Caline Purple Smoke

The Caline CP-22 Purple Smoke is a boost pedal from Caline, a Chinese effects maker. It is an analog, transparent clean boost aimed at the mid and high range of the guitar's spectrum, with a single control: a Level knob that sets the output volume¹. It is a budget option, listed from $35¹.

What it does

A clean boost like the Purple Smoke sits in your signal chain to raise the level going into whatever comes next. With the Level knob up, you can push an amp or preamp harder, driving it into breakup without adding a distortion character of its own². The Purple Smoke is described as a transparent boost, meaning it aims to raise volume without coloring the tone, with its effect weighted toward the mid and high range¹.

The other common use is in front of an overdrive pedal. In a 2016 review video on the Old7StringGuy channel, Scott found it delivered plenty of push in that role:

He also noted the true bypass switching, which keeps the pedal out of the signal path when it is off².

How it is controlled and powered

The pedal keeps things simple. One footswitch turns the boost on and off¹, and one Level knob sets how hard it pushes². It runs on 9V DC power¹.

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In the review video, Scott walks through the pedal's controls and demonstrates it both pushing an amp with volume alone and driving an overdrive pedal with the Level up².

Where it sits among Caline's boosts

Caline makes several boost pedals alongside the Purple Smoke, including the CP-29 White Heat, the CP-97 Recluse Boost, the G-011 Eagle Eye Boost and the CP-514 Santa Carla Boost. The company also builds boost sections into combined pedals such as the DCP-11 Andes Boost Overdrive and the DCP-01 Artemis Compressor Boost. The Purple Smoke is the straightforward single-knob option in that range, at the low end of the price scale at $35¹.

Videos

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