Catalinbread announces Crooner preamp pedal based on RCA BA-31

July 17, 2026 · 2 sources

Catalinbread announced the Catalinbread Crooner on July 17, a preamp pedal based on the RCA BA-31 microphone preamp¹. It is priced at $179.99 and will be shipping soon¹. Gearnews reports that it follows the same format as Catalinbread's 2025 Airstrip preamp pedal¹.

The pedal has four controls. Push sets the gain of what Catalinbread describes as a UREI-inspired discrete opamp, voiced to work with the RCA-inspired preamp circuit; at minimum it adds minimal gain to the front end². Trim controls the gain of the RCA preamp circuit itself, and Catalinbread says the original was not designed to give much internal gain, so the control pushes the circuit beyond its intended function². Volume sets output level and Filter provides a gentle treble cut to keep things tight at high Push and Trim settings². Gearnews describes the range as covering everything from a transparent clean boost to a heavy, saturated fuzz¹.

Catalinbread says the original BA-31 ran on 30 volts DC, which it calls unfeasible for pedalboards, and that the Crooner "LOVES 18 volts," with more headroom for stacking dirt in front of it². Gearnews reports the pedal runs internally at 18V and is powered by a standard 9V supply, with no battery support¹. Gearnews also cites vintage-style germanium components and an output transformer¹.

Gearnews reports the Crooner should be available at Thomann at some point shortly¹.