Can't afford a Klon? Check this out!

[Cameronhimself]

So, I can't afford a Klon. Well, who can? While searching the net, I found an alternative: the Meta Driver by Often FX. It is a pedal based off of a Klon Centaur, but with some very cool tweaks. The most obvious being the tiny enclosure and the true bypass/ buffer toggle switch.


Perched on my pedal board in the only spot I could find

I have never played a Klon before, but this pedal is sick! Before I knew better, I thought this was your basic OD pedal, but it's so much more. You can actually leave it on all the time like an Echoplex Preamp and it just makes everything sound fatter! Just turn down the gain to 0 and set volume and tone to your liking. It does tend to boost the amp a little, but in a very pleasant way.

You can also use it as a standard OD, and it kills at that as well.

Enough in writing, here is my video review of the Meta Driver by Often FX!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P64A7YRQYpQ

 

[lyman]

Another good alternative is the Lovetone Kalamazoo. Here's an A/B comparison against the Klon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywyhz9i2bw0 THere's another video where they reveal which pedal was which, probably can find it in the sidebar if you watch that one.

They sound really similar, I felt like the Klon was just a tiny bit tighter and the Kalamazoo was rounder. Only slightly tho.

 

[BluesAndBooze]

8) Had a Klon for about 6 years, it used to be Gary Moores and he didn't particularly like it so I got it off him via Charlie Chandler. I found it to be OK'ish but not the big deal, really came down to how good an amp/speaker you had to start with 'cos you can't make a silk purse out of a cows ear. Just a coloured boost pedal really. During that time I got into using a Creation Audio MK4.23 in the effects loop of my Lonestar to push the power valves and a Creation Audio MK4.23 with ,Homebrew Powescreamer with the brown tone chip, for the front end. The Powerscreamer has tremendous variety, an immense improvement on the overated Klon.
The best result is the MK4.23 pushing the powervalves and the powerscreamer pushing the clean channel.
The Klon sale paid for all 3 pedals and a speaker upgrade.


My go to rig is now simple:
Lonestar 100/50w 1x12 with 6L6's, sometimes EL34's (all Mesa valves, I've been down the NOS nonsense road) with SPAX7 in V1 &V2 and 12AX7's in V3/V4/V5 loaded with an Eminence Commonwealth 12". The speaker is phenomenal, like an old JBL E120.
2xCreation Audio MK4.23, Homebrew PowerScreamer.
Old Tele
Old GoldTop