A true Klon Centaur Clone? Ghost Drive build & demo

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A true Klon Centaur Clone? Ghost Drive build & demo

Рет қаралды 5,408

Күн бұрын

Full build video, from unboxing to an audio demo. I recorded every step of building this clone of the legendary Klon Centaur overdrive pedal - The Ghost Drive from StewMac. Will the Ghost Drive live up to the Klon Centaur hype? Is it worth $8,000 to get a real Klon Centaur? Or can you get that "magic" sound for about a hundred bucks? Yet another video to help you navigate the Klon maze...
My secrets to my high gain tone back in the "old days:" • Guitar rig rundown for...
Music Is Win KZfaq channel: / @musiciswin
Music Is Win $5,000 Klon Centaur purchase video: • I Bought a $5,000 Guit...
‪@jhspedals‬ video on the history of the Klon: • LIVE: Everything Klon ...
Another JHS Klon video: • The History And Future...
5 Watt World Klon Video: • The Klon: A Short Hist...
‪@stewmac‬ Ghost Drive kits: www.stewmac.com/kits-and-proj...
*THIS IS NOT AN AFFILIATE LINK* THIS VIDEO IS NOT SPONSORED BY STEWMAC IN ANY WAY!!!
I include these links for your convenience & entertainment only. None if the people or sites have any affiliation with me whatsoever. I'm just a tone geek & curious guitar player...
All music in this video is from my albums "Again" & "Obscurotica"
Used by my own permission.
Available at online stores everywhere or at my site: clarkplaysguitar.com/
Join The Secret Club and a free bundle of songs: clarkplaysguitar.com/secret-c...

Пікірлер: 42

@CindyBallreich Жыл бұрын

I just did this build. What a fun project! The instructions are fantastic, and the customer support is great if you have questions. I still think it's strange that a pedal I built could sound so good.

@ClarkColborn Жыл бұрын

I know, me too!

@jerryhayden8720 Ай бұрын

I'm fixing to build one of these & so far this is the best review I've seen with the bonus of an excellent build job all together so good that I didn't just give a thumbs up but I subscribed also. Now to find the deep dive you talked about doing.👍

@ClarkColborn Ай бұрын

Ahh, my Klon Klone deep dive video, lol. So far, I think you may be the only person that actually expressed an interest in it! I started to shoot some video for it, and then life took some unexpected turns & it ended up on the back burner. But now you've got me thinking about it again, so let's see if I can't knock that out in the next few weeks! Thanks so much for watching, for the comment, and for the motivation!

@jerryhayden8720 Ай бұрын

@@ClarkColborn thanks for the motivation!😆👏👏👏😵No thank You for the motivation.👍 I'm drawing from everyone. I also enjoyed the video about the smaller Bad Horsie. I haven't played in a long time & have been unpacking a lot of things but am sweating it out because I haven't found my old gigantic Bad Horsie. Hopefully it's deep in a box somewhere instead of the potential one of the movers liked it or I've even wondered if I forgot about it & left it at the biker church when I helped them start their band. Between hauling anhydrous ammonia & propane & being way too busy & had to pour myself into my job when it got cold, heck I didn't know whether I was going or coming & I had to leave the band because I began working probably 100+ hours a week even though my logbook said 70 hours. That's why I laid the guitar down 30 years ago because I was stupid busy with life... I digress, sorry. I'm retired now & with the way our world is I'm hankering to write some good old time protest songs, 10-4? 😆 I've got the time. I'm a nice guy but I don't mind getting into some trouble. "Freedom Ain't Free" Freedom is like a garden. Work = Beauty, but weeds will pop up & Must Be removed. ⭐Note: Thanks for doing this build. It will be very valuable. I also honestly don't know anything about a Klon because most of everything I ever did was massive gain, a big muff, Bad Horsie, & I don't know how but I acquired a flanger & I enjoyed using that a lot & still have it. I've got too much stuff 😳. I digress, sorry. Too long, sorry. I'll be watching because I've got a good idea how to use the Klon clone but I'm watching everybody else. Thanks man. I never would have fallen in love with quartz & agate picks if a salesman hadn't showed me (told me I needed to use...) a weird thing I knew nothing about. What I'm saying is, I'm watching now that I'm brushing off the dust & basically restarting my creative music journey. 😵Later

@ClarkColborn Ай бұрын

@@jerryhayden8720 Congrats on your return to guitar! I understand life getting crazy busy - I've been there myself. Luckily, I managed to ride it out, and plan to just keep on keepin' on. 🙂 Good luck on your musical journey!

