Klon KTR prices

[Sauerkraut]

I use a Tumnus at the end of my chain as an always-on preamp to give my otherwise too clean Tremolux a bit of bite (gain at 11 o‘clock). My Rat sounds great going into it. The Tumnus going into the Rat, on the other hand, sounds p00p. Overdrive after distortion almost always sounds better to me though, maybe because of my fairly clean amp.

[jorri]

What's the deal with diodes anyway? I have 1n34a in my rat and led, mosfet etc, it just seemed to be changing the forward voltage i.e. how much it clips. I built two rat clones and had 1n34a of different stock, that maybe had a different clipping threshold slightly, as did trying different colours of LEDs. So as long as its matched FV to the old stock (if that wasn't variable tolerance anyway) then there is nothing particularly magic.

[øøøøøøø]

There’s a whole area in a diode's operation between “conducting” and “not conducting.” In this (tiny!) region, conductance varies according to applied voltage.

Neve compressors like the 33609, 2254 and 32264 operate almost entirely in this region. They exploit this anomalous behavior by design; it’s crucial to their function.

It’s tweaky, and you won’t find the respective parts’ differences on the datasheet. “Better” parts behave more like a theoretical diode, although weird behaviors still do occur in the transition from “conducting” to “not conducting.”

Forward voltage drop is only constant when past this region of operation, so matching forward voltage drop alone will completely ignore this transitional region of conduction.

I think it’s good to remember that “all we know” is not the same as “all there is to know.” Many of the most consequential-for-audio behaviors of electronic components are irrelevant in almost all other (industrial) applications and therefore are not designed for, tested for, or documented.

[i love sharin foo]

Many of the most consequential-for-audio behaviors of electronic components are irrelevant in almost all other (industrial) applications and therefore are not designed for, tested for, or documented.

You are right on the money with that one Brad. Like pushing a tube into saturation. Or why do two transistors with the same specs, leakage and gain sound different. Some fuzz circuits won’t even work unless a transistor is seriously leaky. That definitely isn’t the norm or desirable in any other field. I think there’s a lot that can’t be quantified.

[øøøøøøø]

Like pushing a tube into saturation. Or why do two transistors with the same specs, leakage and gain sound different. Some fuzz circuits won’t even work unless a transistor is seriously leaky. That definitely isn’t the norm or desirable in any other field. I think there’s a lot that can’t be quantified.

I might tweak this slightly to say that most of these things could be quantified, they just generally aren't.

One example is capacitor distortion. Capacitors most definitely can and do distort when passing audio through them--Cyril Bateman not only proved this definitively about 20 years ago, but he was able to measure the distortions of various dielectric materials and construction types.

But capacitors are not rated for/graded for distortion, and the only way to get a gauge on how much a capacitor is likely to distort is either to duplicate Bateman's test setup (or make assumptions based on his findings).

One of his most interesting findings had to do with metallized film capacitors. Polypropylene film is very low-distortion in a capacitor, and polyester film is almost as good. Metallizing the film (instead of using separate film and foil) also doesn't present a massive trade-off in performance on its own.

However, the lead-out wires must be attached to the metallized film using a spray-on connection in which a conductive material is squirted on to bond the lead-out wire and the metallized film.

Almost every single time, this will make a capacitor that measures and performs according to the specifications. However, about half the time it will result in a connection that causes a marked increase in harmonic distortion if tested according to Bateman's methodology. The only way to tell whether you've got a "good one" or a "bad one" is to conduct this test... there are no other easy "tells," and all would pass manufacturer QC.

This is just one of many, many, many examples of component behaviors that make a measurable difference, and could be quantified. They just aren't (because in a HVAC circuit, computer, intercom system, or whatever it wouldn't matter even a tiny bit to function).

[Jaguar018]

This thread 'inspired' me to try and sell my rehoused KTR on Reverb.

With the unreasonable amount I was initially asking for, nobody wanted it. I've lowered the price to slightly less stupid, but still no offers. It makes sense as I've essentially chosen to ruin the pedal's resale value with the rehouse.

Oh well. Live and learn.

[JackFawkes]

To be fair, no pedal made in the last 30 years should've been put in a plastic casing...

[Veitchy]

To be fair, no pedal made in the last 30 years should've been put in a plastic casing...

Wait, KTRs are plastic?

[JackFawkes]

To be fair, no pedal made in the last 30 years should've been put in a plastic casing...

Wait, KTRs are plastic?

The red KTR housing always looked like plastic to me... but I... I've... never seen a KTR (or an actual Klon) in person...
Sorry for causing any stupid rumors or confusion... I guess I just... don't understand Bill Finnegan's design aesthetics.

[budda12ax7]

Soul Food????

[øøøøøøø]

the KTR is not in a plastic enclosure, no. It's a standard Hammond or Bud style aluminum enclosure

[Sauerkraut]

Soul Food????

Is an okay overdrive pedal, and not a very good Klon clone.

[Jaguar018]

Soul Food????

Is an okay overdrive pedal, and not a very good Klon clone.

I love watching pedal trends, and a lot of people really went wild for the Soul Food there for a minute. It was first released in 2013(!). Now it's just another OD pedal that is supposed to sound like a Klon. It barely comes up in the (endless) conversation these days.

[JackFawkes]

My only experience with Klons comes from Aion FX's clone, called the Refractor; but I've always been curious about the Keeley Oxblood.
Strangely, the Oxblood was initially marketed as a klone, but then they switched to highlighting that it's not actually the same circuit, that it's just Klon-inspired (whatever that means), and then to complicate things further they released a separate "germanium" version as well...

[terminalvertigo]

Just grab a centura IMO