Catalinbread - Formula 51 Tweed Champ / Variac
This product is no longer available for sale
These models in stock may be of interest to you:
162,50 €
excl VAT
including eco-part : 0,90 €
Guarantee 3
years
Fred
Eric
Do you need help?
Electric Guitar Effects
Unlike most amp-in-a-box effects, the Formula 51 effect pedal features a preamp, power amp simulator and output transformer to give you the Champion 800 Tweed experience, with a handful of highly interactive controls.
ARTICLE N° 88904
Presentation
Back in the 40s, Fender introduced the Champ amplifier, then known as the Champion 800.
After a long series of parts swaps and circuit revisions, Fender arrived at the 5F1, otherwise known as the 'Tweed Champ', named for its recognisable cabinetry.
It had just one knob, the volume, which went up to 12, and if you've ever played one, that's about all it needs.
Just simple knob could pull a myriad of tones out of the humble circuit, from slightly gritty Clean to mid-heavy blown distortion.
The Sag control loads the transformer to your liking, giving you real lead tones at the turn of a knob.
The tone control is straight out of the vintage amplifier playbook, incorporating the medium scoop control from the Framus Cobra amp.
This time-tested mod essentially transforms the mid-tilt Tweed profile into the mid-boost Blackface sound of later Champs.
Run it at 18V for extra headroom or stack it with other pedals to really dig into this transformer!
After a long series of parts swaps and circuit revisions, Fender arrived at the 5F1, otherwise known as the 'Tweed Champ', named for its recognisable cabinetry.
It had just one knob, the volume, which went up to 12, and if you've ever played one, that's about all it needs.
Just simple knob could pull a myriad of tones out of the humble circuit, from slightly gritty Clean to mid-heavy blown distortion.
The Sag control loads the transformer to your liking, giving you real lead tones at the turn of a knob.
The tone control is straight out of the vintage amplifier playbook, incorporating the medium scoop control from the Framus Cobra amp.
This time-tested mod essentially transforms the mid-tilt Tweed profile into the mid-boost Blackface sound of later Champs.
Run it at 18V for extra headroom or stack it with other pedals to really dig into this transformer!
Other features
-
Catalinbread Formula 51
-
Guitar effects pedal
-
Series: Formula
-
Type : amp-in-a-box / Overdrive
-
Fender Champion 800 Tweed amp simulation
-
Handmade in Portland, Oregon, USA
-
True Bypass
-
Controls: Sag, Tone, Volume, Gain
-
Power supply: 9 / 18V mains adapter sold separately
-
Dimensions: 110 x 60 x 49mm
-
Weight : 180g
To find out more...
SAG: Start with the knob all the way down until you find a tone you like, then turn it up until it does what you like. If it starts to sound weird, it's simply too much degradation for the signal level to handle. *
VOLUME: The Formula 51 sounds great when this knob is set to any position other than zero. Give it a try!
TONE: Some time ago, when amp geeks had just started exchanging information on the internet, a midrange control mod started appearing, taken from an amp called the Framus Cobra. This control, wired backwards, essentially hollowed out the midrange and transformed a beefy, midrange-centric Tweed amp into a more hollowed-out Blackface model. It's this control that's installed as the tone knob. When it's all the way down, you're in the Tweed. When it's all the way up, you've got a Blackface.
GAIN: this knob works like the volume control on the original Tweed Champ; it controls the gain of the preamp, or the amount of juice that reaches the power amp and transformer.
When it's all the way down, you get the slightly grainy clean of the original, when you turn it up you get a saturated Tweed and then some heavy distortion all the way through at the end.
* The margin and functionality of the SAG is designed to use 18V, so when you use 9V it's very sensitive.
The useful range of the SAG control is determined by the strength of the signal transmitted to the Formula 51.
Essentially, the SAG knob controls the degradation of the transformer. There are certain conditions where the bogged down transformer just doesn't sound right, just like a real amp.
This gives you the option of running the 'amp' as hard as you like with or without transformer degradation. You can also think of it as 'tape degradation', but only for a transformer rather than magnetic tape.
It's a seasoning rather than a main ingredient.
VOLUME: The Formula 51 sounds great when this knob is set to any position other than zero. Give it a try!
TONE: Some time ago, when amp geeks had just started exchanging information on the internet, a midrange control mod started appearing, taken from an amp called the Framus Cobra. This control, wired backwards, essentially hollowed out the midrange and transformed a beefy, midrange-centric Tweed amp into a more hollowed-out Blackface model. It's this control that's installed as the tone knob. When it's all the way down, you're in the Tweed. When it's all the way up, you've got a Blackface.
GAIN: this knob works like the volume control on the original Tweed Champ; it controls the gain of the preamp, or the amount of juice that reaches the power amp and transformer.
When it's all the way down, you get the slightly grainy clean of the original, when you turn it up you get a saturated Tweed and then some heavy distortion all the way through at the end.
* The margin and functionality of the SAG is designed to use 18V, so when you use 9V it's very sensitive.
The useful range of the SAG control is determined by the strength of the signal transmitted to the Formula 51.
Essentially, the SAG knob controls the degradation of the transformer. There are certain conditions where the bogged down transformer just doesn't sound right, just like a real amp.
This gives you the option of running the 'amp' as hard as you like with or without transformer degradation. You can also think of it as 'tape degradation', but only for a transformer rather than magnetic tape.
It's a seasoning rather than a main ingredient.
