Klon Centaur Overdrive

YOU CAN'T GO WRONG-IT SOUNDS GREAT AT ANY SETTING. I RECOMMEND A
SET OF GEORGE L CABLES AND A FRESH ALKALINE 9V FOR OPTIMUM TONE. THE
UNIT IS DESIGNED TO ENHANCE THE TONE OF A TUBE AMP,OF COURSE.

FX-WISE I USE A FULLTONE CLYDE WAHWAH, CROWTHER AUDIO HOTCAKE AND THE
CENTAUR, IN THAT ORDER. TUBE AMPS: PLUSH, MESA-BOOGIE, CARVIN, FENDER
WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF GUITARS, ALL SOLID BODY. NOISE IS NOT BAD AT
ALL. I CAN EASILY GET A JEFF BECK-LIKE TONE THAT ALWAYS SATISFYS.
IT ALSO DRIVES THE LINE AT ALL TIMES, IN OR OUT.

THIS BABY IS 100% ROAD-APPROVED. IT ALWAYS GOES TO THE SHOW. AFTER A
YEAR OF HEAVY USE NO PROBLEMS AT ALL. IT IS THE STURDIEST I HAVE SEEN.
WOULD GIG WITHOUT A BACKUP. I DO REPLACE THE 9V OFTEN, AFTER 4-5 HRS
OF USE.

BILL IS THE NICEST GUY YOU WILL EVER DEAL WITH. WHAT MORE CAN I SAY?

I PLAY ROCK AND ROLL-IF THE PUREST OVERDRIVE TONE IS YOUR TRUE LOVE,
THE CENTAUR IS FOR YOU. WORTH EVERY PENNY. WOULD BUY ANOTHER IF EVER
LOST. IF STOLEN WOULD KILL THIEF. BY THE WAY, IT LOOOKS COOL,TOO.
GARY

3 knobs.......very easy........actually hard to get a bad sound.

I would just repeat what the others have said.......simply put.....this pedal sounds great

Built like a little tank...

Bill is unbelievable. It's so nice to talk to someone who actually cares about the customer and takes pride in what he builds.

This pedal would be good for any style of music. I can't say enough good things about it. I go thru lots of gear and hold on to very little of it. This is right up there with my old Fender amps which I will never sell.

simple, simple, and simple. three knobs does it all. gain, tone, volume. oh yeah, standard stomp switch too.

i dig this pedal in every way it delivers its' own goodies. it's clean boost is its' claim to fame calling card trademark. i also happen to like it's distortion too - even though others find a weakness here. in my opinion, there isn't. i have found a very special use for my Centaur. i use it as a clean boost pedal placed after my Intellifex and Chameleon. it stays on continually and i filter my Intellifex/Chameleon patches thru it to recapture that analog warmth. it really does an excellent job of removing any trace of "digitized tone". the Chameleon's gain patches are okay but I've tolerated it's "digi-tone" too much. the Centaur really enhances the gain patches in the Chameleon - they're bigger, fatter, and warmer to the bone! (even with taking complete advantage of the Chameleon's great EQ sections). i have found a match made in tone heaven between these two and the Centaur is like that one special person that's right for you. all you Chameleon users take note - your patches will never be the same "sterile-digi-thin" ever again.

I got this pedal used and it is serving me well. no problems to mention.

I have to rate the Centaur highly - top shelf! I've played guitar most of my life and this is one very welcomed "tone tool". as i said,
i have a unique use for it and I'm very satisfied with the results it delivers. there is only one other pedal i would use in the same manner as I'm using the Klon - the S.I.B. Fatdrive. it too is a very good clean boost pedal - that's all it does! but, the Centaur takes up less space on my pedalboard and has that magic that is all its' own. if i lost it, i would probably get the Fatdrive only because they're easier to come by - but i would choose the Klon in a heartbeat if readily available. the Centaur is really the "secret sauce" in my
rig.

Three knobs and a switch, very easy to use.

My ratings:
Clean Boost- 9
Overdrive- 3

I liked clean boost, it was very nice, but was very disappointed with the overdrive sound. The more gain that was dailed in, the more nasal midrange there was, and the overdrive texture was not as smooth as I would have liked. I was under the impression that this pedal did not color the tone, but after using it, I found that it indeed does color the tone if you use it as an overdrive pedal. I mainly used this pedal through my '64 Vibroverb or '65 Vibrolux Reverb. I did use it through my Traynor MkIII on occasion with a HC LP, or '63 Strat

Looks very sturdy, but I'm not a fan of gooped-up circuit boards that can't be repaired without sending it back, so negative points here. The case is built like a brick shithouse, could withstand a nuclear holocaust.

I bought mine used, so I don't have any experience with this.

I play all kinds of music, been playing for almost 20 years. I liked the clean boost of this pedal, but did not like the overdrive sounds, so I ended up selling the pedal at a tidy profit, since I only paid $75 for it. I would have been much more disapointed with it if I had paid almost $300 for it. If the pedal had a smoother, more tube-like overdrive, I would have liked it more. The drive seemed bit fuzzy and raunchy to me, not like a 808 Tubescreamer. I tried many different batteries, with the same results. Wish I could give it a better rating, but it didn't float my boat.

This is an excellent overdrive pedal that is very simple to use. I found that when I used it in my rig it was hard to get a bad sound out of it. Gain, tone, and volume controls make it a "no brainer" to dial in the tones you want.

Let me start by saying that I am lucky enough to have owned almost every overdrive pedal on the market. I am an avid collector of overdrive pedals, and I am also a professional musician that performs at least 150 nights per year. I have owned pedals made by Ibanez, Menatone, Way Huge, Fulltone, Lovetone, Boss, MXR, Z. Vex, Stamps, Danelectro, etc. None of these pedals, in my opinion, provide me with the overdrive tone that I like. I have listened to live recordings of my band as well as listened to friends of mine sit in with us, and whether I am listening to this box on tape, or hearing it through the P.A., it always sounds incredible. My rig consists of a PRS McCarty > Modified Crybaby > Klon > Maxon OD808 > MXR Phase 100 > Boss DD3 > Fender Blues Jr. I do own a couple of larger amplifiers and do seem to notice that the Centaur is at its best when pushing a lower wattage tube amplifier that is being cranked up a bit. I don't use the Klon as a high gain overdrive. I guess you could say that I use it for my lower gain lead and rhythm sounds. However, I must say that I often find myself using it instead of hitting my other drive pedal for more gain, simply because it is so responsive to the way I play that I find I don't need all the extra gain to get the sound I need. Believe me, I love all of my other overdrive pedals in my collection. Some of them even have a distinctive sound exclusive only to themselves. I just feel that if what you are looking for is a pure, fat, cranked amp overdrive tone, the Klon is it. I like this pedal so much that I purchased a second one so I would have one at home. The other one stays in our equipment van on my pedalboard.

I don't see how this thing could ever fail. I build overdrive pedals myself, and have inspected the construction of many different brands. This pedal is built far better than anything I have seen. Top grade components are used, the physical layout is very neat, and the outer shell is pretty indestructable. I seriously doubt any backup will be needed.

I spoke to Bill Finnegan on the phone both times I ordered one of these pedals. He seemed to be willing to take any time needed to answer any of my questions about the pedal or my rig.

I have never given any pedal 10's across the board, but this thing deserves it. I just think that this pedal does what it is designed to do better than anything out there, and if you get the chance, I would really recommend that you try one. It may or may not be what you are looking for, but I know that the tones this pedal generates make me want to make music.

It is a simple and straightforward as an overdrive pedal can be.

Best application I have heard is clean boost into a Black Face Fender, such as a Super Reverb or Deluxe Reverb, when the amp is at least medium volume. It simply enhances the tone in wonderful way: fat, articulate, punchy. Sometimes I turn up the gain knowb a bit (about 9 o'clock), to add more grit, but this pedal is not the best choice for a fully compressed overdrive, heavy distortion or fuzz sound. I tend to leave it on all the time, and then add in other effects. Other pedals come and go in my set up--this one always stays.

I have had this pedal for several years, and it has held up very well. On one occasion, a combo amp fell off an extension cab and toppled on to the Klon. The push button on the Klon punched a hole in the combo cabinet, and the Klon's level knob made a huge dent in the amp's face plate--yes, it was a direct hit. The Klon's case did not scratch at all, and the knobs were intact. The collision did smash a pot inside the Klon. I sent it back to Bill at Klon, who repaired it promptly at a reasonable price. I wish my other pedals were built this well.

I bought this pedal direct from Bill. I have talked to him about it several times by phone, and he has always been very informative and enthusiastic about his pedals--clearly a labor of love for him. When I had to send it back to him for repair, as noted above, he took good care of me.

