OVERDRIVE- KLON CENTAUR OVERDRIVE...is it really that good ?

KLON CENTAUR OVERDRIVE

HISTORY

It all started when Bill Finnegan was told by the sound man to turn down.To 4!!!! Bill's Fender Twin sounded like crap on 4 but great on 7. The short story is he first looked for a pedal...to ad back 'that sound' The ts 808 was the best but not good enough for Bill.
Bill would build one!!!

He spent a couple of years with an MIT grad he new. That got it started but not 'there'. He then found another MIT guy Fred Fenning...he had zero interest in music. So it was designed by Fred doing... and Bill saying yes...or more often NO!

So eventually they got a good one.

< Bill at his Apt

Bill had made 8000 pedals all hand made on a card table in his apartment..doing a 60 hour week and being back ordered by 14 plus weeks...and at $392.00...was still making squat....
 Bill said goodbye.      THE LEGEND BEGAN.

                                                          

Fred & Bill's Klon

So after a long absence old Bill and Fred were pulled out of retirement

Yes with 2 years and a few bucks to see them through...they got an exact clone of the original.

Well...sound wise it is!!! Nearly?


The KLON KTR  $270.00-$500.00 USD
or more? A few new ones floating around
but most are used.

                                                                           
Bill does have a sense of humour...or maybe not.
                    

After awhile things went pear shaped...and Bill was gone again.

But no! After a kisses and make up....Bill was back to help create the Archer...a nice compact version that does not take up to much real estate on your board.

Bill claims all versions of his pedals sound the same in spite of the hype and myth of the first Klon. He claims what few changes there have been made were for protection of the circuit...and never were part of the audio circuit.

The J Rockett Audio Designs Archer ....Current Price $186.00 USD


Having listen extensively to both the Archer and the Klon...
I find the Klon to be a bit fuller..with softer mids and the Archer tighter with more mids...The KTR
is not quite as tight..but the mids are much the same as the Archer.
In an average room in the real world...that 'bit' would be negligible to the extreme !!!
But if you listen long enough the original has an almost acoustic quality and it's fullness becomes more apparent.
The original Klon is definitely the best.

Ok...next Bill with his 2 Klons & a KTR...the differences seem to be inconsequential.
Occasionally I felt I heard a tiny 'growl' on the gold one with the Les Paul...with the Strat...they all sounded exactly the same.

So as of July product is generally available..and the ...Current Price $269.00 USD

So...Bill wins! A medium size unit...buffered or by pass...sounding  99% like the Centaur!!




APOLOGIES:

I recently met someone I do business with that went very much past basic courtesy to help me out.

A case of it is a small world. I told my new found friend about my Blog and he saw it and as he knows a lot about the Klon he set me straight.

He is a good friend of Bill Finnegan . He said Bill is a great and generous guy that is often too trusting. In short he really did get jerked around by those out to simply cash in on his knowledge.

The reason there is a difference in sound between the Archer and the Klon is that they dismissed him before he could lay claim to his design. They thought they had it  nailed. There is a key part that they have substituted for the correct part. They even have randomly used different substitutes. But claim they have sourced and bought the original part.

But...knowing this gives complete cred to Bill's story. I was a total SHIT in poking fun of Bill in this story. So if he wants a kick at my butt. I have it coming.

Bottom line...only Bill.

..has evey detail of what makes a Klon a Klon....the last vid makes a strong argument that the Klon and KTR are virtually the same thing.

REVIEW JULY SNAMM'16

HE'S BACK...Bill is back....in business
with revised KTR and news of a new KLON booster pedal
He even says that next week he will have a site up...a home made one by the sound of it with a list of dealers.

SOOOO.....you have to check out this...it is a MUST

WHAT DOES IT DO?

The point of it was to add back the harmonics and a very mildly distorted edge that is lost when you can not push an amp to the very edge of break up. In short without turning your amp up it will sound like you did.

For example a Fender Twin Reverb on 4 with this pedal sounds identical to turning the amp up to 7 without the pedal.

This has problems in many ways...all amps are different...and the 'sweet spot' on the pedal may be too quiet or too loud regardless of it allowing lower volumes.
This pedal could soon disappear as more musicians are running amps clean and wanting a pedal that creates the whole sound... self contained in a pedal. 
The Overdrive Preamp...concept could soon make the pedal redundant.

Klon pedals have an incredible warmth..and a very smooth singing quality when put through a clean amp. I suspect if stacked with an aggressive overdrive it would fatten and smooth off any overly rough edges.
In short it is thing onto itself. It does not have to be useful only using it to give your amp a kick. If set quite low it turns an average amps clean sound into $3000.00 gourmet amps clean sound.
And that is alone worth a couple of hundred .

