The Klon: A Short History, featuring Jeff McErlain

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I announced this early this week and right away everyone was saying that the Klon has been all over YouTube lately. I honestly hadn't noticed that. It's been on my list since I began the series last year...it's number just came up. Because it's a good story. I truly innovative design from the early '90's that is now the basis for many, many pedals in the marketplace.

The story of it's development are interesting and it raises interesting questions about what is "new" and "standing on the shoulders of giants" and what is a straight copy. Don't look to me to sort this out. I hope I don't imply any opinions in the video. I'm just raising a question that I've seen so many times in the forums.

The project also had me spending a good amount of time with a Mythos Mjolnir, and I was very impressed. I'm talking to Zach Broyles about the chance to do a limited run of five watt world signature Mjolnirs (in white of course). So let me know in the comments if that's something you'd be interested in.

--- Correction: I just got off the phone with Humbucker Music (seen in the video) and they tell me that though the KTR shipment are "very sporadic" they do still get batches of the pedals in on occasion. So it seems I got that detail wrong.

I'd like to send a SPECIAL THANKS to all the friends of five watt. Your support is very much appreciated.

Thanks for watching. Until next time, thanks for being a part of the five watt world.

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[Dan-tppy]

Klon: The most money for the least gear.

[RiffsAndBeards]

For those that are new here, allow me to maximize your Five Watt World experience:
- See that new video is posted
- Get a fresh cup of coffee
- Put phone on silent
- Let Keith soothe your ear holes for the next 20 minutes

[leftchicago]

I owned a silver Klon in the early 2000's. I bought it directly from Bill for $279.00 and sold it a few years later for $450.00 thinking I was a genius. That thought soon evaporated.

[naciremasti]

Keith's quickly becoming youtubes premier guitar historian in documentary form.

He's the Ken Burns of guitar videos.

[markhammer]

Bill cold-called me in late 2007, to assist in tweaking the Klon to achieve something that some of his customers had requested. It wasn't a weakness or any intended change in the design, just a "special order". He told me that the consulting engineer he had collaborated with in past had been tragically killed in a single-engine propeller-plane accident, and that he had seen a number of my posts and felt he could trust me. I consider it a high-water mark in my guitar gadget career.

He sent me two ungooped bare boards, and a schematic. One of the boards had *every single component* socketed so that I could play with the values and have the stock version to compare against. My operating constraints were that I could not change the design, and could not require a board redesign. (As is indicated in this video, Bill already had enough on his plate.) The schematic had a number of component values crossed out and other 1% values written in, suggesting that he was tweaking values until he hit on what he wanted. The design itself was a house of cards. If you changed one part value over here, it would have implications over there. Not a criticism; more an illustration of how the original design was not formulaic, but more a result of Bill asking "Could you get a little more of *this* ?", and signal paths being fiddled with to do that. But ultimately, I could not achieve what he was asking me to do and we parted ways amicably. The boards and schematic were sent back. BTW, the build quality was outstanding.

Bill's business practice was generally to engage in a lengthy conversation with prospective customers who called and find out more about their rig and playing style, to determine whether the Klon would suit them and add value. I don't know that he ever flat-out refused anyone, but if he felt it wasn't going to do anything useful, he would recommend against purchase. The time taken up by these conversations with customers ate into his build time, and was partly responsible for the backlog. Both the boards and enclosures were made, in BIll's words, "in small batches". I don't know how small "small" is, but needless to say, it wasn't in the thousands.

We had a number of conversations about his production methods. I would suggest alternative approaches to streamline things, including switching to the enclosure that the KTR eventually came in, and a more universal 2.1mm power jack, but at least at that point he wasn't going for any of it. I'm glad to see he came around.

Though I would hope most people understand by now, it still bears repeating that the only money Bill saw out of those stupidly high E-Bay resale prices was the $229-$349 he sold the pedals for. Sadly, there was so much legend surrounding the pedal that when someone paid a thousand or more for one, on E-bay, without "the conversation with Bill", and found it didn't make them a guitar god, they were resentful over the money they had spent. They would turn around and flip the pedal; often to someone who would be just a disappointed, and flip it again.


This video is about as thorough and informative a video on the Klon that I have seen. Thanks. Much appreciated.

[TheBigGuppy]

If you accidentally plug the Klon into a 18v power supply the charge pump circuit will release the magic smoke. 💨. 😀

[Az_]

People get wrapped up in the fact that 'It's not worth thousands of dollars ect ect'.
The guy invented and built them all himself and sold them for $400. Surely it's worth that. The rest is our fault

[GregStraub]

"People didn't want to wait for the 12-14 weeks for production" *Laughs in King of Tone*

[RobertBakerGuitar]

The Klon thing was never my cup of tea but this video sure made me appreciate them more.