@3045mc 16 күн бұрын

Just cut the components above the tape. The taped part is for a automated install machine. Proper video ,enjoyed.

@ClarkColborn 9 күн бұрын

Good tip! Thanks! And thanks for watching & commenting. 😊

@Grizzilyultra Жыл бұрын

Great video! Thanks. I built one last June and still love it. You're the only one I've seen show leaving the little board in place-I did when I built mine, makes it a lot easier. Have a great day.

@ClarkColborn Жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it! And thank you for watching!

@pzuliomaccavellion9711 Жыл бұрын

I've watched a handful of builds on this pedal, and no one seemed to have the knowledge of how to approach this like you do! Thank you so much! So many great tips and tricks! I intend on buying this pedal, and have literally no experience, so this is awesome! Great video, thank you!

@ClarkColborn Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for the kind words! The best tip I can offer you if you have no experience building pedals and/or soldering is to watch a few videos on soldering & practice soldering on some old board that you aren't afraid of wrecking. It's like playing guitar, the more you practice the better you'll be!

@joeh23 Жыл бұрын

You are absolutely right that it is easier to leave the breakout board attached. It was a giant PIA to solder it removed from the board. They should not tell you to remove it in my opinion.

@ClarkColborn Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for watching & for the comment! Yeah, it just seemed like the smartest way to do it to me. Hopefully it will help people that see this first.

@kidlargo1 Жыл бұрын

Here's another handy little tip. When you are to solder the 1 inch wires to the board for the on/off button, leave it right in the breakout board. You can insert the wires right in there, and the tension will keep them in place for you. I suggest you do not pre-tin any of those wires either. The tolerance is so tight, it can be a royal pain to get them in without reheating them. Peace!

@pzuliomaccavellion9711 Жыл бұрын

My Wampler Tumnus (centaur klone) is part of my clean tone, and never turned off! It also provides a great boost to my next overdrive in the chain, suppling all the distortion you could ask for! The centaur and all of its clones are all about the subtleties!

@ClarkColborn Жыл бұрын

I have a friend who does essentially the same thing with his Tumnus, and he loves it.

@rickshadowbanetheonehorned2388 Жыл бұрын

Same. I have the J. Rockett Archer Ikon. It is ALWAYS on. Clean, overdriven, doesn't matter. It puts the polish where it needs to be

@rickshadowbanetheonehorned2388 Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I love these types of pedals, ESPECIALLY because of how you mentioned you can push an already overdriven amp with it and get everything from sweet jazz to screaming, crunching, destruction. I really find they're great for when you really want to keep your amp-guitar combo tone intact to do exactly that, push the amp and sound natural diving as deep into distortion as you want to go. They just seems to put the studio polish on top and make everything stand out just the way you like it no matter what you dial in on them. So yes, thank you for doing a great demo! I am now very excited to start building my Ghost Drive kit because WOW! You put it through some good paces and it sounds like it interacts as well as my J. Rockett Archer Ikon, which is my personal favorite Klon Clone. I do have an original, and well maintained, Fender Deluxe Reverb Blackface, which for the peanut gallery, we know is the smaller version of the Fender Twin Reverb with the identical sound. I did not realize the Klon was made for that amp specifically. I had plans to put the amp back in my rig and now I'm thinking definitely!

@ClarkColborn Жыл бұрын

Happy to help! Thanks for watching & for the comment. Good luck with your build!

@jeffcampbell6898 8 ай бұрын

I mostly just use a small effects board for reverb and Delay and not much else. JHS just came out with a Klon that's called "Notaklon" in a kit that is 99 Bucks.

