klon centaur john mayer
Klon Centaur is a hand-crafted pedal manufactured by engineer Bill Finnegan from 1994 to 2008. My guess is that he switches out the type of echo and delay pedals based on what songs he wants to play. Find out more here. Were not quite sure wed have trusted ourselves holding a Klon Centaur for the entirety of a John Mayer concert while situated near the front row, so kudos to Nieto for braving it and getting his just rewards. My local guitar store instantly sold out of all SE models and has a large backorder, so theyve been incredibly popular. John Mayer is using three pedalboards on his current tour, featuring a If you have trouble identifying effects used in songs, check out my Guitar Effects Course. This Strat was the main guitar used on the Continuum album and heavily used on tour. [1] He was overwhelmed by demand and worked long hours in his home, building, testing, and shipping the pedals himself. Finnegan hoped to create a pedal that would recreate the harmonically rich distortion of a guitar amplifier at a high volume. You can check out the whole thing in the embedded player below. How he uses it on it's own, settings, and more will be. The below photos show the settings John Mayer uses on his TS-10 at three different points in time: You can see that sometimes he has the knobs set all straight up and other times he turns the Drive and Level knobs up higher. Each pedal was hand wired by Bill Finnegan. Mayer has run. Watch Foo Fighters play their first show with new drummer Josh Freese and is that Dave Grohls new Gibson DG-335 signature guitar? Boost pedals are great for solo parts or any sections when you want to squeeze a bit more out of your amp without changing your tone. This clone does come at a much higher price as the other clones mentioned here, but its still far cheaper than the Klon KTR (covered below). Finnegan struggled to meet demand, and used units sold for inflated prices. The Wampler Tumnus is a super-compact clone that gives you the same circuit and features as the Centaur in a tiny enclosure. For this build, I used Ceriatone's Centura documentation to assist in. While the mystery behind the Centaurs schematic was solved in 2009, one element remained unknown: the exact type of diodes used. It might seem odd for me to suggest the Line 6 HX Effects, but the reason is simple. Here are the settings John Mayer uses on his Strymon Flint pedal: Its interesting that almost every knob is identical across three separate tours except for the Decay knob. The below video compares the Klon Centaur vs the EHX Soul Food: I was quite surprised when watching the above video. If you cant afford a high-end Fender Strat or a Silver Sky, dont stress. Spending $2000+ on a pedal can easily sway people into hearing differences that dont exist. While he has used a wide range of Tubescreamers (both original models and clones), even he says they all do basically the same thing. While gain and output were both set to the 11 oclock mark, treble was dialed up slightly higher to around 1 oclock. The Cult of Klon | Reverb News Transparent means that it doesnt change the color of your tone. Klon | Centaur - Sugaree Licks The basic idea with the below rig is to give you the essential components at a low cost. To build a true clone of the Centaur, you need to replicate the circuit. Around 2015 onwards, he switched to using Pickboy Vintage Pick Rainbow Celluloid .75mm picks: While guitar picks do have some impact on tone and the attack on each note, I highly recommend finding a pick that suits you. Taking a closer look at a guitarists rig is a great way to learn how they think about guitar and music. Ill go through two of his signature amps to give you an idea of what features to look for in any amp if you want to get a John Mayer tone. Just over $200k for a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, or about $6k, $7k, and more for a Klon Centaur distortion pedal in an excellent condition these arent uncommon sights on the internet. Klon Centaur Professional Overdrive (Non-Horsie) | Reverb After the Centaur was discontinued in 2000, the hype and price of second-hand Centaurs exploded. Warm Audio launches recreations of the Klon Centaur and Zendrive He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When people say their Centaur sounds better than the KTR (or a clone), its an example of how hype and emotions can trick us. If you want to learn to sound like John Mayer, there are some key lessons you can learn from the gear he uses. Heres a close up of the Klon pedal settings from the two earlier guitar rigs: