GearDump

Catalinbread's New HiWatt Pedal, the WIIO

HarmonyCentral’s forums were alive with talk of a new Catalinbread Pedal called the WIIO. Catalinbread A/B tested the WIIO against a Hiwatt amplifier and the results were close. When polled most people answered which clip they though the Hiwatt was at first they answered incorrectly.

The pedal is based on the sound of a full-stack Hiwatt amp & cabinet combination popularized by guitarists like Pete Townshend of The Who. The clips did not show if this pedal can also reproduce the famous Hiwatt clean tone. The pedal has controls for Treble, Bass, Gain and Master. The paint is clearly reminiscent of the milispec construction Hiwatt featured in the 1970’s.

The WIIO is $159.00. The WIIO is already sold out the initial run of 100 units. Catalinbread indicated that this was a limited run product and that no more would be produced. Catalinbread has produced some other limited run effects emulating different amplifiers including, the Dirty Little Secret based on a Marshall, and an S.F.T. which is based on an old Ampeg Bass Amp though it works for guitar too.

Catalinbread calls the Dirty Little Secret a “foundation of tone”, suggesting it be used more like a pre-amp then a distortion or overdrive. Since the WIIO has not made it into user hands yet speculation is rampant on whether this pedal will work well in the same roll as the Dirty Little Secret.

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