Catalinbread Sagrado Poblano Boost

As easy as it gets. Just one knob and it's even big enough to turn with your foot. Finally, someone gets it right!

Fantastic. Stays true to the sound of your setup but just kicks it up a notch and makes it slightly warmer. True bypass too. You can kick it on for solos or just leave it on all the time and turn the knob up with your foot when you wanna widdle away (not that I wish to encourage guitar widdlers to widdle, God help us)

All hand-wired circuit, switchcraft jacks, tough hammond-style casing etc etc. Look like a sardine can too!

By many accounts he's a nice, approachable dude who stands behind his products, but I've had no need to call him on it.

This one decisively beat out the considerably more expensive Zvex Super Hard-on and matched the WAY more expensive BJFE Red Rooster Booster. Too bad it's no longer made, but the Super Chili is very close.

One very big knob, all tone. No manual. Very easy to use, except that you may have to adjust all your amp settings once you realize how much this pedal lets your natural tone shine through!

O.K... NOW I finally understand what they mean by CLEAN BOOST! I've been living with and loving my Keeley Katana, thinking that it's a pretty good clean boost, but no. The Pablano Picoso makes the Katana sound like a TS-9. It's crazy. Suddenly, minute changes in the tone or volume settings on my L6-S make significant changes to the tone coming out of my amp. I can hear every single note in highly overdriven chords. I still really like the Katana, and I'm definitely not ready to part with it yet, but I have to admit that the Pablano Picoso is a superior clean boost. Just like everyone else says, it takes whatever you put into it and just gives you a LOT more of it. It is not noisy in the least and looks and feels very well made. As mentioned before, I am playing a Gibson L6-S with stock Super Humbuckers through the Pablano Picoso and into an Ampeg VL-502 with 2 Celestion Black Shadow 12" speakers. I'm not entirely sure if the Pablano Picoso sounds "cooler" than the Katana (the Katana is a little more "comfortable" sounding, if that makes any sense), but I know for a fact that the Picoso is more faithful to the tone of the guitar, adds less color, no midrange hump, etc. Like I said, this is a very clean boost.

Haven't had it long, but it looks, feels and sounds very dependable. I don't need to gig without a backup of some kind, but I wouldn't worry if I did. I don't think this one's going to give out any time soon.

Haven't yet, but have heard nothing but good things. Plus, he's right here in Seattle, so at least I could track him down!

Do you like how your guitar sounds? Do you like how it sounds through your amp? Then you will love this pedal. Makes the equipment you already own just sound... better and bigger, more tweakable. Very easy math there. Highly recommended! Worth every penny!

On/off footswitch and a big round know to adjust the volume. That should foolproof.

This is the nicest clean boost I have used so far and I've heard a few of them ! The big plus for me is that it tightens up and expands the bass response of my combo amp. Open back 1x12 can be a bit flabby at times, but the Sagrado brings out the best in the combo. So as stated before: it's not a bass boost, it just gets more bass out of your rig in a good way. Like all mosfet boosts, it adds some sparkle in the highes registers too and that sounds nice, but if you have set your amp up chiming already it can be a bit overwhelming. But normally you'd have to love it.

Tested it with P90's, humbuckers. single coils, EL34 amps, EL84 amps....it's great. Especially beefing up your drive channel sounds great.

Seems durable.

Perfect little pedal.

On off switch and one knob - can't be any simpler than that. You can dial in a nice full clean boost or wind it up to a beautiful hairy fat boost or anything in-between.

I use solidbody electric guitars with singles or humbuckers into a very Marshall-like Groove Tubes Soul-O 50 amp. The pedal is not noisy unless you dime it, and it's not overly so when you do (no noise gate needed, to be sure); it plays well with other pedals too.

I rarely get excited about pedals, but this one is killer. Truly. If you've got a tube amp, particularly a Marshally tube amp, this pedal is a must-have. You hear all the time how great pedals are transparent, and dynamic and amp-like. Unlike overdrive and distortion boxes that simulate the sound of an overdriven amp, this serves the purpose of actually overdriving your amp. You can't get more transparent and amp-like than actually making your amp give up the goods, now can you?

You can turn the Poblano up high to use it to push your amp at practice volumes and add hair (fat boost). You can use it at lower settings with the amp at higher volumes to add bigness and fullness to your tone (clean boost) - this is one of those pedals you might very well leave on all the time.

This is my first Catalinbread pedal (if the other Catalinbread products are this good, it probably won't be the last) and I've only had it about a week so I really can't rate this category.

I inquired about a Catalinbread SCO earlier in the year, and Nicholas was very prompt to reply. Seems like a great guy.

I play mostly hard rock and blues. I would say this pedal is a great match for any style of music - you can use it to just make your amp sound richer and fuller, or you can use it to push your amp into giving up the goods.

