Catalinbread Airstrip Console Preamp Pedal - Red

From the raw guitar tones of Lou Reed to the boundary-pushing recordings of Frank Zappa, the Trident A-Range recording console helped define some of rock's most enduring sounds. Inspired by the legendary germanium-and-transformer-equipped preamp at the heart of that iconic console, the Catalinbread Airstrip distills its unmistakable studio character into a pedalboard-friendly format while dramatically expanding its creative range. Pairing the original console-inspired preamp with a vintage UREI-style discrete op amp, interactive Push and Trim controls, and a carefully voiced treble filter, the Airstrip delivers everything from polished, console-style clean enhancement to harmonically rich overdrive, transformer saturation and collapsing fuzz—all with the unmistakable character of one of recording history's most revered studio desks.

Legendary Console Circuit With Expanded Creative Range

The Airstrip faithfully recreates the discrete germanium-and-transformer-equipped preamp that gave the Trident A-Range console its unmistakable warmth, harmonic richness and musical saturation. To dramatically expand the original circuit's capabilities, Catalinbread pairs it with a vintage UREI-style discrete op amp that can drive the preamp far beyond its traditional studio role. Together, these carefully voiced gain stages capture everything from polished console-style enhancement and edge-of-breakup grit to rich transformer saturation, thick overdrive and expressive vintage-flavored fuzz while preserving the unmistakable feel of the original design.

Interactive Controls for Everything From Studio Polish to Crushing Fuzz

The Airstrip's intuitive control layout makes it easy to explore its remarkably broad gain range. Trim sets the gain of the console preamp itself, while Push determines how hard the UREI-inspired op amp drives the front end, with both controls interacting to create everything from subtle harmonic enhancement to aggressive distortion and gnarly walls of fuzz. A dedicated Filter control provides a smooth, musical treble contour to tailor the pedal's final voice, while Volume delivers ample output for use as anything from a refined always-on preamp to a powerful solo boost.

Studio Console Character for Any Pedalboard

The Catalinbread Airstrip operates anywhere from 9V to 24V, allowing players to tailor its response to their rig, with lower voltages producing softer saturation and higher voltages increasing headroom, clarity and dynamic attack. Standard 1/4" input and output jacks make it easy to integrate into virtually any pedalboard, while its compact enclosure leaves plenty of room for the rest of your effects. Whether you're chasing polished console-style cleans, harmonically rich transformer saturation or unapologetically aggressive fuzz, the Airstrip delivers the unmistakable sound and feel of a legendary recording console in a remarkably versatile stompbox.