The Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection is a Catalinbread tremolo pedal. Close alternatives include the Catalinbread Valcoder Vintage Tremolo and the Catalinbread StarCrash Valcoder. It pairs well with the Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar and the 1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe.
Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection
Catalinbread · pedal
The Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection is a collector-edition finish of the Valcoder, a tremolo pedal recreating the tube-driven tremolo circuits of 1960s Valco amplifiers -- the Chicago maker behind Supro, National and Gretsch amps, known for low-powered designs with rich natural tube breakup. Speed and Depth controls run from a soft, bubbly, watery pulse to a deep, hard-chopping stutter, while a JFET input stage and independent output control add up to 10dB of warm boost, letting the pedal push an amp into gritty, compressed breakup alongside the modulation. Running at 9V yields more compression and grit with a softer pick attack; at 18V it is louder, cleaner and less compressed with a more immediate attack and a stronger, choppier tremolo. Players describe the result as convincingly vintage, close to a driven tweed amp. Built by Catalinbread in Portland, Oregon.
What stands out
“The Valcoder 70s Collection delivers the proven Valcoder tube tremolo and preamp saturation circuit in a special 70s-themed collector edition, combining the vintage tremolo character with a period-appropriate aesthetic identity”
— from the community notes
“Speed and Depth controls run from a soft, bubbly, watery pulse to a deep, hard-chopping stutter, while a JFET input stage and independent output control add up to 10dB of warm boost, letting the pedal push an amp into gritty, compressed bre…”
— from the listing
“The Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection is a collector-edition finish of the Valcoder, a tremolo pedal recreating the tube-driven tremolo circuits of 1960s Valco amplifiers -- the Chicago maker behind Supro, National and Gretsch amps, kno…”
— from the listing
“Collector-edition visual distinction for enthusiasts of vintage 70s aesthetic”
— from the reviews
“Running at 9V yields more compression and grit with a softer pick attack; at 18V it is louder, cleaner and , choppier tremolo”
— from the listing
- vintage
- tremolo
- gritty
- breakup
- compressed
- compression
- tube
- boost
Genres the Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection is commonly used in
- Country
- Rock
- Indie
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Classic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection
Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar
amplifier
35% matchFender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar leans toward spring, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe
Fender
35% matchWhat 1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
Fender Dual Showman Reverb
amplifier
21% 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 Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection after Fender Dual Showman Reverb in the signal chain, clear of Fender Dual Showman Reverb's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Suhr Bella 1X12 Hand wired Combo New
Suhr
20% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection's own voicing points at Fender-style amps, and Suhr Bella 1X12 Hand wired Combo New delivers it
Comes later in the signal chain
Milkman Sound The Amp 100
Milkman Sound
19% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Into Milkman Sound The Amp 100, Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection is right at home: it's built around Fender-style amps
Comes later in the signal chain
Fender '68 Custom Princeton Reverb 12W 1x10 Tube Guitar
Fender
19% 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 Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection after Fender '68 Custom Princeton Reverb 12W 1x10 Tube Guitar in the signal chain, clear of Fender '68 Custom Princeton Reverb 12W 1x10 Tube Guitar's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Blackstar Artist 30
Blackstar
19% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection is voiced for Fender-style amps — Blackstar Artist 30 gives it exactly that
Comes later in the signal chain
Milkman Sound Beekeeper 18W 1x12 Combo
Milkman Sound
18% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection is voiced for Fender-style amps — Milkman Sound Beekeeper 18W 1x12 Combo gives it exactly that
Comes later in the signal chain
See all 28 amps that pair with the Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection →
Pedals that stack with the Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection
Alexander Pedals Radical Delay
Alexander Pedals
21% 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 Valcoder '70s Collection after Alexander Pedals Radical Delay in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Alexander Pedals Radical Delay — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master V2
EarthQuaker Devices
19% 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 Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection after EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master V2 in the signal chain, where it won't crowd EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master V2 — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
J. Rockett Archer
pedal
18% matchJ. Rockett Archer leans toward high headroom, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
TC Electronic Flashback Delay
TC Electronic
17% 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 Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection after TC Electronic Flashback Delay in the signal chain, where it won't crowd TC Electronic Flashback Delay — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Greer Southland
Greer
17% matchWhat Greer Southland brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Electro-Harmonix Oceans Abyss
Electro-Harmonix
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.
Run Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection after Electro-Harmonix Oceans Abyss in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Electro-Harmonix Oceans Abyss — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Afterneath V2
EarthQuaker Devices
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.
Run Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection after EarthQuaker Devices Afterneath V2 in the signal chain, where it won't crowd EarthQuaker Devices Afterneath V2 — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Gamechanger Audio Auto Reverb
Gamechanger Audio
15% 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 Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection after Gamechanger Audio Auto Reverb in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Gamechanger Audio Auto Reverb — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
See all 64 pedals that pair with the Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection →
Alternatives
Catalinbread Valcoder Vintage Tremolo
Catalinbread
71% similarity“is a collector-edition finish of the Valcoder”
Catalinbread StarCrash Valcoder
Catalinbread
69% similarityShared character: tremolo, modulation, boost
Black Cat Mini Trem
Black Cat
65% similarityShared character: grit, boost, tremolo
Coppersound Pedals Loma Prieta Tremolo
Coppersound Pedals
61% similarityShared character: grit, tremolo, modulation
Maestro Mariner Tremolo
Maestro
59% similarityShared character: rich, grit, tremolo
Cordovox TR-8
Cordovox
57% similarityShared character: tremolo, modulation, vintage charm
Electro-Harmonix Nano Pulsar
Electro-Harmonix
55% similarityShared character: tremolo, vintage charm
Black Rabbit Little Earthquakes
Black Rabbit
53% similarityShared character: tremolo, warm, vintage charm
MXR M305 Tremolo
MXR
52% similarityShared character: tremolo, modulation, vintage charm
Fulltone Supa-Trem ST-1
pedal
50% similarityShared character: boost, tremolo, vintage charm
One Control Persian Green Screamer
One Control
50% similarityShared character: warm
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
49% similarityShared character: boost, tremolo, modulation
See all alternatives to the Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection?+
The closest matches in character are the Catalinbread Valcoder Vintage Tremolo, the Catalinbread StarCrash Valcoder, the Black Cat Mini Trem.
What pairs well with the Catalinbread Valcoder '70s Collection?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar, 1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe, Fender Dual Showman Reverb — Fender Hot Rod Series Blues Junior 15W 1x12 Tube Guitar leans toward spring, and that's a real, usable character to pair with.