The Matthews Effects Klone is an overdrive pedal built as a clone of the original Klon, the circuit that spawned a whole family of copies from makers large and small. Pedal of the Day featured it in April 2014 and summed it up simply: "A wonderful clone of the original!"1
What it does
As a Klon-style overdrive, the Klone sits in the same category as pedals like the Acorn Amplifiers Another F#%king Klon Klone, another handmade take on the mythic circuit2. The Pedal of the Day review describes two ways of using it: with the gain low it works as a boost, and turned up it delivers what the reviewer called "some screaming solos"1.
"This pedal is great as a boost or really turn the gain up for some screaming solos!"
True bypass
One difference the reviewer flagged against the original: the Klone has true bypass, meaning the pedal removes itself from the signal path entirely when switched off. "Has everything the original has plus true bypass!" the review notes1.
What reviewers said
The published verdict on record comes from Pedal of the Day's April 27, 2014 feature, and it was positive on both sound and responsiveness1:
"Mine is always on! Thats how responsive and how true to the original Klon it is."
An always-on pedal like this typically functions as the foundation of a player's tone rather than an occasional effect, which is a common way players use Klon-style overdrives. Matthews Effects has since built out a wider line of drive pedals, including The Broker dual overdrive, the Cartographer parametric overdrive, and the Architect V4 foundational overdrive1.
Videos
Curtis Kent
Questions
Is the Matthews Effects Klone a Klon clone?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's 2014 review described it as a clone of the original Klon and found it true to that pedal. The reviewer also noted it adds true bypass, and described it as very responsive, saying theirs stayed on the pedalboard permanently.
How is the Matthews Effects Klone used?
The Pedal of the Day review describes two main uses: with the gain low it works as a boost, and with the gain turned up it suits screaming solos. The reviewer kept it always on, which suggests it was used as a foundation for the core tone rather than an occasional effect.
Sources (2)
- Matthews Effects Klone, Pedal of the Day, 2014-04-27
- Another F#%king Klon Klone, Acorn Amplifiers