The is no one best pedal, in my opinion, but this pedal has to be on the short list of the very best out there. It is visually and mechanically exceptional in design quality. Nothing I have heard beats it in the clean boost nto a Fender Black Face amp set up described above. If I lost all my pedals, it is the first one I would replace. (Others: Burn Unit, Blue Collar, Hotcake, H&K Tube Factor, Expandora, Tube Screamers, various chorus, delay, compressor, etc.)

It's all been said but I must vent my joy. This pedal is simple and the best pedal I have heard.

Totally natural and it really does become one w/ you guitar and amp and thats no bullshit. The BEST. I've been through a ton of overdrives and amps and guitars. I've settled and am completely content w/ my sound. The rig is my 94 PRS McCarty into the Klon, to my Barber Tone Pump, into my Kendrick Gusher. The Klon brought all of this stuff together, and I have my dream tone.

Seems really solid.

I haven't had the pedal real long but I've heard good things, and the little manual sent w/ it sounds like he's really cool, and wants his customers happy.

Playin w/ a band that does lotsa bluesy-jazzy-classic rockin, and tons of original stuff. The Klon is essential in my rig at all times. Would buy it again. Thanks Mr. Finnegan, you did it right!!

na

this is an update to my previous review, bill called me to discuss my review about the gain being thin and weak as i stated in my review. after informing me about adjusting the tone knob ,i went to my boutique amp store and ran the klon thru several high end clean amps the difference was tremendous!! while i was there i also tried the mesa 4x12 recto cab and bought it on the spot. obviously. the mesa head was meant to play through this head which doubled the headroom and bottom end and turned the highs into pure glass. the klon's performance increased accordingly . if you want peak performance from the klon' gain section use a clean amp. i can not as i am hooked on the mesa's highly compressed,ultra high gain sound an the klon's clean boost puts me over the top!!!!!!! also, i noticed that several people have trashed mesa on their reviews of high end amps ie:solodano, bogner, top hat and others so i went out in search of these heads which took a lot of time and traveling . although all these heads sound super each with it's own distinct characteristics not one of them had the raunchy, gritty sound of modern high gain nor the soulful funky sound of the blues channel. and at 1,500.00 is about half as expensive. if the mesa was so bad why do all the new digital modeling amps like line 6, johnson, and several rack units have settings emmulating the modern hi gain sound. i rest my case. again thanks bill for a wonderful pedal

no manual 3 knobs gain, tone, and output on off switch no true by pass must use at end of chain led to show on off

strat delux, prs , into mesa tov head absolutely the finest clean boost available. fulltone fulldrive 2 and z-vex super hard-on pale in comparison. (an 11.) gain however is weak and thin (a 6 ) sounds super with all effects

built just like the blackstone mosfet great attention to detail in every area bill even caste my unit in silver instead of gold! it's rep proceeds it

bill is very busy but does return e-mails and offered a 5 day return policy. promised unit in 8 weeks. received in 10 weeks. i would wait 100 weeks for this baby. unit lives up to hype.

i have submitted quite a few reviews and here are my best picks for units to date; wah-budda,fuzz-wyllie,vibe unit-sweetsound,chorus-analogman's clone-clone,overdrive-blackstone's mosfet,clean boost-klon,amp-mesa-boogie tov,cabinet-to be determined,delay and reverb-lexicon mpx-100 guitar-humbucker-prs,single-coil-strat deluxe.strings-guage-11-48 de'addario. as a previous reviewer stated the klon is a very expensive one trick pony. well, all i can say to that is oh, but what a glorious trick it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Extremely simple to dial in sounds. Three knobs: drive, treble and level. Drive and level are somewhat interactive.

This is the best overdrive I have ever owned. I own 7 TS-808s (all with registered tradmark logos) and have played them and their successor TS-9 for years. I play a variety of amps from a Tweed Deluxe and Plexi 50w to a Matchless DC-30 and Dr zZ Route 66. The Klon sounds great in them all, augmenting the sound of the amp in an organic way, rahter than adding a compressed pedal sound. I must say that I donm't understand the comments of several reviewers about the humped mid-range when the drive is cranked. So long as the amp is being run relatively open (6+/10), there is no discernible midrange boost (even in the Matchless). These reviewers must be trying to juice up an underdriven power section which is, of course, not the purpose of this pedal.

Built like a rock. Only negative is this huge silcon blob that means, were it to break, I would have to ship it back for the oh so secret repair.

The only thing I use between a guitar and amp. Enough said.

As stated numerous times, there are only three knobs, so that part is a snap. The only reason I don't give it a ten is because of the modification required to make it AC-ready. It involves buying a specific connector, soldering onto a wall wart etc. I realize that Bill is a one man operation, so that is why he probably doesn't make the connectors himself. If you want you can just use 9V batteries however. This is a very minor quibble.

I am sooooo wary of the point inflation on these boards. Every product seems to be given a ten. I sort of understand why. You just spent your precious green on a unit & this helps justify it. That said, I am now going to give this unit a great score not only because I spent a lot on it (I am not certain, but this could be the most expensive OD box on the market), but because it has earned it. I just finished A/B'ing it with my Menatone Blue Collar, which I also like, but, it was clear that the Centaur was the better pedal. The Menatone was more brittle sounding to the Klon's warm tones. The individual notes on the guitar came through better on the Klon & it just seemed smoother. Also, as has been stated many times, this pedal is not for metal freaks. I am a pop guitar player who uses mainly a G&L ASAT Classic through a Top Hat Club Royale 2x12. The amp has a master volume so I have the amp pushing a bit already & the Klon sounds fantastic. I keep the drive usually at around 12 to 1 & it really helps the amp sing. It also works great as a clean boost, and if you have read the posts, this unit really does not change the tone of the guitar at all. I tested this for quite a while when I got the pedal. And that is very important to me. I can't say the same for the Blue Collar. It sounds like I am trashing the Blue Collar, but on the contrary. It too is lovely, just not as responsive as the Klon. The drive on the Klon gives me enough for what passes as my lead work. I won't say that this unit can nail certain tones. I have no clue about that. I just know that it works for me. And my bandmates also really notice a difference.

I just got the thing used, but it does look like a tank & the circuit board has this black rubber glue-like substance over it, so I guarantee it will never come loose.

Bill Finnegan was very anxious for me to call him with the serial number of the unit when I got it (previously I had planned to buy a new one). It seems that these units are his musical children & he wants to keep tabs on where they are in the world. I found that reassuring. Again, as many people have said, he is a lovely person to deal with & really enjoys talking about his product & guitar tone.

Why not a ten? Only because it's price point is high & because of the adapter issue. But that said, it is without question the best OD unit I have ever played through. Is it the best because I spent a lot of money on it & must justify my purchase? I say a resounding NO. It really is a terrific pedal, and what little I have dealt with Mr. Finnegan, I am certain that the cost of the unit is directly related to highest quality parts, time & workmanship. Besides, after you buy this pedal, you won't need to buy another OD pedal ever again. So in that sense, it could be a bargain.

Update to a previous review.
Side note: the Klon works perfectly with Voodoo Labs pedal power, and the cords that come with the pedal power fit the Klon's jack very well.

Update to a previous post. I've had my Centaur for a few years now and it's still the best I've heard. I was itching for a new overdrive pedal so I spent some time at Mak'n Music in Chicago a/b'ing my Klon against some of the newer pedals out there, specifically the Menatone Blue Collar, SIB Varidrive, and the Stamps Drive-o-matic. While all of the pedals were capable of providing more gain, the Klon was the most transparent, natural sounding unit. I went home without spending a dime. The Klon is really dynamic in a way the other pedals weren't (perhasp this was due to the Klon's lower gain structure).When the gain is all the way up (I tried this on all the pedals)you can ease up on your pick attack and the Klon cleans up very nicely, and the Klon was the only one to do this.

Over three years now, no problems.

Always willing to talk tone.

Quite simple to use but, as noted by manufacturer, it is designed to be used with a tube amp that's already being pushed a little past break-up to get the maximum use of the pedal.

As most have noted, the clean boost (when used with a tube amp already pushed hard) does add a wonderful bigness to even a mediocre amp. However, if your planning to use this to add a nice grind to an amp that's not being pushed hard, you'll have to turn up the gain which definitely alters the tone of your guitar. I do not care for this alteration (too many mids). It's very important for people to realize what this pedal does well and the limitations it imposes on your application, i.e. if you're playing a clean amp set-up, I've found it impossible to dial in just a little grind without altering the guitars tone. I'd have to give it a 10 for clean boost & 5 for higher gain settings

Seems real solid

I spoke with Bill before ordering it directly. He was extremely helpful and took the time to answer my questions. I'm surprised that the change in tone with increased gain was never mentioned.

