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EDIT: The Klon has now been paid for. Thank you for your viewership 🙏 worth it... right... RIGHT? btw, PLEASE don't miss the jam at 12:30, I really like it
@@DankDynamite it definitely is like 80% there but I definitely heard a "squash" when he switched to it if that makes sense. Like the signal got compressed or something.
the Centaur schematic is available at ElectroSmash, so i built one. Being a hobbyist, i had about 10% of the parts already. Additional quality parts = $49.45 ... Hard to say how long it took to build. Maybe 6 or 8 hours (lots of double-checking, redundant measuring, keeping a clear head, etc.) That site also has an analysis of the circuitry, and it IS advanced over "standard" drive pedals. Developed by the idea man and 2 MIT engineers, it certainly focuses on keeping the audio fidelity throughout the circuitry, and promotes certain harmonics that give it its rich sound. Built by hand throughout the 90s kept its retail price at about 300+ bucks. Then the guy got tired of building them, and here we are $4000 later.
The higher 27vdc operation of the op-amp was designed for a greater slew rate, and you can hear it. And i've got an otherwise tin ear. Rather than manipulating the guitar audio, this circuit, um, caresses (?!) the signal and enriches the output. You can just tell there is something different going on in this pedal rather than just diode clipping.
Did you build it exactly the same with the same parts? I've heard a lot about the very particular germanium diodes that are apparently unattainable nowadays.
@@arthurias7693 Yes! Paid strict attention to parts and schematic. I work at a 55-year-old electronics company that has a fine selection of old components, including the 1N34A germaniums. I'm very lucky to have access to such parts, but don't fret! You can still find 1N34A germanium diodes online.
This is more expensive than my guitar, my other guitar, amp, wah pedal, another pedal, strings picks and straps. Basically this pedal is more then I have spent combined in. 2 years of guitar.
Well this video has aged well haha . It now has a million views . And the petal is 7500 to 10,000 . So you weren’t wrong about value . Hopefully you still have it lol
90% of everyone absolutely loves PRS. Only 15% can afford them lol. (Or are willing to save forever to get one.) I could feed my family for a 6 months for the price of a PRS.
@Richard Phillips Their SE versions are actually cheap and the quality, in my experience, has been much better than Epiphone. And I was a big Epiphone fan until I started playing PRS. I had 2 Epiphones and 2 SE's. I still have one Epi, LP Custom, but I don't touch it anymore. I always reach for my PRS SE instead.
Shootout: The Klon takes it clearly, but the little Wampler was like 96% there with it, amazingly. BackingTrack: absolutely transcendent! The tones were inspired, rich, and luscious while your playing was OUT OF THIS WORLD fantastical... so tasteful but at the same time blistering. LIT AF
Brett S there was something there in the recording that was just a touch “more” in the original like a tiny little bit of top end sizzle at the peak of each note and settling nicely as the decay began (?) ... I don’t know. May just be me. I would agree with you that anyone chasing that tone should buy the Wampler for sure. That’s what I’d buy even if they were both affordable... It sounded RAD, indeed. 🤘🏼🤩
@@jerryross821 Like he said at the end there...he felt it did something to his playing....so the Wampler may be every bit as good in sound but just didn't make the fingers flow as well. Sounded damned good to me though so I'm gonna check the Wampler out.
The Wampler sounded almost exact. The treble boost it gives adds clarity to compliment the bass when you’re on the neck pickup. This is no disagreement that the Klon is one of the best distortion pedals ever. If it was paired up with another pedal to muddy it up even more that it would still make the signal that much better. Really helps those upper notes sing with body and clarity. Great video.
@@bartendermike I totally agree. The JHS was slightly different but had all of the same great attributes as the Klon and seemed like it might run a bit hotter. The last pedal was mediocre. With that setup anyway.
I agree with that mostly too. It seemed like the Wampler lost a bit of thickness on the lower strings, though. Still sounded good and it’s capable of doing more than I could completely utilize.
I agree that the Wampler sounded no different than the Klon really from the recording anyway. How they sound raw in the room and uncompressed is a different story.
I agree. I think this video is going to make me want to buy the Wampler Tumnus. 5k for a distortion pedal is reserved for those guys who have a ton of money and the most expensive gear on the planet, but they can't play.
Let's be honest, no matter what that Klon sounded like, we would still convince ourselves that it's the most amazing thing we ever heard so we can justify the price
"There's a mystique to this pedal " Is the only word you got to say to comfort yourself after paying 5 grand for a pedal. But honestly im proud of you for having built this channel up and being able to play a 5 grand pedal for us.
