Is the J Rockett Jeff Beck Model Archer the ultimate Klon Klone?

[Lewguitar]

I think it might be. The Klon KTR and Jeff Beck Archer are the two best I've owned and they sound pretty much identical.

The J Rockett Archer is the Klon pedal Jeff Beck has had on his own pedalboard since about 2016.

He'd been using a real Bill Finnigan made Klon Centaur for many years but switched to the J Rockett Archer. Then Jeff asked J Rockett to change to some NOS parts and make it sound more like his old Klon Centaur.

J Rockett made those changes, and that's this "Jeff" pedal.

And it uses the same NOS Germanium Diodes used in the original Klon and it sounds virtually identical to my Klon KTR.

IMO, it's a must have pedal.

In fact, I just got a second one and use one as a clean boost and to overdrive the other one. Sounds fantastic!

https://imgur.com/wuvr54l

https://imgur.com/fft8CeW

 

[Clashcityrocker]

How does the Horse Meat compare?

 

[Lewguitar]

How does the Horse Meat compare?

Here's a nice demo of the Horse Meat. Sounds good to me! More gristle than a Klon.

I like that chewy, squeezy sound it gets. Must be fun to play.

Might be perfect for someone who's tried a Klon and found that it didn't have enough gain for their playing style.

In Youtube video it sounds like it has more gain, grind and texture than the Klon, and less transparency.

I would say the same is true of the Wampler Tumnus Deluxe: more gain, grind and texture than the Klon.

Some designers want to "improve" the Klon, by giving it more gain and a denser sound, but I prefer the original voice.

I like to hear the air within the notes.

I didn't think the PRS pedal was supposed to be a variation on a Klon, but maybe Horse is a reference to the Centaur?

Paul likes the Crowther Hot Cake pedal and did a video on it. I liked the sound he was getting in the video so much that I bought one.

It's become a favorite pedal and for a high gain tone I like to drive my Hot Cake with my Klon or Archer.

Great for some of those over the top ZZ Topp tones.

Using the Wampler to drive the Hot Cake sounds great too. But I prefer using the Klon, because its voice is cleaner and more open than the Tumnus.

Anyways, I expected the Horse Meat to sound more like the Hot Cake and it sort of does. But again, I haven't tried one.

I'd like too!

 

[László]

I was under the impression that, at least for a time, J Rockett made the KTR for Finnegan.

Does anyone actually know if that's true?

 

[Lewguitar]

I was under the impression that, at least for a time, J Rockett made the KTR for Finnegan.

Does anyone actually know if that's true?

I've read that too.

That would make sense. They sound pretty much identocal.

 

[WEDGE]

I love my gold Archer but would like to play this one.

 

[GGJJGG]

I bought one the Jeff’s when it first came out. I agree it is a great Klone. Plus it has the Beck thing going for it. I sold my RYRA.

 

[Ovibos]

I thought the Horsemeat ate Klons for breakfast?

 

[RickP]

I had the KTR, and the RYRA Klone, which sounded exactly like it. I sold the KTR, and kept the RYRA as I liked the layout better. I’m covered for Klon tones. Always glad to see new pedals coming out, though!

 

[ruger9]

I have never gotten on with the Klon. I've had a few klones, the best of which is a Mythical Overdrive Vintage Spec. I've just never gotten on with them for whatever reason. For starters, they sound like crap into a dead clean amp- they are a much better "live" pedal, pushing a loud amp that's already breaking up some, IMHO.

What "change" to the formula makes it the "JB" model?

...aah.... I found this " replacing some key components, including the germanium diodes, with vintage NOS variants."

That's exactly what the Mythical Overdrive VS is. Interesting.

 

[Lewguitar]

I have never gotten on with the Klon. I've had a few klones, the best of which is a Mythical Overdrive Vintage Spec. I've just never gotten on with them for whatever reason. For starters, they sound like crap into a dead clean amp- they are a much better "live" pedal, pushing a loud amp that's already breaking up some, IMHO.

What "change" to the formula makes it the "JB" model?

...aah.... I found this " replacing some key components, including the germanium diodes, with vintage NOS variants."

That's exactly what the Mythical Overdrive VS is. Interesting.

Then you might like a pedal like the PRS Horse Meat better.

From what I've read, J Rockett was hired by Bill Finnigan, the creator of the original Klon Centaur, to build the Klon KTR.

Jeff Beck requested that the J Rockett Archer have a few parts changed to make it sound exactly like his real Klon that he'd had on his pedl board for many years.

The result was The Jeff model.

I am defininetly a Klon guy. It gets the sounds I hear in my head.

Others hear something different in their heads. Maybe more fuzz or more distortion or a more heavy metal tone.

If I want that I use my Hot Cake. Or Dover Drive.

Or drive my Hot Cake with my Klon.

I can get an almost infinite array of overdrive tones from my Klon, Hot Cake and Dover Drive, and sometimes I DO combine them for some pretty HEAVY SOUNDS.

 

[ruger9]

If I want that I use my Hot Cake. Or Dover Drive.

oooh... now my Hot Cake, I LOVE. I've owned a few Dover Drives. Solid choice. The Klon just has so many mids (unless you are just boosting an amp, with the Klon's drive quite low), that it's unusable. It almost makes my tele sound like it has P90s... that's how deep the mids are!

 

[Tony M.]

Will it make me play guitar as well as Jeff did?