Know exactly what your application for this pedal will be and you probably won't be dissappointed. Highly recommended for the clean boost setting but nothing pleasant for higher gain settings. It's a lot of money for a one trick pony.

It's very simple. Three controls, Volume, Tone and Drive. That's basically all you need anyway. Oh, nich thing is that you can turn the control with your foot.

I use strats, tele and ES335 with Blackface Deluxe Reverb, Pro Reverb and Brownface Bassman. This sounds great with Blackface. I've owned lots of overdrvie pedals, such as tube screamer (TS9&TS10), Vox, Matchless, ZVex, Tech21, Fulltone...
This is the best for how I use it. I usually use two overdrive pedals, one for clean boost, and the other for more overdrive. Obviously, I use this for clean boost. I like ZVex Super Hard On better for clean boost, but Klon is more versatile. I can cut the high end a bit, if I want. I can't do that with Zvex.
I keep this for the clean boost purpose, and the other pedal is actually replacable. I've tried Tube Screamer, Fulltone, Vox, another Klon with Klon. They all sounded acceptable, but I like Tube Screamer and Fulltone the best. What I wanted to say is that I need Centaur all the time, no matter which other pedal I use.
As a stand alone unit, this is also great, as long as I keep the drive less than 10 o'clock position (sometimes, that doesn't give me enough overdrive, and that's why I need a 2nd pedal.) It is very transparent, and doesn't affect the guitar/amp tone that much. Other pedals including Tube Screamer and Fulltone change your tone more, and I don't like to use them without Centuar.

I've been using this for more than 6 months, and I haven't had any problem.

He's a cool guy.

I play blues and classic rock, and this pedal is perfect. It's designed to push vintage amps. I've been playing for 13yrs, and have owned lots of overdrive pedals, as I mentioned above. I'll buy this again, if it's stolen. I actually had two of them, but sold one, because I knew it's reliable (no backup needed), and I liked using a Centaur and either Tube Screamer or Fulltone better than using two Centaurs.
If ZVex Super Hard On had a tone control, I think I kept it, instead of Centaur, but it didn't. This is close to perfect. I haven't find anything better for that purpose.

There are no bad sounds in this pedal...well, to my ears. It's nice and fat with alot of beef. Only three knobs: gain, treble, and output. One thing notable is that it is very transparent...and you don't need any more EQ knobs. The treble is more like an "overall" knob...set half-way, it adds nothing (what goes in comes out)...turn it either way and it adds more/less treble. If you don't like your amp and guitar already, this pedal probably won't help you much. Another strange thing is that the drive and output are almost not directly linked...ie, usually, when you turn up the drive you have to cut back on the output knob...this effect is lessened in the pedal...which is kind of a marvel of science.

I play a Gibson Les Paul and ES-335 thru a '67 Bassman, '70 Orange 120, and early 60's Epiphone Pacemaker. I needed the pedal because the bassman and orange are all clean vintage amps that are almost too loud to crank even in a club (especially the orange). I played thru every pedal I could find to try to get the natural cranked amp tone (Blue Tube, vox tube-tone, dan-o pedals, tube-screamers, H'n'K Tube-Factor, even V-Twin). All got buzzy, all sounded like crap. I figured nothing could compare to an old tube amp on about 7 or 8. I read the other submissions on H-central for the Centaur and decided to give it a shot. It is extremely sweet tone, but you MUST have the amp turned up to a decent volume already, the best sound isn't found playing at apartment volumes. One thing that helps is that it is very subtle, so it never takes over your amp...and at times, it's hard to believe that it is on (it is so perfect). I go for vintage blue tone...very near Black Crowes tone (giving a large bow to Gov't Mule too) ...all vintage, no substitutes. This pedal is the most natural sounding overdrive pedal I've ever heard... In other words...if you play on an amp that was made after about 1975, it has a gain channel and you love it, this is probably not the pedal for you...save the money and get a metal-zone XII!

Seems to be pretty solid...all metal construction. Cool Stylings, a good pedal for the audience to wonder what the hell it is, and how you got the god-tone. It eats cheap batteries for breakfast...Mr. Klon suggests you use duracel or engergizers. When my cheap batteries started getting weak, it began making high pitched dog-whistle type noises. But..there's hope, there is a powerplug attachment. It requires you to buy a Boss converter, I'm ok with that to keep from buying a 3 dollar cheap battery every week. But don't get me wrong...the price of batteries is inconsequential when you get this tone.

When I got the pedal, it was acting funny, like cutting off when it's not supposed to. So, I spoke to Bill Finnegan (Owner-proprietor-manufacturer of the Centaur), and he was able to diagnose it over the phone...but, he insisted I ship it back to him. It was just the battery clip...I had it back within a week! and that was ground mail both ways! Bill Cares. he wants his pedal to be your third love, right after the '59 lespaul and the original 4x10 bassmans... He knows his stuff, and he knows good sound ...Hell, before I ordered it from him, I talked to him for nearly an hour about vintage amps and good tone. email him...klon@delphi.com At all times, there is at least a 6 week waiting period to get one...so just order directly from him, to go through a store is pointless.

This is the perfect pedal for me...it's a conversation piece as well as the best sounding pedal ever. If it were stolen or lost, I'd be calling the insurance company first thing inthe morning, and calling bill by 2 pm that afternoon...ie, I'd definitely replace it with a new one. You know that beautiful feeling of when you're standing in front of your amp, and it's loud enough that it's shaking your leg hair, when the volume is just under the point of making your guitar squeal with feedback..and the tone is so perfect that your guitar starts playing itself....welcome to the Centaur

Easy. One drive knob, one tone, one volume. If you want it loud with drive... turn up the drive and volume. etc.

Fender Thinline, tuner, fulltone supa-trem, klon into Victoria 3/10 Bandmaster. this is a great pedal for a tweed amp becuase you can get a great clean tone w/out the pedal and then use the pedal to drive your amp into grind, dirt, sandy warm fat tones. I like it becuase I can go from quiet to loud and fucked up by hitting the switch. I don't like distortion pedals because most all of them produce fuzz, which is not at all what I want( OK once in a while I will big muff, but only when I want exactly that sound). I tested a bunch of other pedals (boss blues driver, over drive, Ibanez Tube Screamer, fulltone, tube driver) and aside from the Klon, the tube screamer was closest to what I was looking for. but the Klon does everything the TS does but more and better. The volume goes three times a loud, the pedal will act like a boost, and it will grind your tone without loss of definition. YOu have to hear it then you will have to buy it. Also call Bill Finnegan about the pedal, he can tell you all the technical reasons why it does what it does and sounds good. this is no "boutique" pedal that sounds like something you can get in a time machine. It is a real, functional innovative product and well worth the price. end of paid advertisement :)

Lifetime guarantee. Well if it breaks on a gig I will be bummed. But I would live. The case is heavy forged aluminum, and the pots are those expensive ones and the switch is heavy duty. Like everyone else says IT IS BUILT OVERKILL. just go play one. Well, no. Don't do that becuase then you'll have to buy it.

Bill is the coolest. But more than that, his pedal is cooler than he is... no just kidding Bill.

Perfect for what I do, which is americana pop seattle style. I've been playing too long I keep trying to quit and cant. I'd buy another if I lost this one... some pedals I buy and don't use.. this one is on my board and I use it all the time. It was the perfect overdrive pedal. No others sound like it... if I couldn't get this it would be a ts, but the problem was, after i played through the klon I didn't want anything else. You've been warned. don't play though this pedal or you'll have to buy it.

Easy controls/ tone control has minimal effect on overall sound/ it doesn't change the "nature" of the sound

I play a 60's Telecaster and use the Klon in a chain with a delay pedal and a Tube Screamer. I've been using the Klon for clean boost and like it best for this purpose. To me, the unit has a bit of a "mid honk" in the gain setting (I don't know how else to describe it) and I like the sound of the modded TS-9 better for overdrive. A little disappointing considering the price of these things. Also, it makes a little noise when used in the clean boost mode with the volume at 12 o'clock. The boost does have a dynamic quality which I like.

It's chassis is heavy duty and looks to be built well. Be careful hooking up a power source to the 1/8" mini plug power source, if something is reversed you blow the circuit board in the unit.

I spoke with the owner/creator and he was helpful.

I play rock from the 50's through the 90's and use this with a Tele,EVH Wolfgang stop tailpiece and a reissue Vox AC-30. The Vox makes everything sound good but this pedal as an overdrive is disappointing. Can't complain bout the clean boost mode and I may keep it until I find something better for that purpose. I'l try one or two of the pedals wchich have the clean boost and drive channels in one unit. I don't think this thing quite lives up to the hype so I'd recommend trying one before purchasing, although the seem to be in demand and would not be hard to unload

This pedal is simply incapable of producing a bad tone. It has the standard three knob(volume, tone, and drive) configuration that is found on many overdrive devices; however, these actually work like they're supposed to. When the tone knob is at 12:00 o'clock, the tone of your amp is not affected. Also, the amount of drive does not affect your volume as much as a regular overdrive pedal.

