The Ceriatone Overtone Special is a Ceriatone amplifier. Close alternatives include the Ceriatone HRM 50 and the Dumble Overdrive Special Amp Head. It pairs well with the Beetronics Nectar and the Beetronics Swarm.
Ceriatone Overtone Special
Ceriatone · amplifier
The Ceriatone Overtone Special is the Malaysian builder Nik Azam Sharif's point-to-point hand-wired take on the Dumble Overdrive Special, and one of the most widely owned routes into D-style tone. The clean channel is full and dimensional without being dark or tubby, and compared with a blackface Fender it has less midrange scoop, a broader bottom end and sweeter highs. Switching to the overdrive channel gives a fat, singing, detailed lead voice with strong harmonic content and long sustain that stays smooth rather than raggedy. It is strongly touch sensitive, so pick attack and guitar volume move it between nearly clean and full saturation. It suits blues, fusion and rock players chasing the tones associated with Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Carlos Santana and John Mayer.
- clean
- fusion
- blues
- pedal platform
- vocal
- lead
- singing
- overtone
Genres the Ceriatone Overtone Special is commonly used in
- Blues
- Jazz Fusion
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Soul
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Smooth Jazz
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Latin
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Ceriatone Overtone Special
Beetronics Nectar
Beetronics
30% matchInto the Overtone Special's vocal, pedal-friendly clean platform, the Nectar's boutique low-gain saturation has real room to bloom.
Beetronics Swarm
Beetronics
29% matchInto the Overtone Special's vocal, pedal-friendly clean platform, the Swarm's experimental fuzz has real room to bloom.
Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz
Black Arts Toneworks
29% matchThe Overtone Special's clean pedal-platform headroom lets the LSTR's scooped, doom-heavy fuzz saturate without the amp adding its own breakup.
Mooer Trelicopter
Mooer
16% matchRun the Trelicopter's subtle, optical tremolo after the Overtone Special's vocal, pedal-friendly clean platform and the pulse rides on real headroom.
Eventide Modulated Delay
Eventide
16% matchKeep the Modulated Delay's warm, analog-voiced echo in the Overtone Special's loop, clear of the amp's own vocal, pedal-friendly clean platform. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Meris LVX
Meris
14% matchKeep the LVX's lush, complex delay in the Overtone Special's loop, after the amp's own vocal breakup, so the repeats stay clean. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer
pedal
9% matchRun the Orange Squeezer's subtle FET compression ahead of the Overtone Special so its singing sustain starts from an already-controlled signal.
Electro-Harmonix EH-1335/EH-3075 Hot Tubes
Electro-Harmonix
tonal matchElectro-Harmonix EH-1335/EH-3075 Hot Tubes's own voicing points at a clean amp's front end, and Ceriatone Overtone Special delivers it
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Ceriatone HRM 50
Ceriatone
70% similarity“which adds the later midrange-shaping tone stack to the standard Overtone Special design”
Dumble Overdrive Special Amp Head
Dumble
70% similarity“point-to-point hand-wired take on the Dumble Overdrive Special”
Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 50
Ceriatone
67% similarityShared character: overdrive_channel, bottom_end, fusion
Amplified Nation Wonderland Overdrive 50W
Amplified Nation
65% similarityShared character: overdrive_channel, fusion, pedalboard
Amplified Nation Bombshell Overdrive 50W 1x12 Combo
Amplified Nation
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Amplified Nation Bombshell Overdrive 100W Head
Amplified Nation
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM 100
Ceriatone
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Mesa Boogie Lone Star Head
amplifier
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Mesa Boogie Mark Five:90 1x12 Combo
Mesa Boogie
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 100
Ceriatone
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Amplified Nation Wonderland Overdrive 100W Combo
Amplified Nation
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Two-Rock Bloomfield Drive 6L6 100W Head
Two-Rock
93% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Ceriatone Overtone Special (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Ceriatone Overtone Special?+
The closest matches in character are the Ceriatone HRM 50, the Dumble Overdrive Special Amp Head, the Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 50.
What pairs well with the Ceriatone Overtone Special?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Beetronics Nectar, Beetronics Swarm, Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz — Into the Overtone Special's vocal, pedal-friendly clean platform, the Nectar's boutique low-gain saturation has real room to bloom..
Compare
- vs Amplified Nation Bombshell Overdrive 50W 1x12 Combo
- vs Amplified Nation Bombshell Overdrive 100W Head
- vs Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM 100