What is the deal with the Klon Centaur?

[JakeAC5253]

I've never used one myself, but I have seen the circuit schematic, and it is undeniably cool. Definitely some cool stuff going on. As for the final tone that comes out, it has never graced my ears, but I know someone fairly reputable on a different site who has built one to spec. They said that with the gain down low the sound was sort of bright and a bit loose, and when you raise the gain the tone gets a little bit fuzzy and quite a bit gonky in the midrange. Definitely didn't sound like your average OD boost pedal, but hey it may tickle someone's ears for $1800. Definitely eager to try one for myself though.

Didn't Bill say that a diode that he was using in the circuit is obsolete and no longer being manufactured? I was under the impression that he bought some surplus ones to make the Klon.
That being said, I wonder what the closest sounding Klone is? I don't feel like wading through a bunch of bullshit TGP posts to find out either.

Not sure, I don't browse TGP, but the schem I saw used 1N34A diodes. Typical common cheap Germanium diodes. These may or may not be the same ones used in the original units, but I can't deny that something like using obsolescent circuit components sounds very hype-like. Doesn't mean it's automatically not true, but I am skeptical until somebody can provide a picture or at least a component code for the now-obsolete diode.

 

[dannyr]

Overhyped=probably. Overpriced=definately.

But in front of the right amp, this overdrive really shines.

 

[GtrWiz]

I have two friends that have used them for over 10 years, long before the hype. Both swear by them and their rigs sound killer. I could see getting a killer pedal for $300, but never $1800.

So I guess I;m saying overhyped yes, but still a quality pedal.

 

[joepete77]

1800 is fuckin crazy an for the dr or dentist tgp type, but it is a great sounding od. I had an original yrs ago and sold it off as the clone I got was identical in tone . If u want one an don't care about forum cred then just get a good clone for 150 bucks an b done with it.

So which pedals are clones? Which one do you have?

I own a few of the cheaper often hyped in the past ODs and they are nice, but in the end just an Overdrive. I am sure a Klon is nice, but I can't see paying anywhere near $1800 for one. Even $300 would be a stretch.

The clone I currently have is or was called the tauras , it is an exact copy of the circuit with the only differance being that it is true bypass and the original is buffered and the enclosure on the clone is in a regular type box which is also a plus for me. U can do a search on ebay for klon clone and there are or were a few decent builders doing clones of the circuit. Theres even someone selling the boards for people to build their own klon kits. Cats out of the bag. It is a killer sounding od and is one of those that you could just leave on a forget about it but not anything to justify the hype and anything even close to 1800

 

[steve_k]

Hell, you could buy another amp for the cost of that Klon pedal. The way I see OD pedals, you got your $100-$150 version, which all sound about the same. Then, step up to the boutique $300 versions with clipping and other alternatives, which sound about the same, but different aspects of the same. In the end to me though, they all sound alike. Don't care much for any of them, if the amp cannot do on it's own what I need it to do, I lose interest with the mud and muck.

Of course, this is my opinion, and as stated before....I don't know shit.

Steve

 

[Ventura]

^^^^^^^^^ I concur. I like my amp to be the driving force of my tone, not the additives. I like my BB Pre, I like my OCD...but they're used soooooooo sparingly. It is what it is.

And hey, as for the above combo with the Matchless - hard to say what's really making the tone, no??

Whatever floats yer boats. Not for me to judge. But I will say that those mythbusters regarding the 'discontinued' op-AMP chipset yada yada yada. Bottom line (with respect to this talk about a missing diode or something), the guy dumped a mess of chipsets into these OD pedals, most of them sounded similar, and many of them were op-AMPs that aren't even meant for the application. As for the talk about these 'discontinued' chips and components, the dude ended up phoning the silicon factories in Japan and Malaysia inquiring about the specific chips. According to his findings, they were all in full production, unchanged from the day they started. So a lot of this is hype in many instances.

Just sayin'...
Mo

 

[Shark Diver]

Hell, you could buy another amp for the cost of that Klon pedal.
Steve

And if the Klon gave you exactly what you wanted out of your amp for $1800 why would it be any less valid than spending $3,500 plus on a CCV? Or Wizard? SLO? Fortin? Diezel? etc... Your not paying $1,800 for a pedal, you're paying $1,800 for YOUR tone. It's so funny to me that guys here will flip amp after amp, or spend $4k chasing the latest and greatest, but if you drop half that on a pedal that does it for you it's elitist.