The wampler did sound very similar for most of the “riffs” he played but the ending notes on most of them sounded way better to me on the klon it gave those notes more character to me. The only setting I didn’t like the sound of the klon better than any of the other pedals was when he had it set to 10 o’clock. On that setting for some reason it just sounds too distorted and made the guitar play sound out of time.
@Paranoid Drummer Learn to know a joke, lol. I'd never buy one of those entry-level Squiers even as a mod project. The Classic Vibes, on the other hand are almost too good for their price, imo.
@@alexbowman7582 I have two Chinese ones. The contemporary strat is okay for its price but the Classic Vibe honestly feels a more quality instrument than some of the USA models I've briefly tested.
I still love my 90's Squire. Its mildly heavy, never goes out of tune (except once at a gig at Harpers Ferry) and it was my first electric. Still my go to. Though it desperately needs some love right now. A full cleaning and maybe wiring.
I think the klon clone mini sounded just, of not almost like the real thing. However, not playing it, can't really tell. Glad you got all the likes you needed. Thanks for doing this.
$5000... if you're multi-millionaire and can spay thousands around without blinking an eye. Even then it seems nuts. It just a guitar pedal that makes nice sounds.
The "Build Your Own Clone" version of this pedal sounds damn near 100% identical. Most people won't hear the difference. Really. There are lots of A/B videos. The BYOC version is less than $100.
man pedals are probably one of the most profitable goods you can manufacture next to pasta or ice cream. pedals cost literally cents in parts and you can sell em to guitar elitists for ludicrous prices. its like a million % mark up
@@frosty6845 labor for some circuit boards and screws? Apple has people in China working for slave labor to the point where they kill themselves. The labor cost is negligible and certainly doesn’t make up for the cost
@@frosty6845 pedal assembly really isn't that hard/costly especially for hand wired boards or pcb's using throughole components. There are also so many designs available online for different effects that all you would really be doing at the most is tweaking the design a bit to make it unique to you if you even wanted to.
@@lucashernandez8146 That's not tax evasion. He literally can write it off as a business expense. It's not like he gets it for free, it would just mean he saves ~$500 on his tax return.
Way Huge's Conspiracy Theory is pretty much the best affordable Klon clone from my experience ab clones with the actual thing. If you are really poor the mosky horse series is good too but I would go for Conspiracy theory or any legit well built clones.
The Klon circuit is a good circuit so it sounds good, but it's not magic. There's very little difference between the Klon and the Tumnus and the Tumnus isn't even a direct clone. If you want exact go get a Ceriatone Centura or another of the many boutique direct clones and don't waste $5k on a single pedal. This is buyer psychology to the max. There's no way he'd react like this if it were a blind test and wasn't looking down at a pedal he just dropped $5k on.
Yeah, seriously. Just like some of the comments where people are hearing huge differences... from a video uploaded to youtube. from which the quality is changed by youtube. and then listening to it on their phone, tablet, headphones or computer speakers.
Nailed it. Does it sound better? Maybe, but no way it sounds $5000 better. I'm sure it feels really cool to own such a fabled piece of gear, or maybe he does want to see where the value goes and resell it, but strictly talking about tone, there's no way I could ever justify that investment. Gotta say I was pretty impressed with that little JHS, though. I can't say I actually own any of their products, but I'm a big fan of the company from the way their founder Josh carries himself and sees his role in the guitar world.
There's a REALLY crappy Monet oil painting at the MOMA in SF - a no sky, no shore, no nuthin' view of "a storm at sea" - just a canvass full of c-shaped brush strokes in shades of blue and green, like he was trying to clean his brush. If you saw it at a thrift store or yard sale - you'd pass. But it IS a Monet. Worth a bleeding fortune. BFD...
Holy shit! That solo at the end was other worldly. Wow. You earned a new subscriber. The money we spend on gear is insane but if it's great then it's worth every penny. The tone chase never stops.
@@kali3828 The Line 6 Spider is a very cheap amp modeler from about 20 years ago. It would be considered criminal in many guitar forums to have put that pedal in front of that amp.
