The $5,000 Guitar Pedal RIPOFF... what have I DONE? 

Glad to be back! Hope you enjoy this fun little video. Love you guys!

It's almost like all pedals are made out of the same inexpensive resistors, capacitors, transistors and integrated circuits...

I noticed a slight difference, but not enough to justify paying $5000 over $29.

The smaller one sounds thinner. Sounds good, but the $5000 has a fuller sound. That said, I'd never spend $5000 on a pedal.

I'm 45, been playing guitar for 30 years. Immediately went to Wish and bought that Klon clone upon seeing this. It just arrived today and I am over the moon. LOVE this pedal. It's the sound I've been trying to create with my other pedals for 3 decades. Best $30 I've ever spent

"Someday we sell this and we go on vacation." - Tomo Fujita

Honestly, when the drums kick in... nobody can tell the difference.

I can imagine having the cheap one on your board on stage at a club gig and having the whole board get stolen, all because someone mistakes a $29 pedal for the real thing

the $5000 one sounds like a slight amp adjustment away from the $30 one. As someone who collects things I know that it feels cool to own "the real deal" so it really comes down to if you have the excess cash to throw at it.

I would love to hear a demo where the cheap one claimed to be the real deal, and the real one was claimed to be the cheap one. At the end, reveal the switch and see how many people admit to bias of liking the cheap one just because they thought it was the expensive one.

Guitar shop sales guy: "OF COURSE the $5K one is BETTER."

I always find my Klon Clone to be the Centaur of attention at any gig.. 🧐

Actually if the circuit is the same and the components are the same then there's no difference between them. The little differences is due to capacitors tolerance (no capacitor can have an exact perfect value, but the value is in a little range around the target value) so the sum of all the caps imperfections gives to the pedal it's fingerprint. I mean, also two identical 5k pedals may sound a liiitle different

Lol. They missed the chance to call this Klone.

$5000 dollars for a pedal... I don't even have $29.

You need to do a blind AB test. You're playing harder on the Klon for starters. Also knob position will not equate - go by ear. Level was lower on smaller pedal with same knob position. I'm not sure there's any significant difference between the two.

There's a slight volume discrepancy due to one pedal being plugged into the other. Once you adjust the klone up a couple dB it matches exactly. I own both BTW.

Might call this a Klon Artist. I’ll see myself out...

The $30 one sounds close enough for me lol

Fantastic job! Great delivery and humor as well!

The Wish pedal is missing something, but it's not missing THE something that makes this pedal so captivating. I can't believe there's actually something on Wish that sounds this good

Tomo: has expensive overdrive pedal Also Tomo: always plays clean

Glad you’re better Tyler 🤘🏻just came from the Instagram livestream

I bought a DIY kit a while back of that circuit, same enclosure as shown, built it, it sounds awesome.

The cheap one isn’t bad at all. I actually like the Klon for the cleaner tones, if you have a amp with a good clean channel they’re really transparent for crunchy sounds and the Wish on did very well on the lower gain setting.

“Don’t judge the centaur by the size of his sword” amen brother

I love how Tomo has a klon, yet only plays clean tones.

I bought the Wish pedal after this video and haven’t looked back. It really sounds amazing. I even bought a Wampler Tumnus and a Mythos Mjolnir (both $200 pedals) to try “upgrading” from it but it turns out I like the Wish Klone better 😅 It just sounds really open with a sparkly upper range and a warm rich lower midrange that sounds great with any guitar just feels so good to play. You did a public service with this video. Wish ain’t no joke! 🤘🤘

I know it’s been a year but I got turned on to this Wish Pedal about 6mos ago and I paid $65 including shipping and it’s Great! Always On! Thanks man please keep up the Good Work. Love your channel and content! Cheers from Salem, Ohio.

Two days out of the hospital and he’s already being a mad guitar scientist.

I don't think I would ever be able to justify spending $5000 on a pedal. It sounds great, but it sure as shit doesn't sound "$5000 great." 😬

That was one of the most informative (and funny) videos I've ever watched. First, your tones are absolutely gorgeous. Second, I found myself nearly salivating about owning a real one, it sounds so good. But the differences between it and the clone are so small, I could never spend $5k for the original. This is like when Andertons compared a $7,000 Les Paul against a $700 Epiphone. Was there a difference? Yes. Was it worth spending the extra $6,300? Not really, unless you're a rich rock star. We're so lucky to have so many smart, talented people on the web teaching. It's awesome when they're also hilarious, (see Greg Koch)! Thanks Tyler! And you may have a side career as a stunt double for John Leguizamo. You look like his younger brother.

They sound most similar with the knobs on 10, so the main difference may well be the taper of the pots. So 12 O'clock on one is 10 O'clock on the other perhaps.

The wish pedal actually sounds fine, not nearly as good as the real one of course but it surprised me.

Last hour news: Klon Centaur prices drops to $1000 and Wish Klone prices increaces to $50

6:33 that guitar tone is angelic!! I don’t think I’ve ever gotten chills from a guitar tone before.