My main guitar is a 1962 Fender Stratocaster and my main amplifier is a 1964 Fender Super Reverb. I've invested plenty of money into my tone, so I am very critical of anthing that I put in between my guitar and my amplifier. The biggest complement that I can give the Centaur is that it sounds like it's not there. What I mean by this is that it is not intrusive ,in the least, to your tone; however, it does subtley add bigness and as much drive as you want to it. It blends in with your sound like spices blend together in good food. They can only be detected by connoisseurs, but to others, they just add to the overall good taste. To me, it is a great accomplishment to create a piece of gear that actually complements some of the greatest instruments ever made. I think that this is what the Centaur does.

This thing seems to indestructible. Every component is heavy duty.

I called the company and spoke directly to Bill Finnegen, the designer of this unit. He was great, he answered my every question(from the most complex to the downright silly).

I am a professional blues guitarist and vocalist with the group Kingpin out of Texas. This unit is a perfect complement to blues music because ,like the music, it is pure simplicity. I see the Centaur as an instrument itself. I wish more effects manufacturers would adopt Klon's straight forward approach to great tone. I don't know how played without one before. P.S. Look out for our first album "All Blues All Night" I use the unit on It Hurts Me too and Woke Up This Morning.

3 knobs, no waiting.

With all the hype surrounding the Centaur I figured I'd better get my hands on one and see what the story was. Klon is one guy, at home, building pedals from dawn 'til dusk. I decided to buy directly and give him the maximum profit by cutting out the middle man. I think you should do the same (see reviews below for the phone number). If you don't like your Klon, you'll certainly have no trouble reselling it.
Other reviewers have talked about styles of music and types of guitar/amp combos. I thought what I'd do here is give sonic comparisons to a number of pedals you might own or have heard. This, maybe, will give you a reference point when I talk about how the Klon sounds.
I've broken-down the non-Klons into two categories: overdrives and fuzzes. Fuzzes, in general, are extreme in tampering with your guitar's signal. Overdrives take your signal and give it more gain -like turning up yer amp.
Here goes:
OVERDRIVES: -------------------------------------------------------- SIB! Varidrive: Serious high-voltage tube pre-amp in a pedal. Goes from mild gain to full-on smooth drive. Emphasis on SMOOOOTH. Virtually transparent tonally, though it includes treble/middle/bass pots for tweaking to taste. Very dynamic. Sounds like your amp got an extra channel -it's that neutral and natural. Yes, you CAN hear the difference between it and your amp, but it's not offensive or negative. You might even like it BETTER.
Chandler Tube Driver (4-knob version circa '88): Glassy and bright. Kind of sharp. Turning up the gain yields I'm-frying-my-12AX7 sounds. Coarse, not smooth, and the tube really sags under load. Somehow NOT warm, despite being a tube pedal.
Real Tube: I used to love this thing. In the company of high-end pedals it sounds muddy, un-dynamic, and ho-hum. Colors the tone everywhere, doesn't respond to pick dynamics, and drops both the top-end and bottom. The treble/middle/bass controls add MORE color, rather than compensating for loss or adding tastefull boosts. The SIB! makes it sound like a transistor toy.
Fulltone '69: A clone of the old Fuzz Face. I've only played through crappy FFs, so I was shocked at how tube-like this guy is. The tone is neutral -no obnoxious humps or dips in the spectrum, though I would say it thins the tone. Has a lot of tube sag when driven hard, but no tube! Used with a low-ish output guitar you can leave the drive cranked and use picking intensity to go from nearly clean to full-blown tube grind. Pretty cool. I do think it knocks out a some bottom end, and it isn't as see-through as the SIB!.

FUZZES: -------------------------------------------------------- Way Huge Swollen Pickle: Supposedly a replica of the old triangle-knob Big Muff. Having never played through a 1st issue BM, I can't say. However, this is one raw and nasty sounding device. Buzz-saw. Totally takes over the tone of your gear -you could be playing a Les Paul or a banjo and not hear the difference. Crank the gain or the tone knob (named differently than that) and enough low end arrives to make you question the need for a bassist in your band. Definitely NOT an overdrive. This is fuzz, pure and simple, ragged and nasty.
Zvex Fuzz Factory: Crazy stuff can come out of here. When used as a fuzz, plain and simple, the sound is heavy but very smooth (not buzzy like the Swollen Pickle). I mean REALLY smooth. SMOOOOOOTH. But the low end is diminished some -not tragically, but noticeable. Again, it's a fuzz: bye-bye original guitar tone.

OK. Now that we've established how I hear some other pedals, let's move to how the Klon sounds to me. I was hoping to use the Klon as a mild overdrive -just a little break-up- and then use the SIB! when I wanted more serious drive. I plugged into the Klon, dialed up the gain a bit, balanced the volume, and did the old on/off/on/off routine listening to the clean signal, then the pedal. And... I did not like the Klon's OD at ALL. VERY mid-rangy, the low end vanishes, and the drive itself is grainy. This is my re

VERY well-built. Industrial strength pedal.

I talked with Bill Finnegan (Mr. Centaur) extensively before buying the pedal. I'm sure if I had any reason to contact him further we'd talk again at length.

In a nutshell, for me the Klon is less a pedal than an Amplifier Accessory. I couldn't bear to have an amp like a Deluxe Reverb WITHOUT having the Klon to push it when I want more pre-amp gain. The two work in tandem as though Leo himself included the Klon with the Deluxe. Yeah, almost $300 is a lot just for some push, but it's kind of like having a pro mod your amp for more gain and... well... if you have MANY amps then it's like having a pro mod ALL your amps. Suddenly the Klon becomes well worth it. I ordered the Klon having no interest as a player in a "clean boost" but it's made me a convert. I never knew how glorious a little "push" could be! Thanks, Bill!

Very easy to use. With the instructions that came with it, I was able to dial in my sound quickly

I use the Centaur with a PRS and a with Les Paul running through either an Alessandro Redbone or a Marshall Super Lead re-issue. It sounds great. I don't like or use pedals, but I like and use this one. It truely gives you more of your amplifier's sound.

It is built like a tank and will be around long after I am gone.

Bill Finigan is a first class individual who will help you in any way he can. I enjoy talking to Bill.

I play classic hard rock and blues. I prefer humbucker equipped guitars, and I am of the "less is more" mindset when it comes to my guitar-amplifier setup. I have never heard a distortion/overdrive pedal that I liked except for the Centaur. I like the sound of a cranked, overdriven tube amplifier. Just like the ad says, the Centaur gives you more of your amp. With a humbucker equipped guitar and a Marshall type amplifier, it really adds a lot to the whole package. If I lost mine, I would buy another one.

There are really no bad sounds in this pedal. It's a beautiful, simple design: gain, treble, output-three knobs.

I use a blackface '65 Fender Super Reverb amp ( have used it for 20 years) I also use a '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue.I play Strats and Teles. I notice no extra noise from this pedal other than what already comes out of the amp. The best thing about this pedal is it's ability to enhance the tone of an already good sounding amp. Almost every pedal on the market, despite their good sound, always seem to add their own slant, soundwise on your amp. The only "problem" with this pedal, if you can call it one is this: It's ability to give your amp a solid, beefy "clean boost" is so great that you tend shy away from it's awesome overdriven tones. The only solution is to employ two of them. It's like having a wife/girlfriend that is beautiful AND a good cook!

This unit is built like it was commissioned by the military. I would gig without a backup with full confidence!

Bill Finnegan sets new standards for communication with his customers. He also knows amps. Call him and see what I mean!

I have been playing for around 25 years. I play on weekends(4-6 times a month) so I need good, dependable equipment. Fender guitars and amps are, in my humble opinion, the best pieces of equipment EVER built and this Klon Centaur is certainly worthy of serving them. I have owned virtually every good overdrive pedal that is available. I'm sure I have spent over $1,000 over the years searching for the best pedal and this one is simply, much better! Keep that in mind if you consider the price too high. I still love my Tubescreamer, my Way Huge Red LLama, Vox Valvetone and Chandler Tube Driver, but, the Klon Centaur is the one that goes to the job with me, no question about it! If it were lost or stolen I would not hesitate to order another one. It will spoil you. It also has a lifetime warranty. I would consider this a great electric guitar pedal, period, no matter what style you choose to play.