                                             
  A mature look at the the Klon's...and a 'take no prisoners' vid.

RIGHT OFF I CAN TELL YOU THE CLONES TEND TO BE TIGHTER...OR MORE MIDDY OR HAVE MORE DISTORTION.



ELECTRO-HARMONIX SOUL FOOD

Just a tad bit harsher with less definition but quite usable...and $100.00 cheaper.
This has been a runaway success for EH.


Current Price

$79.00 USD

                         

ARC EFFECTS

Many claim this is the one to beat..there are even Klon owners who bought one to take to the gig.
No one wants a real Klon sitting on the floor during a break. LOL
There seems to be a new Klon clone every week...LOL...but the only one that gets the buzz on the chat sites is the ARC.

 Except for the 4 pedals that Bill Finnegan was involved with...this is the best I have heard.

at...$200.00 USD you be the judge.

MOGOO KLON CENTAUR

Yes..another Mogoo clone...

they claim to use the exact circuit. BUT...key

parts in the original were covered in epoxy...so expect a similar sound at best.

THIS is the only vid.....and it is sh@t

                                            Current Price $65.00 USD

PROTAITONE KLON CENTAUR

Oddly enough if you buy it as a kit it looks more authentic. The leaping Mustang just doesn't cut it.

Current Price $68.00 USD

Yes they do call it a Klon Centaur...there are no vids. I have dealt with this company...they are self contained...only the owner speaks..some English. A nice guy...but he really can't understand half of what I say.

UPDATE:this is just a recent colour choice...note the correct Centaur is used instead of the plastering  goofy horse graphic.

 

The company now refers to the pedal as the K Drive


 They specialize in pedal kits and Loop switchers.

$45.00 USD for a kit.

If you need a loop switcher...check them out. BUT ....

GOT-CHA

One side effect of a Klon...is it tends to define every note. Fret rattle string noise and any minor flubs stand out. So it forces you to really clean up your playing.

In short...it is a special pedal..

So...if you really 'NEED' one...get the best you can afford.
It is a great musical tool.

I say 'NEED"...because for most of us some thing with a bit more crunch like an ts808 is about minimum.

In my world the Exotic BB preamp or Joyo Orange Burst...a Fender sounding overdrive is about as clean as I get. But as a pedal that I can stack...mmmm maybe there is something to it.  lol

THE SAME ONLY DIFFERENT  or "ME TOO!" PEDALS

KING OF TONE

This pedal has a legion of followers it is made by Analog Man and there is a one and half year waiting list.
I truly think those that have owned the pedal for up to 10 years have no idea of it even having anything to do with a KLON.
I myself have wanted one for some time and with the hours and hours I have listened I never once saw a connection. Why? Simple at very low distortion it does have an uncanny similarity. Even stanger...to my ears it sounds a little better LOL

So...most of you know that every pedal has sweet spot...usually just a bit left or right of 12o'clock on the gain knob...turning the unit back to 8 o'clock and giving it a very careful listen other then to check out the range between 10 and 2 when you first get it ...is not typical.

Most of those that buy a KOT are getting it to be used at a much higher setting then the KLON even
produces.     Myself included.

The KOT sells for up to a thousand dollars or more used. Go figure LOL?

Recently Analog Man have had an accurate same spec...hand made version made for them in  from China...They are called The Prince of Tone and sell for $138.00 and are just a very tiny, tiny bit thinner sounding.

Because of the pent up demand...both the KOT and the POT are bought by many with the only intent to put it on E bay and quickly make a nice big profit.

So...to try and curb this the new Prince is virtually raffled off. It works like this...every Wednesday...you can put in an order. But...like a slot machine...you get a "try Again" or you get thru with your order. LOL...
OK...my whole point is ...that these are serious pedals...not 'Me Too's' made to cash in on the clone.

So check out the vid...it really is quite uncanny as I really think the similarity is a coincidence.

After the whole comparison I personally am cured. With 10 overdrives on my board the only ones distinct but not on my board were a KLON and a King of Tone.
The KOT at low volumes you get a decent KLON sound...better still the KOT is to my ears is warmer...and at a higher gain I get a whole new pedal. So...I will get the the Prince of Tone ...at $138.00 USD...I can't loose.

Ok....for the record I won the lottery...lol

I have a POT on the way.

