Catalinbread launches Formula 51 overdrive pedal inspired by Fender Tweed Champ

January 4, 2023 · 4 sources

Catalinbread announced the Formula 51, an overdrive pedal modeled on Fender's Tweed Champ, in early January 2023. MusicRadar and Gearnews both published on January 4, and Guitar World on January 5¹²³.

The pedal is the newest member of Catalinbread's Formula series of Tweed-style amp-in-a-box pedals, alongside the Formula 55 and Formula 5F6¹⁴. It has four knobs: Sag, Tone, Volume and Gain²³. Inside, Catalinbread fitted a preamp, a discrete power amp simulator and an output transformer²⁴. The Tone control incorporates the mid scoop control of the Framus Cobra amp, which Catalinbread says scoops the Tweed mids toward the Blackface voicing of later Champs¹²⁴. The Sag control loads down the transformer, which the builder says gives "some real-deal blown-out leads with the twist of a knob"⁴. The pedal can run at 9V or 18V for increased headroom¹³.

The Champ dates to the 1940s, when Fender called it the Champion 800; it later became the 5F1 Tweed Champ, a single-knob amp associated with players including Neil Young¹²⁴. Delicious Audio describes the original as a one-knob, 4-watt combo released in 1948⁴.

The Formula 55 Tweed Deluxe and Formula 5F6 Tweed Bassman have also been given a new look to match the Formula 51¹³. The sources give different prices. MusicRadar and Gearnews list the Formula 51 at $179.99¹³; Guitar World lists it at $179 and says it is available now². Guitar World gives $189 for the Formula 55 and $179 for the 5F6².