yes !
Clipping Diode Shootout
- Thread starter CJ
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I wouldn’t imagine people were asking such high prices for and original Klon, that’s over the top really.
A musician (at least 99% of them) will never be able to spend such amount for a pedal. I guess if anyone really buys it for those amounts it will be a rich collector.
The pedal is really easy to build, and all the components are easily available, there’s just the discussion about the possibilities for the 2 mysterious diodes used.
I still would love to know it if the diodes used in the originals are plain standard 1N34 or not.
Personally it’s hard for me to believe that the Klon’s developer is the only person in the World with stock of special and unique breed of 1N34 diodes
$8000 dollar Klon is really something more reserved for the blues lawyers
. Still, you need a tube amp to drive with this box for maximum effect? My experience was that it was not that inspiring by itself. Of course this was based on a "clone" of sorts.......................I haven't used the real thing.
. Still, you need a tube amp to drive with this box for maximum effect? My experience was that it was not that inspiring by itself. Of course this was based on a "clone" of sorts.......................I haven't used the real thing.
A really nice video on the Klon diodes.
It's interesting that there's huge discussion and mystery about the diodes used but in the end they are doing so little in the circuit that results soundwise between one diode or another might be completely marginal or imperceptible.
and another one:
It's interesting that there's huge discussion and mystery about the diodes used but in the end they are doing so little in the circuit that results soundwise between one diode or another might be completely marginal or imperceptible.
and another one:
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soapfoot
Well-known member
I finally took my centaur off the touring pedalboard this year.
It’s just too valuable to get chucked in airliner cargo holds and semi trucks.
I still have a KTR on my secondary “small tour” board.
On my primary board I replaced it with a Ceriatone Centura, but with non-stock diodes. I ran some listening tests and found some that sound virtually indistinguishable to the original Klon (a pedal I’ve been using pretty much daily for over 15 years).
I posted a video earlier in this thread of my diode comparison. Interestingly I didn’t love the diodes the Centura kit originally shipped with
It’s just too valuable to get chucked in airliner cargo holds and semi trucks.
I still have a KTR on my secondary “small tour” board.
On my primary board I replaced it with a Ceriatone Centura, but with non-stock diodes. I ran some listening tests and found some that sound virtually indistinguishable to the original Klon (a pedal I’ve been using pretty much daily for over 15 years).
I posted a video earlier in this thread of my diode comparison. Interestingly I didn’t love the diodes the Centura kit originally shipped with
Dang, you getting a lot of miles out of that klon, how many ft sw you go through?
I just got some crusty 1n34's in the mail so I will run a curve on them,
I just got some crusty 1n34's in the mail so I will run a curve on them,
In the video I posted called "Part 2: Curve Tracing" you have a google spredsheet document which has the curves for the original Klon diodes (KTR 1 and KTR2).
It's a good doc for someone to compare the Curves if their diodes with the curves of the original diodes used in the pedal.
You can also input the data of your Diode in the spreadsheet and it will drawn the curve in the graph for you.
here is the link to the doc:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t3mn81IjbXSiTY3boMftn1eXdgcMHT4lpY00tbsXAaE/edit?usp=sharing
I used this doc and entered all the data from my Germanium Diodes, compared the curves with the KTR diodes and choose the model that had the closest curve
The ITT 1N34A (Yellow) has the blue line ITT 1N144 on top of it.
It's easy to see if you open the Link I posted, it's bigger and you can put your cursor on top of the traces and it will say which diode it corresponds to
It's easy to see if you open the Link I posted, it's bigger and you can put your cursor on top of the traces and it will say which diode it corresponds to
This is the graph with all the data from my germanium diodes.
It was a surprise to me that the curves on my 1N34A diodes are far from the KTR diodes, and they actually have a curve much more similar to a Silicon diode than a Germanium Diode, although physically they look similar to the photos of the KTR diodes the curves are far off.
Then I had some small diodes marked 1N34, physically they have no resemblance whatsoever with the KTR diodes, but actually those one were the closest in terms of curve tracing, but nonetheless the curve is still a bit different from 0 to 4mA.
It was a surprise to me that the curves on my 1N34A diodes are far from the KTR diodes, and they actually have a curve much more similar to a Silicon diode than a Germanium Diode, although physically they look similar to the photos of the KTR diodes the curves are far off.
Then I had some small diodes marked 1N34, physically they have no resemblance whatsoever with the KTR diodes, but actually those one were the closest in terms of curve tracing, but nonetheless the curve is still a bit different from 0 to 4mA.
I wish I had an environmental chamber so as to run temp curves on some of these Ge diodes. I think the klon sounds better in cold weather.
That would make me think they are not real 1n34. I have a large package of 1n34 from years ago (surplus). I’ll try to find and check the forward voltage on them with a meter. Not as precise as your information but seems something is a miss with conflict info.
I built a Klon Klone awhile back with a provided card. Got to say I’m not thrilled with it. I prefer a Timmy so not sure other than preference and lack of knowledge of the real Klon sound. Also I’m not playing out in real situations that have a great deal of influence on preference.
It’s a possibility for sure, but like explained in the video the 1N34 name was used for a lot of different diodes from many brands, it was not a specific diode with very specific Specs.
The 1N34A diodes I have look like the glass type general germanium diode, I will post some photos. But although looking like germanium diodes they seem to measure more like silicon diodes, strange for sure
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I noticed that in some stomp boxes that single coil pickups do not sound that great. What kind of pickups you using Fazer?
I got inspired to plug my DCA75 into the computer & test some diodes-- one germanium, Schottkys, & a few others. Also a couple of germanium transistors as diodes just to see. The one labeled 1N846B is actually 1N486B. I'm new to using the DCA75 this way, so I apologize if it's not the best.
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