What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

[Lewguitar]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

I love how when I run my klones with the right setting they thicken
up the mids with a slight lower mid bump and also just the right amount if Treble go give some cutting ability. Where many seem to use it to push a clean or slightly dirty amp to a nice crunch, I like to push a crunchy amp for a saturated lead tone.

Me too. I use little amps and turn them up to the edge of breakup for a good rock rhythm tone, and then hit them with the Klon to push them into hyperdrive. Then I can usually just use my guitar’s volume control to clean it up again. Something you can’t do with most other pedals.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

I love pedals that can do that.

 

[beaubrummels]

What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

Supposedly the JHS Meat+3 mod on a Soul Food makes it nearly comparable to an actual Klon. Demos I've seen by different people comparing actual Klons and Archers and the Meat+3 Soul Food were compelling, anyway. Doable for between $105-$125 total or so (pedal plus mod)

 

[Aceman]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

Again - just putting in the devils-advocate opinion here. Remember - I have a Diaz Tremodillo....so, you know, if Klon is what you need, it's what you need. But I'd say the same thing about my Diaz.


These things are all like Ferrari's. Extremely expensive, and while they do do things that no other car can, they also do things that don't matter. For example, while that Lambo is 200k+ and perfect, you are stuck in traffic just like me. And even if there was no traffic, you still wouldn't be going 180 anyway. So be honest that you love the style, the leather of the seats, the sticking, and the capability of the car, for the sake of the love of the vehicle. You can't drive it to its potential, and no one would know you did it if you could.


Note-shaping....word for the day. Getting DEEP on a single note from attack, to bloom to decay....yeah. Been there, rarely, but I feel you.

 

[justFred]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

Me too. I use little amps and turn them up to the edge of breakup for a good rock rhythm tone, and then hit them with the Klon to push them into hyperdrive. Then I can usually just use my guitar’s volume control to clean it up again. Something you can’t do with most other pedals.

Mesa Boogie do that and no xstrs...just switch from rhythm to lead channel.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

Mesa Boogie do that and no xstrs...just switch from rhythm to lead channel.

You missed the point.

Using just your guitar’s volume control to go from rhythm to lead is a whole different thing from stomping on a foot switch to abruptly change channels on a Boogie.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

Using just your guitar’s volume control to go from rhythm to lead is a whole different thing from stomping on a foot switch to change channels on a Boogie.

All my amps clean up with the volume control no problem, that's one of the things I look for when buying.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

I have an idea...

Everybody who has a Klon/Klone and enjoys it, continue to do so.

Everyone who is curious about trying one, try one. If you like it, keep it. If you don't, don't.

Everyone who doesn't want to use one, continue not using it.

Everyone mentioning the inflated price of the original Klon, why? No one here has said go spend over $1000 on a pedal. Do you go into posts about new Les Pauls and tell the guy it's ridiculous that a '59 costs north of a quarter million?

 

[Darg1911]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

Yeah, but unless you truly believe that the secret, mystical unicorn diodes are the special magic sauce, those $2k - $3k big silver or gold boxes are the only "real" Klons ...

 

[Aceman]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

The OP did ask about the hype.

And yeah - we DO post about the stupidity of $250k LP's.....because we know that the date only makes it old, not magical.

Any guitar pedal that costs that much IS hype plain and simple. There are pedals that will do the same, or better, at half the cost. IF we could have a blind sound test done well, it would be obvious. we never get that, so brand, hype, blues lawyers and everything else on the planet influences us.

Same deal with pickups. Is the new Lynch pickup worth it or is it hype???? Considering most of you ever heard that makes you want to sound like hime was likely a Distortion, a JB, or whatever....the answer is no.

But if you want to give it a try, go for it. Just do so with eyes and ears wide open. If you tell me that in todays mass production, custom mass production, Modified stock, and small boutique maker world that there is nothing that matches a Klon original - I call BS. I don't need to have owned or played one to know that.

 

[Mincer]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

It is funny that there are only a handful of things in the guitar world that get so much hype- bursts, Klons, Trainwreck amps, & Dumbles. It has always been fascinating to me.

 

[Coma]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

Me too. I use little amps and turn them up to the edge of breakup for a good rock rhythm tone, and then hit them with the Klon to push them into hyperdrive. Then I can usually just use my guitar’s volume control to clean it up again. Something you can’t do with most other pedals.

