Catalinbread announces new ownership

Portland-based effects brand Catalinbread has announced new ownership, having been purchased by musicians and studio owners Kyle Sears and Brandon Rush.

The pair have been making music together professionally for over 15 years and describe themselves as “progressively-minded gear aficionados.” In a statement released about the sale, Catalinbread said: “given their local roots, passion for gear, and well-established presence in the music industry, Kyle and Brandon are excited to take Catalinbread to the next level. Under this new ownership, the Catalinbread crew will be able to take its collective passion for sound further than ever before.”

Sears and Rush also noted that they wanted to keep the core values of the locally-run company, including its approach to finding vintage and esoteric pieces of gear, and outfitting them with modern engineering for ease of accessibility.

The sale won’t impact the current Catalinbread catalogue, which will still be on sale in its entirety. For 2020, the brand plans to release the Giygas fuzz and the Epoch Boost in spring and summer respectively.

Catalinbread entered a troubled period following the tragic death of founder Nicolas Harris in 2015, which saw Howard Gee, one of the key creative figures behind the brand, depart the company in 2017. In 2018 Gee claimed on Instagram that the company was engaged in legal action against him and three other ex-employees.

View this post on Instagram

ANNOUNCEMENT: Hey everyone. I want to take the opportunity to clear something up. I thought it was obvious by now but based on the kind messages of thanks I’ve been receiving throughout the year from people who just got their Catalinbread pedal, I realized it’s not common knowledge. I am no longer at Catalinbread. In fact, I resigned over a year ago in mid-October 2017. I am proud of the work I did in my ten years there but my career there met an unfortunate end. And last month, the current owner of Catalinbread filed a lawsuit against me and three other of my ex-colleagues. I look forward to the false allegations being cleared and the truth of the situation revealed. For those that don’t know, in March of 2016, the founder of Catalinbread, Nicholas Harris (rest in peace, dude ✨?❤️✨), was tragically killed when a tree fell on his car as he was driving to the coast. He died without a will so his mother inherited the company. That’s all I’ve got for now. OK, back to my one minute concertos and Straturday celebrations! ?????✌️❤️

A post shared by Howard Gee (@kittycastermusic) on Nov 29, 2018 at 1:44pm PST

Since then, however, there has been little news regarding the company’s ownership – until the announcement today.

More information at catalinbread.com. For more industry news click here.