An Alternate Brachyceratops Overdrive

A little over a month ago I posted a new combo pedal build I'd gotten a request for - a combo I likely should have done long ago - a Klon plus a Bluesbreaker circuit. I sort of went all out on that original build as I used one of the amazing Tone Geek Mini-Taur boards and paired it with a brand new in-house layout of the Bluesbreaker that provides early and late tone options along with clipping options. It came out really well, and included an order reverse switch. However, I wanted to do a version using the same technique I had used on my BMP / power-boost combo pedal. In that version, there are four jacks - you can't reverse the order on the fly - that has to be done with patch cables, but you can use the pedals independently or include some sort of effects loop between them. 

A New Combo Pedal - The Brachyceratops Overdrive

Sometimes I get a request for a pedal and then immediately wonder why I hadn't already done something along those lines. One popular combination pairs a Klon Centaur with a Marshall Bluesbreaker. I've done several different versions of the Klon Centaur over the years, and I really enjoy building them. I've also recently done a new dinosaur version of the Bluesbreaker, the Blues Brachiosaurus. In the background I'd been working on my own version of the Bluesbreaker, so when I got a request for the combo pedal, I decided to go all out with the new Bluesbreaker board and one of my favorite Klon boards as well!

An Interesting Take on the Klon Centaur - the Skelekloned Kentrosaurus

The Klon Centaur is one of the most popular overdrive circuits in the market today (largely because of the number of clones available). I've built several Klon clones of various types and by and large these all work extremely well. There is, however, an issue with the Klon. Because the design includes a charge pump, that charge pump and buffer can sometimes create interference when coupled with clock-driven modulation effects - like the vintage Electric Mistress and other similar effects. Since a lot of people (including me) like to couple a Klon with more vintage effects, I went in search of designs that eliminated the charge pump - and hopefully the interference with vintage modulation effects. I found a couple of options and this is the first one I've gotten built up.

Kloned Kentrosaurus Block 3 Mini Build Report!

The Kloned Kentrosaurus is one my favorite pedals. I'd initially built several using the South Obolon FX Kent Rev 2 board. Then my friend updated the board with the Steggo logo and Kloned Kentrosaurus name and I've used that PCB for all subsequent builds. It's an amazing board, but there was only one drawback. As the Klon is a buffered effect, I didn't have a suitable daughter board for the LED and stomp switch, so the production dinos had to hand wire each pedal. Since the pedal has proved popular, I figured it would save time if there was a suitable daughter board that would enable the use of ribbon cable and reduce the lengths of hookup wire in the enclosure - so Steggi went to work in EasyEDA and came up with something amazing!

Steggo and Steggi with a panel of the new daughter boards

Supersized Kloned Centrosaurus!

By this point I've built a lot of Klon clones using multiple different boards - AionFX, PedalPCB, Ceriatone, South Obolon FX, Tone Geek, and Puzzle Sounds are the ones I can remember off of the top of my head. I've used several combinations of diodes and a variety of part load outs depending on what I was trying to do with the pedal. I had a friend approach me and commission a large form factor Klon clone, so I decided to go back to the Tone Geek BFK board, and work out from there. 

It May Sound Kliche - Building the PedalPCB Kliche Mini Klon Clone!

When asked how many more Klon clones and Klon variants I'm going to build, the answer is pretty much always, "at least one more." I've built several different boards at this point - AionFX, Ceriatone, two different Tone Geek versions, a South Obolon FX version, and even a Puzzle Sounds (that I still need to work up an enclosure for!). However this is my first crack at a PedalPCB Klon clone. PedalPCB made up a set of validation boards for the special edition Kliche Mini (which has the dials offset like on the Klon KTR), and was nice enough to send me some!

A New Klon Klone - from a New Source!

I don't often wax political on this blog. When Russia began it's unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine back in February, I was angry (and remain so), and wanted to show solidarity with and support of Ukraine. At the time, I posted a build report covering the "blue and yellow" Blues Driver pedal build I'd just finished. In the interim I've built a couple of pedals for auction on Pedals for Ukraine. I've also donated to various agencies supporting Ukraine. A few months ago, a Ukrainian builder, South Obolon FX, began posting files so you could get your own circuit boards made. All he asked in return was a donation to the ongoing efforts in Ukraine, donations I was more than happy to make. One of the boards he provided files for was the Kent Rev 2, a Klon Centaur clone with a few added twists, so I figured I'd take a chance and have a few boards made up!

The Official Steggo Klon Clone - The Kloned Centrosaurus!

In my teaser post a few weeks ago, one of the pedals I indicated was coming soon was a Klon Centaur clone. I've done several of these through the years, but I ultimately settled on the Tone Geek Mini-Taur as the base for the "official" Steggo clone of the Klon. I promised that it would have a fun dino-themed enclosure as well, and I think that I've managed to deliver (with some serious help)!

