Based in the San Diego area, US, is Cat's-Eye ESP , makers of some very exciting and well respected pedals such as The Mista' Fuzz Classic Fuzztone , The Hybrid Fuzz and being the huge fan of the tan coloured ROSS Distortion that I am, The Mutha' Fuzz Distortion
Shrapnel Records has added Cat's-Eye pedals to the arsenal of gear available to the artists who record for the label, something any manufacturer would be very proud of.
I asked Dean to outline the history, present and future of Cat's-Eye ESP.
My partner Lisa Kroeker and I started Cat's-Eye ESP in April of 2002 after years of working in the Aerospace and Microelectronics/Semiconductor industries here in San Diego California.
Since we're both lifelong musicians (she's a singer and i'm a guitarist) we thought it would be really cool to start a company that was in the 'music biz'. I'd been modding my own pedals for
years and had recently started making custom pedals and repairing amps for my friends and others in the San Diego area so starting Cat's-Eye ESP was a logical way for us to put our experience in electronics and manufacturing to use.
We've had some favorable press in the UK. We were reveiwed in Guitar Buyer Magazine (September 2004 issue) and currently have UK distribution thru www.Killerpedals.com. We're working on European distribution, but mostly we sell direct from our website here in the US www.cats-eyeesp.com and thru www.Tonefactor.com
The Pedals
All our pedals feature True Bypass switching, have LED indicators, use 9V batteries AND have a DC power jack, carry a 3 year limited warranty and are completely handmade at our facility here in the USA.
We currently have 3 models available, with another to be released at the end of February .
The 3 currently available are:
The Mista' Fuzz Classic Fuzztone ($139.99 USD)
The Mista' Fuzz is a vintage style germanium fuzz based on our optimized version of the Fuzz Face circuit. It uses gain selected AC128 germanium transistors, cleans up really well with the guitars volume knob, DOES NOT pick up radio, overheat or display any of the problems normally associated with the Fuzz Face. It sounds best when used in front of a larger amp on the verge of breakup. Just crank up the fuzz and Vol. and control it with the guitar ala' Hendrix! This one is our best seller.
The Hybrid Fuzz ($139.99 USD)
The Hybrid Fuzz is a germanium / silicon transistor hybrid based on the same optimized Fuzz Face circuit. It has more gain and bite than the all germanium fuzz and we voiced it to get vintage tone without having to use a 100 Watt Marshall. Sounds great with small or large amps. As with the Mista'Fuzz the Hybrid WILL NOT pick up radio, overheat etc.
The Mutha' Fuzz Distortion ($129.99 USD)
The Mutha' Fuzz Distortion is a classic 70's distortion pedal based on the brown/tan Ross Distortion. The one made in Kansas in the late 70's. I love this pedal. We kept it pretty much the same with the exception of a couple of component values. It uses an RC4558 wideband opamp and germanium diodes. We biased it a little different so it is a bit more musical than the original Ross. We also use higher quality components than the original. I used my Ross from 1978 up through the mid 90's. I dig the Ross, but I LOVE the Mutha' Fuzz! Guaranteed to transport you back to the "Golden Age" of Hard Rock!