Anything you could say about getting the same tone from a different boost or OD for a lot less, you could say about any amp. It's all forum rhetoric.

I've never used one myself, but I have seen the circuit schematic, and it is undeniably cool. Definitely some cool stuff going on. As for the final tone that comes out, it has never graced my ears, but I know someone fairly reputable on a different site who has built one to spec. They said that with the gain down low the sound was sort of bright and a bit loose, and when you raise the gain the tone gets a little bit fuzzy and quite a bit gonky in the midrange.

It's a clone. How much validity could you give someone else's opinion of a clone on the actual tone of the actual pedal?

 

[Atropos_Project]

You can read all about the Centaur in this mag:

 

[blackba]

1800 is fuckin crazy an for the dr or dentist tgp type, but it is a great sounding od. I had an original yrs ago and sold it off as the clone I got was identical in tone . If u want one an don't care about forum cred then just get a good clone for 150 bucks an b done with it.

So which pedals are clones? Which one do you have?

I own a few of the cheaper often hyped in the past ODs and they are nice, but in the end just an Overdrive. I am sure a Klon is nice, but I can't see paying anywhere near $1800 for one. Even $300 would be a stretch.

The clone I currently have is or was called the tauras , it is an exact copy of the circuit with the only differance being that it is true bypass and the original is buffered and the enclosure on the clone is in a regular type box which is also a plus for me. U can do a search on ebay for klon clone and there are or were a few decent builders doing clones of the circuit. Theres even someone selling the boards for people to build their own klon kits. Cats out of the bag. It is a killer sounding od and is one of those that you could just leave on a forget about it but not anything to justify the hype and anything even close to 1800

This one looks pretty cool. http://www.tonemonk.com/phoenix.php

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[JakeAC5253]

I've never used one myself, but I have seen the circuit schematic, and it is undeniably cool. Definitely some cool stuff going on. As for the final tone that comes out, it has never graced my ears, but I know someone fairly reputable on a different site who has built one to spec. They said that with the gain down low the sound was sort of bright and a bit loose, and when you raise the gain the tone gets a little bit fuzzy and quite a bit gonky in the midrange.

It's a clone. How much validity could you give someone else's opinion of a clone on the actual tone of the actual pedal?

Wait so where do you draw the line if someone builds an identical unit, using identical parts and in the same arrangement as reverse engineered from an original version? Is it still a "clone" then? Or does it need to be in the same packaging to be considered "identical circuits"?

You may not be familiar with the group of people I'm talking about, so that's ok. I am talking about a group of people who have reverse engineered and subsequently made defunct a number of high dollar "boutique" pedals and amps throughout the last few years, showing that the value lies solely in the eyes of the buyer as identical units can be replicated for fractions of the price of the "boutique" originals.

This is nothing new either, just look at every pedal in the Danelectro line, a clone of another more expensive pedal. Now just imagine that they were made of higher quality parts, sounded like the originals, and didn't have stupid names

 

[The Hoff]

Ive had one on my board for a pretty good amount of time. I absolutely love it. Worth $1800, hell no. It's worth what I paid for it though

 

[Shark Diver]

I've never used one myself, but I have seen the circuit schematic, and it is undeniably cool. Definitely some cool stuff going on. As for the final tone that comes out, it has never graced my ears, but I know someone fairly reputable on a different site who has built one to spec. They said that with the gain down low the sound was sort of bright and a bit loose, and when you raise the gain the tone gets a little bit fuzzy and quite a bit gonky in the midrange.

It's a clone. How much validity could you give someone else's opinion of a clone on the actual tone of the actual pedal?

Wait so where do you draw the line if someone builds an identical unit, using identical parts and in the same arrangement as reverse engineered from an original version? Is it still a "clone" then? Or does it need to be in the same packaging to be considered "identical circuits"?

You may not be familiar with the group of people I'm talking about, so that's ok. I am talking about a group of people who have reverse engineered and subsequently made defunct a number of high dollar "boutique" pedals and amps throughout the last few years, showing that the value lies solely in the eyes of the buyer as identical units can be replicated for fractions of the price of the "boutique" originals.

