J Rockett Audio Designs Archer Ikon

The Archer Ikon is a low-gain overdrive pedal from J. Rockett Audio Designs, built in the Klon style: a transparent-ish boost and drive circuit intended to push an amp rather than reshape the guitar's voice. MusicRadar, reviewing the range, described the Archer Ikon as one of the pedals that "promise[s] Klon and Dumble-alike tones" alongside The Dude¹. Guitar World places it at the lower-gain end of the Klon-style field, calling it "the lower gain iKon"².

Where it came from

The Ikon evolved from the original Archer design, which hit stores in 2014⁶. Guitar.com reports that the pedal "was created by Chris Van Tassel and Jay Rockett, who worked with Bill Finnegan on his Klon KTR pedal brand"⁷, a connection that explains why the Archer range is so often discussed in the same breath as the Klon Centaur.

What reviewers said

Pedal of the Day's reviewer, writing in October 2015, framed the Ikon as an answer for players who want the Klon sound without the original's price and footprint⁸:

J Rockett lists the Archer Ikon at 215 GBP, a UK price, on its own site⁵.

The Ikon in the Archer range

The clipping stage is where the Ikon differs from its siblings. Guitar.com's review of the range observed that "while the Ikon has germanium diodes, J Rockett appears to have switched to silicon diodes in the same position" on another Archer model⁴. Germanium clipping is generally associated with the softer, more open low-gain character players look for in this style of pedal, and it is the detail most often cited when reviewers distinguish the Ikon within the Archer line. The range also includes the Archer Select for players comparing versions.

For a wider view of where a low-gain, Klon-style drive sits on a board, see the site's guide to overdrive pedals.

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