@ClarkColborn 8 ай бұрын

I saw the JHS vid too late to order one. I'd like to compare the two. Thanks for watching & commenting!

@w.english5368 10 ай бұрын

I just finished this same build yesterday. First time doing a pedal. I will say, I did just like you and left the breakout board on and used those helping hands... worked like a charm. I am very pleased with the sound. I like it better than my Wampler Tumnus Deluxe... it just seems more natural sounding. I did have two issues... One set-screw was missing off one of the knobs, and two, the LED does not light up. I paid close attention to how you did yours, and I checked the instructions...and I installed it right. Other than that, im happy with my first build. Seems like replacing the bulb will be a royal pain in the ass... I guess I'll try it when i have an afternoon with nothing to do....smh

@ClarkColborn 9 ай бұрын

StewMac would most likely send you a replacement knob. The LED could be a couple of things; I would start by checking all the solder points. Good luck, & thanks for watching!

@kenk7049 11 ай бұрын

I bought this when it first came out and it's been sitting unassembled in a draw. I'm planning on assembling it soon and your video will be very helpful. Thank you very much for making this video! If your using a lead based solder do you worry about fumes or do you have an exhaust fan somewhere?

@ClarkColborn 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! I usually have a small fan going to keep the air moving. When I'm doing larger soldering projects, or soldering for a long time straight, I try to do them in my garage with doors open. If you have the means to exhaust the fumes that's always a good idea. I'm actually working on a way to get an exhaust vent going in my basement workshop area with an old dryer vent, since we redirected the dryer. Great point to bring up! Have fun with the pedal kit!

@djay6651 10 ай бұрын

Most people use a Centaur circuit as a boost, but it's a pretty good drive.

@ClarkColborn 9 ай бұрын

Yeah, I think it sounds pretty good. And this is coming from a guy who has never used overdrive pedals, lol! Thanks for watching!

@kenk7049 10 ай бұрын

I started building this. A voltmeter to measure the resistance of the resistors should be required. It's too difficult to read the stripes on the resistors.

@ClarkColborn 9 ай бұрын

Yeah, that's why I checked them all & stuck each type in a baggie with a label. Thanks for watching & good luck on the build!

@Jonobueno Жыл бұрын

I left the breakout board on too. Heaps easier to stuff the board. I never liked many OD pedals but i like this one and my old ProCo Rat. Built 2 5E3 Tweed Deluxe amps and 3 Stewmac pedals. Never had any problems, and it all works beautifully.

@ClarkColborn Жыл бұрын

I’ve never been a distortion pedal guy, either. I do like the ghost drive & can see it getting lots of use. Thanks for watching!

@0421072 Жыл бұрын

I first heard about a Klon Centaur when a friend of mine in 1998 said he was gonna get one for his mom as a Mothers Day gift and ask if he could borrow it.

@ClarkColborn Жыл бұрын

Wow. Hopefully his mom could out-shred him, lol.

@Rick_Erickson Жыл бұрын

Your case magically transformed from white to gold, but you never mentioned that in the video. Can you tell us about the painting process? Brand and color used, any tips for a better finish etc? I asked Stew-Mac and they said they only sell them in white, so this got my attention and my curiosity.

@ClarkColborn Жыл бұрын

Hey Rick, the gold Ghost Drive in the thumbnail is an image I pulled from the original email I received announcing the pedal. I used that image because it ties in better with the whole "clone" concept. I actually painted mine red, which you can see in this video at about the 6:51 point. It is a screen-in-screen shot & only lasts a couple of seconds, so it's easy to miss. You can see it during the demo at the end, as well. I prepped the case with some really fine sandpaper, maybe 800 grit, then just painted it with red Krylon from the hardware store, lol. If I was going to go for the same finish from my thumbnail I would pick up a can of the bright gold Colortone spray paint from StewMac. (Item # 3892) and some clear lacquer for the topcoats. I would put quite a few coats of clear before I tried to buff it out, because the metallic paint doesn't look good sanded. StewMac has a couple good videos on getting great results with a spray can on their KZfaq channel. Thanks so much for watching, and good luck on your Ghost Drive!