The Catalinbread Galileo is a Catalinbread overdrive pedal. Close alternatives include the MXR Timmy Overdrive and the JHS Pedals JHS AC+. It pairs well with the Marshall Bluesbreaker and the Orange Matamp.
Catalinbread Galileo
Catalinbread · pedal
The Catalinbread Galileo Red Special is a version of the Galileo Vox AC30-inspired treble booster specifically tuned for Brian May's Red Special guitar and pickup system from Portland, Oregon. The Red Special circuit adjustment accounts for the distinctive output and frequency character of the Burns trestle-mounted pickups used in Brian May's handmade guitar, optimizing the treble booster response for the specific pickup character rather than for generic humbucking or single-coil output. Suited for players working with the Brian May-inspired voicing tradition. Made in Portland by Catalinbread.
- frequency
- boost
- bright
- overdrive
- specific pickup character
- brightness
- chime
- presence
Genres the Catalinbread Galileo is commonly used in
- Rock
- Indie Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - 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 Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Catalinbread Galileo
Marshall Bluesbreaker
Marshall
40% matchThe Bluesbreaker's natural compression gives the Galileo's bright, pickup-tuned boost a dynamic amp voice to push into.
Orange Matamp
Orange
36% matchInto the Matamp's sweet, singing breakup, the Galileo's bright boost pushes the amp's own tone further rather than covering it up.
Blackstar Artisan 15H Handwired 15W Tube
Blackstar
33% matchThe Galileo's bright, pickup-tuned boost gives the Artisan 15H's round, dynamic breakup extra clarity to cut through.
Gibson EH-150
Gibson
32% matchThe EH-150's mellow, jazzy breakup gives the Galileo's bright, pickup-tuned boost somewhere warm to land.
Bad Cat Black Cat 30W Head (Mark Sampson Modified)
Bad Cat
26% matchInto Bad Cat Black Cat 30W Head (Mark Sampson Modified), Catalinbread Galileo is right at home: it's built around Vox-style amps
Friedman JJ Junior (Jerry Cantrell Signature) 20W Head
Friedman
26% matchCatalinbread Galileo's bright balances out the dark tone
Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 Bass Amp 30th
Aguilar
26% matchThe Galileo's bright, pickup-voiced boost cuts through the Tone Hammer 500's warm, jazz-voiced midrange rather than just adding more gain.
Vox NEW! VOX Micro Superbeetle 5/20 Watt Rechargeable
Vox
26% matchCatalinbread Galileo's own bright character is the real reason this is worth trying
Pedals that stack with the Catalinbread Galileo
MXR Phase 90
MXR
61% matchThe Galileo's bright, pickup-tuned boost gives the Phase 90's sweep more top-end presence to move through.
Caroline Guitar Company Somersault
Caroline Guitar Company
36% matchThe Galileo's bright, pickup-tuned boost pushes the Somersault's glitchy, boutique chorus into brighter territory.
Electro-Harmonix Memory Boy Analog Delay
Electro-Harmonix
31% matchThe Galileo's bright, pickup-tuned boost feeds the Memory Boy's warm analog echo a brighter signal to trail off, not stacking real gain with it. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Strymon Zelzah -Dimensional Phaser
Strymon
30% matchRun the Galileo's bright boost after the Zelzah's lush phasing so the sweep doesn't get buried once the drive kicks in.
Greer Relic
Greer
30% matchStack the Galileo's bright, chime-forward boost after the Relic's warm germanium drive to add presence without losing that vintage warmth.
MXR Script Phase 90 (LED)
MXR
28% matchRun Catalinbread Galileo after it and the dark edge settles into something more bright
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Dark Star V3
Old Blood Noise Endeavors
28% matchThe Dark Star's gritty, shoegaze-voiced ambient reverb gives the Galileo's bright, pickup-tuned boost somewhere strange to decay into. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
T-Rex Replica Delay
T Rex
28% matchWhere this leans dark, Catalinbread Galileo answers back bright — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
MXR Timmy Overdrive
MXR
70% similarityShared character: high_end, presence, treble
JHS Pedals JHS AC+
JHS Pedals
70% similarityShared character: ac30, presence, treble
Catalinbread Gailieo Red Treble Booster
Catalinbread
70% similarity“The Red edition shares the same circuit as the standard Galileo, differing only in its finish.”
Catalinbread Galileo 4K Foundation Overdrive
Catalinbread
70% similarity“Distinct from the treble booster Galileo in circuit approach and tonal character, targeting studio and high-clarity applications”
Xotic BB Preamp V1.5
Xotic
70% similarityShared character: treble, response, boost
J. Rockett Archer
pedal
69% similarityShared character: bright, treble, response
Electronic Audio Experiments Limelight
Electronic Audio Experiments
69% similarityShared character: bright, high_end, response
Free The Tone Crunchy Chime OD Natural Booster
Free The Tone
68% similarityShared character: bright, high_end, boost
Lovepedal DOV Death Of Vox Handwired
Lovepedal
68% similarityShared character: bright, treble, boost
Tech 21 SansAmp Oxford
Tech 21
67% similarityShared character: ac30, high_end, bright
Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone
Audiocade
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Fjord Fuzz Midnattssol
Fjord Fuzz
92% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Catalinbread Galileo (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Catalinbread Galileo?+
The closest matches in character are the MXR Timmy Overdrive, the JHS Pedals JHS AC+, the Catalinbread Gailieo Red Treble Booster.
What pairs well with the Catalinbread Galileo?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall Bluesbreaker, Orange Matamp, Blackstar Artisan 15H Handwired 15W Tube — The Bluesbreaker's natural compression gives the Galileo's bright, pickup-tuned boost a dynamic amp voice to push into..
Compare
- vs Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone
- vs Fjord Fuzz Midnattssol
- vs Carl Martin Blue Ranger