Catalinbread Epoch Boost Preamp Pedal

Catalinbread Epoch Boost Preamp Pedal Overview

Catalinbread’s Epoch Boost is a faithful recreation of the legendary Maestro Echoplex EP-3 preamp, as used by icons such as Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Eric Johnson and countless others. Using many of the same components that are found on the original, Catalinbread have condensed that unmistakable tone-enhacning quality into an affordable, compact package.

Magical Preamp In A Pedal

There’s something truly magical about Maestro’s Echoplex EP-3. It isn’t just the distinctive tape echoes that made it so appealing, as many guitarists hauled one to gigs just for its preamp. The EP-3’s preamp is wired to be always on, so it’s improving your tone even when you aren’t using the tape echoes. With the Epoch Boost (which is part of their awesome Boost, Fuzz & Distortion series), Catalinbread have used their thorough knowledge of classic effects and engineering prowess to condense that magical sound into a compact stompbox.

Simple & Effective

What we love about the Epoch Boost is it’s wonderfully simple and seriously effective. All you have to do is switch it on to experience a beautiful “mastering” quality, where the natural sound of core tone sounds like its been perfectly sculpted by a mastering engineer. An added bonus is the slightly hotter biasing, which provides additional warmth and thickness.

Potent Boost

If you need the Epoch Boost to give your rig a shot in the arm or push your amp into overdrive, you can use the Boost control to deliver up to an impressive 20dB of pristine, dynamic lift.

Tonal Variety

The Preamp knob can be thought of as a pseudo pickup selector or a unique EQ parameter, as it works as a pan between two signal paths. The first half of the Preamp knob’s travel acts as a volume control then gently pushes differing frequency bands past noon, giving you extra tonal flavours to experiment with.

Authentic Circuity

A huge part of what makes Epoch Boost sound so authentic is Catalinbread’s dedication to using vintage-correct components. These include NOS Sprague Orange Drop capacitors and the closest approximation of the EP-3’s TIS58 JFET.

Internal Conversion

The EP-3 ran on 22V, which contributed to the preamp’s crisp, clear tone with plenty of headroom. Thanks to its internal power regulation, the EP-3 runs at the correct voltage whilst giving you the convenience of powering it using a traditional 9V supply.

Preserves Your Top End

The Epoch Boost works brilliantly as an “always-on” pedal and with its internally switchable hi-Z input buffer, you can retain your crystalline highs if you have a true-bypass or cable-heavy rig.

The Catalinbread Epoch Boost is highly recommended for its stunning tone-enhancing quality and powerful clean boost. Once you’ve switched the Epoch Boost on, you won’t want to switch it off!