The Matthews Effects Architect V4 is an overdrive pedal built as what the maker calls "a unique reinterpretation of the legendary Klon circuit"1. Matthews Effects takes the Klon's foundational overdrive design and adds its own features on top: an active three-band EQ for shaping the driven tone, four distinct clipping modes, and two independent boost circuits, all in a single box with MIDI control1.
The pedal was released as a limited soft-launch batch, and that batch is now sold out2. If you see one secondhand, here is what it is and where it came from.
A Klon-based overdrive with four clipping modes
The Klon Centaur is the circuit the whole "klone" family descends from, and the Architect line is Matthews Effects' take on it. The maker describes the V4 as a reinterpretation of that legendary circuit, elevated with an active three-band EQ that lets you sculpt the overdrive's tone to match your guitar and amp1.
Where the original Klon design is famously a one-knob-voiced affair, the Architect V4 gives you four distinct clipping modes, which Matthews Effects says lets the pedal "seamlessly pair with any guitar/amp combination"1. Clipping mode choice is the main voicing decision on any Klon-style pedal: different diode arrangements clip the waveform differently, giving different colors of gain, from softer and rounder to more open and raw. On the earlier Architect V3, Delicious Audio described the three clipping options as giving "3 different colors of gain which helps you dial in the Architect to work" with your setup3, and the V4 extends that idea to four modes.
Matthews Effects has history with this circuit. The company's earlier Matthews Effects Klone was a straight Klon clone, and the Architect line grew out of that foundation into its own design14.
The controls: three-band EQ, two boosts and MIDI
The Architect V4's control set breaks into three parts.
The overdrive side carries the Klon-style gain structure and an active three-band EQ. On the Architect V2, Premier Guitar described the gain control as "two separate knobs in one," mixing a clean boost signal with a separate overdriven signal while also setting the overdriven signal's gain5. The EQ section is a full three-band tone stack that lets you cut or boost bass, mids and treble5. On the V3, Delicious Audio noted the active EQ gave "active control over the Treble, Mids and Lows," letting you shape the guitar's tone to match the guitar and amp combination3, and the V4 carries an active three-band EQ forward1.
The boost side introduces two independent circuits, which the maker describes as providing "extensive control over your tonal landscape"2. On the V3, the boost offered a choice of Silicon or MOSFET diode flavor, with its own boost level control and footswitch6, and Guitar Pedal X highlighted the V3's "different clipping on both the Overdrive and Boost elements" as a distinguishing feature7. The V4's two independent boost circuits allow layered, clean boosts2.
MIDI control is new to the V4. Matthews Effects publishes a dedicated MIDI Manual alongside the Users Guide on the product page1, so the pedal can be integrated into a MIDI pedalboard setup. Earlier Architect versions had no MIDI capability.
History and versions
The Architect line has evolved through several versions:
| Version | Key features |
|---|---|
| Architect V2 (2016) | Three clipping options (Germanium, Silicon, Diode Lift), 3-band baxandall EQ, internal 18v operation5 |
| Architect V3 (2019) | Added independent boost circuit with Silicon or MOSFET clipping options; inherited active 3-band EQ and clipping options from V236 |
| Architect V4 | Four clipping modes, two independent boost circuits, MIDI control12 |
Premier Guitar announced the Architect V2 on November 22, 2016, describing it as a new version of the Foundational Overdrive, still running internally at 18v for the best possible headroom and clarity, with a choice of Germanium, Silicon and Diode Lift (no clipping) clipping5. The V3 carried over the active three-band EQ and clipping options from the previous version3. The V4 is the current step of the line, a reinterpretation of the Klon circuit with an active three-band EQ and four clipping modes1.
The misprinted limited batch
The Architect V4 reached players through an unusual soft launch. Matthews Effects offered a limited batch whose enclosures carried a printing error: the top of the word "The" in "The Architect" was cut off2. Rather than scrap the run, the maker sold it at a discount as a soft launch, at £154.00 against a regular price of £169.00, a £15.00 saving off the future retail price2. That batch is now sold out1.
The Architect V4 is listed as sold out on the Matthews Effects product page1. The prices above are in GBP as stated by the maker.
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Questions
Can the Architect V4 be controlled over MIDI?
Yes. Matthews Effects lists MIDI control as a feature of the Architect V4 and publishes a dedicated MIDI Manual alongside the Users Guide on the product page. This sets the V4 apart from earlier Architect versions, which had no MIDI capability.
What was the misprinted Architect V4 limited batch?
The Architect V4 was first offered as a limited soft-launch batch whose enclosures carried a printing error: the top of the word "The" in "The Architect" was cut off. Matthews Effects sold that batch at a discount of £15.00 off the future retail price, and it has since sold out.
How is the Architect V4 different from the Architect V2?
The V2 had three clipping options (Germanium, Silicon and Diode Lift) and a 3-band baxandall EQ, running internally at 18v. The V4 keeps the Klon-based overdrive concept but offers four clipping modes, two independent boost circuits and MIDI control, which the V2 never had.
Is the Matthews Effects Architect V4 still available?
No. The Matthews Effects product page lists the Architect V4 as sold out. The pedal was released as a limited batch with a printing error on the enclosure, offered at a soft-launch discount, and that batch is no longer available.
Sources (7)
- The Architect N.004, Matthews Effects
- Ihe Architect V4, Matthews Effects
- Matthews FX Architect V3 Foundational Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2019-06-05
- Guitar Pedal X - GPX Blog - 28 of the Best Compact Overdrive Pedals - 2020 Ultimate Selection, Guitar Pedal X
- Matthews Effects Launches Architect V2 Overdrive, Premier Guitar, 2016-12-14
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-09-03
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2019-07-23
