The Ceriatone Overtone Special is a Ceriatone amplifier. Close alternatives include the Ceriatone HRM 50 and the Mooer Micro PreAmp 010 (Two Rock Coral). It pairs well with the Mad Professor Simble Overdrive MK2 and the Donner Dumbal Drive.

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.

What stands out

  • “Switching to the overdrive channel gives a fat, singing, detailed lead voice with strong harmonic content and long sustain that stays smooth”

    — from the listing

  • “The clean channel is full and dimensional , and compared with a blackface Fender it has , a broader bottom end and sweeter highs”

    — from the listing

  • “Used mostly for blues and fusion lead playing into a clean pedal platform or on its own”

    — from the community notes

  • “Common caveats are long build wait times, the many configuration options being bewildering to first-time buyers, and needing real volume before the amp opens up”

    — from the community notes

  • “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”

    — from the listing

  • clean
  • fusion
  • lead
  • d style tone
  • pedal platform
  • vocal
  • bottom end
  • singing

Genres the Ceriatone Overtone Special is commonly used in

  • Blues
  • Rock
  • Jazz Fusion
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Soul
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Smooth Jazz
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Blues Rock
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.

Pedals that stack with the Ceriatone Overtone Special

Mad Professor Simble Overdrive MK2

Mad Professor

41% match
$130via Reverb

pushes an amp at the edge of breakupPushes an amp already sitting at the edge of breakup over the line. (edge of breakup → mid-forward)

Feed a edge of breakup signal into Ceriatone Overtone Special and it comes out closer to mid-forward

Goes in front of the amp

Donner Dumbal Drive

Donner

35% match
$58.95via Reverb

pushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → mid-forward)

What Ceriatone Overtone Special brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around

Goes in front of the amp

ProCo RAT 2

Proco

33% match
$86via Reverb

clean platform takes the driveA clean, high-headroom stage takes on dirt it can't generate by itself. (transparent → low gain)

Push the Overtone Special's vocal, pedal-friendly clean platform with the RAT 2's bright, cutting distortion and it opens up into real dirt.

Goes in front of the amp

Beetronics Swarm

Beetronics

33% match
$249via Reverb

clean platform takes the driveA clean, high-headroom stage takes on dirt it can't generate by itself. (transparent → fuzzy)

Into the Overtone Special's vocal, pedal-friendly clean platform, the Swarm's experimental fuzz has real room to bloom.

Goes in front of the amp

Shin's Music Dumbloid B

Shins Music

32% match
$419.12via Reverb

Ceriatone Overtone Special's own transparent character is the real reason this is worth trying

Goes in front of the amp

Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz

Black Arts Toneworks

31% match
$119via Reverb

clean platform takes the driveA clean, high-headroom stage takes on dirt it can't generate by itself. (transparent → fuzzy)

The Overtone Special's clean pedal-platform headroom lets the LSTR's scooped, doom-heavy fuzz saturate without the amp adding its own breakup.

Goes in front of the amp

Shin's Music Dumbloid BTM Overdrive

Shins Music

31% match
$469via Reverb

What Ceriatone Overtone Special brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around

Goes in front of the amp

Menatone The Red Snapper mini

Menatone

31% match
$199via Reverb

Ceriatone Overtone Special's own transparent character is the real reason this is worth trying

Goes in front of the amp

See all 17 pedals that pair with the Ceriatone Overtone Special →

Alternativessee all similar tone character →

Ceriatone HRM 50

Ceriatone

73% similarity

“which adds the later midrange-shaping tone stack to the standard Overtone Special design”

Mooer Micro PreAmp 010 (Two Rock Coral)

Mooer

72% similarity
$52.65via Reverb

Mooer Micro PreAmp 010 (Two Rock Coral) recreates this amp's tone in pedal form

Rowin LEF-315 Dumbler Amp Sim

Rowin

72% similarity
$31.90via Reverb

Rowin LEF-315 Dumbler Amp Sim recreates this amp's tone in pedal form

Xotic Bass BB Preamp V1.5

Xotic

72% similarity
$199via Reverb

Xotic Bass BB Preamp V1.5 recreates this amp's tone in pedal form

DSM Silver Linings Drive Preamp Engine

Dsm Humboldt Electronics

72% similarity
$229via Reverb

DSM Silver Linings Drive Preamp Engine recreates this amp's tone in pedal form

Amplified Nation Wonderland Overdrive 50W

Amplified Nation

55% similarity
$3799via Reverb

Shared character: overdrive channel, fusion, singing

Mesa Boogie Lone Star Head

amplifier

51% similarity
$1666via Reverb

Shared character: fat, vocal, touch

Roland JC-120H Jazz Chorus

Roland

51% similarity
$900via Reverb

Shared character: difference, clean

Mesa Boogie Mark I

Mesa Boogie

51% similarity
$1466.92via Reverb

Shared character: fat, smooth, clean

Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier

Mesa Boogie

50% similarity
$1250via Reverb

Shared character: bottom end, clean, full

Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi

Marshall

48% similarity
$1599via Reverb

Shared character: singing, pick attack, touch

Marshall 2555X Silver Jubilee

Marshall

48% similarity
$1999.99via Reverb

Shared character: singing, vocal, smooth

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 Mooer Micro PreAmp 010 (Two Rock Coral), the Rowin LEF-315 Dumbler Amp Sim.

What pairs well with the Ceriatone Overtone Special?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Mad Professor Simble Overdrive MK2, Donner Dumbal Drive, ProCo RAT 2 — Feed a edge of breakup signal into Ceriatone Overtone Special and it comes out closer to mid-forward.

Compare

Related searches