Are you a guitarist on a budget but craving high-quality effects pedals? Then look no further than Caline. This review dives deep into the world of Caline pedals, exploring whether their incredibly affordable price point compromises sound quality. We'll examine a range of their offerings, from delay and fuzz to overdrive and reverb, putting their performance to the test. From humble beginnings as an OEM, Caline has carved its own niche, delivering surprising sonic fidelity that often rivals far more expensive brands.This comprehensive review covers several key Caline pedals, including the Simon Super Delay, M Fuzz, Enchanted Tone, Wonderland Reverb, and Osmium overdrive. We'll also explore their Multimod, Jaguar distortion, and the innovative DCP series. Discover if these sub-$50 pedals truly deliver professional-level sound and build quality, challenging the notion that price always dictates performance. Prepare to be surprised by the value and versatility Caline pedals offer.
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Caline's Background and My Initial Impression
I've been intrigued by Caline since discovering them at NAMM around 2014. Their initial presence was primarily as an OEM, offering private label services. This isn't uncommon in the pedal industry; many brands share components or designs. However, Caline's ability to produce decent-sounding pedals at a low price point always stood out.
Their journey began in Shenzhen, China, in 2011, founded by Gary, an engineer with a passion for guitar pedals. Shane Perry joined the team in 2018, significantly impacting their branding and product direction, which I found more appealing.
My first experience with Caline was a multi-effects pedal for my son, featuring a power amp, headphone jack, rat distortion, delay, and even small built-in speakers. While basic, its sound quality impressed me more than I expected for its price.
Simon Super Delay: A Versatile Digital Delay
The Caline Simon Super Delay caught my attention with its quirky, old-school design. Shane's input is clear here: the new pedals boast a more appealing visual aesthetic. Functionality is straightforward: Time, Mix, and Repeats controls, along with a rotary selector for Digital, Analog, and Tape delay modes.
Although fully digital, the pedal convincingly emulates different delay types. The Analog mode offers a low-repeat, slightly glitchy sound reminiscent of bucket brigade chips. The Tape mode delivers a flat, dull tone with a subtle warble, accurately capturing the character of classic tape delays.
This pedal's versatility and surprisingly accurate emulations are a great value at its price point. The sound quality easily rivals far more expensive pedals.
M Fuzz: A Unique Big Muff Variant
Caline's M Fuzz is a take on the classic Big Muff Pi, but with a twist. While functionally similar, the tone control sweep differs significantly, resulting in a unique voicing. I found the altered tone stack to be quite pleasing.
This pedal's value proposition is undeniable. For $50, you get a well-designed and distinctive fuzz pedal that stands out from the pack, even amongst clones of well-known pedals.
The old-school design aesthetic complements the robust and warm fuzz tone. It's a versatile addition for various musical genres.
Enchanted Tone: A Dumble-Style Overdrive
The Caline Enchanted Tone is an attempt at replicating the coveted Dumble sound, often costing upwards of $100,000 for the real deal. This pedal provides a surprisingly accurate approximation of that sought-after overdrive tone at a fraction of the cost.
The Enchanted Tone excels in producing warm, transparent overdrive, ideal for adding subtle gain or a touch of edge to your tone. Its versatility lends itself well to various playing styles and genres.
Given the significant price difference between this and an actual Dumble, this pedal is an exceptional bargain. The sound quality is impressive considering the price.
Wonderland Ambient Reverb Machine
The Wonderland is a unique reverb pedal inspired by Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and Brian Eno’s shimmering reverb sounds. It's a whimsical take on a classic effect, making it stand out both aesthetically and tonally.
The pedal delivers a wide range of ambient reverbs, emulating both classic and modern sounds, including that signature shimmer effect Eno is known for. It’s a versatile option for enriching your soundscape.
Caline cleverly combines a playful design with a high-quality effect. This reverb pedal is a surprising find for its price range and is sure to add depth and dimension to your tracks.
Osmium: A Smooth DS-1 Distortion
Caline's Osmium is a clever take on the iconic Ibanez Tube Screamer. It aims to improve on the original's harsh high-end response by smoothing out the treble frequencies, which is a much needed improvement.
The Osmium delivers a classic overdrive tone with a focus on warmth and sustain. The improved tone control makes it more versatile than the original DS-1.
This is another great example of Caline's ability to enhance classic pedal designs, offering a superior user experience at a remarkably low price.
Multimod: A Budget-Friendly Multi-Effects Pedal
The Caline Multimod packs seven modulation effects into a single, affordable pedal. This is a great option for players looking to add diverse modulation sounds without breaking the bank. It serves as a flexible tool for expanding tonal options.
While it's not a high-end multi-effects unit, it provides surprisingly solid performance for its price. It offers chorus, flanger, phaser, doubler, vibrato, tremolo, and pitch shifting capabilities.
Its compact size and affordability make it ideal for smaller pedal boards or as a supplementary addition to a larger setup. The Multimod is a testament to Caline’s commitment to delivering value.
Jaguar: A High-Gain Marshall-Style Distortion
The Caline Jaguar is a high-gain distortion pedal inspired by classic Marshall amplifiers. This pedal aims to capture the aggressive tone of vintage Marshall heads, modified for high-gain applications.
The Jaguar features a bias control, enabling users to dial in various levels of gain and saturation. This feature allows for a wide range of tonal variations.
The Jaguar delivers a powerful and aggressive distortion tone, suitable for genres ranging from hard rock to metal. The inclusion of the bias control offers another level of customization and control over the tone.
Honorable Mentions and Conclusion
Caline offers a wide range of other pedals at similar price points, including overdrives, reverbs, compressors, and more. Many of these pedals, such as the Queen Bee, Mellow Overdrive Reverb, and Wave Machine, offer unique and high-quality effects.
The DCP series stands out with its two-in-one combinations of effects, such as the Easy Driver EQ/Distortion and Timus Compressor/Boost. These offer exceptional versatility for a low price.
Caline consistently delivers impressive sound quality and creative designs at a fraction of the cost of comparable pedals from other brands. Their commitment to affordability without sacrificing tone makes them a worthwhile option for budget-conscious players.