Catalinbread adds Epoch Bias preamp pedal to Belle Epoch family

March 1, 2024 · 2 sources

Catalinbread has added the Epoch Bias, a compact preamp and bias pedal, to its Belle Epoch family, Guitar Pedal X reported on March 1, 2024¹. MusicRadar reported the launch on March 5, 2024, describing it as a pedal emulating the preamp featured in vintage Maestro EP-3 Echoplex units².

The Epoch Bias has four controls: Preamp, Bias, Boost and Filter¹. MusicRadar reports that the Preamp dial acts as a volume until around noon, where it replicates the frequency enhancement of the original, and that Catalinbread says it will not get louder after two o'clock on the dial². The Boost dial adds gain and volume, and with Boost fully counterclockwise the pedal acts as an emulation of a stock EP-3 circuit². The Bias control replicates what MusicRadar calls "out-of-spec parts" of the original tape echo machines, shaping the base gain and body of the EP-3, and the Filter acts as a treble cut for matching the pedal to a rig².

Guitar Pedal X reports that the Epoch Bias replaces aspects of the discontinued Epoch Pre, a larger-format pedal with three knobs, two push-buttons and a second boost footswitch; the new pedal drops the push-buttons and boost footswitch, and its Filter control is new¹. MusicRadar reports that the Bias and Filter controls let players dial in the unit-by-unit variances found across vintage Echoplex units².

Guitar Pedal X puts the Epoch Bias at $179.99¹. MusicRadar gives the price as £/$179 and says the pedal is available now². Guitar Pedal X lists the rest of the family as follows¹:

Guitar Pedal X reports that the family now has five pedals and is based on the 1970 Echoplex EP-3¹. MusicRadar, quoting Catalinbread, reports the maker's description of the pedal's purpose: