Catalinbread mesmerizes with the Pareidolia

Portlanders do tremolo with a twist

Three things are becoming evermore common coming out of the Pacific Northwest – gloomy weather, terrific seafood and quality effects pedals. The latest subject in the final category comes from the fine folks at Catalinbread, which steered away from the amp-in-a-box trend they had been following with the Dirty Little Secret, Wiio and Formula No. 5 and moved to a sort of modulation gumbo with the release of Pareidolia Harmonic Mesmerizer. Equal parts Tremolo, Vibrato and Filter, the Pareidolia has its roots in the 1961 Fender Twin Amp, with offered a vibrato that favored tremolo voicings. So… does the Pareidolia deliver the trance-inducing swirl it suggests?

The Catalinbread Pareidolia comes in the bog-standard white pedal box affixed with a swirly logo sticker and a smaller C-bread logo sticker on the side with the model name and paint color. The pedal comes in several different color combinations. Our review stomp is ‘Sublime’. Inside the box, you’ll find the Pareidolia is snugged away in a linen pouch… and that’s it! The pedal itself hosts three knob controls… Depth, Rate and Volume. In Catalinbread’s words, the Depth control is able to go from just a slight shimmer in your sound to undulating ocean waves. The Rate ranges from molasses slow phase sweeps to lush tremolo and skittery chops. The Volume controls the loudness and was designed to pull double duty as a fantastic boost when the Depth is off. The pedal also has a 9v-18v DC center negative input for power. The Pareidolia cannot be run on batteries.

Diving into the Pareidolia, we dial up a touch of pulse and swirl for the neck pick-up on the Strat. With Depth dimed, Rate at 11 o’clock and Volume at noon, here’s a little bluesy progression. First dry, then wet.

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You get a taste of the low-end pulse emitted by the Paredolia here. The beat is nestled in the ebb of a rash of waves set by the pedal’s Rate control. You can also hear the root Trem/Vibe foundation of the pedal. Down to the bridge pick-up, we dial back the Depth to get a bit more chop in this chordal progression. With the Depth at 10 o’clock, Rate at 3 o’clock and Volume still at noon, here’s a quick bit of waver. First clean, then the Pareidolia.

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The Pareidolia maintains a bit of its signature pulse, even when the Depth is dialed back, though it does start to take on more of the characteristics found in most tremolo-style pedals. Over to the Les Paul, we go for more push with a grunge riff from a Seattle supergroup. With the Depth at 2 o’clock, Rate at noon and Volume run to 1 o’clock, it’s time to reach down… dry first, then the effect.

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Here is where the pedal really starts to shine. The power of the humbuckers gives the pulse better definition and a real kick once you start turning that Depth knob to the right. Add some dirt to the that Temple of the Dog riff and you’re there!

The Pareidolia Harmonic Mesmerizer is yet another unique sounding pedal from the C-bread crew. The Oregon-based gurus have become the Pixar of pedalsmiths with a solid streak of winners dating back to before What’s That Dude Play? even existed. The Pareidolia’s signature sound is both audibly cool and musically useable – not exactly a no-brainer to achieve in a single stomp these days. The sub-$200 price tag also is appealing to the money-conscious musician. If you are in the market for a part-Tremolo, part-Vibrato and all-hip pedal to add a little oomph to your swirl, then the Pareidolia Harmonic Mesmerizer might be your ticket. That’s our opinion anyway… your mileage may vary.

PLEASE NOTE: All YMMV Review clips are played through a Fender ’65 Princeton Reverb RI using Lava Clear Connect cables. No reverb or other effects were added to the clips. Guitars used in this review include a 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom and a 1998 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster.