MichaelW
Well-known member
- Build Rating
......because...well...it's special.....
I think I may have gotten one of the first batch of these as I don't see them for sale yet on the website.
But when @Robert asked me if I wanted to build one was like "Hell YAH baby!"
Like the world needs another Klon clone right?
But this one is way cool, I dunno why but when @Robert posted a pic of it on his Workbench thread I knew I had to build it!
As far as the board is concerned, it's pretty much a Mini Kliche with a different layout, 9mm pots to accommodate the diagonal placement. (Coming back to that later). There's the PedalPCB addition of the 1n5817 and a 100r resistor that's part of the reverse polarity protection.
(I don't recall the 100r on the full size Kliche.)
So I already have 2 Klon's one is the AionFX mini version that's running BAT41's (may revisit that). Then the Chuck D. Bones Bass Klon version featured in this thread.
I generally never use them as there are always better sounding standalone overdrives that I prefer and I'm not using mine to boost an amp or another pedal. So why build another one? Well, because it's cool!
Now about my build: This has been a week full of faux pas's for me. Missing components, amps not turned on, scuffed finishes on non-curing paint jobs.....why would I have expected my Friday build to escape unscathed? heh.. (Actually my Spirit Box build was totally smooth and uneventful).
So when Robert sent me the message about the board he told I'd need 9mm pots for this. So I threw them on a Tayda order. Pretty surprised when DHL showed up at my house today, less than a week after placing the order! (no enclosures, just bits and bobs).
I didn't get started until late afternoon and was thinking about whether I was going to build anything today since I wrapped up my Spirit Box in the morning. Technically counted it as a Friday build. But when those 9mm pots showed up, and I had everything else (or so I thought) I decided to get started with it. I had a Dark Gold Tayda 125B that I've been saving for something....turns out it was this pedal! I also had a set of Oxblood Mini Davies knobs. So I was all set.
I will mention at this point that I absolutely detest 9mm pots. I've only had to use them once (on my Tourbus) and completely forgot the lessons learned from that build. What I realized is that if I press the pots right to the board, solder them first, then there's not enough thread coming through on "some" of the thicker finished Tayda enclosures for the nut to get a bite on the threads. I figured out that what works is to clip the pots in place on the board, put the board into the box, tighten the nuts then solder what's left of the legs showing.
Well all that went out the window and I completely forgot all that with this build. I soldered the pots onto the board (pressing tight against the board) and guess what......not enough thread showing....sigh. I had to gently cinch them up with just the nut and no washer for now until I get in some replacement pots. Why do I need replacement pots you might be asking, why not just heat them up and move them a bit?
Well, here's why.....when I realized that soldering them on the board first not only made the shafts a bit too short, they were also a bit crooked. And unlike 16mm pots, you can't really adjust 9mm pots with the stabilizing nibs. Now that did that stop me from trying? Uhm, well no, I tried to gently use a pair of needle nose pliers and see of I could straight the pots a bit and very gently, in slow motion snapped the top off the dual gang B100k. This was followed up a long string of curses in orcish, entish and elvish. Then I tried to fix it by supergluing it back together and speed up the process by hitting it with a heat gun.
I highly recommend this procedure......if you want to ruin your pots....hahah. Like an idiot I only ordered 1 dual gang, so it was worth a shot to make it work. And it does sorta work to my great surprise! There's drops out in parts of the rotation and parts where it's just the gain side or the clean side working. So it's pretty wonky. But there's one spot from about 8 o'clock to 10 o'clock where it sounds like the gain is dimed. In fact I wonder if I'm getting any clean mix at all. But it sounds freaking fantastic! Inadvertently I think I created a gain only Klon!
I built this to standard Kliche spec, no mods, just a couple subs. I found I didn't have any 68n caps so I paralleled a 47n and a 22n.
For all the electrolytic caps I used Tantalums. Now here's the interesting part and what set this Klon apart from my others. I was planning to test some different Ge Diodes in the "Magic Diodes" sockets, the first set I tried was the Mullard CV7364.These are glass vial radial diodes that measured pretty low in the Vf range. ~.230mv @10ma on my tester, I usually try to target the mid 300's on my Klon builds but may start experimenting with lower Vf diodes. These things break up early, real early and have the very cool "hollow-ish" sound to them that are quite unique to this model of the Mullards/Phillips Ge diodes. I absolutely love how they sound. I may stock up on some from Smallbear. (Or add some more to my stash I should probably say hah.) These and the Phillips OA9 and OA10 have given me a whole new outlook on Ge diodes.
Oh also, I was going for a very subtle "ghost" led look with a 3mm Red Waterclear diode. One other thing I totally forgot, is that these thick glossy metallic finished Tayda's do not like to be center punched. It cracks the powder coat. And my very precisely drilled and back beveled LED hole has some chips around it.
Super creamy, very high gain Klon version. Definitely a standalone overdrive the way it sounds right now. I hope I do't lose that when install the replacement pot I ordered. I suppose if it doesn't sound the same I can break that one too, super glue it and hit with a heat gun......
Anyway, I'm obviously distracted with my builds this past week, probably a good sign for me to step away from the bench this weekend and just play guitar. We'll see.......
Thank you @Robert!
These WaterClear LEDs are super bright. I may change this to blue when I redo the pots.
