One pedal that has divided guitar players for many years is the elusive Klon Centaur. This once relatively affordable pedal will now set you back the equivalent cost of a small car. But where did this mystique come from? Is the Klon Centaur the most (over)hyped guitar pedal of all time?

Klon Centaur history

The Klon Centaur's story began in 1994 when an American engineer named Bill Finnegan set out to build an overdrive pedal that could replicate the harmonically rich overdriven sound of his cranked Fender Tweed Twin amplifier, which was proving too loud for more and more venues he was playing in during the 1980s.

After trying out a Tubescreamer and being dissatisfied with its effect on his amp sound, he decided to design his own guitar pedal to achieve the more organic sound he was used to.

Following much experimentation, Bill finally achieved his goal by using germanium diodes in the clipping circuit, which gave the desired harmonically rich sound.

The three phases of Klon Centaur in both gold and silver variants. Credit: Decibelics

What's the difference between the silver and gold Klon Centaur?

The Klon Centaur was in production from 1994 to 2008, during which time a total of 8,000 units were built. Every single Klon Centaur was assembled and built by Bill's own hands.

To keep the results of his extensive research a secret from prying eyes, Bill famously coated the circuit board in a black epoxy resin, referred to by many of us in the guitar world by its technical name: "goop". While this kept his component choices secret for a long time, it also makes repairing and modifying the originals quite difficult - and in some cases, impossible.

Among the 8,000 units built, there were 2 colours and 3 main designs of Klon Centaur. Although some people believe that the silver and gold Klons sound different, in fact the same components were used and there's no evidence to prove that there is any audible difference.

The Klon Centaur was released with slightly different graphics through the years:

• "Horsie Long Tail" (1994 to 1998)
• "Horsie Short Tail" (1998 to 2003)
• "No Horsie" (2003 to 2008)

The internals of a Klon Centaur, including the "gooped" components to hide their details. Credit: Art Bromage / Wikimedia Commons

The Klon Centaur circuit

The Klon Centaur is a totally original design, as Bill Finnegan had started from a blank slate to craft his ideal overdrive sound.

"The fact is, under the hood they're all basically the same," Bill Finnegan told Premier Guitar in 2014. "In 1995 I made three small changes: I added a resistor to give the circuit some protection against a static charge delivered to its input—a change that has no sonic effect. I also had the circuit board redesigned with a ground plane for better grounding—again, no sonic effect except the potential for a little less hum.

"And I added a resistor to give the circuit a very small amount of additional low-mid response—I wanted it to have a little more roundness when used with, say, a Strat into a Super Reverb. I made no other changes."

The Klon Centaur circuit includes a unique blend feature, which allows a little of the unaffected signal to pass through at lower gain settings - making the pedal a really responsive clean boost with great dynamics - but as the drive is turned up, it reverts to just the overdriven signal.

The germanium diodes used in the clipping circuit have a smoother gain characteristic compared to silicon diodes. "I started out ordering both germanium and silicon diodes," Bill told Premier Guitar. "But pretty quickly I began concentrating on the germaniums. Usually, though not always, they sounded more natural to me than the silicon ones did. After months and months of listening, I felt a particular new-old-stock germanium diode sounded best in the circuit, so I thought I should buy as many of those as I could afford."

The circuit was designed with the germanium diodes setup in a "hard-clipping" configuration to achieve those amp-like harmonics. Other pedals which use hard-clipping diodes include the MXR Distortion+, Boss DS1 and ProCo Rat.

Another groundbreaking aspect of the circuit design was the internal voltage, which is powered off 9v but internally converts this to 18v for a less compressed and higher headroom sound.

Is the Klon Centaur really a transparent overdrive?

One characteristic of the Klon that many guitar players reference is its "transparent" sound. Some pedals have a very distinct tonal footprint, such as the mid-range boost you get from a Tubescreamer, and while the Klon does have a slight mid-hump at higher gain levels, it retains an amp's core tone without altering the EQ much - especially at low-gain settings.