Well let me start of by saying that this review will most likely be very similar to the many others already in this Klon archive. That's because almost all of them are extremely positive and I have nothing but nice things to say about this pedal! Basic stomp box lay out with 3 knobs - gain, treble, output. Takes a 9 volt battery but you will have to make an adjustment of some kind if you wish to use one of the basic AC adaptors. Apparently the AC jack is not set up for your basic (boss) type adaptor. Unit appears to be very well constructed inside and out. Some basic tips included in the box telling you about the clean boost features and what the pedal was designed for - would not really call it manual... Not that a manual is really needed in this case.

My Klon is being used with a 97 Am Std. Fender Tele and a 93 Fender Strat Ultra. This is being fed into a 65 Fender Twin R.I.- I bought the Klon to work in conjunction with my Fulltone Fulldrive2 which I have been using for the last year and half for my overdrive needs. Start by saying that the much heralded "clean boost" feature really lives up to the hype! With the gain on zero, tone around 12 o'clock you can crank up the output as loud as you wish while retaining the entire natural tone of your instrument. I have yet to own a pedal that does this as well as the Klon. The lower gain setting are great. Just enough dirt with out sounding to thin or wimpy and all setting are quite useable. The Higher gain range is very good. Sounds nice and warm and simulates the overdriven tube sound quite nicely. Not quite as much gain on tap as the Fulldrive2 but that's not really what I was looking for since I am using that pedal as well. The Klon will be my clean to moderate overdrive pedal and the Fulldrive2 will most likely be set for the nastier overdrive sounds. Together, all the overdrive bases seem to be covered! Not to mention that the Klon gives me a great rhythm tone and I can use the Fulldrive2 to boost my solos and get me above the band when needed.
The unit is very quiet over all and does not seem to negativley effect my tone even though it does not have a true bypass.

As I mentioned previously, construction appears to be first rate inside and out.

I emailed Bill Finnegan (He is Klon) and he returned my email within 24 hours. Very friendly and helpful and I believe the pedal comes with a lifetime warranty but I am not certain..? The number given on the bottom of the pedal is (617) 666-1551 if you wish to reach him. There is very little info on this pedal to be found on the net so do not hesitate to ask him questions.

Overall - the pedal is a 10 in my book. It is extremely similar to the Fulldrive2 in many ways sound wise and seems to cover the few bases that the Fulldrive2 might not do as well. On the other hand, the Fulldrive2 does a couple of things that the Klon does not offer so I feel that these two together are a match made in tone heaven! I would miss either of these pedals if they were not on my board. It so nice to get those warm, overdriven tones on the Twin without having to do the Nigel Tufnel "it goes to 11..." routine.
This pedal is worth the money. My only wish is that it would come already set up for use with the AC adaptor. I can fully understand it not coming with an adaptor but for this kind of money it should be ready to go with the 9 volt adaptors I already own...
If you want classic, warm, overdriven tube sounds with an amazing clean boost feature then look no further than the Klon Centaur!

very easy

BAD ASS. For country lead Bad ass - for Blues thru a 54 reissue Strat - Bad Ass. I play thru a Matchless DC/30 and it just sound great. I use this mostly for overdrive then my Fulltone 2 for really heavy overdrive.

I am an electrical tech/designer - it is some of hte best work I have seen on this kind of stuff.

As everybody says he is very nice and tells you like it is. (busy too!)

Short of turning my DC/30 to 10, this pedal sounds awsome for me.

With 3 knobs (Gain, Treble, Output) it doesn't get much easier. All three knobs are quite usable throughout their entire range and interact wonderfully. You would have to try really hard to find a bad combination. The manual had some suggestions (clean boost, etc.) which were useful, but you really don't need it for such a simple unit.

I have had my Centaur for a while now, and had postponed a review b/c I wanted to compose a cohesive, intelligent response without repeating word for word what others have already stated. With that said (and I apologize in advance for the length of this review):
1) Clean Boost: I had read about this unit's almost mythical ability to push the front end of a clean fender just a bit more, and I can say it has lived up to every promise. The recurring theme of this pedal must be stated as a cliche.. "transparent" (unfortunately the best word in our language). It is everything you like about your guitar and amp, just more.
2) Overdrive: First, let me start by defining what an overdrive pedal(by definition) is supposed to do. As the word implies, you are merely pushing the amp through the front end and thereby causing it to distort. The hope (with any "overdrive" pedal) is to simulate the sound of pushed tubes, usually the power section. An overdrive pedal, then, should (ideally) not color your sound at all, but rather be an extension of your amplifier and interact with it accordingly. With that said, this is the ONLY overdrive pedal I have ever used that actually does this. I have owned/used TS-9s, 808s, Fulldrives (both I and II), Hotboxes, Tube Kings, Tube Drivers, etc, and none of them are nearly as interactive with my amp. This is not to say that these other pedals are without merit (I still use a TS808 modded ri TS-9 as well), but I feel that they are nonetheless inferior from the perspective of a true overdrive. This IS the sound of my amplifier and guitar, not just a colored distortion from my pedal. If you want a great distortion pedal, find an old RAT. If you want the best overdrive, this is it. Every bit of gain range is usable and sounds wonderful. If you have an old Fender, this is a must. If you have any other amp, I would strongly suggest trying it, as I have not found a good tube amp yet that it will not sound beautiful with.
3) True Bypass: It seems as if everyone today is concerned with true bypass, but few know what actually constitutes a guitar signal. Bill Finnegan obviously spent years studying this concept. A true bypass is a good thing, but not the best. It is true that the Centaur does not have a true bypass. In fact, it has something better. The Centaur uses an impedance buffer to combat the capacitive loading effect inherent in any length of instrument cable. What this translates to is a signal that hasn't lost any of the highs. A good demo is to hook up the Centaur to a relatively lo-fi amp (I find a pignose to work best) and play your guitar plugged straight in and then with the Centaur in line. You will hear the subtleties of you your fingers and pick attack much more clearly. All the transients are there again. Note: the Centaur will always work/sound its best if it is the last unit in your chain before the amp.

It is solidly handcrafted from the highest quality parts available. I have had no problems and expect to have no problems

Bill Finnegan is one of the best people I have ever found to talk to about guitars, amps, and tone theory. He stands behind his product 100% as it comes with a lifetime warranty. He is very concerned with the equipment you will be using and will not try to sell you the unit if it is not what you are looking for. I wish every manufacturer was as pleasant to deal with.

For reference: I use any one of a number of Hamers (mostly a goldtop with Seymour Duncan P-90s, an Archtop Custom w/ Duncan JB/59s, and a Daytona w/Duncan Alnico Pro IIs) through a smooth blond '63 Dual Showman head (w/ either a 65 DualSh. 2x15 cab w/orig JBLs or a Mesa 2x12 cab w/ Vintage 30's) and a '64 Super Rev. I have also tried it through just about every other style of amp, from AC30s and Plexis to Mesas and Riveras. My commments reflect mostly on the Showman setup, however. One of the reasons I chose to post a review is that I am not the typical Centaur customer (a blues player), but rather play a mix of anything from surf and rockabilly to more noise oriented rock (Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore) and post-punk pop (Pixies, Wedding Present). The blues players had already sung the praises of this unit (and quite eloquently, too), so I felt that it was time for a different perspective. The only thing I could ever wish for with this unit is another one. If you have any questions about my experiences with this unit, feel free to contact me via e-mail. Just remove the no-spam from my address.
PS. I normally hate all-10 ratings, but I truly feel this unit deserves it.

Not really rocket science.Three knobs gain,treble,output.You just need to dail in the settings right for you.The knobs are change-able by foot while on stage.

O.K.,put it this way;you spend thousands of dollars on the perfect amp or amps,thousands of dollars on that pre-cbs strat,then you buy a factory produced foriegn made pukey green overdrive pedal that totally colors that perfect tone.Don't think so buddy.The centaur takes that rig and perfectly compliments it.Not by changing it but working with it.If you think you have a great clean tone then you only $239 away from an even greater overdrive tone!Does'nt seem like a lot of money anymore does it guys.Just take that tube screamer or fulldrive and a/b it with this thing and you'll know what I mean.

Its built like a tank.Bill uses only the best quality components, and its housed in a big bronze-colored aluminum chasis.You wont need a back up for this baby,unless your playing in a bar in Iowa where theres a good chance this baby will get stole!!

Everyone knows the story of Bill Finnegan.He's real personal with all the customers and all it takes is a phone call or e-mail(Klon@delphi) to reach him.

The Centaur is very easy to use, has only three knobs to turn (gain, treble and output). The manual explains how to get the clean boost and what AC unit to use and a guide how to modify the plug. Some sound examples are discussed in several reviews from different guitar magazines, which was sent with the unit. I ordered the unit directly from Klon.