This is nothing new either, just look at every pedal in the Danelectro line, a clone of another more expensive pedal. Now just imagine that they were made of higher quality parts, sounded like the originals, and didn't have stupid names

This is where I draw the line:

Not sure, I don't browse TGP, but the schem I saw used 1N34A diodes. Typical common cheap Germanium diodes. These may or may not be the same ones used in the original units,

Now there is a question whether or not it is an exact circuit. I have watched builders go through little caps that are all marked the same but don't have the same values. They weed out the ones that don't meet their specs, though they are supposedly the same - different value, different tone. It's simple. I could give you a recipe made with jalapeños and unless you are tasting for heat index your end product will taste different enough that most people will notice. I could reverse engineer a Ferrari and build my own, it won't be as good as a Ferrari - at least I doubt it would, no matter what my background with cars might be.

All I said was relying on a review of a clone, especially not made by yourself (the review), to assess whether or not the Klon sounds good seems absurd to me. I have never played a Klon. I have no idea whether it is worth 5 cents or $2k. But as you can see from the post below my second post you are considered elitist if you would even think about one, But people here have no problem, actually semi-worship, someone who has the latest Cameron/Fortin/Diezel/whatever amp that cost quite a bit more than a Klon. If someone thinks the Klon ends their search for tone why must they be ridiculed because it is expensive.

Always a class war here. If you drop $$$ on a pedal or guitar you're a doctor who can't play. If you drop $$$ on an amp from a favored builder here you're hardcore. Just funny to me.

Brad has a Klon on his board. If he said they were the greatest thing ever and he was rebuilding them to exact specs for $500 half the people here would get on the list tomorrow.

 

[SBlue]

I have one since 1999. It's one of my favorite pedals. It can do boost or overdrive amazingly well!
$1800,00? Well, it doesn't matter to me if that's overpriced or not, since I'm not on the market for one, nor to sell mine.
So, $1800.00 is probably too much for who does not own one, and not enough for who is selling one!

 

[JakeAC5253]

I am continuing my side of the conversation in a purely academic interest, not trying to argue with anyone or escalate the thread.

The only reason that there is a question as to whether or not the circuit that I saw is identical to the real Klon is because of a rumor that came from the TGP hype-board. No offense to anyone, but for myself, when standing between a questionable sounding internet rumor from TGP and the hands-on experience of the Engineering board... I would side with the engineers.

 

[Shark Diver]

I am continuing my side of the conversation in a purely academic interest, not trying to argue with anyone or escalate the thread.

The only reason that there is a question as to whether or not the circuit that I saw is identical to the real Klon is because of a rumor that came from the TGP hype-board. No offense to anyone, but for myself, when standing between a questionable sounding internet rumor from TGP and the hands-on experience of the Engineering board... I would side with the engineers.

 

[gibson08]

I dunno, I have a silver Klon and have to say in front of the right amp its priceless, dont know how we came up with the 1800 pricetag, certainly did not pay that for mine (bought this year) its all about the tone chase, I agree with some others, I see people going thru major expensive amps, this is really no different, if there was an exact clone nobody would buy the original, I am not saying they dont sound good, to me clones are never exact copies. All IMO.

 

[rupe]

if there was an exact clone nobody would buy the original.

That may be the single most innaccurate statement ever made on this board. That may be true to a degree for the working musician, but there's no denying that a certain faction exists who crave the attention of ownership of "elite" products.

 

[joepete77]

if there was an exact clone nobody would buy the original.

That may be the single most innaccurate statement ever made on this board. That may be true to a degree for the working musician, but there's no denying that a certain faction exists who crave the attention of ownership of "elite" products.

I agree, there are exact clones of many products right down to exact brand and spec parts yet many would still sell their kidney for the original. It shouldn't matter to the working musician but then there are the collector types. Engineers would laugh at the crazy theories believed on these gear forums, most is hype put out to explain long waits or high costs.

 

[The Hoff]

I have one since 1999. It's one of my favorite pedals. It can do boost or overdrive amazingly well!
$1800,00? Well, it doesn't matter to me if that's overpriced or not, since I'm not on the market for one, nor to sell mine.
So, $1800.00 is probably too much for who does not own one, and not enough for who is selling one!

I like this, I agree. Well stated.

 

[mrkmas]

I dunno, I have a silver Klon and have to say in front of the right amp its priceless, dont know how we came up with the 1800 pricetag, certainly did not pay that for mine (bought this year) its all about the tone chase, I agree with some others, I see people going thru major expensive amps, this is really no different, if there was an exact clone nobody would buy the original, I am not saying they dont sound good, to me clones are never exact copies. All IMO.

Just curious did you buy it from Klon or from a private seller?
The $1800 price tag came from ebay when I punched Klon Centaur in. Not sure if people are actually getting that price or not.