Total time in music is about 7.5 years; time playing electric guitar is just over 3 years. I own 3 Carvin guitars (and 4th on the way): 2) DC127 and 1) DC135; the GT Soul-O 50 head mentioned above; an Avatar 2x12 cab loaded with Celestions - a Vintage 30 and a G12T75; and my pedalboard right now consists of: Fender PT-100, Barber Tone Press, Dunlop 535Q Crybaby, MJM London Fuzz, Xotic BB, Keeley TS-9, and the Catalinbread Sagrado Poblano Picoso.

If the Poblano crapped out or were stolen I would definitely replace it with the same pedal. Like I said, this one is a "must have".

There is a stomp switch and a knob. That's it. Very easy to use. 'Manual' is a piece of paper with a few suggestions on where to set the knob, and where it could/should be placed in your chain.

I placed mine at the end of my chain before the amp/effects loop.

A 10 for ease, the only way it could be easier is if they send someone along with the pedal to stomp the switch and turn the knob for you.

Guitars...'62 Strat reissue/LesPaul Studio/'52 Tele reissue/Jackson Kelley w/ToneZone and AirNorton pickups. Amp is a Classic 30(Hellatone speaker,fresh EH pre/power amp tubes).

Effects chain: ClydeWah/FD2/'69/ProTone BodyRot/Sagrado Poblano Picoso
Loop has RetroSonic Chorus/SPF I-5 delay/Microvibe.

This is the greatest thing I have ever added to my pedal board. Period. This is a 'Full Range'boost...I have waited about a week to rate this and I have to say, I'm floored at how this opens up and richens my sound. The low end is deep and defined, the high end is airy, and crisp with a hint of dirt(the perfect little hint). It is quiet, and it doesn't color the sound. It works with all of my pedals well and makes my Tele come to life with a bite it just didn't have.
I'm hooked on this Stout Boost and I don't turn it off EVER when I'm playing, I just can't. If I need to quiet a bit I just use the volume on my guitar. Dammit I'm sorry to gush but this pedal is BAD-ASS.

Hand built by Nicholas, and seems tough. I would probably have a backup(ProTone Wide Tread) when I play out but maybe not. I will say that if this goes during a gig it would be like the cliche "throwing a blanket over my amp" feeling. Which would suck, but not as bad as having a backing track start playing during SatNiteLive for a song you have already "played".

I have e-mailed Nicholas a couple of times and recieved prompt and friendly replies. He was very helpful in describing some of the charachteristics of his pedals and why I might choose the Sagrado Poblano over the Super Chile Picoso. He was right.

I play classic rock to thrash, BigBrother and the HoldingCo to the Accused...with some JanesAddiction/Velvet Revolver influences...at least that is what I want to play like...

This is a 'Full Range "stout boost" which sets it apart from other boost pedals. Whatever style it makes it bigger,fatter,BETTER sounding

I would buy this pedal again if I had to (theft/loss/etc..) this is part of MY sound as far as I'm concerned. Reminds me of a commercial..."the Sagrado Poblano Picoso doesn't make your distortion, it makes your distortion better" Buy this pedal. Buy Catalinbread pedals. I'm getting a SuperCharged Overdrive next...stay tuned.

Easy as can be. Ojne knob for boost/gain and away you go!

My set up is an Orange AD140TC into a marshall 1960B cabinet with stock GT-1275 celstion speakers, played with a 1992 Gibson Les Paul Studio Lite. The Poblano really pumps the Orange into heavy land. I run my amp "just about to break" and use the Poblano to push it right over the edge. It doesn't take away ANY low end, which has always been a problem for me with boosts, and it also doesn't sound overly compressed like my mxr microamp did.

This peda isn't really a "bass boost", more accurately it is a full range boost that just allows all your amps and guitar's natural abss to come through. This is a great, GREAT boost pedal.

I give this a solid 10 for reliability. The build quality is outstanding. Nicholas from Catalinbread would fix it if anything ever did go wrong anyway. He's cool like that.

As mentioned above, Nicholas Rocks. My only issue with this pedal was that it was having a very slight "pop" with my particular rig. Probably because I use so much gain going into it with super hot pickups and whatnot. I emailed him, and he modded it for free, and sent it right back. He is truly incredibly kind and helpful.

I own this, the Vari0boost (limited run of only 6 pedals), and the Supercharged overdrive by Catalinbread. All his stuff is great. If the Poblano were stolen I would defintely buy another. It makes the rig come alive. Hell for $119 I feel like I stole it already!

This is another great boost from catalinbread, and I believe is exclusively distributed in the US through www.tonefactor.com

I don't work for either of these guys by the way. I just really like this pedal, and am always treated great by tonefactor!