KTR Boost / OD

The guitar planet is sometimes surprising. Indeed, one might think that acute collecting (that which costs a lot of money) only affects fans of luxury watches and sports cars. But in fact, it is nothing. Indeed, in a rather unusual way, a simple small object, for example... a pedal? Can also become an object of worship (don't bow down to it, it won't solve your problems of premature baldness!) This is the case of the very famous Klon Centaur. This assembly of a few condos and resistors has become, in a few years, the most coveted pedal on the market. Why that? Well first of all, there are few! Then, it sounds very good, it is designed in an original way and then, John Mayer and Jeff Beck play it and... That's enough already!

The KTR is in fact the V2.0 of the original Klon Centaur which is available in gold, silver, with logo, without logo etc... It uses the circuit 100% (same components, same diodes... .) but adopts an SMC construction instead of the original point-to-point. Is this a big change? Does this call into question the qualities of the original pedal? We will leave that to forum discussions because, as far as we are concerned, it is very very very close and, one thing is certain: it does not justify the 1000 euros difference between this new KTR and the previous version. That's it!

Externally, the pedal adopts a very basic look, with only 3 buttons. Gain, Treble and Output. We find a very common case and a very sober finish with, of course, the little quote that goes well and which will remind many that music is made to be played and not to be bought / resold. This, with a minimum of common sense. This is Bill Finnegan's message. On one side, there is a mini switch to activate, or not, the buffer.

Connected to a clean channel (Two-Rock) with a Stratocaster in hand (and yes, this is the ultimate configuration to use the Klon at best) we start with a low gain setting, a pushed output (around 13:00) and we adjust the treble according to the amp and the guitar... and... Well, we're going to surprise you, but that's it for the settings! Yes, we will not push the Gain further, we will not modify anything in a revolutionary way. Admittedly, it is called overdrive, but in reality, it is used as a boost and nothing else. The KLON is made to be stacked on a channel or on another pedal, in order to add color and a very very light drive. We will even talk about "envelope" more than "drive" because it is really by enveloping and boosting each note that the Klon KTR acts and excels. Why such a limited choice? Simply because of the design of the pedal. Indeed, this one having been largely developed by engineers without any real musical background, its design is quite unusual, compared to the classic TS9 and others. The KLON adopts a circuit putting your dry signal and the effected signal in parallel, which makes it possible to keep the dynamics of the original signal intact, while coloring it in a more transparent way, or at least, less destructive than at the usual.
All this gives us an extremely responsive and "touch sensitive" OD Boost. It reacts to every nuance of play and allows each note to be fattened (especially clean sounds) by adding a very slight dynamic drive, a nice bump in the mids (to get through the mix), binder and a more enveloping low end. . Basically, you get a bit of everything back, with the Klon allowing you to boost everything you usually need within a group and everything that's sometimes lacking, a bit, on a clear basis.
The perfect example? John Mayer. An extremely clear base, a compressor to gain in attack, a TS to twist during solos AND the Klon stacked on top of all these beautiful people to "push" even a little further the Stratocaster type sounds which are its signature sound.

The Klon KTR is a very typical pedal with a unique operation. If you're looking for a colorful boost to enhance your signal, this is THE pedal for you. Attention, it is like all the best things, very specific, a little elitist and quickly essential to those who use it! A must, of course!