Centuar

[markvalluzzi]

   I have a Klon Centaur that I bought new and never used. I opened the box, looked at it and put it away.  It's a long, long story. I haven't been able to get back to my home town to pick it up due to my job.  I was wondering,  Are these things as great as I've heard ? Or just hype ? I see them for sale from time to time and the asking prices are insane considering what the builder charged me.

[Willabe]

I've never tried one but Tone Quest Report mag. loves it and had it in their all time top ten.


                    Brad     

[Mars-Hall]

I bought one over 10 years ago.  Never have wanted another OD pedal since.  It does exactly what I want to hear. 

[Willabe]

The guy who builds them stopped making them because they stopped making a certain chip or transistor he was using. He felt it was key to the sound and couldn't find a replacement that sounded as good.

In the last interview I read in TQR mag., he said he was working on a new version that would sound the same as the old one. I don't know if he ever finished it?


                Brad     

[Mars-Hall]

The guy who builds them stopped making them because they stopped making a certain chip or transistor he was using. He felt it was key to the sound and couldn't find a replacement that sounded as good.

In the last interview I read in TQR mag., he said he was working on a new version that would sound the same as the old one. I don't know if he ever finished it?

Bill Finnegan had a demo at this years NAMM, but has yet to release a production unit.  Was originally suppose to be released in 2010.  He's shifting production to an outside vender, to give himself relief from building them all by hand.  He's been the butt of a lot of jokes on gear related forum, for his lack of timeline commitment.    

[Lucifer]

. . . they stopped making a certain chip or transistor he was using. . .

There is plenty of info on the web about the circuit of the Klon Centaur.  There's nothing special in there at all - except great tone.

I'm a big fan of the KC, having owned a silver one.  The one thing that ticked me off, though, was the flimsy power jack, which crackled if the pedal was moved - so I got rid of it (the pedal, not just the jack).  However, it wasn't long after that I built a clone from the available info - and it sounded just as good as the original (and there's no special chips or transistors - it doesn't have any transistors - and no "magic" diodes - it just sounds great). 

I've now built a couple of clones and incorporated them into some 'multi-pedals', such as my Super-Hoochie-Zen-o-Klon (a picture of the innards can be seen in my post "Versatile Amp Cradle").  I should point out that these clones are for my own use - I don't believe in making money out of someone else's hard work. 

[smackoj]

"da devil made me do it!"  would you mind posting a link or a shot of the scheme for the KC you built?

thx

 

[Lucifer]

would you mind posting a link or a shot of the scheme for the KC you built?

thx

 

Sure.  Here goes.  This schematic has been verified by lots of pedal clone builders, and is available on a number of websites.

Have fun.