LOVE PEDAL KALAMAZOO

There are many many more Gourmet brands that make some variation of it. Love pedals do the Kalamazoo.
It has a sound between a Klon and Tube Screamer. At $225.00 USD...it is a non starter.

Well just when I was going to close this Post for good...not one but 2 little Klon gems showed up...or maybe just one....with 2 paint jobs...LOL

MOVALL FURY MINOTAUR.....or

TONE CITY T9 BAD HORSE

Tone City was started by J. Wong who has designed most of the best Chinese clones...like those by Mooer. He wished to have a free hand in making higher quality more accurate renditions of all the best pedals out there. Add to that to have them hand made as well.

If you are a small company in China...the handmade thing costs a bit more...but going into machine production costs a lot of money. Caline's Sand Storm pedal is a case in point. It is going for $25.00 USD...but they cranked out 1000 of them.
I know that in Britain the Tone City stuff is sold to bricks and mortar stores...and the product has a 2 year replacement warranty. You do not replace a serious handmade pedal...it is designed to be serviced.
The pedal is competitively priced. But if it was machine produced I suspect it could sell for half the price and be as good.
WHY???
Some of this handmade stuff is a bit misleading...it can very easily be a human assembly line with very long tables each assembler soldering their one or 2 pieces into a printed circuit board. It is not one guy doing point to point wiring with separate little pieces of wire.
My point is...that kind of assembly will not make it better then one of Caline's 1000 Sand Storms.

I would call this pedal at least a marginal success. it is definitely in the Klon family and has that familiar mid range boost.
There are a few pedals that are damn close at the $200.00 plus point. They are just as clean but not as full...or as rich. They are damn close. This would be included with them but it is just a bit dirty.
In a tune this could pass for a Klon....the Soul Food can not...and it is even cheaper!

Priced at $64.00 USD
it is well worth giving it a listen.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

THE WINNER IS
The KTR is the replacement for the original Klon ...unless you own a vintage single channel amp and wish to use a Klon pedal to act as a booster...which is what  the original Klon was designed in the first place to be used for then why buy it???
If like me it is just a nice extra OD to have as an option to use on your board you will have to be rich or nuts to not choose the Bad Horse.

The Movall Fury Minotaur MM-09

Same pedal...

$72.00 USD 

J. Wong is credited with both
though I think Movall
came first. J. Wong is not likely to freelance now that he has his own company...Tone City

The Minotaur used to be reasonably easy to
find. It was on eBay and Amazon and it showed up on AliExpress...often with bit of a discount.
But now their are only a few of the online
Gourmet Pedal sites that stock it.

I have no idea of the politics...but either it is trying to act
more serious...or it is being phased out.
I suspect that J. Wong was it's prime or
maybe even only designer.

OK...back to the real world.
So how does it really sound....well it does not have that clear transparent and uncanny definition that  the Klon...or KTR...have...it is not an Archer  or an ARC either.
 BUT it has much more so then the Soul Food pedal. So if you see this as more of a secondary pedal...or you want to use the famous fat round mid thing that a Klon can do to stack and fatten up a more aggressive OD...then this is perfect.
Also keep in mind this is so damn this is so damn close on a tune with a band..no one could tell.

I have 12 OD's and the only thing missing is a Vox amp style OD and a Klon. So...with none of my overdrives being over used...lol....and room on my board being less then generous...I am trying to see if I can squeeze one of these in.

With a  a nice balance of size...price and sound....this is a great choice.

NOTE: There are only 2 dealers in North America. Music Express Canada is the only one even displaying either pedal. Amazon...eBay and even Reverb do not have them. European and Brit dealers do not have a better price....so in North America...you have a choice of ONE...lol
It appears they have at the moment...a monopoly...but the best price in the world...LOL

As to the Movall if you... like me just like the look of it and it is only a few bucks more...then give this some thought. My info is third hand but I've  read that the company is a bit shy on service...where as Tone City is evidently busting it's butt to get a great rep.
I think I will get the Bad Name  I mean Bad Horse.

Ok...this Klon thing just keeps on growing...and as it does I end up listen over...and over to Klons in all sizes and interpretation. Damned if it has not grown on me. Yes I did the unthinkable...I ordered a Bad Horse. So come back in a couple of weeks for yet another update

THE FINAL WORD...LOL

THE BAD HORSE/MINOTAUR IS CHEAPEST OF THEM ALL AND IT AT LEAST GIVES A NICE IMPERSONATION OF THE KLON.

IT DEFINITELY HAS A PRO SOUND  EVEN IF ARGUABLY A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT SOUND.  

