How Good are Caline Pedals REALLY?
Caline effects are a budget pedal company out of Shenzen, China. These pedals have positioned themselves alongside companies like Joyo and Tone City. These are great for beginners and gigging musicians. I am a gigging musician and have used their pedals live without issues.
Inexpensive Does Not Mean Poor Quality
Sure, there’s a lot of cheap crap still out there, but there are also a lot of great pedals. Caline makes an effort to improve too continually. I have been testing and reviewing their products for years now. Each new range of pedals is generally better than the last.
When I First Tried Caline Effects
Not every pedal in the range is a winner, but the overall push to improve is rare and appreciated. The first pedal range I had my hands on was in 2014; these pedals are still available today. Instead of discontinuing an entire line when a new one comes out, Caline adds to it.
My favorite Pedals from the Original Range of Caline Effects
Caline Pure Sky
The Pure Sky is based on the Timmy Pedal. It is very similar tone-wise, but it is not a straight-up clone. One difference is that tone control operates the “regular” way. This is a very transparent overdrive making it great for rhythm guitar tones.
Caline Orange Burst
The Caline Orange Burst is one of the best inexpensive overdrives ever. Based on the tones of the Xotic pedals, it’s great for rhythm or lead tones. In addition, the Orange burst has more gain than the Pure Sky.
Caline Blue Ocean Delay
A nice-sounding digital delay pedal. It will sound great going into the FX loop of your amplifier or even straight into the front end. This is a very simple delay pedal without a tap tempo. You just set it up, then forget about it.
Caline 10 Band EQ
Arguably the best value-for-money EQ pedal on the market. Sure, some are cheaper, but not with the Caline build quality. I had a chance to test this out several times, and it was a very popular pedal for guitarists on a budget. There aren’t many ten-band EQ pedals in this price range.
Are Caline Pedals Worth it?
Compared with other effects, pedals are around the same price! I believe that Caline makes more robust pedals than Electro-Harmonix.
My Current Range Favorites
Caline Pegasus
The Pegasus is based on the Klon Centaur overdrive pedal. This is built well, and I would take it over many other, more expensive Klon clones. I wrote about this in detail in a post about Klon Clones.
Caline Ghost Rain
You’ll love the Ghost Rain if you are a fan of Analog delay pedals. The tones are awesome, and I also love the graphics on the pedal. Pair this up with the Pegasus, and you have a formidable tone.
Caline Midlander
The Caline Midlander is a Tubescreamer clone. It sounds as good as the Joyo Vintage Overdrive or the Ibanez Tubescreamer. The Caline Midlander is not covering any new ground, but it sounds great. Everyone needs a good mid-bump overdrive in their arsenal.
Which Caline Pedals to Avoid
It’s not all rainbows and Unicorns. Caline did make a few pedals I suggest you avoid. Here is my guide to make it easy to determine which ones suck. If there’s a dial on the front that gives you seven different types of sounds, avoid it.
What about the Caline Multi-effects Pedals
Caline C-300 Multi-effects Pedal
Caline makes a fairly wide range of multi-effects pedals as well. My favorite is the Caline C-300 6 in 1 multi-effects unit. The Caline C-300 has just about everything any guitarist would need on a pedalboard, including:
- Tuner
- Overdrive
- Boost
- Distortion
- Delay
- Reverb
Caline Scuru S6 3 in 1
Buy it on Amazon
The Scuru 6, aka: “Back to the Wild” pedal, is pretty good for a 3 in 1. It’s not quite the powerhouse of a pedal that the C-300 is, but it will be perfect for those who don’t need all the effects in the larger pedal.
This pedal features Distortion, Chorus, and Delay. This is not the pedal you want for those who prefer an all-in-one with overdrive. However, it’s a great choice if you love higher gain tones mixed with delay and chorus.
Caline Pedal Accessories
The Caline CP-04 Power Supply
My favorite pedal accessories I use daily are their pedal power supplies. Currently, I have two of them. The Caline CP-04 is my favorite small-form power supply. I have had zero issues with any noise or hum with this power supply which is why I use it. Having various power outputs is also really handy.
One downside to the CP-04 is that it requires its power supply to power the unit. The CP-08 below only requires a kettle lead. Unfortunately, the power supply’s cable length is too short, so you’ll probably need an extension cable.
The Caline CP-04 features
- Switch for LED lights: Bright blue LED for pedal board lighting&short circuit indicating if you turn it on, all lights will go on after the power is connected
- Short-circuit protection for stable and safe power supply and a short circuit in one channel won’t affect other channels’ function
- 10 isolated outputs: 4 x 9V 100mA,3 x 9V 300mA,1 x 9V 500mA,1 x 12V 300mA,1 *x 18V 100mA
- This power supply is made of high-quality aluminum alloy, with inbuilt USB charging for iPhones, iPad, mobile phones, etc.
- Package including a Caline CP-04 power supply, an adapter, ten cables, two connecting cables, and an English user manual
The Caline CP-08 Power Supply
Buy it on Amazon
Since it arrived, I’ve used this for 100% of my YouTube pedal videos. I love the dedicated isolated outputs and various voltages. The power supply is built like an absolute tank and is connected to the wall with a replaceable kettle power cable. Not having to worry about connecting an external power supply is a huge benefit of the Caline CP-08
the Caline CP-08 features
- Isolated protection: Separate short-circuit protection and noise reduction. A short circuit in one channel won’t affect other channels’ function
- 10 outputs: AC 110V – 230V input, DC 9v/ 12v/ 18v 100mA/300mA outputs. Power on multiple devices at the same time
- Power Supply Dimensions: 9.6(L)x 2.7(W) x 1.8(H) inch, Power Supply Weight: 1.5kgs
- LED lights for lighting and indicating, when an instantaneous over-current occurs, it will flicker and act as a warning
- Convenient and space-saving, with an aluminum alloy shell, durable and stable
Pedalboards
Caline CP-105 Pedalboard
- Caline CB-105 portable aluminum alloy guitar effects pedal board with a non-woven fabric bag, lightweight and durable
- Dimension: Pedal board: 22(L)*12(W)*2.6(H) inch, Pedal board Bag: 23.6(L)*14.2(W)* 5.3(H) inch
- Convenient for guitarists when going out and guitar playing, safely and securely transports your pedals from gig to gig.
- This pedal board with the hollow design this foot pedal board makes the arrangement of wires convenient, and there is a universal mounting bracket to save space.
- The pedalboards can support about ten effects simultaneously and suit any power supply volume, which is convenient and space-saving.
Which Pedalboard to Avoid
Caline also makes a few other pedalboards that you need to assemble. The one I have tried had issues staying secure. I would highly suggest skipping CB-106 and going for this one instead.