NUPD: Pedal Monster Klone Jr.

ErikH

Well-known member
New Used Pedal Day.

Last evening I went by one of my favorite local shops after dropping our youngest off at our main Church campus for some girl discipleship. The plan was to "look" and maybe jump on a good deal, especially on the used table. And there was plenty on that used table. After some processes of elimination, I decided to pull the trigger on this Pedal Monster Klone Jr.. Didn't even play it at the store. Just bought it. Yeah, it's a Klon Klone, in a smaller enclosure. They (Pedal Monster) have a larger version like the old Centaur as well. After some digging and reading reviews and bits on it, this Klone does not have the Germanium diodes or the buffered bypass like the original but that's OK.

Got a little time to mess with it this morning through my digital setup on my Mac Mini. I used a lightly overdriven Marshall setup for the base. The Klone instantly latched on to it and made itself at home. With the drive up high, it soars with this thick yet articulate drive. With the drive backed down and the level up, it's a nice boost adding some grit, but still big sounding. The treble control is really nice across the whole range. With my Classic Vibe Strat, I rolled it all the way down and it didn't even muffle, just got warmer and smoother. With the Les Paul (stock pickups), it just sings. My initial thought is there's a nice useful range with the drive, treble and level for pretty much any situation.

This is much different than the Soul Food I had a few years ago (and to me, a better sounding drive) and I had played through a few other clones at guitar shows that were "meh" to me. I've never been much of a Klon (or its clones) type person but the price on this was right to give a legit Klone a shot. I'll be giving this one a good workout in the coming days with my setup. Gotta see how it plays with my amp too.
 
Go with what works for you! Sounds like you found a keeper. I love it when you stumble onto something cool that works like that out of the blue for a good deal. Good for you!!
 
Last night I used it at Worship band rehearsal. Gotta say, it worked really well. The gain was kept low, treble rolled back some and the volume at a good level, close to unity. The response and dynamics with it are fantastic. There are OD pedals where the dirt doesn't change much, or very little, when you roll back the guitar volume. This one changes a lot. I can roll back some and it cleans right up as if I switched to a different channel. Great response and feel. So far, 2 of 2 in the rig setups. I'll run it with my amp maybe later today and then cover band rehearsal is next weekend.
 
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So, this pedal works so good in my setup that I decided to order another direct from them, but the full-size version. It gets my tone in to that spot where I don’t want to put the guitar down. They build to order so it’s a 7-14 day lead time. And it’s a one man shop (sometimes two). Will share pics of both when it arrives.
 
What is the difference between the full size version and the others, aside from size?

From what I understand, no difference. The PCB layout might be different. I'll know when it arrives and I open it up to peek in there.
 
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I also have the Pedal Monster klone jr.
although it’s not currently on my board it is a really, REALLY good pedal.
 
I just ordered some kind of Klone the other day, it was cheap, see how it is when it gets here lol

Winging it
 
The Klone Jr got a really good workout in my rigs the last 5 days. I gotta say, this is certainly a pedal that can be left on all the time while using the guitar volume for dynamics. I've heard the Centaur described as an overdrive that becomes an extension of your amp. It's still your sound, just bigger, wider, with all the dynamics and feel. I gotta say that I agree with that. There is some coloration, yes, but the core tone is still there. Even with the tone knob up to noon or 1 o'clock, the high notes and upper registers on the guitar sound fat. The lows tighten up a little bit but not so much that you lose the feel. Let's call it more focused. And this is with my Squier Classic Vibe (stock pickups), my Les Paul (stock pickups), and my HH Frankenstrat with Screamin Demons.

The full-size I ordered a week ago shipped so I hope to have it in a couple days. Then the wife and I are off to Chicago for 5 days to work audio/video at a singing conference. It may be after that before I get to chance to get pics of both together along with gut shuts just because.
 
Giddy up! Grabbed this Klown pedal off DH Gate for like $35 shipped, I had to try it
It's pretty damn good!

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Do they sound the same? I have a BYOC Klone (Silver Pony) that sounds delicious.

Yup. They sound identical to each other to me. As to whether they sound the same as an original Centaur, I've read reports that this one is pretty much spot on and is in several lists of Klones to get in the $150-$300 range.
 
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