A NICE EXTRA IS THAT IT APPEARS TO BE BUILT LIKE A TANK.

IF IT WAS ANYTHING BUT A KLON YOU WOULD PROBABLY BUY ONE...IT WOULD BE A NO BRAINER.

HERE YOU GO....LISTEN TO THE WHOLE DAMN LOT OF THE HEAVY HITTERS ...PICK ONE ...OR JUST GRAB A CHEAP BAD HORSE!!!

...and yes...the real Klon sounds richer and fuller then the others...not by much...but it is.

NOTE:   ...after doing the rounds of my competitor Blog sites...they are giving the Tone City BAD HORSE a 10 out of 10. In short if you must pick lint...get an original Klon...otherwise get the BAD HORSE.      

I agree.

...everyone of the contenders worth choosing are on the first video ...except the Bad Horse/Minotaur and the real KLON which are on the next.

Note the amp on the first is very neutral but of a decent quality. The amp on the second is thin and scratchy. But you are comparing a pedal that can now fetch up to $3000.00 USD against a $64.00 pedal. I do not hear a $2036.00 USD difference!!! SO THE MINOTAUR/BAD HORSE IS NO JOKE...the damn little thing really holds it's own.

OK...in short the Soul Food is obviously more distorted then all the others...the ARC...the Archer and KTR are excellent and very close in their sound to each other. 

Next...we already know that the real Klon sounds the best...yet the Minotaur/Bad Horse does not sound like some cheap amateur joke beside it. In fact it is frighteningly close.

THE WAY I SEE IT >>>THE KLON IS A 10 out of 10...the others contenders are a 9....and the bad horse is an 8.5.

But since in the real world you will not be buying a real KLON

SO...lets then say the best ones are a 10....that makes the BAD HORSE a 9.5

CONCLUSION....YOU WILL HAVE TO BUY A CLONE...HOW MUCH MONEY ARE YOU WILLING TO SPEND TO GET A .5 IMPROVEMENT OVER THE BAD HORSE...LOL

Today I took delivery of a Tone City Bad Horse...the first thing I noticed is that although it looks like a standard mini pedal...it easily weighs 3 times as much. the weight of it really feels substantial in your hand. It comes with a rubber pad for the base...and a velcro one too. No more tearing off pads or feet to get the velcro on. A really nice touch.

Well...how does it sound. I played around with it for a bit. As a distortion pedal ...well ok no big deal.

 BUT!!!!

I set the gain at 1 o'clock...the tone wide open for full treble...and the volume at unity.

WOW...no noticeable distortion...but a clean sound that you have to hear to believe. I have only heard this good of a clean sound from Gourmet amps in the $2000.00 plus range.

I have 12 other great OD's..and ....I have never spent hours just playing a clean sound in my life.

Later I stacked that clean sound in front of a few overdrives...and it fatten them up big time.

Definitely a KEEPER....and a bargain at that!!!

So how does it stack up to a Klon???

Actually I don't care. LOL

I couldn't be happier. I have lots of OD's but nothing to go to clean.

As thrilled as I am...I would not want to have to pay the big bucks for this kind of sound.

So...for me...this gets 10 Out of 10.

RYRA 'THE KLONE'

Klon clone

Just when I thought it was safe. This one is so close to the original that not even the maker can tell the difference. If you do not believe me just ask him!
.........LOL
You can get either the classic gold one or the classic silver one...the difference is supltle but you can hear see it. The paint job!!!! Whoa!
Actually you can get any of a dozen paint jobs...lol.

MORE TO COME !!!

I quite love my Bad Horse...the only very disappointing feature is that it does not come in silver with red knobs...or is that in gold with red knobs.
Oh well!

It has been enough years in the waiting.
Yes ...2017 should bring a whole new choice of ...
Made in China $35.00 USD Klons.
You will see them here first.
So stay tuned.






JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE LOL

So what did I want with the Klon. Actually I wanted that true sound of the Fender twin Reverb on 7.
LOL. The Klon sounds nothing like that!!!! It was designed to solve the problem of running a Twin on 4 and making it sound like on 7.

But along comes the BJF Bear Foot Model G+.
It claims to be a 50's Gibson Amp clone. Maybe ...maybe not.
The point is you can get a REAL amp sound giving you a sound not unlike the late 60's Fenders
Clean enough to transfer that tune you wrote on your Martin to an OD pedal.
Not only f. ing awsome but NO ONE DOES ANYTHING LIKE IT!!!
For me it makes the Klon sound like some esoteric junk!!!!