Back to navigation


Page. 1970. Royal. Albert. Hall.





This article was


Written By





Our Product Research Team





Get to know them!





To many guitarists, the title says it all. The RAH (Royal Albert Hall) overdrive was born from discussions between Catalinbread and a friend of the company named "Charlie," who asked whether they could produce the response of the custom Hiwatt heads Jimmy Page was using on that historic January evening. Circuit designer Howard Gee went to work, and along with the team at Catalinbread, he has done it. The RAH Overdrive is engineered to give guitarists the same gain and dynamic response as Page's custom Hiwatt heads and the Marshall cabs he used at that amazing double-encore concert ? all in a pedalboard-friendly format. You get a three-knob (Treble-Middle-Bass) tone circuit plus Gain and Master controls for shaping your sound to bring back the sound of classic rock royalty.





Gain and Master controls for Zep and beyond





On the input side, the Gain knob is your ally in re-creating the soaring tones and aggressive attack of Page's solos and rhythm riffs. Lower gain settings are great for cleaner responses or to use if your guitar is hot-rodded with high-output pickups. For output level control, dial in the Master to set precisely the right amplitude. Unity is around "noon" on this knob, so spin it past 12:00 for a boost and left for a bit of attenuation. And don't forget the impact your guitar's onboard controls will have on your sound. Employ them as part of the pedal's control surface ? varying pickup selection, rolling off or cranking the volume ? and you'll multiply the capability of the RAH Overdrive and your satisfaction in using it.





Gear that makes you want to play





The self-avowed gearheads at Catalinbread focus on making musical devices that they want to use themselves ? "gear that gets us excited and inspires us to play." The result of that authentic focus and unwavering integrity is the type of innovation that isn't market-driven; Catalinbread creates its own market for products players love, whether overdrive, delay/reverb, fuzz/distortion, or tremolo/modulation pedals (many of which are available at Sweetwater). The RAH Overdrive Pedal is a powerful example of Catalinbread's commitment to exciting, inspiring innovation.





Catalinbread RAH Overdrive Pedal Features:


Jimmy Page's 1970 Royal Albert Hall Hiwatt head/Marshall cab dynamics in pedal form


Same 3-control tone circuit as Page's onstage setup, ready for your amp to bring it to life


Treble, Middle, and Bass controls are highly interactive for enhanced creative possibilities


Gain control sets your input level to drive the electronics to new sonic heights


Master control determines your output volume (unity is at "noon")


All-metal chassis and high-quality true-bypass footswitch for long-lasting performance


Can be powered by 9V battery or 9V external power supply (neither is included)


Made in the USA