Howard Gee is a guitar effects designer, not a performer. He made his name at Catalinbread, the Portland builder whose catalog spans handbuilt fuzz, octave, overdrive and modulation pedals12, and was described by gearnews.com as "one of the masterminds behind Catalinbread"3. By December 2019 he had already left Catalinbread and was doing his own thing3. In 2022 he formed kittycasterFX, where he works as circuit designer4.
The Catalinbread years
Gee's Catalinbread designs include the Octapussy, an octave-up fuzz "in the tradition of the Octavia but is an original circuit designed by Howard Gee, utilizing 3 silicon transistors and two diodes" as Premier Guitar reported at its release5. Vintage Guitar likewise credited it as "an octave-up fuzz with an original circuit designed by Howard Gee"6.
His approach to parts selection was unusual enough that Aion FX, which traced the circuit, highlighted it. Gee wrote in the manual:
"I spent much time comparing the qualities of different types of capacitors and resistors in each position in the circuit and selected the types that gave the best possible tone and response."
Aion FX noted that the designer "commented in the manual that these were all carefully chosen for their sonic properties and that it made a difference in their testing"7. A Catalinbread press release from 2012 put it more colorfully, claiming "Howard has THAT sound ingrained into his DNA"8.
How he approaches a circuit
Two threads run through Gee's public statements about design:
- Touch-sensitivity. Guitar World reported he identifies this as a priority in his designs4.
- Voltage and headroom. He has used above-standard voltages to give a circuit more room before it runs out4.
In his own words on the first:
"A lot of pedals don't respond to your playing very well, whereas my goal has always been to try and get the best dynamic response and touch-sensitivity possible"
On the second, he told Guitar World that "using more than the standard nine volts is a means to achieve that with greater headroom and dynamic range"4.
His taste in circuits has limits. MusicRadar reported that Gee "is not a fan of the four-transistor Muff-style circuit"9, the topology behind the classic Big Muff family of fuzzes.
From Catalinbread to his own fuzz
By December 2019, gearnews.com reported that Gee was now "doing his own thing," having "apparently come up with a great-sounding fuzz circuit" so new it did not yet have a name3. At that stage the company behind it was unnamed, with possible names Kittycastermusic Pedals or GeeFX and its pricing sector undecided3. He was posting the work as Kittycastermusic on Instagram3.
The company took shape in 2022 as kittycasterFX4. Its lineup of people, as reported by Guitar World:
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Circuit designer | Howard Gee |
| Partners | Scott Miller, Steve Hamari, Boris Lutskovsky, Jean Mastaler |
| Enclosure design | David Medel (graphic artist) |
Guitar World called Gee "the former Catalinbread design whizz" in the same report4. MusicRadar later described kittycasterFX as "headed up by guitar effects pedal guru" Gee, formerly of Catalinbread9.
Gee also had clear ideas about the hardware around the circuit. He told Guitar World he wanted an enclosure that facilitated the company's hand-built style with no compromise, made in the USA, with lines evocative of classic pedals from the '60s and '70s, stage ergonomic and pedalboard friendly4.
gearnews.com sized up his reputation in the pedal world this way:
"Howard Gee is a pedal guru, just like Wampler, Zvex, JHS, or Keeley, moving somewhere between boutique, left-field effects and solid well made stuff"
Questions
Did Howard Gee design Catalinbread pedals?
Yes. Gee was described as one of the masterminds behind Catalinbread, the Portland builder known for handbuilt fuzz, octave, overdrive and modulation pedals. His original designs for the company include the Octapussy, an octave-up fuzz in the tradition of the Octavia that uses three silicon transistors and two diodes.
Why do some pedals run at more than 9 volts?
Gee has said that using more than the standard nine volts is a means to achieve greater headroom and dynamic range. For a designer whose stated priority is touch-sensitivity and dynamic response, the extra voltage gives a circuit more room before it runs out, which supports the playing dynamics he builds for.
What is Howard Gee building now?
In 2019 he was working on his own fuzz pedal prototype circuit, so new it did not yet have a name, under the name Kittycastermusic. By 2022 he had formed kittycasterFX as circuit designer, with Scott Miller, Steve Hamari, Boris Lutskovsky and Jean Mastaler joining him and David Medel designing the enclosures.
What is Kittycaster?
KittycasterFX is a guitar effects company headed up by Howard Gee, formerly of Catalinbread, formed in 2022. Gee serves as circuit designer, with partners Scott Miller, Steve Hamari, Boris Lutskovsky and Jean Mastaler, and graphic artist David Medel designing the enclosures. Its pedals are hand-built in USA-made enclosures.
Sources (9)
- Catalinbread CB30 Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2011-10-20
- New Pedal: Catalinbread SuperCharged Overdrive (Legacy Edition), Delicious Audio, 2023-11-08
- Former Catalinbread mastermind Howard Gee is building a new fuzz pedal!, gearnews.com, 2019-12-03
- Howard Gee's kittycasterFX makes its debut with Tremdriver preamp/harmonic tremolo and Groovy Wizard fuzz pedals, Guitar World, 2022-04-14
- Catalinbread Releases the Octapussy Octave Fuzz Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2012-03-13
- Catalinbread Offers Octapussy Octave Fuzz, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2012-03-06
- Tracing Journal: Catalinbread Octapussy, Aion FX, 2023-11-24
- NAMM 2012: Catalinbread unveils new pedals, MusicRadar, 2012-01-19
- “A luxurious and refined take on a classic circuit”: KittycasterFX reimagines the Muff with the Mohair Fuzzstortion, pairing fuzz with a treble booster circuit for super-versatile performance, MusicRadar, 2024-04-30