Amps & Effects
Klon Effects
Bill Finnegan built the Klon Centaur between 1994 and 2009 — approximately 8,000 units, each handmade, each potted in epoxy to conceal the circuit. His goal was specific: an overdrive that boosted harmonics and sustained the way a pushed amp does, without obscuring the character of the guitar underneath. The design used germanium diodes for clipping and a voltage-doubling circuit to extend headroom — the combination responsible for the Centaur's unusually transparent, dynamic response.
The pedal found its way to Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Joe Perry, and a long list of working players before the secondhand market caught up with the limited supply. Prices climbed well past $10,000 on the used market. The epoxy coating — and Finnegan's deliberate silence about the circuit — fueled speculation, clones, and a mythology that grew considerably larger than 8,000 units should produce.
In 2014, Finnegan released the KTR: smaller, more consistently manufactured, same circuit, same sound. He included a note on the packaging: "Kindly remember: The ridiculous hype that offends so many is not of my making."
The hype is real and the hype is earned. Those are both true at the same time.
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Amps & Effects