One of Catalinbread's first “amp-in-a-box” foundation overdrives concerned that of the Who, and specifically the tone found on an album sometimes described as the pinnacle of live albums, Live at Leeds. Recorded on Valentine’s Day in 1970, it featured custom modified amplifiers built by Dave Reeves for Hiwatt, a model CP103 with a modified tone circuit.
Catalinbread's simulation of this sound is called the WIIO and the reissue gets even closer to that coveted tone.
Hiwatts characteristically only break up when hit with other pedals or when absolutely dimed, and so the WIIO follows in turn, with a wide-ranging Gain control that reacts just like that of the CP103—clean until it isn’t. The powerful Baxandall-style EQ works just like the tone controls in Pete’s amp, providing gobs of interactivity and harmonious overlap without the massive volume loss of many passive designs. Guitars and vocals on Live at Leeds were fed through a tape echo that was connected to the mixer’s auxiliary bus, which you can hear all over the record. This has been added this to the circuit, giving you the ability to blend in a tape echo preamp after the main circuit. This fattens up the signal and adds a sheen missing from the original, as well as plenty of extra volume.
Video: https://youtu.be/qUKrASH55zM?t=162
Product Specs
- Item Number: 35262
- Make: Catalinbread
- Model: WIIO Overdrive
- Condition: Brand New
- Finish: Black
- Categories: effects-and-pedals ⇒ overdrive-and-boost ⇒ pedal
- Made In: United States
- MPN: CB-WIIO