Rather unusually, the Sugar Drive makes no reference to the fact that it is a ‘Klone’. It’s name doesn’t reference the Klon, nor does its bright blue enclosure. Versatile Voicing – Drastically altering the gain presents more options to use this pedal as not only your primary overdrive, but as a clean boost, and even for distortion. One of the newest, affordable, three-knob klones from a reliable builder. It keeps things simple, compact, and – what’s important – delivers authentic tones. A re-engineered but authentic-sounding version of the now rare original, the Manticore V2 gives the Klon tone a fresh look, introducing an extra gain stage at the input level and a Savage knob that fattens up your guitar signal through a unique low pass filter.

NuX NOD-1 Horseman Overdrive | Reverb NuX NOD-1 Horseman Overdrive | Reverb

Perfectly camouflaged as a Klone, this is actually a double fuzz. Don’t miss the manufacturer’s criptic introduction to the pedal, aimed at confusing and then surprising the Klone seeker. When it comes to analogue pedals, there’s not actually that much inside that can go wrong. As long as the PCB design is right, and it has been constructed properly then there’s every chance you’ll end up with a good pedal. Digital pedals are harder to get right on a budget, and they’re harder to clone, which is why our list of the best cheap guitar pedals is mostly made up of analogue models. However if you want to replicate the original Klon as closely as possible for a fraction of the price, the Centura could be an amazing option. RYRA The Klone There are companies out there that own huge factories that make pedals on the behalf of other brands. Some of these companies have since gone on to create their own brands and sell directly to the consumer, meaning that you can get the same pedal, perhaps with a slightly different design, for a lower cost. What is a cloned guitar pedal? Plugged in, the Horseman is a simple affair – and there’s nothing wrong with that. It has an on/off switch and three control knobs – the holy trinity of Gain, Treble and Output. You don’t want to be fumbling around on a dimly lit stage with sweaty fingers dialling in a sound. For all its mystique this is a pedal that you want to keep simple. It should also be known that there are two models of Centaur – the Gold and Silver as they have become known. The Gold is more a clean boost, the Silver is closer to the sound of driving the front end of an amp into distortion. Those clever folks at NUX have managed to combine the two in one pedal. When held down, the on/off switch changes the mode from Silver to Gold, giving you a choice of characteristic. Whether you’re looking for a pure clean boost or a slightly rough around the edges overdrive, you’ll find yourself in safe hands here.

In fact, Finnegan himself alluded to his own reputation with the design of the KTR, plastering the words ‘Kindly remember: The ridiculous hype that offends so many is not of my making’ across the front of the pedal.

NUX Pedals - Are They Good? [2022 REVIEW] - Best Guitars Now NUX Pedals - Are They Good? [2022 REVIEW] - Best Guitars Now

Tone is what matters though, and so if you want to capture the legendary Klon tones on a budget, the Horseman could make a great choice.Famously, the Centaur had a buffer which some people lionise to the point of building it into a separate pedal. Thus, most klones are either buffered bypass or selectable between buffered and true bypass. I mostly like to run it in silver mode with the gain dimed. This gives a great moderate/high gain sound which is great for chords and leads. It palm mutes like the gain structure of a real amp and has real amp-like harmonics. If you think there any really special ‘Klones’ that I’ve missed from this list, please share them. I’d love to hear about them! Images The Sugar Drive has a dual-ganged gain pot, as well as a ‘charge pump’ that boosts the voltage of the pedal to 18V. Fans of the Centura assert that it’s the best sounding ‘Klone’ on the market. So if you are looking to replicate the original as closely as possible – in look, feel and tone – this could be the option for you.

Nux Horseman OD – Thomann UK

The legendary Klon Centaur that we all know and love is described by some as the perfect overdrive pedal. The Oxblood does all of this, with a number of key differences. The first of these is a ‘phat’ switch on the front of the pedal. This alters the bass response of the Oxblood, and gives you the option to choose either a 736hz or 66hz low cut.As mentioned above, the Tumnus pedals from Wampler Pedals are often regarded as the best Klon Centaur Clones available today. But if you are looking for a Klon clone with a bit of a bonus, The Tumnus Deluxe is for you. It is a faithful clone of the original Klon Centaur, but they have added a few extra features (like a three-band EQ) to boost the usability of the pedal. This made the KTR smaller in size. It also allowed the pedals to be mass produced. The KTR has the exact same controls as the original Klon.