Original Klon Centaur vs StewMac Ghost Drive: Can you tell the difference?
Tyler Larson from the popular YouTube channel Music is Win did an impressive sound face-off between an original Klon Centaur Professional Overdrive and our StewMac Ghost Drive Pedal Kit. The legendary Klon is one of the most revered pedals ever, with a price that keeps climbing! From simple volume boost to slight overdrive to fully cranked distortion, you'll hear what both pedals can do—and how our Ghost Drive nails the sound of the original. Can you hear the difference?
Video Transcription
Tyler Larson: What in the world? Klons are worth $7000, $8000, $9000? I knew it. The Klons doubled in price.
[on-screen text reads: 18 months ago]
If I don't buy this, somebody else will, and then it'll be worth $10,000 next year.
Well, I guess I'm going to sell mine for a sweet profit and buy some guitars.
[Tyler whistles Black Sabbath's Iron Man song]
[An invisible Speaker 2 whistles Black Sabbath's Iron Man song back to Tyler]
Anyway, what guitar will I buy today? Will it be gold? Will it be green? Will it be blue? Will it be ...
Speaker 2: Buy a green one. Buy a blue one. Buy a turquoise one. Buy a yellow one. Buy a red one. Buy a white one. Buy a black one. Buy a silver one.
Tyler Larson: What color guitar am I going to get? Will it be yellow? Will it be green? Will it be-
Speaker 2: Buy a green one. Buy a blue one. Buy a turquoise one. Buy a yellow one. Buy a red one.
Tyler Larson: What is that? I feel like my gear is talking to me. Klon, did you hear that?
Speaker 3: I heard it, too. What the frick was that?
Speaker 2: Knock, knock, Neo.
I'm coming for you.
Tyler Larson: It's coming from behind that door. Going to go check it out.
Speaker 2: Open up. Open up. Open up. Open up. Open up.
[Tyler opens up a closet door and the StewMac Ghost Drive is floating in the air making scary ghost noises. Speaker 2 screams.]
[Speaker 2 playing fast electric guitar music using the original Klon Centaur and then the StewMac Ghost Drive Pedal]
The original Klon Centaur Professional Overdrive pedal
Tyler Larson: In 1994, an overdrive pedal would be released into the wild that would change guitar gear history forever, ushering in a new boon in the boutique guitar pedal building landscape. This product is the Centaur Professional Overdrive, built by the Boston based company Klon-Siberia.
Before it became the most expensive and sought after guitar pedal known to man, it was merely a solution to a problem Bill Finnegan discovered in his guitar tone. You see, he liked the sound of the TS-9 distortion, but the all important mid-range frequency that was the real deal he was compelled to address. Guarding his circuit wizardry with black epoxy, Finnegan created what would grow into a cult phenomenon to guitar players across the globe for decades to come. Only 8,000 Klon Centaurs were ever built, and after various dweebs across the internet have spread its lore and repeated its name across the ethos, the Klon Centaur is not only valuable, it's become one of the most popular pedals to recreate.
StewMac's Ghost Drive Pedal Kit
And that brings us to our special friend here, the Ghost Drive, a creation built by the famed guitar gear manufacturer, StewMac. This is the finished product of a pedal kit that you're actually able to put together yourself. It can be built by anyone, from electronics DIY tinkerers, to even beginners as well. As you've heard and will continue to hear, it is well worth the price tag, in case you don't have an extra, I don't know, $7,000 lying around. So thank you to StewMac for providing this incredibly faithful reproduction of a legendary unit that has enhanced my own in so many others' lives, and for sponsoring this video. You can check out a link to the Ghost Drive Pedal Kit in the description down below.
Sound comparison: Klon Centaur vs StewMac Ghost Drive
Well, I suppose all that's left to do here is to really dig in and find out just how close these two pedals really are. We'll start with the most famous use of the Klon, where the sweet spot of the circuit is engaged. It's here where an already slightly overdriven amp can achieve its true potential of the gnarliest of growls, or the most piercing of screeches, all the while enjoying a hardy mid-range that seems to just melt away most undesirable guitar frequencies. This is my favorite way to set a Klon, and let's see how the Ghost Drive measures up.
Gain 3, treble 12, output 11 - the circuits sweet spot
[Tyler plays fast paced guitar music while using the Klon Centaur pedal]
[Tyler plays fast paced guitar music while using the StewMac Ghost Drive pedal. Tyler keeps playing different riffs with both pedals and the sound is virtually identical]
Almost identical. Wow. I hope you're wearing headphones, because I have no doubt you'll have trouble distinguishing between these two guitar pedals.
Gain 5, treble 1, output 10 - clear mid-range
Now let's explore the gain knob, shall we? The great thing about the gain of a Klon is it doesn't become unusable in certain areas. In fact, the dimed gain sound is actually incredibly luscious, and as we've identified, is full of glorious, clear mid-range.
[Tyler plays a fast song on his electric guitar using the Klon Centaur pedal, then plays same type of song on the StewMac Ghost Drive pedal]
Those two sound exactly the same. Wow.
Gain 5, treble 1, output 10 - using the neck pickup
Let's hear how that same dimed gain setting sounds with the neck pickup of a guitar.
[Tyler plays a fast song on his electric guitar using the Klon Centaur pedal, then plays the same song on the StewMac Ghost Drive pedal]
It's like I'm hearing double. Wow. Wow.
Gain 8, treble 12, output 3 - a volume boost
Now, another way I use a Klon Centaur is with a traditional boost with the gain set below that sweet spot I mentioned. We're not actually engaging the clipping of the circuit nearly the same way, so you're getting a bit of mid-range and top end color. But as we push up the output, we also receive a volume boost.
[Tyler plays a song on his electric guitar using the Klon Centaur pedal, then plays the same song on the StewMac Ghost Drive pedal]
The Ghost Drive is knocking it out of the park. Wow.
Gain 2, treble 9, output 11 - treble knob nuances
Now the treble knob with the Klon Centaur is a point of great nuance, and a few centimeters can mean the difference in a great guitar tone and a perfect guitar tone.
Now, I've had the treble knob on my preferred setting throughout this video, but now I'll show you how the treble knob can make for various shades of color in your guitar tone library.
[Tyler plays a slow song on his electric guitar using the Klon Centaur pedal, then plays the same song on the StewMac Ghost Drive pedal. They sound virtually identical]
Gain 3, treble 12, output 11 - single coil rig
Of course, this demonstration wouldn't be complete without firing up a single coil rig to see how the two pedals compare that way.
[Tyler plays a bluesy song on his electric guitar using the Klon Centaur pedal, then plays the same song on the StewMac Ghost Drive pedal. Both pedals sound virtually identical]
Wow. As far as I can tell, the Ghost Drive is as spot on a Klon replica as I've come across. And as you know, I'm a historian of that sweet, sweet tone.
Well, I hope you learned something in today's program. I'd like to thank StewMac for their sponsorship, and if you would like to be haunted by your own Ghost Drive, be sure to check out the link in the description. And thank you for watching. Until next time ...
Speaker 2: Keep shredding. Keep shredding. Keep shredding. Keep shredding. Keep shredding. Keep shredding. Keep shredding. Keep shredding. Keep shredding. Keep shredding.