The difference in sound is likely down to the quality of a couple of relatively cheap components. Certainly not enough to justify the premium price point on the Klon.

There's a difference for sure, but talk about diminishing returns

*distortion* : 'this is my clean sound'

Its pretty amazing what you can do with an MXR 10 band paired with the Klon Clone. I bet with minor tweaking you can get the tone identical to any ear.

I bought one of the Wish “Klones” and it has become a mainstay on my pedalboard. I tend to use it with the gain maxed and the treble set around 1-2 o’clock. It’s perfect for modern rock. If I need something milder for classic rock or oldies a Boss Super Overdrive gets it done. The Wish klone is a solid, great sounding distortion pedal. If it broke I would buy another.

“And some day we sell this and go to vacation”

Unless you actually have both to tell the difference, you would never know. The poor man wins.

Imagine paying 5K for a pedal, thinking that's the one thing that'll bring it all together.

I love my $20 Mosky Klon clone. Does it sound exactly like a vintage Klon? I have absolutely no idea. Do I love the sound I get out of it? Absolutely. I had a client in the studio the other day who tried it out, and ran out and bought one himself. So, it's not just me. I constantly think of Duke Ellington when it comes to stuff like this. He said, "if it sounds good, it is good." I try to let that be my guiding principle.

It doesn't sound all that bad actually 🤷‍♂️

I had two original Klons during the day and they sounded as different as those two.

Just got mine in today from Wish, and it is one of the best overdrive pedals I have ever used. UPDATE.. the thing finally died. Started making all sorts of noise then poof!! Oh well I still have my Mosky Golden Horse.

Absolutely love your shirt!

I dont think anyone is gonna be able to tell the difference in a mix. 29$ all day

The good news is that you can resell the Klon for a bonkers profit.

6:42 that lick jeez cant stop listening to it

What a great video dude.

"Someday we sell this and go on vacation." LOL Tomo is a savage!

I bought a kit on Amazon for around $40. Upgraded the diodes, charge pump and some of the caps and it sounds great. Cost me around < $50 all together.

Thanks for your review. I guess the subtle differences between two pedals is enough to make one stand out compared to the other.

Tyler, you were sick with Covid and pneumonia? Dude I’m sorry. You sound well on this video. Get better and get some rest my friend. Happy New Year to you and Bethany.

When you think of it as a "K-style overdrive" it makes the cut, hands down.

Yes a clear difference with the Chinese replica being more compressed and less overtone-shime. But the difference varies from settings. Very very interesting comparison. And the difference in most places is vague and up to the players fingers.

My friend, and Rhythm guitarist played his Klon "clone" we stacked it up against many overdrives, trying to get "His Sound". I was surprised, and It was immediately apparent, It was the most transparent, and it went from low overdrive, to medium ,to high overdrive it is"Amp sounding"

God damn boy. Crushing it when you SHOULD BE IN BED RESTING. Killer work. x

This man has been out of ICU for less than a week and is already making videos, such dedication

I built 2 about 6 years ago with the now almost impossible to find OA126 Telefunken diodes. Amazing pedals and cost me maybe $37 or so each to build : )

Just got my Wish pedal in the mail today. Can’t wait to try it out when I get home. And at Sundays jam session. Hooking it up to my Peavy 1,000 watt bass amp plugged into my Rickenbacker 325

Are we just not going to talk about his shirt saying "Insane klon possie"

Welcome back!!! So glad to see ya up and healthy again!! Love from Sweden and all the family! Stay safe, you and Bethany!

When he turned up the gain and treble I got chills in my spine

The real one is slightly boomier, but I feel like you could probably add a little reverb on the cheap one and have a sound that is indistinguishable by almost anyone

95% as good as the original I'd say.. Im buying one after seeing this.

the differences are so small that you can make the bootleg version sound just like the original with just a few eq corrections in post production.

"Tone is in the ear of the beholder." Never were truer words spoken.

It didn't sound like a 5k vs $39, more like a $225 vs $39. Funny and informative....love it.

Just got my Klon Centaur clone today through Wish. I wasn't expecting much at all. All I have to say is holy...........mackerel!!!! This thing is sweet! The Other overdrives and distortions that I have don't allow the voice of the guitar to come through the effect. This Klon clone is just fantastic! Its not too overdriven but not fuzzy at all. This is the sound I have been trying to find for 45 years! I'm blown away!

My wife got me a Klon clone for Christmas. Retails for $59 and sounds so good.

Crazy. But the original klon has so much more harmonics stacked up ontop of each other. Almost like it has half of an Octavia pedal in there. Maybe a double stack pot. Feeding the clean signal through clean and the overdrive signal through with some sort of harmonic treble booster / clean booster. There is still a ton of difference. Especially through a set of quality headphones

I just got my "Wish Klone" today... I gotta say it's not bad at all! It sweetens the front end of the crunch channel on my DSL40 in an awesome way and in front of the OD channel some kind of black magic happens! I highly recommend getting yourself one if you're even a little curious. Got mine for $36 shipped...

