Klon Clone Pedals

The Klon Centaur is a guitar overdrive pedal designed by Bill Finnegan in the mid-1990s. Finnegan was a Boston-based electrical engineer and guitar player who had been experimenting with guitar effects pedals for years before creating the Klon.

The Klon Centaur was designed to provide guitar players with a transparent, overdriven sound that would enhance the natural tone of their guitar and amplifier. The pedal achieved this by using a unique design that combined a diode clipping circuit with a clean boost, allowing the user to blend the amount of distortion and clean signal in the output.

The Klon Centaur quickly gained a reputation among guitar players for its warm, natural tone and responsive touch sensitivity. Despite being relatively expensive, the pedal became highly sought-after and many guitarists considered it an essential part of their sound.

In the years following its release, the Klon Centaur became something of a cult classic, with demand for the pedal outstripping supply. Finnegan continued to produce the pedals by hand in small batches, but eventually stopped production in 2000.

Today, the Klon Centaur remains a highly coveted and collectible guitar effects pedal, with prices for original units often reaching into the thousands of dollars. While there have been many imitations and clones of the Klon over the years, many guitar players continue to seek out the original pedal for its unique sound and character.

There are many Klon Centaur clone pedals on the market, and it’s difficult to determine which one is the “best” as it can be subjective and dependent on individual preferences. However, some of the most highly regarded Klon Centaur clone pedals are:

1. Wampler Tumnus – The Wampler Tumnus is a highly regarded Klon Centaur clone that has gained a reputation for its versatility and transparency. It features a simple control layout that includes volume, gain, and treble controls, and is known for its ability to add a natural-sounding overdrive to a guitar’s tone.
2. J Rockett Archer – The J Rockett Archer is another popular Klon Centaur clone that is highly regarded for its transparent and natural-sounding tone. It features a streamlined control layout that includes volume, gain, and treble controls, and is known for its ability to deliver a wide range of overdrive tones.

Ultimately, the “best” Klon Centaur clone pedal is subjective and dependent on individual preferences. It’s important to try out a few different pedals and see which one works best for your playing style and sound preferences.