I was highly skeptical only hearing about the fabled Klon and never actually hearing it. I have to say that Klon was sweet, way overpriced, but it did sound like the nectar of Gods. Bang for the buck though....Wampler hands down achieved 95% of the Klon sound to my ears
That was an absolutely beautiful, phenominal guitar solo you created... and I'm not one who hands out fluff, so I 100% mean that. Keep shreddin' dude. ✌️
I thought the same thing. Not indistinguishable from this particular Klon but very close, and probably indistinguishable from the one they reverse engineered
Not sure how much of the gain character is the amp itself, but on first impression *in terms of TONE* : 4) Nobels: Okay but narrow. Dull at high-gain, but clear and nice at low. 3) Wampler: Similar to Klon but a tiny bit messier sounding, something in the lows/low-mids causing slight noise/flub. 2) JHS: Clear, tidy, would work well in a band setting. Great value. Best option for the everyman. 1) Klon: Very professional sheen. but warm, Like you would hear on a record. No weird frequencies poking out. Not worth the price, but sounds the best. JHS overall winner.
I'm always reading, researching, writing, etc. while watching RU-vid. This video actually made me stop what I was doing and just watch and listen. Great sound and great playing. Thank you!
The Wampler and the JHS sounded very similar to the Centaur with the JHS sounding a fair bit brighter but the Nobles pedal just sounded dull in comparison. Depending on price for the sound I would go for the JHS or Wampler but at this point the Centaur is more of an investment than a piece of music gear (a bit like bidding on Jimi Hendrix's Strat).
@@youbi179 Yeah. Super close. I was considering Ryra as well. Sounds great... but I'm leaning toward the Mythical Overdrive because it comes with the option to add some additional overdrive tone options with a toggle switch.
@@ichibandude Great guitar, set up one for a friend, didn't want to give it back and they WON'T take money for it! Rats! They don't make them anymore and I Want one......waah....sniff.....
Stunning. The clarity of the tone was just on a different level. Comes down to how much are you willing to pay for details - but for the professional… It May be worth it
The Centura is the best clone. Looks exactly the same and sounds almost identical. I A/B’d it with a Klon KTR and it’s super close even though the KTR is different than the gold Klon.
The Nobel sounds muted compared to the other three. The JHS sounds really tinny. The Wampler is closest to the real deal. I think the Centaur sounds the best across each test, but that price tag though!!!
The tummus was a great alternative. However I agree there is just something about the og that sounds right. Those last solos were some of the best things I’ve ever heard on an electric guitar.
Agreed. Out of all the other cheaper alternatives I think the Tummus was the closest for sure. Og sounded outstanding tho. Just had that little extra something. That “something” costs about $4900 to achieve apparently 😂
@@liamwagner9160 in a blind sound test you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between that $5000 pedal versus the right set of much more affordable plugins on a PC, and if you could tell you’d be a very rare specimen
I closed my eyes and couldn't tell the difference at all between the Klon and the Tumnus. They sound exactly the same to me albeit I'm not in the actual room. The JHS Overdrive also sounded very similar. I've never liked the sound of the Nobels though.
@@theautisticguitarist7560 Oh, I didn't realise, so they already have a clone called "The Klone". In That case I'd have gone for ATK - for Attack of The Klones.
I could definitely notice a muddiness in the treble of the Tumnus that the Klon sings through. Though I'm sure there would be other pedals many money less, of this quality/character.
Love this video! It just proved that this $5000 pedal sounds the same as the $150 Wampler Tumnus. 😁 And yes, I’m sure that $5000 pedal sounds amazing in the room and makes you want to play more. I have bought amplifiers that are like that. Love what you did at 13:45! Good video, bro!
I'm working in the studio professionally for 25 years now. I had all the pedals in the control room, but that pedal does some magic. As if the nebula has been breathed away. Astounding, ineed.
I come back to this once a month or so to listen to the solo at the end. Possibly my favouite guitar solo I have ever heard. Something in it just hits me every time. Well done and thanks!
I bought my Klon when it first came out in the 90s. It was on EBay and I kept getting out bid by other buyers. I was a college student and didn’t have the funds to win bids. So another Klon was up for bid and this time I was bidding against a medical doctor (it said on his eBay profile at the time). So I emailed him directly and told him I been getting outbid due to my budget and that I’m currently a college student. He replied back and said, he will stop bidding and hopefully I will win the Centaur. I ended up winning the bid and I’ve owned one of the oldest Klon Centaur ever made. Thanks to that doctor who let me win the bid. Wherever you are Doc, thanks!!!
@Louis Frost I worked at a dog food warehouse years ago. Funny thing is a few human food items were also there among the tons of dog food and dog food smell.
@Common Sense Greed is an overstatement unless we are talking about extremists It's just normal human behaviour/nature Of course you always want better things But the mistake done here is assuming you are always charged more for what is better I'd call it being misinformed or not being objective enough.
