I tried some decent Klones

Keefy

@TimmyO kindly brought two good quality Klon clones to yesterday’s boys-with-toys musical get-together: J Rockett Archer and 4114 Mythical Overdrive. For context they were auditioned without other instruments playing, using a selection of Teles and a Gibson CS336 into a Princeton Reverb, with occasional echo from a Boss DM-101.

For the most part I didn’t care for them. It’s hard to say why, I just didn’t like what they did to the guitar sound. It’s always possible that it would sound great in a band mix of course. I did find one low-gain sound that would work as ‘always-on’ with my very clean PR.

For shits and giggles I fetched out my modded Bad Monkey for comparison. I couldn’t get it to sound like a Klon(e) but that may be down to the mod, which pushes the mid-hump up to a higher frequency. Despite having become fed up with Tube Screamers, I really like my BM, particularly with low gain to create the effect of a 40s amp straining to be heard over a big band.

I’d still be interested to try an Origin Halcyon Gold though, simply because all their stuff is off-the-scale good.

sweepy

The Flatley Effects Klon-like pedal is very good too

Keefy

sweepy said:

The Flatley Effects Klon-like pedal is very good too

No guarantee that I’d like it though!

I forgot to mention that those two Klones sounded quite different, even allowing for the choice of diodes on the 4114. I’m also very much up for the idea of clean blend in a drive pedal - it’s one of the many great features of the RevivalDrives.

Moe_Zambeek

I have tried and failed with Klon(e)s.
I just can’t get a good sound out of them and don’t really understand how you’re meant to use them to get the mythical results. 

26.2

Jury’s out for me on klones. I’ve had 2 RYRAs and an Archer. I liked the Archer best and did get some great tones with it pushing another drive pedal, but on it their own I couldn’t find much to love. For clean boost I prefer something like the Duke of Tone in boost mode and for any level of drive on its own I just didn’t find them much use - quite tinny and weedy. To be fair the Archer wasn’t bad and I may pick up another to give it another try. 

Keefy

I just want to point out that this isn't a problem for me. There are no end of drive pedals out there and I've already got plenty that I do like. My oft-repeated slogan is 'use what works for you' and I fully intend to follow my own advice.

Petepassion

I found four great uses for my RYRA, the first three with gain at zero, 
1. As an always on pedal it adds a little extra.
2. As a gain boost in front of a drive pedal or driven valve amp.
3. As a clean boost last in the chain
4. With the gain high in front of a drive pedal or driven valve amp is great for a strat on the neck pickup to really cut through.

monquixote

Traditionally they get used as an always on light boost with very little gain or to push an already dirty amp.

People often expect them to be an amp in a box and with the gain up into something like a clean fender they can just sound honky and a bit weak.

That said Josh Scott uses them that way.

Keefy

Petepassion said:

I found four great uses for my RYRA, the first three with gain at zero, 
1. As an always on pedal it adds a little extra.
2. As a gain boost in front of a drive pedal or driven valve amp.
3. As a clean boost last in the chain
4. With the gain high in front of a drive pedal or driven valve amp is great for a strat on the neck pickup to really cut through.

monquixote said:

Traditionally they get used as an always on light boost with very little gain or to push an already dirty amp.

People often expect them to be an amp in a box and with the gain up into something like a clean fender they can just sound honky and a bit weak.

That said Josh Scott uses them that way.

Yes that was how they sounded best to me.

Winny_Pooh

To me it seems like a pedal designed for strats into a Fender amp. 

Always sounded somewhere between weird or average in my setup. And as a boost I far prefer a rangemaster for grit or something with eq if clean (TC spark, thorpy team medic etc)

stickyfiddle

Yeah most people either use them to goose something else that’s already dirty, or with the gain at 9 o’clock to add a bit of fatness & sustain to a clean sound. Feed it into a Jan Ray or TS and it’s really nice squelchy fun

As a standalone “dirt” they’re pretty meh but for the above they’re ace.

ArchtopDave

I still have my proper Klone. I bought it from Charlie Chandler, and it cost the princely sum of £200. It just took 5 months to arrive!