If not, I'm gonna have to stick with my Wamplers.

I am quite happy with my guitar/pedals/amplifier tone.
It's all the bad notes that are the problem...

 

[ruger9]

I use my Hot Cake to get tweed style dirt at lower volumes than cranking thew amp (at home) would allow. Think oldschool Billy Gibbons.

I've got one of the new versions, with the switches on the outside. I keep the XLT (bass) switch on, and the Cream switch on.

 

[Lewguitar]

I use my Hot Cake to get tweed style dirt at lower volumes than cranking thew amp (at home) would allow. Think oldschool Billy Gibbons.

I've got one of the new versions, with the switches on the outside. I keep the XLT (bass) switch on, and the Cream switch on.

Me too. Billy Gibbons always comes to mind when I step on the Hot Cake!

They're getting expensive. Are they still made?

 

[László]

For starters, they sound like crap into a dead clean amp- they are a much better "live" pedal, pushing a loud amp that's already breaking up some, IMHO.

No overdrive has ever worked for me with a clean amp. I've been playing since 1967. They all sound like little transistor boxes unless they're pushing the amp past the edge of breakup. Not a good sound at all.

Note: The above is merely personal opinion. Like, that's just my opinion, man.

Do folks really want to hear their transistor pedal simply amplified like it's plugged into a PA, bypassing the inherent breakup of their tube amps?

Evidently so! Seems strange to me, but as I always say, everyone's got their thing!

 

[Lewguitar]

No overdrive has ever worked for me with a clean amp. I've been playing since 1967. They all sound like little transistor boxes unless they're pushing the amp past the edge of breakup. Not a good sound at all.

Note: The above is merely personal opinion. Like, that's just my opinion, man.

Do folks really want to hear their transistor pedal simply amplified like it's plugged into a PA, bypassing the inherent breakup of their tube amps?

Evidently so! Seems strange to me, but as I always say, everyone's got their thing!

I've seen guys using modelers with a silent stage pull it off. I wouldn't find that satisfying but the guys I've seen sounded great.

I only play through 18 - 20 watt amps like a Princeton Reverb, Deluxe Reverb or the HDRX 20 - which seems louder than 20 watts.

You know another amp I like and play through? Gibson GA20's from the 1950's.

Cranked, they have a tone that reminds me of Leslie West. But turned down they get a rootsy, Ry Cooder sort of sound

https://imgur.com/x4onPbl

 

[László]

I've seen guys using modelers with a silent stage pull it off. I wouldn't find that satisfying but the guys I've seen sounded great.

I only play through 18 - 20 watt amps like a Princeton Reverb, Deluxe Reverb or the HDRX 20 - which seems louder than 20 watts.

You know another amp I like and play through? Gibson GA20's from the 1950's.

Cranked, they have a tone that reminds me of Leslie West. But turned down they get a rootsy, Ry Cooder sound

https://imgur.com/x4onPbl

I always dug the GAs.

 

[Longneck Tenon]

Haven't tried it or even seen one in person. In Youtube videos it sounds like it has more gain, grind and texture than the Klon.

I would say the same is true of the Wampler Tumnus Deluxe: more gain, grind and texture than the Klon.

Some designers want to "improve" the Klon, but i like the original voice and so did Jeff Beck.

I didn't think the PRS pedal was supposed to be a variation on a Klon, but maybe Horse is a reference to the Centaur?

Paul likes the Crowther Hot Cake pedal and did a video on it. I liked the sound he was getting in the video so much that I bought one.

It's become a favorite pedal and for a high gain tone I like to drive my Hot Cake with my Klon or Archer.

Great for some of those over the top ZZ Topp tones.

Using the Wampler to drive the Hot Cake sounds great too. But I prefer using the Klon, because its voice is cleaner and more open than the Tumnus.

Anyways, I expected the Horse Meat to sound more like the Hot Cake but again, I haven't tried one.

I'd like too!

I compared one to my J Rockett Archer Ikon a couple weeks ago. After listening to Paul talk about it on That Pedal Show, it was pretty clear that he wanted to design a Klon type pedal that would “fix” what he thought were issues with the original pedal. There is significantly more gain available on the HM, as well as a bass control and another knob named Voice which further affects frequencies in the clipping stage.
I liked it, but it seems a lot like the Tumnus in the sense that they started with a Klon as a starting place to build their own version of what it should have been. I would think whether you agree that the original needed revisions would be a factor in selecting it.

 

[Lewguitar]

I compared one to my J Rockett Archer Ikon a couple weeks ago. After listening to Paul talk about it on That Pedal Show, it was pretty clear that he wanted to design a Klon type pedal that would “fix” what he thought were issues with the original pedal. There is significantly more gain available on the HM, as well as a bass control and another knob named Voice which further affects frequencies in the clipping stage.
I liked it, but it seems a lot like the Tumnus in the sense that they started with a Klon as a starting place to build their own version of what it should have been. I would think whether you agree that the original needed revisions would be a factor in selecting it.

Didn't know the Horse Meat was supposed to compete against the Klon. If I had I would not have started this thread.

The Klon is not a pedal for metalheads. It won't get a metal tone. That's not what it does.

It's not distorted and bassy enough.

It's not a super high gain pedal and its tone has a clarity about it even when it IS set for distortion.

It's perfect for me though. And perfect for the sound Jeff Beck wanted.