You can see that John keeps the gain quite low while boosting the treble. If you search online for John Mayer amp settings, youre not going to find any useful information. That fan was Raul Neato from Toronto, who has since posted the signed overdrive pedal on Instagram, along with his own rig. If you find a combination of gear that works for you, theres no need to change it up. We could go through a long list of various strats John Mayer has played as well as some non-strat guitars, but Ill focus this section on his main guitars. JHS take a Soul Food and add a three-way toggle switch and an extra control knob to give you a bit more flexibility over the pedal. In 2008, he announced that the manufacturing costs just werent worth it and has discontinued it altogether. 117 9.4K views 1 year ago #JohnMayer #Ibanez #Klon This video covers the burning question of many John Mayer fans. Envelope filters are covered in detail in my Guitar Effects Course if you want to learn more about them. Its a clone in a compact pedal enclosure. The Klon especially has a specific cult following. John Mayer takes a different approach. Is Dave Grohls new Epiphone DG-335 Gold? The first time I heard of the Klon Centaur was when I saw one on eBay for over $2000. Different gauge strings are likely used on different models, but .012 .054 gauge is the most common. Set up a clean tone on your amp and experiment with the pedal. This is a very different approach compared to most other guitarists. . A big difference between these pedals and usually the decider of which to buy is price. The other wah pedal in the 2016 pedalboard also included EQ controls, so its clear that John likes to be able to dial in specific settings for his wah. Originally priced at $225 (which 20 years later still seems pretty high for an OD pedal) and discontinued in 2009, the KLON Centaur now sells for $1,500 and up on the used market. [1], As it took Finnegan 12 to 14 weeks to fulfil each order, used Centaur pedals sold for inflated prices; this placed more pressure on Finnegan to meet demand. The legend of the Klon Centaur, which debuted in the mid-'90s, has taken on a life of its own as one of the most collectable effects pedals of all time. [1], With electrical engineer friends, including the MIT graduate Fred Fenning, Finnegan developed prototype pedals in his spare time over four and a half years. Many were limited-production models that sold out immediately such as the popular Martin OM-28JM John Mayer signature edition back in 2002. The Q-Tron can produce some wild sounds, but John Mayer uses it as subtle as possible. Over the years, John has used a few different SRV signature models on tour. If you do buy a Silver Sky, consider buying it through the above link. And for any of you lucky enough to have a Klon here's those settings close up: No wonder tone hounds / nerds love John he's one of us! The main reason why the Klon Centaur is so popular is due to hype. Now, thats the way to treat your fans. Some stay true to the form of the Centaur, while others give you the same circuit in a compact enclosure. About 8,000 units were built between 1994 and 2000. John Mayer Signs Fan's Klon Centaur Pedal, Marks His Settings on It Lets go through some of the more important pedals in more detail. Do you really hear a difference in tone that is worth $2000+? Youre able to choose whether you want to use a buffered bypass like the Centaur, or True Bypass. In 2009 the community at freestompboxes.org bought a Centaur and sent it to Martin Chittum to analyze. How many Klon Centaurs were made? Check out my Step-by-Step Klon Centaur Kit Tutorial here. It comes at a surprisingly low price considering how much other clones cost. The pedals were made manually by Finnegan. The Xotic EP Booster Mini and the TC Electronic Spark Mini are both very popular boost pedals to consider. You can use a pedal (or your amp) to produce your main drive tone, then you can add in the Centaur when you want your tone to have a bit more sparkle or boost. Theres a big difference between a fuzz pedal using a germanium diode and one using a silicon diode. Neis Cline of Wilco once said, describing his Klon ".It's an amp in a box. Its a common technique used to hide trade secrets and prevent copying. The middle foot controller provides John with an easy way to toggle different effects or toggle multiple pedals at once as he likes. . Check out my review of the different Squier Stratocaster models here to learn more. The Klon Centaur has been one of Mayer's favourite overdrives since he started using it back in 2008 during the Battle