Talk me out of buying a Klone, please!

[JVG]

I've never been interested in Klons and Klones - perfectly happy with the sounds I get from other things.

But....for some reason recently I've started looking at Klones and thinking "maybe I would like one". Of course I don't NEED one, but I've developed a (sometimes stupid) habit over the last year of buying pedals, and this seems like a logical step. You know the syndrome: you buy a Rat style pedal, a Blues Driver style pedal, a Klon style pedal...etc etc

There's no way I'm gonna buy a real Klon, but I've been browsing Klones, most recently the Arc Effects and RYRA ones have tickled my fancy on the YouTube machine.

If someone doesn't talk me out of it, I can see myself buying one soon. Stupid GAS

Cheers!
J.

[Telliot]

If you are so inclined, I’d highly suggest a Sarno Earth Drive. I’ve never used a Klon myself, but Nels Cline has one and leaves it off his board sometimes in favor of the Sarno. He says it’s the closest thing he’s heard to a Klon — and it’s replaceable. I can tell you, the Earth Drive is great.

[øøøøøøø]

I have both an original Klon and a KTR.

The KTR is similar. Close enough that I travel with one these days and leave the real deal at home (I toured with it for years).

One day I tried both out next to a BYOC "Silver Pony."

The BYOC klone was very different from the other two, which were slightly different from one another. It actually didn't sound all that Klon-like to me, whereas the KTR was very much in the ballpark.

I have no doubt that some Klon clones are fine overdrive pedals. But based on that one (admittedly small-sample-size) experiment, I'd probably spring for a KTR if I needed a Klon-like object.

[marqueemoon]

I traded for an Archer Ikon a while ago, and I have to say it's pretty great. That said it doesn't have a place in the music I'm playing now, and was very much a GAS-fueled pickup.

If you play any kind of quasi-tasteful "lead" guitar or at least need tasteful toanz I highly recommend. Also good if you have a sterile sounding amp. It's one of those pieces of gear that adds an air of legitimacy to the sound.

[zhivago]

The Klon circuit is a modern classic for sure, really up there with the TS9, Big Muff, Fuzz Face etc.

I think you will like it.

Like Brad, I've had and gigged a real silver Klon for many years, and I too would go for a KTR, as they are in production.

[øøøøøøø]

If you play any kind of quasi-tasteful "lead" guitar or at least need tasteful toanz I highly recommend. Also good if you have a sterile sounding amp. It's one of those pieces of gear that adds an air of legitimacy to the sound.

I like to use it to just give a touch of technicolor to a basically-clean sound, and/or to blow up the front of a good tube amp. I use less and less of the pedal's own distortion... the spot on the gain knob where "it doesn't go above this point" is creeping lower and lower for me as time goes by! (some exceptions apply)

I'm working on year 11 of Klon ownership now, and just this year I feel I've made big strides in how I deal with the pedal. It kind of keeps on giving... the more time I spend with it (and frankly, the better my own sensibilities become as a musician, which I hope continues indefinitely), the better the pedal works for me and with me.

At this point, if I lost my original, I would absolutely pay the piper and replace it with another.

[JVG]

None of you are putting me off

One of my concerns is that it might make me sound a bit.....generic? Not that I'm accusing any of you guys of being generic, but you know what I mean?

J.

[marqueemoon]

If you play any kind of quasi-tasteful "lead" guitar or at least need tasteful toanz I highly recommend. Also good if you have a sterile sounding amp. It's one of those pieces of gear that adds an air of legitimacy to the sound.

I like to use it to just give a touch of technicolor to a basically-clean sound, and/or to blow up the front of a good tube amp. I use less and less of the pedal's own distortion... the spot on the gain knob where "it doesn't go above this point" is creeping lower and lower for me as time goes by! (some exceptions apply)

I'm working on year 11 of Klon ownership now, and just this year I feel I've made big strides in how I deal with the pedal. It kind of keeps on giving... the more time I spend with it (and frankly, the better my own sensibilities become as a musician, which I hope continues indefinitely), the better the pedal works for me and with me.

At this point, if I lost my original, I would absolutely pay the piper and replace it with another.

Yep. If I had to deal with backline amps on a regular basis it would be a no-brainer.

[s_mcsleazy]

im going to actually be slightly negative about the klon/klones. i built a few klones and their good. but what i would say is most of my friends usually figure out if it'll work for them within the first 20 mins on use. also, i found the buffer in my klone to not like boost pedals near it. which is annoying for me since in my chain, the boost always goes before overdrives/distortions because i like to boost them. the other major issue is higher gain sounds are far from perfect. so if you want a high gain overdrive..... might want to look elsewhere.

[Shadoweclipse13]

That Pedal Show – Beyond The Klon Centaur: Tumnus Deluxe, Oxblood, Manticore and Sick As Overdrives
I've been curious about them too. From what I've heard (Mick from TPS loves Klon-type pedals), I would personally be looking into the Wampler Tumnus (they have a small one that's really cheap!!) or J Rockett Archer.

[Maggieo]

I traded for an Archer Ikon a while ago, and I have to say it's pretty great. That said it doesn't have a place in the music I'm playing now, and was very much a GAS-fueled pickup.

If you play any kind of quasi-tasteful "lead" guitar or at least need tasteful toanz I highly recommend. Also good if you have a sterile sounding amp. It's one of those pieces of gear that adds an air of legitimacy to the sound.

I've got an Ikon, and it, like the Klon, says what it does and does what it says.

One thing to keep in mind about pedals- confirmation bias:

Confirmation bias, also called confirmatory bias or myside bias, is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses. It is a type of cognitive bias and a systematic error of inductive reasoning. People display this bias when they gather or remember information selectively, or when they interpret it in a biased way. The effect is stronger for emotionally charged issues and for deeply entrenched beliefs.

So, if you really dig that Klon Centaur you spent years chasing, or that your favorite player uses, it will probably sound better than any other overdrive.

There's no magic stompbox that will make you Nels, but there is one out there that will help you sound like you. Go to a good music store and try a bunch of them out. You might find out that you like a BOSS OD-* better than anything else. You just don't know until you try 'em.

[s_mcsleazy]

oh, i want to bring up another problem with most klones ive tried. as mentioned on here a lot. i lean towards the neck pickup more than the bridge. for some reason, most dont sound as good if you use bassier guitars.

[JVG]

I know what you mean about Confirmation Bias, Maggieo - I think i'm reasonably immune to it these days, having been caught up in it previously! Luckily, I don't think any of my "guitar heroes" use Klon style pedals, so I'm not searching for a particular sound. It's more about exploring extra options.

Some good ideas coming out here, thanks to you all.

In any case, I probably* won't buy any pedals for a little while, as today I scored a pretty good deal on a Marshall Origin.

Cheers!
J

*can't be sure...depends on the GAS strength!

[Shadoweclipse13]

...today I scored a pretty good deal on a Marshall Origin.

Hell yes! Which one did you get? How do you like it?

I picked up an OR20 a few months back and I LOVE it. Perfect for just that little bit of Marshall sound that I crave. And by "little bit", I mean, lower wattage and not having to store a half stack

[shadowplay]

I don't have a Klon, I don't really want one but if I was looking for an opinion on the myriad Klones (which I don't really approve of philosophically) I'd probably lean to listening to folk who actually had the original to compare them to.

It's a bit like someone judging a Ferrari based on on a plastic one cobbled out of a Toyota MR-2.

D