KLON(types) too much for a Marshall at volume?

[Kapo_Polenton]

I've been playing around with my MV at 7 or my Bugera 1960 cranked and when I listen through headphones and IR's, sounds to me like the Klon circuit adds too much compression. Sounds great when the MV is down though for bedroom playing. But because the power stage adds that compression that is missing when you have a MV turned down low, everything gets overly compressed. However by comparison, your standard TS and SD-1 types do what you would expect. Anyone else noticed this?

 

[DanTravis62]

Depends on the gain and volume settings on the Klone.

They do the same "thing" as a TS or SD-1 at the right settings.

 

[psychodave]

When tube compression starts happening, lower the gain/treble on the Klon. ?

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

Power tube saturation is loose butthole. I read that on marshall style circuits, when you get that master volume really cooking, it is a good idea to drop that preamp volume, assuming you have the master volume type.

 

[Stramm8]

When tube compression starts happening, lower the gain/treble on the Klon. ?

You have a Ceriatone? Have you tried any others? I’ve got a $25 Moskey that sounds great. Are the higher dollar versions worth the extra coin??

 

[Donnie B.]

Are the higher dollar versions worth the extra coin??

Hard to find though.
https://www.humbuckermusic.com/products/klonktr

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Hard to find though.
https://www.humbuckermusic.com/products/klonktr

I'm not so sure they are anymore really unless you " have" to have that sound. If you are boosting with it, it is probably wasted on you because the diff will be barely audible. I think those cleaner players who want the pedal to shine through a fender might make the case for the difference but even then...aren't these things 2+k now ?

 

[Donnie B.]

aren't these things 2+k now ?

Think you mean the originals.
I just sold mine.

 

[DanTravis62]

I'm not so sure they are anymore really unless you " have" to have that sound. If you are boosting with it, it is probably wasted on you because the diff will be barely audible. I think those cleaner players who want the pedal to shine through a fender might make the case for the difference but even then...aren't these things 2+k now ?

I think you're a bit mistaken on this Kapo, when Klones hit the higher gain stages, that is the only time when the "magic" diodes are activated, as it is literally blending your clean signal before a certain point on the gain control.

 

[DanTravis62]

So, it actually makes MORE of a difference, the more gain you're running with it.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

So, it actually makes MORE of a difference, the more gain you're running with it.

I can't debate you on that because i have zero experience with the real deal. All I can say is that a person should make sure that they are after / really like "that" particular sound with a clone in order to be sure before committing that sort of money to a pedal.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

This was a good listen..there is def. a difference but you have to decide how much it matters to you.

 

[DanTravis62]

I can't debate you on that because i have zero experience with the real deal. All I can say is that a person should make sure that they are after or really like "that" particular sound with a clone to be sure before committing that sort of money to a pedal.

It's not a matter of "the real deal" at all dude.

It's a matter of "the more expensive Klones and originals that have the good parts matter more when you're using it for higher gain, as opposed to when you're using it for a clean boost."

JHS and a million other pedal builders will confirm this for you; it's how the circuit works.

 

[Stramm8]

It's not a matter of "the real deal" at all dude.

It's a matter of "the more expensive Klones and originals that have the good parts matter more when you're using it for higher gain, as opposed to when you're using it for a clean boost."

JHS and a million other pedal builders will confirm this for you; it's how the circuit works.

So if you’re running higher gain, the higher quality pedals pedals work better?

 

[DanTravis62]

So if you’re running higher gain, the higher quality pedals pedals work better?

Correct.

This is because the klon splits your signal and blends two different things with the gain pot.

At low gain settings, it's a very transparent clean boost. The diode clipping is introduces about halfway into the gain knob, and at all the way up on the gain knob, you are getting all clipping diodes and no "clean boost."

 

[Donnie B.]

Debating the merits of any Distortion/OD/Overdrive pedal (regardless of price) is useless.

Mid 2000's me and a buddy started compiling a list of every single one available for sale.

