What is a Klon Centaur?

[Kingpin]

Originally Posted by ruger9

Those are all his "old boxes", he is selling them to raise money for a friend who is sick... those aren't the "new" Klons, which he has been developing for over a year. If you call Bill Finnegan, he won't sell you one and he doesn't have a wait list. The ebay klons are charity auctions. The new Klons were supposed to be out in 2010... guess that boat sailed! So, unless you want to bid on a charity auction for an old klon and pay $900 for it, the Klon is out of production. Currently.

I think ruger9 has summed it up nicely. The $800-900 current price tag is just a currrent supply-demand thing. When the pedal was in production, the price was around $340. Expensive ? Yes. But not crazy expensive like it's made out to be. There are other boutique pedals in that range too.

Whether it's worth the hype? That's a question that can only be answered by someone that has tried it in person... not based on video clips, or forming opinions based on being put off by the high price.

The Klon is built like a tank (I've never seen a pedal with a more durable build), has what I consider to be just an average Overdrive sound, is an excellent boost that imparts a certain thick authority to solos, and has a decent buffer. I have one but don't currently use it because the big Klon sound doesn't work well for the music I play. Would I pay $800 for one? No way. But for the production price of $340, the Klon offers a unique sound and durability that I haven't found elsewhere.

[twangster2]

Is it a Tube Screamer type pedal?

[Durtdog]

Originally Posted by Suicideking

Watch this and tell me what you think, here it is vs the bad monkey....

Some of the guys over at TGP had a conniption fit when they saw this video comparing the mighty Klon to a lowly Bad Monkey. They were absolutely outraged. The thread was quite a read!

[vanguard]

it's cool in the fact that it is one of the few "holy grail" OD's that isn't a hot-rodded TS, BB, RAT, etc. but, the thing people forget, so are the BOSS BD-2 and OD-3.

My old klon (like 5 years ago, mind you. and a GoLd OnE) was a fine booster, sub-par overdrive in a really, really nice, porsche-like case. if the new klon is around $300, may get one. but that is THE MOST i would ever pay after owning one for a few years.

[ZenDog]

Some of the guys over at TGP had a conniption fit when they saw this video comparing the mighty Klon to a lowly Bad Monkey. They were absolutely outraged. The thread was quite a read!

And why were they upset? I'm mean the real, deep down reason?
Because somewhere inside they know the truth, and that truth angers them.
It's the truth that is spoken to them when they are accused of, well, what they are always accused of. And they don't have the self-honesty to admit to themselves what the rest of us know.

[Suicideking]

Originally Posted by twangster2

Is it a Tube Screamer type pedal?

Yeah it is just an overdrive tubescreamer type pedal to answer your question..

[schenkadere]

Originally Posted by ZenDog

And why were they upset? I'm mean the real, deep down reason?
Because somewhere inside they know the truth, and that truth angers them.
It's the truth that is spoken to them when they are accused of, well, what they are always accused of. And they don't have the self-honesty to admit to themselves what the rest of us know.

cuz they got duped and it makes them and their gear less special.

[ruger9]

re: Klon vs. Bad Monkey

I owned both simultaneously. The way I used them, I could get nearly identical tones, and frankly- the BM was more versatile.

How I used them: the way I use my ODs is to goose an already cooking tube amp. I don't get my gain from the pedal, I get it from the amp. The pedal pushes the amp, increasing gain, adding compression and fatness. In this scenario, the BM = Klon, and as I said, the BM was capable of more/was more versatile.

I don't think the Klon is worth $340 in today's OD market. The KOT v.4 IS... but that's 2 seperate, stackable, overdrives, with different gain ranges, in 1 small enclosure. THAT is worth $340. The 3-knob, oversize, Bad-Monkey sounding Klon, is not. Not to me, anyway.

$200? Sure. $340? No way.

[Ringo]

I got a clone of the Centaur from a local builder recently. I like it for a boost, the OD has some useable tones too.
I wouldn't have ever paid $250 for one new, much less what the old ones are selling for.

But that goes for a lot of other pedals too.
I saw one of the old Univox Fuzz pedals that I remember buying at a pawn shop for $20 as a kid sell for over $300 recently.
Fulltone Fuzz pedals are going for crazy money on eBay now that he doesn't make them anymore.

It's just whatever makes the buyer happy I guess.

[imsilly]

Originally Posted by smoss469

I'm pretty sure he stopped selling them and has been working on a small box version. Although I think he's just doing it to drive interest up. How hard is it to take something from that huge box down to a smaller enclosure?

But I'm pretty sure that he's not selling direct on eBay. Do you have a link to back that up?

Here is the account the descriptions list the Klon Centaurs as "new":

http://myworld.ebay.com/boxing_rabbit

Most recent new Klon Centaur sold from that account:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...253D&viewitem=

He can give as much of his profits to charity as he chooses that is not an issue.