I play Fender Custom Shop Relic Strat's and a Tele, for slide I'm using a Danelectro U-2. My amps are a Victoria Bandmaster and Pro and a Fender Vibro King and Pro Junior. I was looking for a distortion box that allows me to dial in the tone of a nice overdriven tweed amp at lower volumes. My main criteria was not to alter the tone of my beloved Victoria's. Everything I tried (from Matchless Hotbox to original TS 9 and 808) didn't work right for me, all these units altered the tone of my amps to much. The Centaur is different, the distortion is very natural, warm and fat. My search is over! One of the greatest features of this unit is the clean boost. This makes the amps sound bigger at lower volumes, great for playing in your living room.

I have the Centaur over a year and no problems. It is build like a tank. Only the best parts are used in the Centaur.

The builder and owner Bill Finnegan is a great guy. I had some grounding problem with my setup, which was not due to his unit, but he helped me at no charge. He did some extra grounding in my Centaur. Bill and Mark Baier from Victoria are the customer support dream come true.

This is the best unit I tried and the only pedal I use. I owned a lot of different distortion units in the last 15 years, but this is it. I always favored the just guitar and amp setup, but this unit enhances my rig. I play blues and this box gives me the right tone at any volume level. I probably buy another one, to have one setup for distortion and one for clean boost. After checking out my Centaur, my dealer is now also a Klon Centaur dealer.

Very easy to use, has merely three knobs (gain, treble, and output). Dial in your ouput, set your treble as desired and adjust gain for the amount of overdrive. Turning the gain knob completely down places you in clean boost mode, which makes your amp sound huge.

I play a Fender Custom Shop Strat through a '61 Fender Deluxe. I have played many overdrive boxes searching for something superior to the original Ibanez TS-9. Nothing came close until I found a Klon. It has great natural overdrive with a big, full-range sound. Very genuine tube overdrive with fantastic dynamics using various pick attacks. You can go from clean to overdrive merely by altering your picking style. The clean boost is simply phenomenal. I put it in this mode and ran it into a '54 Fender Champ; it made the amp sound huge. I could be happy with this set up forever. It makes that little 6" speaker sound much bigger. I've only playes this unit with a Fender, so I cannot say how it would perform with guitar fitted with humbucker (although I have seen Warren Haynes play with one and he souned awesome). If you play blues/rock, I cannot think of a better unit.

I have only had the pedal for two weeks. Don't really know, but it appears as if it's constructed to be here with the cockroaches when we're all gone.

Bill Finnegan is a great guy. I have had several phone conversations with him and his very helpful as well as entertaining. I cannot recall a time when I have received such great customer suport. He talks with you as if you're a big-name endorser. It is apparent he cares about his product.

Simply the best ovedrive unit I have played. I would recommend it to anyone and advise you wait until you have tried a Klon before buying anything else. I had to wait a long time before I found one at a guitar show, but it was well worth it. I would heartily buy it again.

This product is straight forward and very simple to operate. Gain, Treble and Output knobs that take you from transparent sound which does not color or surpress your guitar and amp's tone. Or to a very strong overdrive sound that is very dynamic and touch and volume control sensitve. No bee's buzzing around with this unit!
As for the manual, I was a little disapointed with the instruction guide as it is basically a hand printed photo copy of directions.

I use a Tom Anderson Drop Top strat style as well as a Gibson Les Paul. I am running the guitars and overdrive unit through a Matchless HC 30 with a Mesa Boggie 2x12 open back Rectifier cabinet.
I am able to nail the Stevie Ray Vaughan sound with this set up!!!

This unit is built like a tank-high quality components and all cast metal construction. A real raod worthy unit and outside of submerging it in a bucket of beer, I can't see how it could fail.

The owner of the comapny is the guy who builds the units, sells the unit and gives out customer support. He has been great and delivered the unit within a week of when it was promised. Shipped to me via UPS and packaged from Klon so that the unit arrived in pristine shape.

I play blues and jazz and I would say without a doubt that this unit is a must for these styles of music, especially blues.
I have been playing for 10 years and I have owned a number of other units like a Matchless Hot box, Tube Screamer, Boss pedals. The Centaur puts all of these to shame, regardless of price. I love and will own nothing else but Matchless amps, they are the most dynamic, best sounding and best built amps money can buy. The Klon Centaur professional overdrive is of equal quality and constuction and as I indicated, I liked this unit better than the Matchless Hot Box overdrive pedal.
If the unit was lost or stolen, I most definatley would purchase another unit

Simple, 3 knobs, Gain, Treble, Output.

Using this with a Victoria Bassman style amp and either a Fender Relic strat or a PRS Custom 22. Very liitle noise, and works very well with wah's and chorus. This is a fabulous sounding pedal, I've tried the Matchless Hotbox, Fulltone Fulldrive, Soul-bender, 69,and the Mesa V-twin and this is the box I like the best. It's amazing in that it adds a certain magic to the amp/guitar combination you are using, yet manages to preserve the dynamics of your pick attack, even on the highest gain setting. With the strat and the Victoria SRV and Hendrix sounds are very easy to attain. I really didn't like the PRS with the Victoria until I got the Centaur, now with the gain at the highest level using the neck pickup I get a wonderful stinging, singing, blues tone. I've heard people rave about the clean boost feature but I like the distortion the most. I've also heard that this pedal doesn't have enough gain, I feel there is enough, especially when using humbuckers. The finest pedal I've heard. No true bypass, but I've a/b going from guitar to pedal to amp and then going straight into the amp and found no noticeable change in the sound.

Looks solidly built, I think it has a lifetime warranty.

Bill is a great guy and will spend time with you on the phone explaining the pedal.

I'm sure this review sounds like all the others, but the real testament to how much I like this pedal is that I ordered another one.

The Centaur is very simple to use. The controls are gain, treble, output. These controls interact with eachother very well. The clean boost setting could be a pedal alone but the other features are just as usable. There are an incredible amount sounds in this box. I would say this unit is very easy to use but I think it takes some fine tweaking and some hands on, ( playing with a band), listening to get the true feel for this pedal. This is not a negative, it takes a little time to dial in but you really rewarded on the other side.

I use mostly vintage amplification consisting of: 56 Fender Bandmaster, 58 Fender Bassman, 58 Fender Deluxe, 68 Fender Princton Reverb, Vox AC 15, and I have also played the Centar though an AC 30. I use a Gibson Les Paul 58 Historic, 60 Les Paul Special, 59 335 Historic, 54 Les Paul, 59 Fender Strat, 60 Fender Custom Esquire Custom Shop. All have original pick-ups except the Esquire which has Duncan Antiqities neck and bridge. I did not list all of my toys to bragg or boast but to say the Centaur works with any combination of the list above. The Centaur is relatively quiet compared with the competition. Most of the settings work well but the clean boost feature is totally exceptional. There are so many different flavors on the gain knob from the off position to 8:30. This is the perfect compliment to a 50's tweed amp. These amps dont need any tonal boost just a little kick on the front end. The Centaur gives you a little extra without degrading your original tone. It also works well with my Princeton as a gainy crunch box. With this type of amp (black-face or silver-face) you get two amps in one. Crank up the amp,I play mine wide open, for that round bluesy tone and use the clean boost settings. Cut the volume to a cleaner level and use a higher gain setting for crunch and lead tones. The treble and output need more attention with these settings. In the clean boost mode I keep the treble and output set around 12:00 with a slight adjustment when using different guitars and amps. With the AC 30 and AC 15 the Centaur worked equally well. Clean boost had the same affect as the 50's tweed, just a little volume and punch to the original tone. More gain worked quite well for a more Marshall like sound. The Centaur works very well with other pedals. I am not a big pedal guy but I do like a wah and trem. This pedal does not degrade your signal much, good job on the bypass.

This pedal is built like a tank. I have had it for little while now and all is well. I would like one more not because of possible dependability problems, but for any possible reason for not having the Centaur in my gig bag. Theft, loss,broken, what ever to reason I use this pedal almost every day and I dig it.

Bill Finnagan is really into his bag and he knows whats up! He gives you his full attention and wont tell just what you want to hear. He gave some advice on other equipment and it helped my tone. That is very rare.

I play rock, blues, folk and country music and the Centaur works well with all styles. Ive played for about 20 years and I own a ton of musical gear. This pedal fills a void in my gear and I have tried all of the bells and whistles, vintage and new pedals for years trying to find the clean boost type feature and I find this pedal to be the most organic and real sounding yet. The rest of the sound features are just gravey for me. Compared with the competition I would say there is no comparison. Apples to oranges. The price is very fair.

I know, everybody loves this thing. I would give the Klon a 10 for the clean boost but once you increase the gain/dist. control past the 8 o'clock position the mids are increased in a way that is not pleasing to me. Again I have to say this thing is in very short supply and a lot of folks must have a different opinion. I bought it because I kept reading that it does not change your basic tone, that is true in the clean mode it actually enhances your tone but I did't like it's overdrive tone.