Another Ceriatone??? The Goth Version...

When I finally finished my first Ceriatone Centura a few weeks ago, I still had a spare unpopulated board lying about. I'd picked it up several months ago along with the one I used for the gold enclosure built along with some other parts for... another project I'm working on. One I hope to feature on the blog in the future, but I digress! My previous Centura build sounds awesome, but now that I had one working, I really wanted to try and build one using the component load-out from the original Centura. So, I set about populating a new board!

Grab Bag Sale Update! Only 2 Pedals Left!

There are still a couple of pedals left in Steggo's second Grab Bag Sale. The Eggeaux Steggo G-2 has sold, but the Centurion and Meteor are still available (modeled by Kyle the Ankylosaurus below). In an effort to find these new pedals new homes, we've made a final markdown - $79 for one (your choice) or $149 for both!

Steggo's Second Grab Bag Sale!!!!

Steggo's first grab bag sale went so well, Dimetrius decided that it would be a good idea to run another one! So here to present the three pedals in this group is our founder Steggo and his younger sister Steggi, our resident electronics expert!

Tone Geek Mini-Taur - Early Silver Configuration (Warning: Graphic Klontent)

I've built several Klon clones at this point, including several Mini-Taur boards from The Tone Geek - most recently a fairly early configuration one for my personal use. As I mentioned in my teaser post a few days ago, one of the upcoming production pedals was going to be a Klon Centaur clone, but I wanted to finalize the part load out and configuration so I could buy in bulk. I had one last Mini-Taur board and faceplate lying around, so I decided to build one last one up with the faceplate before moving to the new enclosure (and hitting up Ryan for some boards sans faceplates!). 

First Pedal Started - Just Now Finished - the Ceriatone Centura

Despite the number of clones on the market, the original Klon Centaur remains an extremely expensive pedal to buy with originals approaching, or exceeding, the $9000 mark. The "affordable" Klon variant from Bill Finnegan seems to run anywhere from $700-$800 (used) and over $1500 (new). As I mentioned in my Tone Geek BFK build entry last September, the very first pedal I tried to build was a Klon Centaur Clone - the Ceriatone Centura. I'd picked up the kit intending to use it to help my son get his electronics merit badge in Scouts. To say that the build was not "entirely successful" would be a bit of an understatement. I'd tried to populate a second board, but received similar poor results. My debugging skills at the time were poor, so I decided to have one last crack at it...

A New Klon - In a Convenient Travel Size - Redux!

This isn't my first Klon build. This isn't even my first Tone Geek Mini-taur build. However, as I ended up selling my Tone Geek BFK (The Klone Wars) to my guitar teacher - and that was the only one I'd built with carbon resistors - I figured I needed a replacement (never mind I have at least two other functional Klon clones). I'd also ordered the parts in case my aforementioned guitar teacher needed something in a 125B form factor rather than the full-size Klon / Ceriatone. Since I have sort of a "mid tier" part and "high-end" part build, I tried to get as close to the early Klon configuration as I could for this one. One of these days I need to do a tone shoot out...

A Tale of Two Mini-Taurs - Klon Clones in a Convenient Travel Size

As much fun as I had building my first functional Klon Centaur clone, it has one major drawback - it's bleedin' huge! Don't get me wrong, I really love the aesthetics of the enclosure - especially with the very tongue-in-cheek theme on that particular one - but it isn't the most practical pedal to be carting about unless you're going with a very limited board as it takes up the space of at least two 125B-sized pedals - if not a bit more. Shortly after releasing the BFK full-sized board, The Tone Geek released the "Mini-taur" - a faithful 1:1 signal recreation of the original Klon Centaur suitable for use with a 125B enclosure. I'd had so much fun building the full-sized pedal, I decided to not only take the plunge with the "mini," but use the opportunity to build one for a friend as well.

One Klone to Rule them All

The Klon Centaur - one of the most sought after overdrive pedals. Originally built by Bill Finnegan from 1994-2008, he was never able to keep up with demand and prices quickly rose. With only about 8000 produced it is an exceedingly rare beast, and prices for originals currently range from about $5000 to $7500. Because of its price and popularity, a number of clones of the original have sprung up - arguably more than just about any other pedal out there. Available pedals cover the full range range from faithful copies to cheap Chinese rip-offs with modifications, improvements, and variations of every stripe in between. 

In the interest of full disclosure, the first guitar pedal I tried to build was the Ceriatone Centura - a near exact copy of the original Klon Centaur, right down to the enclosure and knobs. That build wasn't entirely successful, and to be honest, I'm still debugging it. Fast forward a few months and The Tone Geek has released his BFK, a signal copy of the original Klon Centaur using a more modern 2-layer PCB with thicker traces and better grounding. It would also fit in the original style enclosure, and as I happened to have a spare Centura enclosure with a damaged paint job, I repainted it for this new build.