10 Best Klon Clones for True Centaur Tone 2026

The Klon Centaur is the most mythologized overdrive pedal ever built, and original units trade hands for the price of a used car. That legend created an entire category: the Klon clone, a family of pedals chasing the Centaur’s famous transparent boost and glassy midrange push at sane prices. Our 2026 guide to the best klon clones sorts through the crowded field with 10 honest reviews spanning boutique part for part replicas, clever reinterpretations, and modded classics.

Shopping for the best klon clones is not as simple as picking the cheapest gold box. Some pedals reproduce the original circuit down to the component, while others take the Klon’s core idea in a new direction with added EQ, extra gain stages, or a second boost circuit. Your amp, your guitar, and whether you play clean boost or cranked lead tones all change which one fits you best. Below you will find detailed reviews of all 10 pedals, the criteria we used to judge them, and answers to the questions players ask most.

We judged every pedal the way a working guitarist would: does it clean up with the volume knob, does it push an amp without turning to mush, how does the midrange sit in a mix, and is it built to survive years on a pedalboard. Component quality, bypass design, and real world flexibility all weighed heavily. Every one of the best klon clones below earned its place on tone, not hype.

Whether you are chasing the exact Centaur sound or just want the most musical low gain drive your money can buy, this guide will help you find the best klon clones for your rig and your budget. For more honest gear roundups like this one, you can always browse the latest buying guides on DixTrick.

How We Chose the 10 Best Klon Clones

We built this list around the things that actually decide whether a Klon style pedal earns a permanent spot on your board. Each pedal was evaluated against six tone focused criteria, and only the best klon clones across the board made the cut.

• Circuit honesty: we looked at how faithfully each pedal captures the Klon formula, from the buffered clean blend to the dual gang gain pot, and gave credit to builders who document their approach.
• Transparency and touch response: the Centaur magic is feel as much as sound. We favored pedals that preserve your guitar’s voice and respond to picking dynamics instead of flattening them.
• Midrange character: that famous glassy mid push is the whole point. We listened for the singing upper mids that cut through a mix without turning harsh or boxy.
• EQ flexibility: extra tone controls, clipping options, and voicing switches earn points when they genuinely expand the pedal instead of adding clutter.
• Build quality and components: board mounted versus hand wired, pot and jack quality, and attention to noise all matter for a pedal that may live on your board for a decade.
• Bypass and noise floor: the original Klon is always buffered, and its buffer is part of the sound. We weighed each builder’s bypass choice and listened for added hiss.

The best klon clones on this list share one trait: they make your amp sound more like itself, only better. Here are the 10 that made it.

1. Anasounds Savage MKII

The Anasounds Savage MKII comes out of France with a warm and powerful take on the Klon formula. This analog overdrive keeps the vintage electronic structure of the original Centaur, with the same style of clipping and tone circuit, but revoices it for a warmer, more saturated character. Three knobs cover Out, Tone, and Gain, and the laser engraved wooden front panel gives it a look no other pedal on this list can match.

What sets the Savage MKII apart among the best klon clones is how much tweakability hides inside. Internal dip switches adjust Voicing, Treble response, OD-Bass, and Clipping between vintage and modern modes, so you can dial it from classic Centaur shimmer to a thicker, darker drive. The clean and overdrive blend together the way a Klon should, giving that simultaneous clean plus dirt feel.

It runs on 9V, uses true bypass, and draws a modest 23mA, so it drops onto any board without fuss. Keep in mind that the internal switches mean opening the pedal to adjust voicing, which suits set and forget players more than constant tweakers, and the warmer voicing trades a little of the original’s glassy top end for richness.

This is our pick for the player who wants Klon DNA with a French boutique soul and loves fine tuning a pedal to a specific rig. It suits blues, rock, and roots players who value warmth and dynamics over surgical accuracy, and the hand finished wooden enclosure makes it a board centerpiece.

• Best for: tone tweakers who want a warmer, more saturated take on the Klon circuit with deep internal voicing options.
• Look for: the internal Voicing, Treble, OD-Bass, and Clipping dip switches that reshape the drive character.
• Keep in mind: the voicing runs warmer than a stock Centaur, so purists chasing the original’s bright glass should look elsewhere.