The Klon is beautifully constructed with the best components

The builder is a very sincere nice guy,I wish the big companies were.239.00

It just was not my cup of tea, but I had no trouble selling it. I discovered the Fender Pro Jr and Blues Jr and they have great natural overdrive. You can use buy a low wattage amp for less money than the Klon. It was an expensive lesson for me and I felt compelled to give a different view point. Sometimes I get caught up in the PF Flyer mentality, you know, "run faster jump higher" I am a hopeless pedal junkie. Sorry Bill.

This pedal is about as easy as it gets to use. Large knobs with sufficient space provided between them so that you're tempted to step on it with your foot and twist to make the adjustment.

I've used it with three different Fender Strats, all single coil pick-ups--1956, 1964 and a Japanese strat with replacement Seymour Duncan vintage pickups. I've played it through old tube amps: Fender Princeton Reverb, Deluxe Reverb, and a Vibrolux Reverb. Each one has sounded fantastic. If you boost the gain the way, it begins to sound a little trebly, but you can adjust the tone to compensate. You won't need a compression pedal anymore. You can turn your guitar towards your amp and it will begin to feed back, a la Hendrix, even though your amp is not cranked up. Turn away or mute the strings and it'll cut off like a noise gate. A truly amazing pedal. The best analogy I can draw is to think of the note that you play as a series of lines. ||||| The centaur fills in the spaces between the lines, so it's part of your tone. I have it on, all the time. Think: early Robben Ford-type tone. Clapton on Crossroads. It gives more compression then most other pedals. I A/B'd it with my TS-9 and the TS-9 sounded thin and weak. However, this pedal doesn't break up like the TS-9 or the Fulldrive 2 will, so you'll still need your other pedals. But this one is a must. If I only had one pedal, this would be the one. I hate that "buzzy" sound of so many pedals. They just sound too "hairy". This one simply takes your tone and drives it.

The pedal is very sturdy and inspires confidence as being dependable, but I have only had it three weeks.

I called Bill Finnigan, apparently "MR. KLON", after I heard about the pedal at a guitar shop in San Francisco I was visiting. Bill was very helpful and spoke to me about 20 minutes, answering my questions. This is not your mass produced pedal. (I hope CBS doesn't buy this company! :-) I haven't needed any work done on it, but I believe he'll be supportive.

I have been playing guitar since 1962, and play mostly rock and roll and blues. Every guitar player that has heard this pedal has been impressed. I would not hesitate to buy this pedal again. In fact, I may buy a second one as suggested by an earlier reviewer, to keep one set with high gain. I'm sorry the pedal is so expensive, but I'll get over it 'cause it's worth it.

great sound first try- drive, tone, volume- foot operated twist with foot motion. Live stage no problems with adjustments.

Use Matchless Tornado, Fender reverb, Strat guitar. no niose, clean unaltered direct sound, effect blend well with tonality of amp. Has smooth Eric Johnson type response tone (find pull-offs are easier to capture). Adjustment are smooth yet carves into natural sound of amp as any effect will do but not as noticable as other pedals used.

so far no problem. Battery short life, use adapter. Problem is must purchase separate adapter (boss recommended) and do soldering chores. Instructions are included.

Talked personally with the inventor> was nvery helpful in explaining the in and out for comparison to Ibanez ts9-808.No upgrade or repair as of yet.

Texas blues, playing for 20+ years in various part time bands. yes would buy if stolen (if lucky to obtain again).It adds an extra channel to the amp without the noticable effecty type sound. Matchless configuration needs this sweet addition. Needs an AC cord (long). Tried Vox treble booster, fuzz face, soul preacher, danelectro, ts9, this out does 'em all.

The Centaur is very easy to get excellent tone from by adjusting its three controls-gain, treble and output. My plan is to have two of these units side by side, using one for a clean boost and the other for overdrive sounds. In the past I used a compressor to stretch my notes but not any more. The clean boost setting produces a big sound without squashing the notes and raising the gain takes you from Texas dirt to high gain overdrive. Try using a tube screamer or Boss OD-3 first in line followed by the Centaur.

I play a Fender SRV Strat with Lindy Fralins, a Fender Strat Plus with VanZandts and a Fender Tele with Gibson Classic 57's. The Centaur is very quit and appears to have first class electronics. My amps are a Dan Torres Reverb King with a 15-inch Mojo and 4-10 cab. and a Fender Super. It's very easy to get the SRV-Kenny Wayne Shepherd sound. In fact I've read where Shepherd uses a Centaur and tube screamer.

No problems experienced.

Purchasing a product through the mail with a money order can make one apprehensive at times. After dealing with Klon owner, Bill Finnegan, I can honestly say I would trust him with dear moms social security check. He is very plesent and willing to talk to you about his product.

I play a mixture of blues and jazz, however the Centuar is covers most styles of music excluding metal. If it were lost, I would run, not walk to the mailbox with another order to Klon. I also have a TS-9 reissue modified by analogman and the new Boss OD-3. The Centaur does not interfere with your guitar tone.

The three controls--gain, treble, and output--work very well. Minor tweaks of the knobs bring about very subtle yet wonderful tonal variations. A good sound is easily obtainable in short order, perhaps because there are no bad sounds with this pedal!

As attested to by the numerous other reviewers, the Centaur doesn't color the rig in any way that I can tell. It just takes the sound produced by your fingers, technique, guitar, amp, and any other processing equipment and makes it "bigger." You want clean boost? No problem. You want a bluesy, singing sustain? No problem. You want subtle, clean crunch with complete note definition, no problem. If you want heavy, muddy, high-volume distortion then look elsewhere or put another pedal _after_ the Centaur.

Even though I've only had it a short time, I have a friend who owns #19 and it's still going strong. I have no doubt that this pedal will last as long as I care to use it.

I've never dealt with the company yet, but Bill put his card in the box and I would not hesitate to call him.

I've been playing guitar for almost 33 years, and I've never considered myself a pedal person. The most I usually use is just one overdrive pedal to get a boost for my leads, although lately I've been experimenting with some delay or chorus through the all-tube effects loop in my new homebrewed amp. In all my time playing, I have _never_ been completely satisfied with the OD pedals I've used, and I've owned or tried almost every one, including the holy grail, TS-808. I can comfortably state that for the type of music I play--blues, rock 'n roll--I cannot imagine a better complement to my rig than the Centaur. I have tried it through BF Fenders, a Matchless Spitfire clone (15 Watt, two EL84, Class-A), and the homebrewed 50-watt, four 6L6, Class-A amp that has replaced all the other amps I own--tone heaven! The two heads are plugged into a 4X10 finger-jointed cedar cabinet the I made based on '59 Bassman dimensions. It is loaded with WeberVST C10R's. Bottom line: With the addition of the Centaur, I think I've found a rig that will serve me well for a long, long time. BTW, I play a modified SRV strat and a '66 335 Gibson. Both guitars work very well with the Centaur.

I wish all effects were like this. The controls are simple, well thought out , and effective. The knobs are big enough that you can nudge one a bit with your foot on the fly if you so desire. The on/off switch is located off center to the right so you can easily ride it with your foot and still see the LED. The pots are obviously excellent quality,as they are very smooth with no "play" at all. This is one of the few effects where every knob does something useful. Small movements make audible changes, all of which sound great. There area lot of subtle variations to explore in this thing. I don't think you can dial in an unuseable setting. I found that with this I was immediately making music and forgot about messing with the knobs like you usually do on pedals.

OK, here's is the deal. IF you are a shredhead bent on tonal anarchy this is not your pedal. Click the mouse and move on junior. If you like the sound of a great guitar through a great old tube amp cranked up and smokin' then you have found the holy grail. Many many players have spent thousands of dollars (me included) trying to get this sound. You do not lose the sound of your guitar. It justs beefs it up. Individual notes articulate clearly in the distortion. You can play full chords even in open position and things don't get muddy. It works best for crunchy rhythm playing and bluesy leads. I know I am repeating what some other reviewers have said but it's all true. If you appreciate the subtleties of great old tube amps this is your pedal. If you leave your marshall set on 12 you probobly won't be impressed.

I would use it on a gig with no backup no question. This is the most solidly constructed pedal I have seen, on par with the Mesa V-twin. I haven't had mine long so I can't say I've used it on 300 gigs (yet) like the last reviewer.

