The CKAudio Cklone Overdrive is an overdrive pedal in the Klone tradition: a pedal built around the circuit and control layout of the Klon Centaur. Pedal of the Day reviewed it in September 2020, describing "the Cklone Overdrive from CKAudio" as a pedal that follows "the same three-knob layout as the Centaur: Gain, Treble and Output"1.
What it does
The Cklone covers three jobs on a pedalboard. Pedal of the Day wrote that "the Cklone works as a clean boost with tons of headroom, a low break-up first stage drive and a smooth, crunchy overdriv[e]" to push the front end of a tube amp1. In practice that means it can sit on a board as a level boost, as a subtle first stage of grit, or as the main overdrive into an amp already breaking up.
The clipping comes from "a pair of hand-matched germanium clipping diodes", the components that shape the pedal's breakup as the signal is driven1. Hand-matching is a selection step intended to pair diodes that behave alike.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive1 |
| Treble | Tone control in the Centaur-style layout1 |
| Output | Sets the pedal's level1 |
How it compares to the vintage units
Like the majority of Klone pedals, the Cklone is not a copy of a vintage Centaur in every part. Pedal of the Day noted that "these replicas usually feature something just a bit different from the vintage units, and in this case, it has some upgraded components compared to the vintage units"1. The three-knob layout and germanium clipping approach stay in the Centaur mold, while the parts used differ from what the vintage units carried.
For readers weighing the Cklone against other drive options, the same site's type pages cover boost pedals, distortion pedals and fuzz pedals, and a common comparison in the overdrive world is the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer.
Videos
Ckaudio Effects
Ckaudio Effects
Ckaudio Effects
Sources (1)
- CKAudio Cklone Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2020-09-08
