What other Pedals are like a KLON?

sparkle** · Sep 21, 2003

What other Pedals are like a KLON?

I do not want to paty $400 for a pedal.

Help?

Using a Germino Masonette or Mayfly bc 15.

Looking for a solo boost with maybe a little extra gain.

SBlue · Sep 21, 2003

I own a Klon for 5 years now. There are a lot of other good pedals that are cheaper, some other ones more expensive(hard to believe, but true). Some with more gain, some with less...
Anyway, exactly like a Klon?!? You won't find. You might even find something you like better, and cheaper. But not like a Klon. Expensive? Yes. Overpriced? No. You get what you pay for, and the Klon worth every cent.
A lot of people like the Barber Direct Drive. Cheap and good. Might work for you.
SBlue

gmann · Sep 21, 2003

I recentley purchased a G2D Cream-Tone. I saw it advertised in VG Magazine. The website is www.g2d.co.nz
They make several pedals like this. They all have a solo boost. I have a Klon and have used it and loved it for years. I like the Cream-Tone better. It is the shit with P90's! I'm not selling the Klon tho, it's still a great pedal. This company is in New Zealand. They have sound samples on their website and they use PayPal.

Dave Paetow · Sep 21, 2003

I owned a Klon. Great for clean boost, not great for overdrive. When I sold it I made money on it, so I can't complain I guess.

CAPT CRUNCH · Sep 21, 2003

Dave Paetow said:
I owned a Klon. Great for clean boost, not great for overdrive.

I agree.........great clean, not so great overdrive.........You might look at a Sparkle Drive......

Johnnytone · Sep 21, 2003

gmann said:
I recentley purchased a G2D Cream-Tone. I saw it advertised in VG Magazine. The website is www.g2d.co.nz
They make several pedals like this. They all have a solo boost. I have a Klon and have used it and loved it for years. I like the Cream-Tone better. It is the shit with P90's! I'm not selling the Klon tho, it's still a great pedal. This company is in New Zealand. They have sound samples on their website and they use PayPal.

Gmann:
I saw that pedal in VG and was interested as well. Can you give me a little more info on it? FYI, I use a Maxon 808 for OD because of its "wet" quality and Fulltone DP1 for harde distortion. Would this pedal fit between the two, or is it more in line with the tubescreamer crowd?

TIA.

Dwell · Sep 21, 2003

The Fulltone Full-Drive 2 does what you need, as does the Sparkle Drive. I prefer the FD2, but both are worth checking out.

Note: to make the FD2 do the clean boost, put the pedal in comp-cut mode, set the overdrive to noon or below, the tone to noon, and just use the volume for a louder signal.

badmuddy · Sep 22, 2003

i have a tech21 double drive that does a GREAT clean boost! it's a really versatile pedal, too, great overdrive/dist. i've got an extra one if yer innarested.

ml

Ogre · Sep 22, 2003

Klon

Most over-rated, tone-sucking pedal I ever had. Sold it quickly, and didn't lose money. Most of my lessons have not come so cheaply!

DrRobert · Sep 22, 2003

I've owned a boatload of ODs and boosts. The pedal that gets the vote for the most transparent clean boost is the Zvex SHO-it doesn't add anything to the sound, just makes it louder. As an added advantage, if you put it first in your pedal chain, it'll make the pedals after it less likely to lose guitar tone.

To me the Klon is a different animal, it's best low gain, but it still adds a lot of harmonic content to the tone-so I'd have to put it in the low gain OD category. In that group there's a lot of other pedals, many of which have already been mentioned. Since you could get a Barber Direct Drive (or a Sparkle Drive or FDII) used plus an SHO for less than the Klon, I can't recommend it unless it's the one pedal you don't have :lol1

Flavum · Sep 22, 2003

As has been said, there are many options available in the "clean boost" category. The FullDrive 2 is a great pedal, and adds 2 overdrive modes as well as clean boost. Worth considering.

I've used an Austone Soul-o-Stomp for a while, and it's an excellent clean boost pedal. Transparent, true-bypass, handmade, and it's CHROME! How cool is that?

I also own a Centaur (made by Klon - had to clear that up), and it's the one pedal I bring to every gig. Although some don't like them, the vast majority of users do.

Duncan · Sep 22, 2003

I don't use a boost pedal - I honestly haven't found the need for one. I tend to find my lead work is fine without a boost - doesn't get lost in the mix or anything. There isn't any difference in the punch between my rhythm and lead work. Don't know why - and I'm not saying this to 'bignote' myself or anything like that - it just seems to be that way...