Studies Era. The more you learn about different guitar rigs, the easier it will be for you to get the most out of your own guitar rig. Archer Silver Klon Centaur Style Overdrive | Rockett Pedals Considered by many as the "Holy Grail" of pedals, the Klon Centaur overdrive pedal was originally developed in the '90s. I need something to push back a little bit and she does, How to solo over relative major and minor chords. He had the lead channel removed as well as modified to increase the headroom. [1], In 2008, Finnegan decided the situation was unsustainable and discontinued the Centaur. They became a sought-after collectible and if you search on eBay for an original, you can expect extreme prices. published 11 May 2022 One lucky gig-goer received some special tone advice from the Sob Rock star himself, who divulged his go-to Klon settings (Image credit: Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images / Raul Nieto/Instagram) To learn how to set up different tones and stack drive pedals together, check out my Guitar Effects Course. Combining the Tubescreamer with the Klon gives John plenty of tonal options. Klon Centaur - Wikipedia The above settings should only be a starting point to play around with. As long as you have a few key ingredients (covered later), you can get close to his tone. So take your time experimenting with the pedal to work out what settings suit you and your rig best. John Mayer signs a. I also explain everything you need to know about dialing in a great guitar amp tone without needing to rely on presets. This is the story of how it came to be, what it does and how you can get one for yourself. Fender wouldnt build the guitar he wanted, so he looked elsewhere. John Mayers signature guitar (covered later) is based on this guitar, so it has clearly had a big influence on his playing. Right now it's the Klon Centaur. Guitar Gear Finder is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, or Amazon.de, Ultimate Guide to David Gilmour: Tone, Gear, Effects, Best Guitar Pedals: Guide to Building Your Ideal Pedalboard, Fanned Frets Explained: Everything You Need to Know, Best Wah Pedals: Ultimate Buyer's Guide to Wah Pedals, All About the Ibanez PIA: Steve Vai's New Signature Guitar, What I Like About John Mayers Guitar Rig, Check out the PRS Silver Sky range at Sweetwater, Check out the PRS Silver Sky SE range at Sweetwater, Find out more about where PRS guitars are made and the differences between each series in this guide, Find out how PRS SE guitars compare to other models in this guide, learn about scale length and why its important in this guide, Learn more about finding the right guitar strings for you in this guide, You can learn more about MIDI Foot Controllers in this guide, build your own Klon clone from a kit as shown in this step-by-step tutorial, Learn more about the Klon Centaur and popular clones here, Check out some of the best wah pedals in this guide, check out this guide on songs using a wah pedal, Check out my review of the different Squier Stratocaster models here to learn more, Check out this comparison of Line 6s multi-effects pedals, Check out this guide on Reverb to learn about different options to consider, How to Get Better at Guitar Chords: Bite-Size Guitar Podcast Episode 26, How to Get Better at Guitar Scales: Bite-Size Guitar Podcast Episode 27, Steel Tremolo Bridge with Vintage Style Locking Tuners, BOSS TU-3 Chromatic Tuner x2 (for Acoustic Guitar) (, Real McCoy Custom RMC8 Guitar Eqwahlyzer Wah, BOSS TU-3 Chromatic Tuner (for Electric Guitar), Strymon OB.1 Optical Compressor and Clean Boost, Strymon Volante Magnetic Echo Machine (Amazon or, BOSS TU-3 Chromatic Tuner (for Acoustic Guitar) (, TC Electronic PolyTune (for Electric Guitar) (Amazon or, Ibanez Tube Screamer (any model or clone you prefer) (, EHX Soul Food (or any other Klon Centaur Clone) (, Keeley Katana Boost (or any other boost pedal). Check out this guide on guitar picks to learn more and for links to variety packs. Even if youre a die-hard John Mayer fan, the type of strings he uses may not suit you. If youre interested in learning more about how John Mayer thinks about guitar and his music, its worth taking a closer look at his rig as we have done in this guide. When a guitar pedal starts to develop a large following, clones start appearing. John Mayer uses a lot of effects, but many of them he only uses on a couple of songs. The goal of the course is to teach you everything you would want to know about effects and how to identify effects by ear. This means there isnt one specific amp that captures