CATALINBREAD
ANTICHTHON
REVIEW BY DAVID A. EVANS
STREET PRICE $169.99
Catalinbread’s new
Antichthon is essentially a
fuzz pedal combined with a
square-wave tremolo circuit.
Unlike a simple “two-inone” effect, however, the
Antichthon will deliver far
more than its simple black
housing might indicate.
This thing will create
anything from bird and
dolphin cries to dark, fuzzy
tremolo, to digital-sounding
square wave distortion.
Potential buyers should
know that it’s a pedal that
requires a bit of finesse
and experimentation.
However, with practice, the
Antichthon will reveal its
fascinating possibilities.
Because of the pedal’s
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GEAR REVIEW
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sensitivity to changes
in input voltage, the
instrument’s volume knob
can act as a tremolo speed
and intensity control. With
the pedal’s Volume at
noon and Time (tremolo
speed) and Space (tremolo
depth) at roughly two
o’clock, a low instrument
volume produced slower
tremolo. In contrast, a
higher instrument volume
produced faster tremolo.
Moreover, at the higher
instrument volumes, the
Antichthon produces fuzz
“up front,” without tremolo,
then fades into a fuzzy
tremolo sound.
When the input volume was
at roughly two or three,
Catalinbread Antichthon
the Antichthon produced a
wonderful, melancholic dirty
tremolo sound. The sound
at this setting reminded this
reviewer of the best that
dark, rich distortion and
tremolo can be. The effect
took on a Leslie-like warble
that would be fantastic for
an electric piano. It even
sounded a bit like it had a
built-in reverb. Higher
input volume levels
generated the “up front”
fuzz and a gradual fade
into tremolo-fuzz.
In testing, the Antichthon
generated the
aforementioned sounds
at the lowest possible
“Gravity” knob setting.
Adding a bit of Gravity