So, since I DON"T use them, I might be able to look at this issue from a different perspective. I was wondering - wouldn't the perfect clean boost be a graphic equaliser pedel (like a Boss) set with a flat EQ so it doesn't change the tone from the amp at all and just the master signal pushed higher? I mean, it has a + or - 15dB boost doesn't it? You can just turn that on and off, keep your tone identical and just boost your signal by up to 15dB. Surely that must be the easiest and best (and probably cheapest) way to get a clean boost?

As I said though, I've never used one, so I'd be interested in opinions. Just seems logical, but if you guys have tried it, then let me know the downside...

stratodude · Sep 22, 2003

Duncan said:
let me know the downside...

The downside to the Boss Equilizer as a clean boost?
No snob appeal. You don't have to wait and they are reasonably priced, so how good can they be?

Dwell · Sep 22, 2003

The Boss gain circuit is not particularly clean. I don't want added noise, just added gain.

Boss' solution is to sell you a Noise Reduction pedal. I don't care for the band aid approach.

Matt3 · Sep 22, 2003

That's exactly what I use, a Boss GE-7 with the EQ flat and the Level up for a volume boost. I use mine last in the chain just before a clean amp so noise is not an issue in my case. If it was before overdrive or distortion it might be noisy (If Dwell says it's noisy I would tend to believe him). I don't think I've ever tried it before OD/distortion.

Based on the original post, I think that he wants a little bit of coloration. Unfortunately, you really have to try different pedals to see what matches up nicely with your amp and guitar to get your target tone. Tubescreamers and variants often do this really well. Many times a pedal that I don't like as an overdrive actually gooses an amp nicely when you turn the Drive all the way down and turn the Level up.

Matt

gmann · Sep 23, 2003

Johnnytone said:
Gmann:
I saw that pedal in VG and was interested as well. Can you give me a little more info on it? FYI, I use a Maxon 808 for OD because of its "wet" quality and Fulltone DP1 for harde distortion. Would this pedal fit between the two, or is it more in line with the tubescreamer crowd?

TIA.

Johnnytone, I have a Maxon 808 as well, a great pedal IMO. This would probably fit nicely between the two. It is not like Tubescreamer at all. Don't know what of guitar yer playin' but this is my fav pedal with P90's. What I really like most about it. is it has a so called blues channel which gives me a little of the good stuff and a solo channel which gives me a lot. Also, true bypass. They make several pedals besides the one advertised in VG. Their soundfiles don't really do these justice. When you place an order with these guys, that's when they make your pedal. I had mine in less than 10 days. As they are makin' it, they will tweak it in for you if you have any particulars that you might want. Check out their website or go to Harmony Central and look at some user reviews.

Johnnytone · Sep 23, 2003

gmann said:
Johnnytone, I have a Maxon 808 as well, a great pedal IMO. This would probably fit nicely between the two. It is not like Tubescreamer at all. Don't know what of guitar yer playin' but this is my fav pedal with P90's. What I really like most about it. is it has a so called blues channel which gives me a little of the good stuff and a solo channel which gives me a lot. Also, true bypass. They make several pedals besides the one advertised in VG. Their soundfiles don't really do these justice. When you place an order with these guys, that's when they make your pedal. I had mine in less than 10 days. As they are makin' it, they will tweak it in for you if you have any particulars that you might want. Check out their website or go to Harmony Central and look at some user reviews.

Thanks for the reply. I will check it out!:hippy

Beau · Sep 23, 2003

Bonzai Cold Fusion.

Nathan · Sep 23, 2003

The Cold Fusion has an unusable tone knob, and there's an imposed EQ that pierces my earrums. You can turn the tone knob down to get rid of it, but then it sounds muddy. Definitely not Klon-like. For cheap, look for a used Fat Boost or try the Bad Bob boost, both can be got for around $100. the Xotic RC Booster is nice also, but clean and not fat like the Klon, and it costs $175 new. You could ge a hold of a Tube Works Blue Tube or 901 with a 12AU7 in it. That would be nice and affordable, and very tubelike. Still not Klon though. The Centaur has some mojo that I haven't found anywhere else, but it also has the mid hump that you can't get rid of!

Duncan · Sep 24, 2003

Matt3 said:
That's exactly what I use, a Boss GE-7 with the EQ flat and the Level up for a volume boost. I use mine last in the chain just before a clean amp so noise is not an issue in my case. If it was before overdrive or distortion it might be noisy (If Dwell says it's noisy I would tend to believe him). I don't think I've ever tried it before OD/distortion.
Matt

Hmmm... so if you placed it in the effects loop of a tube amp (like a Marshall), then noise shouldn't be a problem?

What other Pedals are like a KLON?

sparkle**

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