SFT
One of the more unique entries in
Catalinbread’s foundation overdrive lineup
is the Ampeg-based SFT. Ampeg’s bass
amps are beloved industry workhorses,
but the company’s guitar amps never really
caught on in the same way. This is a shame,
as it made some mean and sublimely
toneful heads and combos that easily
compete with the products of its more wellknown competitors. In the modern day,
we mostly associate Ampeg guitar amps
with ‘70s Rolling Stones tones, and with
desert rock veteran Josh Homme, whose
work in Kyuss and Queens of the Stone
Age has done much to bolster Ampeg’s
reputation among guitarists that like heavy,
low-tuned raunch. If you’ve been itching
for some of these sounds, but at common
sense volumes, and without hunting down
a working vintage Ampeg, the SFT has
your back. Every classic Ampeg tone, from
huge and clean to fuzzed-out grunt, is
available in this one pedal. Key to this is its
Stones-Stoner mode switch, which instantly
reconfigures the SFT’s response and gain
levels. It’s a brilliantly versatile box, and
as with any great foundation OD, it stacks
beautifully with fuzzes, boosts, and other
overdrives, responding just like the amp on
which it is based.
ToneReport.com
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