what it means to get a John Mayer tone. The Klon Centaur is an overdrive pedal made by the American engineer Bill Finnegan between 1994 and 2008. In the tutorial, I explain all of the components, show you step-by-step how to wire up and solder your kit, and I share best practices and common mistakes. You get the standard three knobs to control the effect and an archer design on the front is clearly a take-off of the Centaurs design. Some people who have compared the original Centaur and the Archer actually prefer the Archer. Guitar Gear Finder is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, or Amazon.de, Beginner Guitar Pedal Rig: Setup and Recommendations (2023), Electro-Harmonix EHX Tortion JFET Overdrive Review, Joyo JF-02 Ultimate Overdrive Pedal Review, J Rockett Audio Designs Tour Series Archer, Klon Centaur vs Electro-Harmonix Soul Food, Check out my Step-by-Step Klon Centaur Kit Tutorial here, Check out the price and details of the TTONE New KLONE here, Check out the price and details of the J Rockett Archer here, Check out the price and details of the Wampler Tumnus here, Check out the price and details of the Soul Food here, Check out the price and details of the JHS Pedals EHX Soul Food Meat & 3 pedal here, build your own Klon clone from a kit in this tutorial, Best Uni-Vibe Pedals: The Ultimate Guide to Univibe, What Age Can Kids Start Learning Guitar? John Mayer has played a variety of OM and Dreadnought guitars over the years, so if youre looking at buying one, make sure you try both types out to get a feeling for which may suit you best. I've currently set aside any pipe dreams of getting anywhere with my own songs and I am enjoying playing covers in function bands. This KLONE from TTONEgives you the classic Centaur pedal style with a similar gold finish and horse on the front. An Instagram user linked above captured the moment at the end of a recent show on Mayer's Sob Rock tour where he signed a fan's Klon Centaur pedal, and even took the time to dial in his preferred settings. It may look overwhelming, but Ill break down each pedal below. John Mayers Two-Rock signature amp was based on an earlier Steel String Singer amp he used to play. My guess is that these people are subconsciously rating their own clones higher. We are a participant in several affiliate programs including but not limited to the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. . Here are a couple of interesting guitar rigs you might want to check out next: If you found this guide helpful, subscribe to email updates here to stay up to date on new guides, lessons, and reviews. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, It seems as if most of the pedals completely change in every tour. If your guitar amp doesnt have inbuilt reverb or you dont like the reverb sound, you can use a reverb pedal instead. From this starting point, you can decide what other pedals you might want to add to your rig. Its a cheap and easy way to learn about the basics of electronics and in the end, youll have a great clone of an iconic effect. Only 404 guitars were produced, which is why second-hand models sell for insane prices. John Mayer always seems to have a wah pedal on his pedalboard. Learn more about the Klon Centaur and popular clones here. John Mayer sticks to using a clean tone (many of his amps dont even have a drive channel) and uses his pedals to push his amp higher in three different ways. The key components you will likely want to spend the most on will be the guitar and amp. EarthQuaker Devices resurrects the OG Disaster Transport, with the cult classic Delay Modulation Machine newly improved with expanded features, Ben Folds names the only album on which Elton John is represented as a piano player. While it looks exactly like a typical Stratocaster, it feels different in your hands. All Tubescreamer clones and boutique models are based on the same Tubescreamer circuit, but each one usually puts a slightly different spin on the tone. The above photo shows different variations on the original Klon Centaur (and the newer Klon KTR). Some guitarists use the same pedals and gear over their entire career. The massive hype, insane second-hand prices, and mystery made the Klon Centaur a perfect target for clones. Think of the Bitcoin craze at around 2017-2018. John Mayer signs a fan's Klon Centaur and, always one to go a step further, copies his settings from his own pedal onto the fan's.The Klon is a handmade peda. After a bit of research, I found that the history of the Klon Centaur is just as insane as the price they sell for. This clone