Formula 55 (Foundation)

The Catalinbread Formula 55 is a part-for-part recreation of the Fender 5E3 Tweed Deluxe preamp, the amp Neil Young has been destroying for over forty years. The 5E3's push-pull 6V6 pair delivered roughly 15 watts of the most responsive clean-to-crunch tone Fender ever produced.

The Hi/Lo switch simulates swapping between 12AX7 and 12AY7 preamp tubes, a classic mod that changes the gain structure from hotter (AX7) to more open and dynamic (AY7). Volume controls the preamp gain, Tone shapes the character, Presence fine-tunes the 5kHz range, and Master sets the output. This is the most refined 5E3 circuit in the Formula lineup, replacing the earlier Formula No. 5.

Billy Gibbons, Larry Carlton, and Don Felder all leaned on Tweed Deluxes for their signature sounds. The Formula 55 captures that breakup character where the amp responds to your pick attack like a living thing. Runs on 9-18V DC.