We stopped after a couple hundred.

Someone should create an algo with all of the individual words used for the pedal names.
It'd be hilarious to do random mix and matches.

 

[psychodave]

You have a Ceriatone? Have you tried any others? I’ve got a $25 Moskey that sounds great. Are the higher dollar versions worth the extra coin??

I’ve tried the silver and gold Archer pedals and a real Klon. I honestly can’t remember the real Klon, but I will say I wasn’t floored by it. I tried on at a metro amps room at the old NY amp show and it sounded good, but again, I wasn’t like “I need this”... fast forward to like two years ago. I got the Ceriatone version and I liked it. I ended up finding some old ITT germanium diodes and swapped them out for the stock Ceriatone ones. It got rid of that nasal mix bump and really made the Klon shine. It’s still not my favorite pedal, but it has its place.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

It's not a matter of "the real deal" at all dude.

It's a matter of "the more expensive Klones and originals that have the good parts matter more when you're using it for higher gain, as opposed to when you're using it for a clean boost."

JHS and a million other pedal builders will confirm this for you; it's how the circuit works.

Alright, I guess I am saying no pedal is worth that type of money then. Not one of them regardless of how well the circuits work because i think even if you put a high quality 200-300$ clone beside the original that now cost 5K, you'd have a hard time justifying that type of money unless you had it to blow. I don't see it on price alone. But again that's me, I'm glad I am more in the TS vein of things because there are zillions of options on the cheap or easily attainable. I've never thought the best of the best vintage TS-808 were that much better than the reissues either but I place more importance on amp than I do pedal so that is to be expected. As an example, every single one of Psychodave's clips are killer... regardless of the boost. The amp he starts with and the chops he has are probably the biggest factor in that tone vs. the pedals.

 

[DanTravis62]

Alright, I guess I am saying no pedal is worth that type of money then. Not one of them regardless of how well the circuits work because i think even if you put a high quality 200-300$ clone beside the original that now cost 5K, you'd have a hard time justifying that type of money unless you had it to blow. I don't see it on price alone. But again that's me, I'm glad I am more in the TS vein of things because there are zillions of options on the cheap or easily attainable. I've never thought the best of the best vintage TS-808 were that much better than the reissues either but I place more importance on amp than I do pedal so that is to be expected. As an example, every single one of Psychodave's clips are killer... regardless of the boost. The amp he starts with and the chops he has are probably the biggest factor in that tone vs. the pedals.

I agree about a Klone vs the og. I'm just trying to explain to you that the normal cheap vs expensive debate isn't that simple with Klones, depending on what you're doing with it, because of how the klon circuit works.

I haven't heard any of psychodaves clips, but I'll take your word for it. I've got plenty of clips of my own on here.

 

[braintheory]

Our ears are I guess all different, but my Klon is what I use at least 95% of the time when I boost my amps of my 10 overdrive pedals and 2 rack PQ's (have been through over 140 boosts over the years). I've AB'ed it with tons of Klones (KTR, RYRA, Mjolnir, Tumnus, others I can't remember the names of) and it was to me like comparing premium fresh squeezed OJ to the made in concentrate version. Same flavor/voicing/eq curve, not the same quality. Whenever I helped my friend with his re-ampings the Klon would consistently be the only boost that would make the cut for him. We AB'ed with his RYRA and he thought they sounded more or less the same (I didn't), but somehow in the re-amping process the differences actually became more pronounced (I don't know much about recording) and so he only used the Klon. I was quite happy with my KTR until I AB'ed with an original silver and then it sounded comparatively brittle/clinical and so I listed the KTR on reverb the next day haha. I paid $1550 for mine, but it has sent way more dollars worth of pedals packing I've had over the years than that. For me well worth it, wish got more in retrospect, but guessing most others will disagree or think I'm a cork sniffer or whatever lol, but I will say I definitely hear a bigger difference with the Klon to other pedals vs holy grail tubes vs generic, not great tubes made today, but all just my opinion