Many people use the Klon Centaur as a clean boost, and in this situation the pedal has a more "transparent" character because the clipping diodes are not engaged. As soon as you start to push the gain up, the clipping diodes engage and the more they are working, the less transparent the tone becomes as they introduce the subtle mid-hump.

The ridiculous hype

Since the Klon became discontinued, its resale value has skyrocketed. On the secondary market, the pedal can fetch around the same price as a custom shop guitar - a far cry from its original $225 price.

The Klon Centaur has become massively hyped and very sought after, and so when Bill Finnegan re-launched the circuit a few years later as the Klon KTR, he added a message to the top of the pedal that read:

"Kindly Remember: The ridiculous hype that offends so many is not of my making"

But what makes this seemingly simple overdrive pedal so hyped?

Limited production numbers

The fact that only 8,000 original Klons exist makes it a pretty interesting guitar pedal for collectors. Market scarcity leads to higher demand and consequently higher prices.

Notable artists

A number of famous guitar players began using the Klon while it was in production, which helped to boost its profile. Some players have even become synonymous with the pedal.

Here is a list of some notable Klon users, past and present:

• John Mayer
• Jeff Beck
• Joe Perry (Aerosmith)
• Ed O Brien (Radiohead)
• Keith Urban
• Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)
• James Hetfield (Metallica)
• Jason Isbell
• Mike Ness (Social Distortion)
• Lzzy Hale (Halestorm)
• Joe Bonamassa
• Jared James Nichols

Rarity

We know only 8,000 Klons were made, so that makes it pretty rare, right? Whenever you search the resale market you might find a small handful sitting there for sale, but blink and they're gone again. Used Klons don't wait around, even at exaggerated prices.

They make everything sound better!

This is a subjective, and fairly controversial topic that regularly comes up when the Klon is discussed. Many players tend to leave the Klon on all the time, either as a clean boost or set on the edge of breakup.

You'll find that players that love the Klon tend to really LOVE the Klon and view it as a huge asset to their overall sound.

Klon alternatives

If you're chasing that Klon tone but you don't want to re-mortgage your house, the great news is that are some amazing alternatives to suit all budgets.

Ceriatone Centura

Arguably one of the most accurate reproductions of the classic Klon sound, and it even comes in the same enclosure shape, so it looks like the real deal on your pedalboard.

Wampler Tumnus

This pedal captures the essence of the Klon but in a smaller footprint. Available as a standard model, or a very limited Germanium model (using the same spec diodes as the real Klon), this pedal gives you that Klon tone but without taking up valuable real estate.

Origin Effects Halcyon Gold

This is a more modern take on the Klon-style pedal, with a mod setting to add more gain and Origin's unique Adapt circuitry which maintains the full tonal range of your guitar as you clean up the pedal with your guitar volume.

Klon-type gear at Boost Guitar Pedals

[product=fredric-effects-golden-eagle]
The Golden Eagle is a superb 1:1 replica of the Klon Centaur - but in a smaller package. Like the original, it includes an internal charge pump which converts 9V to 18V for maximum headroom from your standard power supply, and also features the exact same internal buffer, which can also be purchased separately.
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[product=fredric-effects-k-c-buffer]
The K/C Buffer focuses on the two most acclaimed buffer circuits out there: the buffer from the Klon Centaur, and the buffer used in Pete Cornish's pedals. Although buffered bypass (i.e not true bypass) pedals act as buffers, not all are built equally and some can do as much harm to your tone as not having a buffer at all. BOSS pedals, for example, buffer the signal at just below unity gain - so using several BOSS pedals in your chain can suck gain from your signal. If you're working with lots of buffered bypass pedals, or have long cable runs, this K/C Buffer is a lifesaver!
[/product]

[product=genuine-davies-1470-oxblood-25mm-knob]
These genuine Davies 1470 Oxblood knobs are made in the USA from a 1960s "Daka-Ware" mould. As close as you'll get to genuine Klon knobs.
[/product]

Feature image credit: StompBox