[tanveerhasan]

_K-L-O-N Los Angeles, KLON RADIO, we play the songs that sound more like everyone else, than anyone else_

[dr_tomK]

I just know this is going to be good and I'm 15 seconds in.

[docdaytona]

“🎵What would you dooo-ooo-ooo...for...a Klon Centaur!🎵”

Sorry.

[JV-rxov]

I bought my first Klon around 1995. I ordered it out of the back of Guitar Player magazine IIRC. A few weeks later, when it arrived, I plugged it in and went to town playing. It didn't sound like anything special and I thought I should have just bought a Digitech multi-effects unit instead. Then I bought my first vintage Fender amp. A 1958 Deluxe. I plugged in the Klon as I was practicing one day and WOW! It made the amp just open up and sound just...better. The natural overdrive had these little harmonics that I never had before, the bottom end was rounded just right. A week later I bought another one because now it was part of 'my sound' and what if my first one broke? It wasn't like you could walk in to a music store and get a new one. I my second one arrived a couple of months later. I played those things for more than 15 years. Then the resale prices started creeping up. And up. And up. These pedals that I paid ~$250 for were selling for close to a grand. I wasn't using mine anymore. I was playing metal a lot by then. I sold both of my Klons for ~$1, 200 each. I still got the itch for that tone every so often so I purchased a JHS Klone at first. It was a 'faithful reproduction' but didn't have the same feel as the originals did. When you really dug in to notes it just didn't have the same 'bloom' as the Klon. I sold that too and went without for quite a while. Then, a couple of years ago, Ceriatone started building the Centura, a part for part recreation of the original Klon. The price was incredibly low, comparatively, so I bought one. It is, hands down, a dead ringer for the Klon. I couldn't believe, when I dialed up my old settings on my old tweeds, how this thing was a perfect recreation of looks & tones of the Centaur. Needless to say, I have 2 Centuras now and, at my age, I'll probably hang on to them for life.

[benakanecrophile]

What if I make a clone of the klon, but i turn it into an unprofessional overdrive?

[DarthEcoli]

You really can't beat the $50-60 pricetag (mostly used prices) for an Ehx Soul food. It's a great pedal that does Klon well.

[TedSchoenling]

The "Magic" is that gutarists believe in mojo and pay too much for it.... If the parts match the values used in the orig, guess what, the klones will sound the same.... that is basic physics... the TL072 is not a 'special' op amp, you could use an LM833, a 1458, or NE5332 or even the 'screamer' chip the 4558 and it will sound pretty much the same...

sub diodes are easily sourced.. and even the charge pump isn't 100% needed as I've built a version without the pump and.. surprise, it sounds like a klon, just not as clean...

[jts]

Keith, a few years ago I received an email from Cream City Music stating that they had just acquired a “very limited quantity” of Klon KTR’s that were available at a very reasonable price. Without hesitating (or mentioning it to my wife) I purchased one and received confirmation that the transaction was made. I checked Cream City’s website 2 hours later and they were sold out. My KTR is my first and only experience with a Klon. I can’t discern how close it sounds to the Gold or Silver versions by comparing it to online videos. But, it is very different (in a good way) from every other pedal in my collection. If I had to choose an “always on” pedal, or give up multiple pedals to keep one, the KTR would be the keeper.

[briguylor]

Two suggestions for future reviews/History from Canada....Traynor/Yorkville and GBX amps. GBX were the first "powered" cabs I ever saw. They had a small solid state "driver" which sat on top of the 4X12 cab. Multiple cabs could be joined together. There is an early picture of Rush's Alex Lifeson using GBX in the early days.

[Vito_Tuxedo]

“...copies of that successful design are a disincentive to anyone making something truly new and original in the pedal world...” ...except that it’s true not only in the pedal world, but in every other world. Anyone who has ever created something useful and had it stolen knows the meaning of disincentive and discouragement.

Every persistent problem exists for lack of the knowledge required to solve it. Innovation is the process whereby that knowledge is created. If innovators were rewarded instead of being plundered, the world would be a very different place.

[kurtniederstadt]

I actually spoke with Bill Finnegan in early 2000's. Just one sweet guy to talk shop with you. He suggested that I look around Texas's Music stores and look for a Fender Deluxe with Green Trim throughout the grill cloth, only the green thread through the grill cloth. He told me this amp works really good with this pedal. Onward did I go and holy smokes the guitar center on Westhiemer in Houston had one!! i jumped on it, sent it to Gerald Weber of Kendrick and he performed a much needed replacement of parts and cleaning. I replaced the speaker with an alnico 12 inch FANE. I hit an open Mike night here in southeast Texas and blew people away with it. The Klon and a crybaby and this Deluxe kicked ass with my Strat. People could not believe the TONE I possessed that night. It's my go to rig since, Thank You and GOD Bless you Thank you to Gerald Weber too!!!