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Catalinbread Dreamcoat / Skewer limited edition box set - $280 (Fort Walton Beach)
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The DREAMCOAT has the exact specs of the Aiwa TP-1011 reel-to-reel preamp to help capture a deeply specific '60s and '70s English classic rock tone. It can be an unruly, velcro-y, and sputtery beast, but one that can be tamed at low levels for a more classic rock approach. Think of it like a console being blown out but completely under your control. The SKEWER operates similarly to our Naga Viper pedal, but rather than being based on the Dallas Rangemaster, it is based on the Hornby-Skewes Treble Booster—another iconic piece of the classic rock puzzle. All the pedal geekdom about what is in these pedals can be found in their manuals on our website.
DREAMCOAT
What began as an exploration of a deeply specific '60s and '70s English classic rock tone, evolved into a multidimensional gain machine capable of anything between unruly sputtery fuzz and classic rock chime. This is not meant to make you sound like a classic rock god, it is meant to inspire you from using some of the same tools they used that would otherwise be inaccessible in pedal form. The heart and soul of the Dreamcoat is a near-exact recreation of the preamp circuit from the Aiwa TP-1011 reel-to-reel deck that can be found in '60s and '70s classic rock recordings. All of the functionality of that unit is present, from sparkling cleans to powerful crunch and glassy leads, but the “Sat” control gives you an extra layer of grunt, allowing the Dreamcoat to range between near-dry tonal indifference to complete “melting-amp” Neil Young-esque tweed sounds. A certain classic rock sound wasn’t just a tape deck, though. The famous user of this tape deck also installed a passive inductor-based frequency “booster” into his guitar that cut both sides of the spectrum around the resonant frequency of their guitar pickups, giving the appearance of a frequency boostinstalled a passive inductor-based frequency “booster” into their guitars that cut both sides of the spectrum around the resonant frequency of their guitar, giving the appearance of frequency boost. To that end, we’ve added a frequency booster circuit that doesn’t cut anything, giving you a richer tone with a little oomph where it counts. To top it all off, we’ve included a clean blend circuit that begins after the frequency boost and ends after the tape preamp, so you can EQ the sum of your clean tone and dirt, all while preserving your pick attack and presence. The whole shebang runs at 20V, just a hair higher than the original Aiwa, expanding its capabilities and delivering tons of headroom.
SKEWER
One of the most recognizable pieces of gear in classic rock canon is the old Hornby-Skewes Treble Booster, a version of the classic effect used by too many artists to list. While almost all of them used a Rangemaster, the Hornby-Skewes version came stock with a silicon transistor for a more biting sound that cut through even the densest of mixes. The SKEWER stays true to that circuit, giving the old JHS unit the same treatment as our Naga Viper. This lets you dial in the desired frequency range from rich and full to treble-heavy, as well as control the amount of boost. You can also vary the amount of transistor gain for some extra juice. Some players had their original Treble Booster modded to play nicer with the rest of their gear. We’ve taken the liberty of giving you that mod as well, which is fully adjustable via the trimpot inside. Further enhancements include a noise reduction filter and anti-pop switch circuitry. This one bites just a little harder than our Naga Viper, and sounds fantastic with the DREAMCOAT.
Shipping: $18.00. Local pickup available.