amp feel
- exact tonal character
- preamp
- amp simulation character
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Catalinbread Formula No.55 is commonly used in
Amps that pair well with the Catalinbread Formula No.55
Friedman Small Box 50 Head with 1x12 Cabinet
Friedman
21% matchInto a transparent tone, Friedman Small Box 50 Head with 1x12 Cabinet brings the mid-forward it's missing
Revv Generator 100P MkIII 3-Channel Head
Revv
21% matchThe transparent tone has headroom to spare — Revv Generator 100P MkIII 3-Channel Head gives it high gain to fill it with
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchInto a transparent tone, Synergy SL2 Module brings the high gain it's missing
Ceriatone 2202H
Ceriatone
tonal matchInto a transparent tone, Ceriatone 2202H brings the high gain it's missing
Bad Cat Lynx 50
Bad Cat
tonal matchThe transparent tone has headroom to spare — Bad Cat Lynx 50 gives it high gain to fill it with
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
EVH 000
Evh
tonal matchEVH 000's high gain fills in what this transparent tone doesn't make on its own
Egnater Tweaker 88 Head
Egnater
tonal matchRun Egnater Tweaker 88 Head into that transparent platform and it finally gets some low gain
Pedals that stack with the Catalinbread Formula No.55
Soldano SLO
Soldano
22% matchInto a transparent tone, Soldano SLO brings the high gain it's missing
Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler
Dr Scientist
21% matchRun Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler into that transparent platform and it finally gets some low gain
EarthQuaker Devices Grand Orbiter
EarthQuaker Devices
15% matchEarthQuaker Devices Grand Orbiter's low gain voice goes after Catalinbread Formula No.55 in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Catalinbread Formula No.55's own transparent character
Seymour Duncan Vise Grip Compressor
Seymour Duncan
13% matchSeymour Duncan Vise Grip Compressor's transparent voice suits Catalinbread Formula No.55's own transparent character
Malekko Electro-Harmonix Memory Toy Analog Delay
Electro-Harmonix
7% matchRun Malekko Electro-Harmonix Memory Toy Analog Delay after Catalinbread Formula No.55 in the signal chain, clear of Catalinbread Formula No.55's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Strymon BigSky
Strymon
7% matchStrymon BigSky's ambient voice goes after Catalinbread Formula No.55 in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Catalinbread Formula No.55's own transparent character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Tone City Dry Martini
Tone City
tonal matchTone City Dry Martini's own voicing points at a clean amp's front end, and Catalinbread Formula No.55 delivers it
Fender Hammertone Overdrive
Fender
tonal matchCatalinbread Formula No.55 leans into a clean amp's front end, precisely the platform Fender Hammertone Overdrive wants
Cheaper alternatives
Electro-Harmonix Soul Food
Electro-Harmonix
64% similarityShared character: classic_rock, natural, blues_players
DOD 250 Overdrive Preamp
Digitech
63% similarityShared character: classic_rock, preamp, natural
Catalinbread StarCrash SideArm
Catalinbread
89% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone
Audiocade
63% similarityShared character: classic_rock, preamp, natural
Abasi Pathos Distortion
Abasi
63% similarityShared character: preamp
JHS Morning Glory
JHS Pedals
63% similarityShared character: warm, blues_players, overdrive
Fairfield Circuitry The Barbershop OD3
Fairfield Circuitry
63% similarityShared character: tone_shaping, overdrive, boutique_stuff
Roger Mayer Fuzz Box
pedal
63% similarityShared character: classic_rock, blues_players
Subdecay Vector
Subdecay
90% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Catalinbread Formula No.55 (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Catalinbread Formula No.55?+
The closest matches in character are the Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone, the Abasi Pathos Distortion, the JHS Morning Glory. Budget picks: Electro-Harmonix Soul Food, DOD 250 Overdrive Preamp, Catalinbread StarCrash SideArm. Boutique upgrades: GFI System Jonassus Overdrive, Empress Driv, Tech 21 SansAmp Character Plus Screaming Blonde.
What pairs well with the Catalinbread Formula No.55?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Friedman Small Box 50 Head with 1x12 Cabinet, Revv Generator 100P MkIII 3-Channel Head, Synergy SL2 Module — Into a transparent tone, Friedman Small Box 50 Head with 1x12 Cabinet brings the mid-forward it's missing.
How much does the Catalinbread Formula No.55 cost?+
Around $161.49 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).