Catalinbread works its dark Iommi magic on the Sabbra Cadabra Gallery Series drive pedal
The limited edition pedal features specially commissioned art by Matt Stikker
Having teased the artwork over a succession of Instagram posts, Catalinbread has unveiled the latest in its limited edition Gallery Series, the Sabbra Cadabra drive pedal.
It follows on the heels of the Naga Viper Limited Edition Gallery Series – a treble booster in the style of the Dallas Rangemaster – and has a circuit tailor-made for players chasing Tony Iommi's Black Sabbath tone.
Having one on your 'board could herald some seriously heavy proto-doom tones and gives you that sense of a throttled tube amp without the ear-ablating volume. Indeed, in the words of the Portland, Oregon, effects pedal specialists, you can use it to "transform any guitar rig into a rig of doom."
Expect an amp-like response from the pedal. On the enclosure you will find controls for Presence, Gain, Range and Volume (or Vol 4, as Catalinbread keep it on message with the Sabbath references).
Under the hood there are two circuits, one modelled on the Laney Supergroup's preamp circuit, the other on Tony Iommi's modded Dallas Rangemaster.
There is a certain amount of mystery surrounding Iommi's Rangemaster, but it was definitely modded, and Catalinbread believe it was changed to offer a full-range boost rather than the standard issue treble booster that players of that era used to push their amps into overdrive. Adjust the Range control to tune the boost from treble-boost to a full-range boost.
It might be a Sabbath-in-a-box pedal, tones sourced from the perimeter fence dividing overdrive and fuzz, but there's a touch-sensitivity to it that works nicely for anyone looking for big classic rock tones.
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Emblazoned on a Disco Purple enclosure – complete with purple light – the artwork is a veritable cornucopia of Sabbath references and was created by Matt Stikker.
A portion of every sale of a Gallery Series pedal goes to charity, with 10 per cent of Sabbra Cadabra sales proceeds going to Oregon Food Bank until the end of 2020.
Pre-orders are available now and there is a variety of bundles on offer. The Ultimate Bundle includes the limited edition Sabbra Cadabra pedal, a zip-up hoodie, T-shirt, glow-in-the-dark poster and holographic sticker. It is available now at a special Black Friday music deal special of $229.99, increasing to $269.99 after 29 November.
You can however order each of these items separately. The basic package ($179.99 until the 29 November, $189.99 thereafter) includes pedal, poster and sticker – and this being Catalinbread, you'll get a nice cloth bag and a pick in the box.
Head on over to Catalinbread for more details and to pre-order.
Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
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