Handy FX announces Minotaur Overdrive, a Klon-style pedal

April 19, 2022 · 2 sources

Handy FX has announced the Handy FX Minotaur Overdrive, a Klon Centaur-style overdrive, covered on April 19, 2022 by Delicious Audio and Pedal of the Day. Delicious Audio called it "a new addition to the ever-growing family of K-style overdrives," which it described as "aka Klon Centaur clones, aka Klones"¹.

The pedal uses the three-knob layout of the original, with two internal slide switches. Delicious Audio reported that the left switch sets the circuit to true or buffered bypass, and the right switch selects between a CENT mode tuned after the original and a higher-gain, fatter-bass mode labeled MINO¹. Pedal of the Day described the same two switches and said that in Mino mode "the input to the gain stage is increased, resulting in higher gain possibilities. The overall bass is increased as well, resulting in a fatter tone with more warm low end presence"².

Pedal of the Day also reported a dual potentiometer that controls gain by increasing the input to the gain stage while blending in more of the affected signal, a pair of NOS germanium diodes in a hard-clipping configuration, and an internal voltage converter that steps the 9V input up to 18V for more headroom². It described the pedal as "A basic three-knob clone the Minotaur Overdrive is not"².

Neither report gave a price or a ship date. Delicious Audio noted that original Klon Centaur units sell for over $5,000 and added the Minotaur to its guide to Klon clones¹.

Both publications praised the pedal's sound. Delicious Audio wrote that "Like the original, the Minotaur sounds excellent as a tone-shaping boost at the end of your drive section, but it also offers some of the best over-driven sounds we've heard"¹. Pedal of the Day called it "a true tone-shaping machine, able to give you all the best of both the Boost and Drive worlds"².