takes the classic circuit and packs it into a smaller pedal enclosure. published 26 October 2022. . Ultimate Guide to DIY Guitar Pedals (Kits, Equipment, Tutorials) Best . [2], Finnegan first sold the Klon Centaur in late 1994. Sign up here. You can see on the side of this wah pedal that it includes some EQ controls and two other knobs to dial in different wah settings. There's an estimate of 8000 units in the market. Then you can use drive and boost pedals to saturate your tone when needed (covered later). Alternatively, you can currently buy the Martin OMJM John Mayer signature model which sells at a substantially lower price. - YouTube 0:00 / 6:06 First examples #JohnMayerGear #TS10 #Ceriatone John Mayer Tones: Klon into TS or TS into Klon? The below video does a great job of directly comparing the Klon Centaur vs the J Rockett Audio Archer: When listening to the two pedals, keep in mind that one costs well over ten times the other. Guitar World is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. OM guitars have a shallower body, which means the guitar can sit closer to you as you play. John Mayer Signs A Fan's Klon Centaur pedal & Marks His Settings (Credit: jennyharnett), Tame Impalas Kevin Parker Explains Why You Dont Need Expensive Gear to Sound Good, Shares Important Advice to Bedroom Musicians, Avenged Sevenfolds Synyster Gates Explains One Thing Thats Wrong With Rock Music Today, Joe Bonamassa Explains the Main Difference Between Maple and Rosewood Fredboards on Fender Strats. While you probably dont want to spend $4000+ to buy a real one, there are plenty of affordable clones that sound just as good as the real pedal. Reverb is an important part of John Mayers sound. Most of the popular wah pedal models dont include EQ controls, but many do offer EQ and other parameters you can tweak. Some of these pedals are far more important than others, so dont feel as if you need to buy 14 pedals to be able to sound like John Mayer. If you want to build a pedalboard inspired by John Mayer, you will definitely need a Tubescreamer. John Mayer's Klon Centaur Overdrive - Ground Guitar The FX files: Klon Centaur | MusicRadar Small changes in fretboard radius, neck shape, fret size and shape, and body contours can have a big impact on how a guitar feels to play. The Klon Centaur Professional Overdrive Guitar Pedal was spotted as part of guitarist John Mayer's extensive pedal collection. The Best Klon Centaur Clones | Pedal Haven If you arent interested in getting the tone you hear in those songs, you dont need to get a Q-Tron. Set your amp to the point where its on the verge of breaking up, then use the pedal to push the amp into overdrive. This means if you can bring up any effect you need without having to buy separate pedals. In 2004, John Mayer started playing The Black One a signature Strat built for him by the Fender Custom Shop. Learn more about finding the right guitar strings for you in this guide. James Hurman 07/06/21 12:16pm - 7 min read | 94 min watch Learn / Electric Guitars View James' Profile The below photo shows how complex his rig can be for his solo tours: While this looks complicated, the basic idea is that all of the pedals on the left and right pedalboards feed into the middle foot controller. We played our part so the Little Simz of the world could come through", Karma Police: the story behind the Radiohead classic that started life as a tour bus catchphrase, SSLs UF1 promises to set a new standard for single fader DAW controllers, Pedalboard tour: how Petter Carlsen from the Norwegian duo Pil & Bue gets his juggernaut guitar tones, Akai issues a red alert as it launches the MPC One+, but it might not have all the upgrades you were hoping for. If youre looking for a Klon Centaur clone and want to keep the same look and features as the original, this is as close as it gets. The original Klon Centaur was introduced in 1994 and discontinued in 2000. If you want to hear some interesting ways of using a wah pedal, check out this guide on songs using a wah pedal. As we said before, Mayers rig is the subject of intense speculation and scrutiny from the gear community. The below photo shows John Mayers pedalboard during a 2016 tour. They dont feel as bulky as Dreadnought guitars while offering the same scale length (learn about scale length and why its important in this guide). The exact circuit of the Centaur wasnt known until 2009. The above link is an affiliate link. John Mayer Signs A Fan's Klon Centaur pedal & Marks His - YouTube In this guide, Ill explain everything you might want to know about the Klon Centaur.