I think I may have gotten one of the first batch of these as I don't see them for sale yet on the website.
But when @Robert asked me if I wanted to build one was like "Hell YAH baby!"
Like the world needs another Klon clone right?
But this one is way cool, I dunno why but when @Robert posted a pic of it on his Workbench thread I knew I had to build it!
As far as the board is concerned, it's pretty much a Mini Kliche with a different layout, 9mm pots to accommodate the diagonal placement. (Coming back to that later). There's the PedalPCB addition of the 1n5817 and a 100r resistor that's part of the reverse polarity protection.
(I don't recall the 100r on the full size Kliche.)
So I already have 2 Klon's one is the AionFX mini version that's running BAT41's (may revisit that). Then the Chuck D. Bones Bass Klon version featured in this thread.
I generally never use them as there are always better sounding standalone overdrives that I prefer and I'm not using mine to boost an amp or another pedal. So why build another one? Well, because it's cool!
Now about my build: This has been a week full of faux pas's for me. Missing components, amps not turned on, scuffed finishes on non-curing paint jobs.....why would I have expected my Friday build to escape unscathed? heh.. (Actually my Spirit Box build was totally smooth and uneventful).
So when Robert sent me the message about the board he told I'd need 9mm pots for this. So I threw them on a Tayda order. Pretty surprised when DHL showed up at my house today, less than a week after placing the order! (no enclosures, just bits and bobs).
I didn't get started until late afternoon and was thinking about whether I was going to build anything today since I wrapped up my Spirit Box in the morning. Technically counted it as a Friday build. But when those 9mm pots showed up, and I had everything else (or so I thought) I decided to get started with it. I had a Dark Gold Tayda 125B that I've been saving for something....turns out it was this pedal! I also had a set of Oxblood Mini Davies knobs. So I was all set.
I will mention at this point that I absolutely detest 9mm pots. I've only had to use them once (on my Tourbus) and completely forgot the lessons learned from that build. What I realized is that if I press the pots right to the board, solder them first, then there's not enough thread coming through on "some" of the thicker finished Tayda enclosures for the nut to get a bite on the threads. I figured out that what works is to clip the pots in place on the board, put the board into the box, tighten the nuts then solder what's left of the legs showing.
Well all that went out the window and I completely forgot all that with this build. I soldered the pots onto the board (pressing tight against the board) and guess what......not enough thread showing....sigh. I had to gently cinch them up with just the nut and no washer for now until I get in some replacement pots. Why do I need replacement pots you might be asking, why not just heat them up and move them a bit?
Well, here's why.....when I realized that soldering them on the board first not only made the shafts a bit too short, they were also a bit crooked. And unlike 16mm pots, you can't really adjust 9mm pots with the stabilizing nibs. Now that did that stop me from trying? Uhm, well no, I tried to gently use a pair of needle nose pliers and see of I could straight the pots a bit and very gently, in slow motion snapped the top off the dual gang B100k. This was followed up a long string of curses in orcish, entish and elvish. Then I tried to fix it by supergluing it back together and speed up the process by hitting it with a heat gun.
I highly recommend this procedure......if you want to ruin your pots....hahah. Like an idiot I only ordered 1 dual gang, so it was worth a shot to make it work. And it does sorta work to my great surprise! There's drops out in parts of the rotation and parts where it's just the gain side or the clean side working. So it's pretty wonky. But there's one spot from about 8 o'clock to 10 o'clock where it sounds like the gain is dimed. In fact I wonder if I'm getting any clean mix at all. But it sounds freaking fantastic! Inadvertently I think I created a gain only Klon!
I built this to standard Kliche spec, no mods, just a couple subs. I found I didn't have any 68n caps so I paralleled a 47n and a 22n.
For all the electrolytic caps I used Tantalums. Now here's the interesting part and what set this Klon apart from my others. I was planning to test some different Ge Diodes in the "Magic Diodes" sockets, the first set I tried was the Mullard CV7364.These are glass vial radial diodes that measured pretty low in the Vf range. ~.230mv @10ma on my tester, I usually try to target the mid 300's on my Klon builds but may start experimenting with lower Vf diodes. These things break up early, real early and have the very cool "hollow-ish" sound to them that are quite unique to this model of the Mullards/Phillips Ge diodes. I absolutely love how they sound. I may stock up on some from Smallbear. (Or add some more to my stash I should probably say hah.) These and the Phillips OA9 and OA10 have given me a whole new outlook on Ge diodes.
Oh also, I was going for a very subtle "ghost" led look with a 3mm Red Waterclear diode. One other thing I totally forgot, is that these thick glossy metallic finished Tayda's do not like to be center punched. It cracks the powder coat. And my very precisely drilled and back beveled LED hole has some chips around it.
Super creamy, very high gain Klon version. Definitely a standalone overdrive the way it sounds right now. I hope I do't lose that when install the replacement pot I ordered. I suppose if it doesn't sound the same I can break that one too, super glue it and hit with a heat gun......
Anyway, I'm obviously distracted with my builds this past week, probably a good sign for me to step away from the bench this weekend and just play guitar. We'll see.......
Thank you @Robert!
These WaterClear LEDs are super bright. I may change this to blue when I redo the pots.
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VE 'em. So versatile for sneaking in a mod to a build, or reducing a build's enclosure size, building 1590A of course they're de rigueur!
