The Catalinbread SuperCharged Overdrive Legacy Edition is a reissue of one of the first pedals the Portland builder released, brought back in a significantly re-tooled form1. At its core is the original circuit's unusual design: eight MOSFET devices, all stacked into one another, giving the pedal what Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson called "a really full-throated, thick and juicy amp-like overdrive with an incredibly high degree of shaping"2.
What the Legacy Edition changes
The Legacy Edition keeps the same core 8 x MOSFET gain stage topology as the original, but the circuit has been refined throughout. The headline addition is an entirely new Tilt EQ control, and Karlsson notes there is more range overall across the controls2. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes the pedal as a reissue of one of the first pedals Catalinbread released1.
The controls, as listed by Guitar Pedal X2:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tilt EQ | New to the Legacy Edition; pivots around the 800Hz mark |
| Contour | Combined mids and resonance; works as an addition-by-subtraction mids control |
| Volume | Output level |
| Gain | Amount of drive |
The Tilt EQ is a single-knob tone shaper: rather than separate bass and treble bands, it tilts the balance of the sound around a pivot point at 800Hz, favoring lows on one side of the sweep and highs on the other2. The Contour handles the mids differently, cutting them rather than boosting, which De Gregorio describes as addition-by-subtraction1. Between the two, the pedal offers a lot of tone shaping for a four-knob overdrive.
How it sounds
What a pedal sounds like is best left to those who have played it. Karlsson's verdict on the Legacy Edition was warm: "The SuperCharged Overdrive has a superb rich and glorious texture - which makes it right down my street. Definitely look"2. He described glorious output with plenty of range available on every dial, and was looking to add one to his own collection2.
Price and availability
The Legacy Edition keeps the same core 8 x MOSFET gain stage topology as the original SuperCharged Overdrive, so the circuit players know remains intact under the new name2. Catalinbread's Legacy Edition treatment also extended to its other MOSFET-based pedals, including the WIIO Hiwatt-style overdrive3.
The Legacy Edition is a reissue of an early Catalinbread pedal, so the original version differs from pedals currently sold: the Legacy Edition adds the Tilt EQ and carries numerous circuit refinements the original did not have2.
Where it sits in the Catalinbread range
Catalinbread is known for amp-inspired pedals, and the SuperCharged's stacked MOSFET design puts it in the company of the maker's other MOSFET-based Legacy reissues, the Super Chili Picoso and the WIIO3. Players comparing it with the maker's other drives might look at the Dirty Little Secret or the Formula 5F6, or browse the full range of overdrive pedals to see how MOSFET-based designs differ from soft-clipping and hard-clipping circuits.
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Questions
What changed between the original SuperCharged and the Legacy Edition?
The Legacy Edition keeps the original's core 8 x MOSFET gain stage topology but is significantly re-tooled, with numerous refinements to the circuit. The most visible addition is an entirely new Tilt EQ control, and Guitar Pedal X notes there is more range overall across the controls. The original circuit featured eight MOSFET devices all stacked into one another, and that stacked-gain approach remains at the heart of the reissue.
What does the Tilt EQ control do?
The Tilt EQ is new to the Legacy Edition. It is a single knob that shifts the balance of the tone, pivoting around the 800Hz mark: turning it one way favors lows and the other favors highs, rather than giving you separate bass and treble bands. It sits alongside the Contour, Volume and Gain controls and is part of what gives the pedal its unusually high degree of shaping.
What is the Contour control on the SuperCharged?
The Contour knob combines mids and resonance in one control. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes it as working as an addition-by-subtraction mids control, meaning it shapes the midrange by cutting rather than boosting. Together with the Tilt EQ it handles the pedal's tone shaping, leaving Volume and Gain for level and drive.
Is the Catalinbread SuperCharged a MOSFET pedal?
Yes. The original circuit featured eight MOSFET devices, all stacked into one another, and the Legacy Edition keeps that same core 8 x MOSFET gain stage topology. MOSFETs give the pedal its amp-like clipping character. Catalinbread built several pedals around MOSFET stages, and the Legacy Collection reissues covered the SuperCharged overdrive, the Super Chili Picoso boost and the WIIO Hiwatt-style overdrive.
How much does the SuperCharged Legacy Edition cost?
Guitar Pedal X reported in November 2023 that the pedal's usual price point was $174.99, with a launch offer through the Catalinbread webstore at $149.99. By June 2024, Guitar Pedal X reported the Legacy Edition versions of the three MOSFET pedals, including the SuperCharged, available at most Catalinbread dealers at $150 each.
Sources (3)
- New Pedal: Catalinbread SuperCharged Overdrive (Legacy Edition), Delicious Audio, 2023-11-08
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-11-10
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X