I called today to ask about a 9 volt adapter for my unit. Bill Finnegan, creator of Klon, talked to me for 30 minutes about the pedal, the adapter, settings, old fender amps...you get the picture. This is a guy who is pssionate about guitar tone. He was soldering individual pedals himself as we talked. He told me how to set up an adapter, offered to send a manual (I didn't get one since I bought the pedal used), and asked me if I wanted to give him the serial number so he could keep track of it in his database, and gave me some excellent pointers on my search for old Fender amps. Wow.

Overall I give this my highest rating. I have been playing for 25 years. I play a wide variety of music in a working band and I would not leave home without it. I put it up against several other top of the line distortion pedals and it blew them away. Remember, this is not a high gain pedal so if you are looking for Santana leads you will have to use this along with some overdrive from the amp. For everything else, this is as good as it gets. If I were to wish for anything else it would be the ability to switch between different gain settings, but that would detract from the elegant simplicity of this pedal. Guess I'll buy a second one!

Just plug it in!

Black face Fenders. It's noisy only at the highest gain setting. There's no unusable settings on the pedal with the output at 12 o'clock.

Clean boost alone is worth the purchase price. Beefs up a Princeton reverb or super reverb. Overdrive tones are colorful and harmonically rich. I can't wait to get a second one so I can set one on overdrive and one on clean boost forever!

Excellent. Consistent. Works with clean Blackface Fenders, old Voxes, Marshalls, etc....

Totally dependable.

Exceptionally friendly and immediately helpful.

Great for rock, country, blues....leads and chords. I've played over 300 gigs w/my Centaur and it's by far the best sounding box available. This unit lets your guitar and amp retain their original tone and adds a quality which holds together for distorted chords (no other box I've heard does that well) and really liquidy, awesome-sounding leads. Works well with Fenders as well as humbucker guitars. Built solid as a yak. I'd definitely buy another one. I've been playing for 30 years. It does something different than the Tube Screamer or Fulltone 2 (I own one of each). I always use the Centaur and leave the other two at home. It does help you make music.....including music that actually is enjoyable to listen to.

Great for rock, country, blues....leads and chords. I've played over 300 gigs w/my Centaur and it's by far the best sounding box available. This unit lets your guitar and amp retain their original tone and adds a quality which holds together for distorted chords (no other box I've heard does that well) and really liquidy, awesome-sounding leads. Works well with Fenders as well as humbucker guitars. Built solid as a yak. I'd definitely buy another one. I've been playing for 30 years. It does something different than the Tube Screamer or Fulltone 2 (I own one of each). I always use the Centaur and leave the other two at home. It does help you make music.....including music that actually is enjoyable to listen to.

Very easy to use and to get a wide range of good sounds. Three controls - Gain, Treble and Output. There is no real manual, just a sheet with some suggestions, but Bill Finnegan is available by telephone and is extremely helpful. I talked to him when I ordered the unit, telling him about my guitars, amps and the sounds/tones I was looking for and he gave me some very useful suggestions.

The sound is incredible. This is a genuine overdrive that adds gain to my signal but does not alter the essential tone of my sound. At low gain settings, it can provide a clean boost. At maximum gain, I can get some raunchy, distorted punch. I use the Centaur instead of the 2-channel footswitch on my Fender Blues Deluxe.
I usually play a Telecaster, so I keep the Centaur's Treble control at less than half, unless I want a high-end lead sound. At the higher Gain settings, and with string muting, I can get a great chick'n-pick'n sound.

The box is as solid as they come. Some kind of heavy metal (no pun intended) box that stays put while you play. It has a well-built foot-switch as well.

The Centaur is made, one at a time, by Bill Finnegan, and he is a big help for anything you need. He provides a two-day trial use, with a money-back guarantee, if you don't like it once you get it. It has to be ordered direct through Bill and takes a few weeks to get, but well worth the wait.

I looked at and tested a lot of overdrive units before buying the Centaur and I have absolutely no regrets. It is exactly the sound I've been looking for, one that adds depth and character to my sound, but doesn't alter the essential tonal characteristics of it. It is in a league of its own, far above the BOSS and DOD boxes. It is expensive, but is durable and dependable, so over time it probably will end up being cheaper than the others.

It's a basic overdrive configuration with drive, treble and volume type controls.

This thing is the holy grail of overdrives to me. I have used an 808 tubescreamer for several years now and it's going into semiretirement. I can get a sound very close to the 808, but this is a much more complex and subtle device. The gain control ranges from none-an almost transparent clean boost-to Cream, Hendrix etc. All settings of the gain are useful and sound amazing. One of the most alluring features is the dynamic response of the unit. My fretting hand literally feels the string tension differently with this unit. With the 808, the sound is good(though more limited by far), but the compression greatly the sense of tactile response. The Centaur feels completely connected to the guitar and the amp in a very natural way. I've tried every overdrive pedal I could get my hands on; Ibanezes, various Boss, Fulldrive 2, Expandora,Prescription Overdrive, Danelectro Daddy-O, Rat(which I have also used a lot in my rig). Some of these are good to very good pedals, but none hit me like the Centaur. As I was talking to a friend we realized that our overdrives were the most consistent things in our rigs. Different guitars, different amps, different other effects boxes, but very consistent overdrives once we'd found something we liked. After many years, this is replacing the 808 and I'm delighted. I've played this pedal into my Matchless Chieftain, various Fenders old and new, a Matchless Lightning and a custom built Deluxe on steroids amp that was made for me with a PRS McCarty and a Strat with Lindy Fralin pickups. All combinations sound good and the differences between guitars/amps/pickups remain apparent through the pedal. This pedal fattens the inherent sound of the guitar without making it bloated or unplayeable. My strat which is beautifully detailed because of the Fralins, but not overly fat sounding became huge with the gain engaged. After about five minutes of playing it, I said to myself, "If SRV were around, he'd toss the tubescreamers and use these." It's not just an SRV thing though. As I said, the gain range is astounding and one of the best features is the clean boost. The treble control is also more useful than most I've used. 12 is even response. This allows you to dial in more treble as the overdrive gain increases to get a bit of edge to cut the overwhelming fatness and warmth that the gain brings. The volume control has massive gain that can be brought into play as well. 10:30 is even, so more than half of the range will give volume boost. This unit is definitely not a metal thing. It's classic overdrive in a way I've never experienced it. If you're on the tone search and overdrive is one of the things you're drawn to, I can't recommend trying this highly enough

Obviously great workpersonship inside. Wire lengths all cut to close fit. Very clean layout. Sealed pots. Very high quality gear. The housing is solid as can be. Many of the components are sealed with a rubber compound. I am assuming it's to keep the circuitry proprietary, but it also has the effect of keeping vibration to a minimum for much of the circuitry. Would probably still work after the bomb drops.

Bill Finnegan is Klon. He has been extremely personable and generous with his time with me. He was curious about what my current setup was and what I liked/didn't about it. It's clear that he prides himself on his work and has a master craftsmans ethic about the product he makes. I think the pedal has a lifetime warranty. I don't have it with me right now. I loaned to a local music dealer who may carry the pedals.

Clearly, I love this pedal. It's pricey, but it's a pedal I'll use at every practice and every gig for years, while many of the other pedals I've owned have been sold or sit in a box waiting for me to do something with. If you love overdrive, check it out.

3 Knobs: Gain, Treble and Output. Instructions are very clear. Its a very simple box, but very organic controls. This box has an intimate relationship with your amp, so even with the three knobs, there are many possibilities.

No noise at all. The over all sound is quite literally amazing to me. It is possible to add absolutely no perceptiable coloring to the tone of my guitar and amp! I love the sound of my Victoria 3-10 and wanted simply to get more gain at a lower volume and also raunchier gain at higher volumes. I did NOT want ANY coloration by a pedal. The Cenatur can do this. It is very hard to tell where the amp ends and the pedal begins and with practice I am confident I believe it will be impossible to tell. I feel I have found the grail, but refrain from giving it a 10 simply because I have not heard eveything. Make it a 9.9.

It looks to be extremely solid in construction. The case looks like thick aluminum. The Knobs are thick, large and sturdy, they will not break off. The screws are also thick and quite large. They are easily removed. The electronics inside are coated in a thick goo substance, I am assuming to protect from dirt, or bending. Overall it is of far higher quality than any of the mainline stompboxes, Boss, Ibanez, etc.

Klon is Bill Finnegan. This is the one pedal he is currently making (8/27/96). He was very helpful, and offered a two day trial period. Satisfaction or money back. He asked me to call him and let him know what I thought of it.

9.9- (I'm still holding out) This is easily the best overdrive unit I have heard. It allows the true charcter of my rig to shine through, uncompromised, untouched even. The distortion it adds is of the same tonal character as my amp. I mean THE SAME! All organic character is there. Perfect for blues. Shredders and the such probably won't like it, but it does get nasty ala Hendrix, Cream Etc. Have no idea how this would sound on a crappy amp. pedal.