St_Genesius
New member
So, after recommending the Galileo in a recent thread asking about getting Vox sounds in a pedal, I stumbled across a screaming deal on the Galileo MkII. Now, I had the first gen version in my mind when I made that rec, and wasn't aware of the changes to the newer version, but I did my research before I purchased.
For those that are unaware, here's how this thing works: it's essentially a Treble Booster circuit run into an AC-30 Preamp-inspired (Catalinbread goes further than "inspired" with their claims, but let's just ignore that) distortion pedal. The AC-30ish part of the pedal is HARDWIRED to full-on, balls-out RAWK. Period. The gain knob only controls how much Treble Bpooster gain you're adding on top of the THISISASLOUDASICANGET AC sound. Even more than the first gen version, this thing is designed to give you instant Brian May lead sound. The first gen version, because of its extra controls, came closer to being a CB30 and an Naga Viper in one enclosure.
So.
You can probably already tell that this is not going to be an especially positive review.
Let's start with that un-alterable AC-30(ish) gain. Catalinbread set out to capture the sound and response of an amp at its limits. And you know what? They suceeeded. It really does respond like an amp. They claim that you can clean up your signal by rolling off your guitar's volume, but I found that with any pickups hotter than my Danelectro, this was very, very difficult. With Gibson P90s, I have to roll down to 1-2 to get anything remotely like the chime I associate with lightly driven Vox preamps. Even then, if I'm even just a hair too aggressive in my attack, the Galileo is all too ready to distort. I spent some time fiddling and found that if I ran moderately heavy compression with very low output level just before the Galileo, I could kinda sorta get into Peter Buck territory. This, unfortunately, made my comp nearly useless for anything OTHER than taming the gain on the Catalinbread.
That Gain knob: Yep, it makes a very gainy pedal a whole lot gainier. Also, it boosts the treble quite a bit. Just like it says on the tin. Makes for a laser-focused lead sound, even on the neck pickup of a humbucker guitar that I've always thought of as slightly too dark. "Searing" is probably the word I'd use.
Onto the other two knobs. Let's go to the Tone knob first.
Think of a really bright thing. That's about how bright this pedal sounds rolled totally off. The range -- and I fully admit that here, my amp, which is also naturally a little bright, plays a big role -- seems to go from not too bad to OHGODMYEARS. And that's with my amp Highs turned down to about 9 O'clock. Clearly, Catalinbread intended this to be used with a very dark amp. Can't blame them just because it doesn't match up well with my other stuff, but I figure I should mention the fact that it doesn't.
Lastly, there's the volume knob. Unity volume is about a hair and a half north of off. Beyond that, you start adding heaps and heaps of boosted signal to whatever comes next in your chain. Which, I don't know, I guess if for people who hear all the gain in this pedal and think "Man, I wish I could add another gain stage by driving the everloving CRAP out of my amp/ other dirt pedal too!" I'm not sure I want to hang out with whoever this knob is for.
So here's the closest I came to getting a sound I'd use for more than covering the exit solo of We Will Rock You: Guitar volume on 2; Compressor compressing a lot with volume output at about 8 o'clock; Galileo Gain all the way down; Galileo tone all the way down; Galileo volume at about 8 O'clock, Amp bass at 3 Oclock, Amp mids at Noonish, Amp Treble at 9 O'clock, Amp preamp at 8 O'clock, Amp Master at whatever, depending on who was home at the time.
Can't help but feel that I am very much not using this pedal the way it was meant to be used.
All in al, I think Catalinbread suceeded in making exactly the pedal they wanted to. You want push-button Brian May? This'll do it. But it won't easily do much else. And unfortunately, I guess I was hoping it would. So yay for them and boo for me.
TLDR: HOLY CRAP THIS PEDAL IS SO BRIGHT AND GAINY.
For those that are unaware, here's how this thing works: it's essentially a Treble Booster circuit run into an AC-30 Preamp-inspired (Catalinbread goes further than "inspired" with their claims, but let's just ignore that) distortion pedal. The AC-30ish part of the pedal is HARDWIRED to full-on, balls-out RAWK. Period. The gain knob only controls how much Treble Bpooster gain you're adding on top of the THISISASLOUDASICANGET AC sound. Even more than the first gen version, this thing is designed to give you instant Brian May lead sound. The first gen version, because of its extra controls, came closer to being a CB30 and an Naga Viper in one enclosure.
So.
You can probably already tell that this is not going to be an especially positive review.
Let's start with that un-alterable AC-30(ish) gain. Catalinbread set out to capture the sound and response of an amp at its limits. And you know what? They suceeeded. It really does respond like an amp. They claim that you can clean up your signal by rolling off your guitar's volume, but I found that with any pickups hotter than my Danelectro, this was very, very difficult. With Gibson P90s, I have to roll down to 1-2 to get anything remotely like the chime I associate with lightly driven Vox preamps. Even then, if I'm even just a hair too aggressive in my attack, the Galileo is all too ready to distort. I spent some time fiddling and found that if I ran moderately heavy compression with very low output level just before the Galileo, I could kinda sorta get into Peter Buck territory. This, unfortunately, made my comp nearly useless for anything OTHER than taming the gain on the Catalinbread.
That Gain knob: Yep, it makes a very gainy pedal a whole lot gainier. Also, it boosts the treble quite a bit. Just like it says on the tin. Makes for a laser-focused lead sound, even on the neck pickup of a humbucker guitar that I've always thought of as slightly too dark. "Searing" is probably the word I'd use.
Onto the other two knobs. Let's go to the Tone knob first.
Think of a really bright thing. That's about how bright this pedal sounds rolled totally off. The range -- and I fully admit that here, my amp, which is also naturally a little bright, plays a big role -- seems to go from not too bad to OHGODMYEARS. And that's with my amp Highs turned down to about 9 O'clock. Clearly, Catalinbread intended this to be used with a very dark amp. Can't blame them just because it doesn't match up well with my other stuff, but I figure I should mention the fact that it doesn't.
Lastly, there's the volume knob. Unity volume is about a hair and a half north of off. Beyond that, you start adding heaps and heaps of boosted signal to whatever comes next in your chain. Which, I don't know, I guess if for people who hear all the gain in this pedal and think "Man, I wish I could add another gain stage by driving the everloving CRAP out of my amp/ other dirt pedal too!" I'm not sure I want to hang out with whoever this knob is for.
So here's the closest I came to getting a sound I'd use for more than covering the exit solo of We Will Rock You: Guitar volume on 2; Compressor compressing a lot with volume output at about 8 o'clock; Galileo Gain all the way down; Galileo tone all the way down; Galileo volume at about 8 O'clock, Amp bass at 3 Oclock, Amp mids at Noonish, Amp Treble at 9 O'clock, Amp preamp at 8 O'clock, Amp Master at whatever, depending on who was home at the time.
Can't help but feel that I am very much not using this pedal the way it was meant to be used.
All in al, I think Catalinbread suceeded in making exactly the pedal they wanted to. You want push-button Brian May? This'll do it. But it won't easily do much else. And unfortunately, I guess I was hoping it would. So yay for them and boo for me.
TLDR: HOLY CRAP THIS PEDAL IS SO BRIGHT AND GAINY.