Wait a minute. You turn down your amp, then hit it with an OD to crank it, then turn your guitar volume down to get away from the cranked sound. Why?

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

If you tell me that in todays mass production, custom mass production, Modified stock, and small boutique maker world that there is nothing that matches a Klon original - I call BS.

Did anybody say that?

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

^ well if nobody did, I will. NOTHING MATCHES A KLON ORIGINAL...I even told Finnigan himself that when he posted clips of the original and the KTR. He replied asking me why, but I didn't get around to answering him, but it just sounded better .Nothing ever for any original pedal IMHO is as good as the originals, close maybe, but no cigar.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

Wait a minute. You turn down your amp, then hit it with an OD to crank it, then turn your guitar volume down to get away from the cranked sound. Why?

You don't turn down the amp. You turn it to where it starts to break up. On my Super Reverb, that would be like 5. Then, you turn on the pedal to get the amp sounding dirtier. This sounds different than if I turn my Super up to 8. It's the same tone as 5, but dirtier. Then, you use the guitar's volume knob to vary the amount of dirt. With my stuff, the guitar feels more responsive at all points between 0 and 10 on the volume pot than if I just turn a distortion pedal on and off.

Some guys, like Jimmy Herring, use a two humbucker guitar, balance the volume knobs on the guitar to get a tone they like, then vary the dirt with a volume pedal.

As was stated before, if you're into really high gain or playing metal, this probably isn't going to be your cup of tea.

 

[TimmyPage]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

I think the real game-changer with 'Klons' was the EXH Soul Food. Here you had this legendary, super expensive pedal that was held in a similar regard (as mentioned before) to Trainwreck and Dumble amps, and suddenly someone made a pedal for 60 bucks that sounded 90% of the way there.

It was a game changer, and I really think that it's the reason that so many companies are offering Klones right now, not just copying the circuit but actually pushing it in new directions like the ProAnalog Manticore, Wampler Tumnus Deluxe and the Bondi Effects Sick As.

I also think it's caused the Klon phase to die out a bit. Same way that people are sort of bored of tubescreamers ('oh look, another TS clone'), I've started seeing backlash when companies release a Klone, pushing companies towards more interesting circuits like the BluesBreaker or the DOD OD-250.

Personally, I've owned two Klones and while I think they sound nice it's never quite done it for me. My ears like the Timmy or the Xotic RC Booster a bit more for pushing an amp over the edge.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

It is funny that there are only a handful of things in the guitar world that get so much hype- bursts, Klons, Trainwreck amps, & Dumbles. It has always been fascinating to me.

Because of the extremely limited nature of them. Ibanez made more Tube Screamers in one month of 1981 than Finnegan made of Klons ever. Fumble had to deem you worthy to even build you an amp.

That’s the great thing about the KTR, Soul Food and other Klones. It lets a decent chunk of people play the circuit at different price points to see if it works for them.

 

[Mincer]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

Interesting thing is that now every modeling company has access to at least 1 Trainwreck or Dumble, and can model them. Does it sound alike? Does it really matter? The 'value' of these brands' sound has gone down (even if the actual amps' value hasn't). Now it is 'easy' to get something close to a real Klon, etc...so other than collectors, it seems like players aren't as interested as they were when you couldn't get a Klone.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

Interesting thing is that now every modeling company has access to at least 1 Trainwreck or Dumble, and can model them. Does it sound alike? Does it really matter? The 'value' of these brands' sound has gone down (even if the actual amps' value hasn't). Now it is 'easy' to get something close to a real Klon, etc...so other than collectors, it seems like players aren't as interested as they were when you couldn't get a Klone.

Interesting to say so; I had a modeling amp allegedly able to pull a Dumble, but that setting never appealed to me. Perhaps things like this and Klon clones just heighten the mystery- could the real thing be that much better (or else why is it so hyped?)

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: What's With All The Klon Hoo-Hah

Interesting to say so; I had a modeling amp allegedly able to pull a Dumble, but that setting never appealed to me. Perhaps things like this and Klon clones just heighten the mystery- could the real thing be that much better (or else why is it so hyped?)

Also depends greatly whether that effect or setting compliments your playing style.

My MP Simble pedal does the Dumble tone better than any pedal I’ve heard. And being a jazzy blues player, that sound is perfect for my playing style.

Same thing with the Klon. Works with my rock/blues playing style beautifully.

As does the Route 808 pedal...an improved version of the Tubescreamer that I love using when I’m in a mood for that sound.