Great sounding pedal you can really hear the difference in the 3rd test at 10:50 amazing clear and crisp sou d brings out the highs lows in such a balance
People often say that the tumnus mini doesn’t have the low kids like the original but if that’s the case there is always the deluxe version with the 3 band eq
Same. I listened a second time with headphones on without looking and other than the green pedal the differences were miniscule and would never be heard in a live or mixed setting.
They went in prepared, didn't waste any time. Finished recording a 37 minute album in 6 sessions. Had they screwed off and wasted time writing songs at the studio...
@@myless.5493 Hah. Not only "an" album, but arguably one of the most famous albums ever written. That is definitely a fun little tidbit. Though, at $600, you can say that about a whole lotta things.
I just keep coming back to this because of the solo you play at the end .. it inspires me, even though I have no intention of putting in the work to play those scales and improves .. Awesome playing man .. keep it up.
It is a question of, how much are you willing to pay for the tone it provides? The hardware itself is simply cheap components like any other amp pedal, given them smearing them with non transparent goop just to keep component identity hidden.
No pedal is worth 5 grand. Not a one. Oh... and let's not forget he gets to write that shit off of his taxes as a business expense. All these RU-vidrs who review products do.
I have to say, that jam at the end really took me somewhere else, man what a tone, and such sensitive playing, and for all the support and great videos you've given the guitar community, I think it's safe to say that you've earned this one Tyler!
$5000 is more than sufficient to buy every single piece of gear I need + Shipping and taxes covered, which are: 1- PRS SE Floyd Custom 24. Approx $850. 2- Gretsch G5422T in Candy Apple Red finish. Approx $569 - $722. 3- PRS SE Angelus ax20e. $650. 4- Ibanez BTB745 Bass. $899. 5- Positive Grid Spark 40. $269 since there's an offer. (Love this Amp, extremely versatile, handy and Feature-Packed piece of hardware). Total: $3390.
You don't need 3k in gear to sound good tho. This is my rig for any volume u need. Blackstar ht 20-250$ Peavey ms412 -80$ Wampler sovereign -100$ I've played anything from US fenders to a 125$ firefly and it covers any tone you could want.
Shit all I need is a Kramer Nite V deluxe with a dimebucker so that's about 700-800. And a Peavey 6505mh with a 4x12 and a tube screamer 2000$. That's only About 3000$ with shipping included so in other words the Klon can buy a rig and more
I have a Tumnus Deluxe and it's absolutely a keeper. WELL worth the price. I also have the KTR and a rubbish Big Wheels Klon clone, neither of which do it for me.
No man I'm with you on this. That pedal sounded amazeballs. I've been wanting that pedal for a long time, and it really sounds like it lives up to its reputation... and price.
This is a great ad for the Wampler Tumnus! No different sounding than the Klon. And the JHS is surprisingly close too. The Klon magic is all in your head.
@@ahhhhyes Listening on in my studio with good monitors I heard no difference between the Wampler and the Klon, although RU-vid takes some fidelity away. Still, it's just that the settings weren't matched exactly. I've got a Klon in my Strymon Sunset (Ge setting) and it's fine for the vibe. I dig the Klon sound, but not nearly as much as the Dumble sound I get from the Cornerstone Gladio Double Preamp pedal. That thing is Heaven on Earth good. Anyway, cheers if you have money to blow on unobtanium, but I'd rather take that money and buy a maxed out iMac and a 2,000.00 guitar amp to record with than one silly OD pedal collectors like due to rarity.
@@ChadWork1 you are all deaf ... these is a clear difference in the definition of the high freqs when that tumnus is on . its minute but i heard it clearly and my wife did too . that being said , again it was minute and the tumnus really did sound the closest .
Just my 2 cents: I would say the 12 o’clock amount of gain doesn’t really do much for me, but with the lower and higher amounts there is something special about it. Worth 4000$ or more? I would say that’s subjective, but as a guy on a budget I could make the 99$ one work
Yeah, agreed. My ARC Effects Klone is the same way - not all that great at noon, but absolutely fantastic at low or high gain. Interestingly, it takes and carries low input volume beautifully. I wonder the Klon is the same way.
Obligitory "i'm not a guitarist", to me the centaur gives the sound a warmth of tone that the other pedals don't. when you play through it the sound gives me the feeling of a mellow smokey after hours club with friends. it makes me happy. that's really all I can say about it.
I agree, it just sounds like it's dripping with warm honey and sunshine...the other pedals were close, but still had rough edges in places, where the Klon was all warm and fuzzy...to me it's like the sonic version of a perfectly distilled and aged Scotch, and a perfectly drinkable, but cheaper budget Scotch...