New pedals from unused boxes are still new pedals.

It was misleading to state on his website that the pedal wasn't being made because they obviously are.

[smoss469]

They get mad because they don't want anyone getting the tone they're getting. You don't buy a pedal when you shell out $300 for some of the stuff out there, you buy entry into a velvet rope club. Only those who overpaid are allowed in. The rest of us lowly serfs can never obtain that uber tone!

Also, PGS did a nice demo comparing a Klon to a Lovepedal box and they sounded VERY similar.

[ruger9]

Lovepedal Kalamazoo.

[Tele-Monster]

I think it sounds alright. I ain't paying a grand though.

[scud133]

Originally Posted by Jupiter

You laugh, but there's a REAL magazine!
http://www.guitaraficionado.com/

honestly, that looks like a cool magazine. it's like a coffee table mag.

check out the back issues, they actually look interesting:
http://www.guitaraficionado.com/magazine.html

[syrynx]

Originally Posted by TG

Notice bottom right...

TG, thank you for making my day!

[s360guitarist]

Well, it seems that there is a bit of "they" and "them" mentioned in a couple of threads here for the folks over at TGP. Maybe it is well deserved. Maybe some folks over there fit the mold eluded to here...

The problem is that not everyone over there fits the mold suggested here. There are a couple great guys that have posted on this thread before me that I KNOW don't fit the stereotype given by some others here. Do I spend more time over on the TGP? Sure. Are there some cork sniffers over there? You bet.

When it comes down to it, there are a bunch of threads on the TGP with guys loving their Digi Bad Monkey's, or their Squier CV Tele's too. So you can't discount the whole lot of the TGP cause of a few of the corksniffers.

I am sure I gonna derail this thread, maybe catch some heat for it or my position. I agree with many of you, the Klon may be a good pedal but not shy of a 1000 good. Just thought I would throw some thoughts out there - just like I would do if somebody on the TGP is dumb enough to say that all the guys on the TDPRI must drive pickup trucks since they all play country music with their Tele's.

Hello, my name is Alan, a TGP and TDPRI member. For the record, my favorite guitar is a Fender Tele made in Mexico and my favorite pedals are the Dano Fish and Chips EQ and the EHX LPB-1. Just sayin....

P.S. Who wants to sniff the cork when you could just go to drinking straight out of the bottle!

[Madsen]

Get a Zoom Power driver for 50-100 dollars and you will get very close to a Klon...

[rhinocaster]

The video was an excellent example of why the KLON is legendary.

Listen to the first bit when the Klon's gain was below 12 O'Clock compared to the low gain setting of the BM. No comparison at all. The Klon didn't sound like an overdrive pedal and the BM did. That sound into a working amp is still unique. The BM always sounds like a pedal.

Once you get the Klon's gain past noon it becomes just another overdrive and the comparison to the BM makes sense. It's the ability of the Klon to work with an amp to make a very special sound when it's used as a boost that made it a legend.

Then there's the compressed nature of Youtube video clips that eliminates many differences you can hear in the room.

I'm looking forward to the new Klon. I can't afford to buy my old one back, and I miss what it did for my sound. Truly one of the best pedals available.

[chrisgblues]

Originally Posted by Madsen

Get a Zoom Power driver for 50-100 dollars and you will get very close to a Klon...

I heard about that pedal too...it's a Zoom PD-01. I went looking for one on Ebay a few weeks ago and found one. The guy was selling it in the UK and I'm from Canada and he wouldn't ship overseas. It ended up selling for about $75. I would have paid $100 just to try it. His loss I guess.

FWIW I don't think it was ever supposed to be a clone of the Klon (not that I would care)...it just drew 'comparisons' from some people on the net due to it's unusually good ability as a warm booster with a LOT of volume on tap (some say 20-25db). It was, however, a VERY different pedal from anything Zoom had created before, and my understanding is that it was only produced for a couple years.

Didn't mean to derail..sorry.

[emarsupial]

Originally Posted by chrisgblues

I heard about that pedal too...it's a Zoom PD-01. I went looking for one on Ebay a few weeks ago and found one. The guy was selling it in the UK and I'm from Canada and he wouldn't ship overseas. It ended up selling for about $75. I would have paid $100 just to try it. His loss I guess.

FWIW I don't think it was ever supposed to be a clone of the Klon (not that I would care)...it just drew 'comparisons' from some people on the net due to it's unusually good ability as a warm booster with a LOT of volume on tap (some say 20-25db). It was, however, a VERY different pedal from anything Zoom had created before, and my understanding is that it was only produced for a couple years.

Didn't mean to derail..sorry.

FYI - If you search pawn shops and music stores that sell used pedals you may be able to find one of those PD-01's. I've seen used ones in the $50 -$80 range in Montreal. They're not too common, but for the most part they seem to get priced low because most stores equate the Zoom brand with cheap multi-FX. Cheers, ew