Perfect for gigging without risking losing an extra $5k if your gear gets stolen

4:40 -"This is my clean sound" - Strums some heavily overdriven chords

@Luke Hill and others...Agreed. The differences are subtle, but "one dimensional" is an apt description for the cheaper one. It just feels like the expensive box has richer harmonic layering, particularly at the high end. I think the more important question regards production: If your mics, mic'ing, mix, or mastering suck, neither pedal is going to sound $5,000-awesome. If you can't properly capture and commit that sound then why bother with the price tag?

That finger stuck under the string made me laugh so hard I was literally suffocating. You got me, I subscribed. xD

You're also running a buffered signal from the wish klone into the centaur itself which makes a subtle difference in tone itself. Great comparison!!

The actual klon has a little more clarity, but it’s definitely not worth spending $5,000 to get that clarity.

I’m reading comments considering the wish Klon sounding slightly thinner or duller…first of all the difference even in this RU-vid video to my ears and with the EYES closed is borderline identical in some cases completely identical (if you consider the price difference is practically the same!)! Then my main point is this, every time we guitarists forget the massive amount of EQ parameters that we have on tap! The guitars tone, the amps EQ or even an EQ pedal! So keeping in mind the “thinner” or “duller” sound and in this difference spectrum, I believe that with minor adjustments in any of these the final tonal outcome will legitimately be IDENTICAL! Thanks for coming to my TEd talk, goodnight! 😁

Love, love, love the Philip Glass background music.

"duller" is a good description for the Klone, but it still sounds really good. There's something special about the original though, just because there is The Klone is a lot more logical to have on your board if you're playing out anywhere

ive had a guitar in my hands my entire life, and unless something is wrong with my hearing, the only differences there are are the ones we are forcing ourselves to hear because we want to hear them. its just parts, and they have revearse engineered this thing pretty damned good

Not sure if the two units are level matched but, to my ears, the original unit has more clarity, definition, focus and depth. The bulk of the sound is replicated in the knock off but it lacks the nuances that the original has. Great vid btw!

Yep you are a Sap. I bought one...($57 AU). And I love it. Sounds great.

I closed my eyes and couldn't tell when you switched from one to the other. Probably not 100% exact, but the differences aren't worth $4970.

My initial thought was just "that doesn't sound as meaty as the original". but for 1% of the price? think just adding a bit more reverb will help and totally worth it.

Lol. Awesome vid. There is another vid on RU-vid where 5 or six get compared to the decibels (touted as an exact Klon copy). The bottom line was the “Mosky” golden horse (probably the smaller version of the one you reviewed), was the closest to the actual Klon than any of its high priced competitors. Biggest difference being the shimmer on the high end, just like you found. Also the Mosky lacked a little headroom. I have a Mosky and I use it for my 80’s band for a little more goop in certain solos. The JCM 800 is already distorted enough to cover the lack of shimmeryness. For my classic rock band I use the decibelics, cause, well... it’s a little better. There is no doubt, if your playing in a bar, using a microphone that costs less than $500, and your sound man (person) is less than half drunk, no one will ever know the difference. For $30 (I bought mine 2 years ago and it was $19.76 after tax, delivered to my door) every guitar player in the world should own one. If there ever was a no brainer.... this is it!

Don't judge a Centaur by the size of its box...I got one at the advice of a coworker...yes, from Wish... As I didn't have the real one to compare, I was pretty pleased...hearing your video, I'm very impressed how close they are...yes there is a difference, albeit slight... Thanks for your vids!

Just buy the Chinese one instead of buying a pedal worth a motorbike

You giving this to someone who didn't have the bucks to buy it makes me respect you even more man! ❤️

I could hear the difference in a sense that original has a fuller more in depth sound but the ripoff wasn't that far behind. I bought one as well. It's not a metal pedal, but then again it was never meant to be.

Also remember that unless you are absolutely sure the volume output is the same, it’s not an apples to apples test. Volume matching is the trickiest part of all of this. That said, the Klon to my ear sounded better at all settings than the knock-off. But that Knock-off is pretty great for what it is. Makes me wonder if I would pay $100 for a Klone vs $29. The Klon seems more harmonically complex at lower volume, for example. But at the 3/4 knob positions there wasn’t as much difference for me. But again, the volume output of each and how it’s driving the preamp is also a factor. The Klon enclosure is a work of art all its own, and for me that makes it more valuable, just maybe not to the tune of 4K.

Always amazes me when someone cannot believe that two circuits that are identical sound the same :D

The clone does not have the harmonic sheen as the original, but I bet adding a treble booster after the clone would get you there! IMHO

3:48 You cant imitate that.. unless the parts are discontinued and unobtainable, you can surely reproduce it. Its just a circuit, that's why they put the goop over the board.

when you cranked the gain and treble, that’s when you can hear it.. great video 👍🏽