Klon KTR review

Nice pedal to have...i just went through the process & went with Rimrock MO.. it really is pretty darn transparent...close..by messing with it..can get the pedal to just make more of the amp without color..it can add color with gain. Its my go to fr enhanced of what i already got.

These type pedals are incredible tone weapons if you know your amp well...can fine tune without much spikes. Using MO tomorrow for recording & the only thing i ask of the pedal is in the bump up from chorus into bridge..it is bumping intensity of the same progression but just with gain without changing the tone. I like it much better than some of the clean boosts.

Used for non cooring situations when a clean boost doesn't quite do what i want cause with gain added ..having the tone knob really helps compensate

 

Everyone wants to run the Klon style pedals as a clean boost/light overdrive, but according to several reputable sources, the circuit was designed for medium/higher gain applications. That’s how I run my Klon style pedals/modelers and it does sound really really great with more gain dialed in.

 

I currently have a Klon clone, but I love it. It's my favorite overdrive ever. I hope to own a real one one day.

 

Its really good, I wanted one, but in the end I went with a Tumnus Deluxe, which has a more tweakable EQ.. I ran with a Klone on my board for almost 3 years.. then I got tired of it since everybody has it, and I wanted to be a guy that has a different tone and drive and not having the same gears with anyone..

but it was designed to goose a Fender amp, a Twin to be exact, so it WILL sound really good with a Fender amp...

though through an AC30, I had mixed feelings about it..

 

It is a great pedal. However, to be fair, I don’t use mine much since i have the Tumnus. The smaller packaging of the Tumnus and the sounds being so very close, makes that my current choice. A friend who is a good player, and does a lot of gigs, uses the KTR on his board.

 

I had a RYRA Klone (purportedly about as close as they come) for about a week. I've never sold anything so fast. Haha! Which is funny because I've played other Klones before and liked them, but through different amps. I owned a Laney L5 Studio at the time, and I suspect it just didn't jibe with the amp/guitar combo. I did think it was better at higher gain settings, but even then I preferred the Barber Compact Direct Drive for higher gain...and lower gain...and everything. I wanted to love it, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

 

I've tried a lot of inexpensive Chinese Klones, including the no name two with the Centaur graphic, the Mosky Silver and Gold, the Xin Sound RM10, the Joyo Tauren, the Caline Pegasus and Medusa, the Tone City Bad Horse, the Tone Bakery Creme Brulee, EHX Soul Food, and MXR Sugar Drive. The last two were my least favorite of all. I couldn't get rid of the Soul Food fast enough, and the Sugar was way too bright and not very dynamic, and sounded nothing like a Klon circuit to me. I use them as low to medium gain distortion boxes, not as clean boosts, so I have the gain up above noon, and the level at or slightly above unity, into a clean SS or modeling amp. And, IMO, used in this way they sound glorious, and really can mimic the sound of a great Fender amp cranked, and are very dynamic and touch sensitive. My favorites are the Caline Medusa, Tone City Bad Horse, Caline Pegasus, and the no name Centaur with the input and output jacks on the top that also comes in kit form. Second tier would be the Creme Brulee and Joyo Tauren, followed by the other no name Centaur with the jacks on the sides, Xin Sound and Mosky ones, with the Soul Food and Sugar in last place.

 

I swear by my Arc Effects Klone V2. It’s capable of higher gain sounds but I use it as an always on clean boost. It plays well with other pedals. I couldn’t be without one now.

 

I have a KTR and it is a great pedal. I have a gold Klon and it is easy to hear the difference. I also have a J Rockett Archer and it is hard to hear any difference from my Klon.

 

Yes I use just about exactly the same setting with the centura I like it a lot. It thickens just right and sounds really good with a strat. It just kind of compresses things and makes my bridge pup nicer and my strings the same volume with staggered poles.

 

Man, those ARC builds are just SO tidy inside!

 

I’ve never opened it up.

It’s one of the those pedals where watching YouTube demos is almost pointless. They don’t come close to doing it justice (Bret Kingmans Demo is the best effort).

In the flesh, you don’t just hear the difference, you feel it under your fingers, the articulation it brings is just delicious. So pick responsive and ‘natural’ sounding. Worth mentioning though, that the clarity and articulation aren’t forgiving lol

I really need to try a real Klon!

 

I’ve been on a Klon journey as well. Had the KTR. Sold it. Sounded too stiff...just didn’t suit me...

Now I have the Ceriatone Centura. More open and organic. It’s a keeper...

 

I love my ktr. With my vibrolux reverbs its fabulous. With my marshalls,jmp50 and jtm 45, i turn the gain on the klon way down. This hits them just enough to make them purr. Knowing your amp and gain staging are key. Its a great pedal.

 

The KTR is a great pedal, when I bought mine a few years ago I thought it was an articulate, fat, transparent overdrive / clean boost depending on how you set it and it's really dynamic and responsive to your playing.

Since then have now got a Ceriatone Centura, and I would describe that in the same way I described the KTR above. However now that I have a Centura I would describe the KTR as thinner and less warm.

The KTR is a fantastic pedal and is great at what it does and I loved having it on my board. But (for me) the Centura does that same thing better

 

Just the opposite for me. It's my always on pedal. I had a gold Horsie KLON for about 20 yrs and used it mainly as an always on clean boost. I bought it in 1997/8 for $275 new. It got to be expensive as we all know. So much so that when we played multiple nights at a venue I would leave all my gear but bring this home rather than leave it at the club. I ended up getting a RYRA Klone. It spent a weekend on my board next to my KLON and I toggled between them pretty much all weekend. I couldn't hear a difference. I sold the KLON for a nice profit. The other KLON clones that are popular do other things besides just the straight KLON thing. If you've never tried a real KLON to see what it actually does then maybe it's not for you. Not everybody likes them and I would never recommend them at todays prices. I did find that the RYRA Klone did what my KLON did perfectly.