2. Chellee Ponyboy Overdrive V3

The Chellee Ponyboy Overdrive V3 is a Florida handmade take on the Klon that refuses to be just another clone. Builder Peter Ruttan’s third revision adds a proper two band EQ, with dedicated Treble and Bass controls, to the familiar Gain and Volume layout. A Modern and Vintage toggle selects between modern clipping diodes and a set of 1N34A germanium diodes, giving you two distinct drive characters in one small box.

The standout feature here is the late stage bass control, centered around 120Hz with up to 15dB of boost or cut, sitting at the end of the circuit so it shapes the output without interacting with the gain knob. That makes the Ponyboy V3 one of the most mix friendly entries among the best klon clones: you can fatten single coils or tame a boomy amp without touching the drive character.

The relay based soft switching bypass feels premium underfoot, build quality is famously rugged, and it runs on standard 9V at around 22mA. Keep in mind that the pedal is sold direct by the builder, so you will not find it in most local shops, and the germanium Vintage mode adds a touch of compression that some players love and others do not.

We recommend the Ponyboy V3 for the player who wants Klon style cleans and drive but needs real EQ control to fit different guitars and rooms. It is an excellent stacker, pushing other drives or being pushed with equal grace.

• Best for: players who want Klon tones with genuine bass and treble control for different rigs and rooms.
• Look for: the late stage 120Hz bass control and the Modern-Vintage diode switch for two clipping voices.
• Keep in mind: it is sold direct only, so try before you buy is rarely an option.

3. Decibelics Big Vintage Klone

The Decibelics Big Vintage Klone is the answer for players who want the full size Centaur experience down to the last detail. Built one at a time in Barcelona, Spain, it is a part for part replica of the original Klon Centaur, using the same New Old Stock Panasonic ECQ series capacitors, the same NOS 1N34A germanium magic diodes, the same resistor mix, and the same charge pump that lifts the internal voltage from 9V to 18V for the original’s famous headroom.

Builder Guillem Vilademunt tests every unit against his own original gold Klon Centaur, serial number 2505 from 2001, before it ships, which is an almost unheard of level of quality control. It uses buffered bypass with the original’s correct values, the vintage style 3.5mm power jack with an adapter to modern 2.1mm plugs included, and it is offered in Gold and Silver finishes that deliberately echo the originals down to minor finish imperfections.

You can see the current build queue and finishes on the official Decibelics Big Klone page. Inside you will find a Bass switch and a Clipping switch, with all switches left giving you the unaltered Centaur core tone. Each pedal is made to order and hand soldered, so expect a build queue rather than instant shipping. Keep in mind that the full size enclosure eats serious pedalboard real estate, and this is a faithful replica, not a reinterpretation, so do not expect extra tone shaping beyond the internal switches.

This is the pedal for the purist who wants to know exactly what a real Centaur sounds like without the collector market madness. Among the best klon clones, nothing else tries this hard to be the original.

• Best for: Klon purists who want a part for part full size replica tested against a real Centaur.
• Look for: the NOS Panasonic caps, magic 1N34A diodes, and the per unit A/B test against the builder’s own gold Centaur.
• Keep in mind: it is made to order in Spain with a build queue, and the large enclosure demands board space.

4. Decibelics Golden Horse Mini

The Decibelics Golden Horse Mini squeezes everything that makes the Big Vintage Klone special into a mini enclosure. Same builder, same Barcelona workshop, same obsession: through hole and New Old Stock components at the original values, no surface mount shortcuts, no approximated values. It is a full Centaur circuit shrunk to a pedalboard friendly footprint, hand built one by one.

Like its big brother, every Golden Horse is A/B tested against the builder’s original gold Klon Centaur before shipping, and it carries the same NOS Panasonic ECQ capacitors, the same 1N34A germanium diodes, and the same charge pump raising internal voltage from 9V to 18V for genuine headroom. The result is the classic transparent Klon overdrive with the legendary mid push and touch feel, in a box barely bigger than a matchbox.

Details on finishes and ordering live on the official Decibelics Golden Horse page. Among the best klon clones, this is the one for players who refuse to compromise on circuit authenticity but cannot spare the space. Keep in mind that the tiny enclosure means tiny knobs and tight jack spacing, which can be fiddly on a crowded board, and like all Decibelics pedals it is built to order rather than mass stocked.

If your board is full and your heart is set on a faithful Klon, this is the answer. It delivers the Centaur experience in the smallest possible package without cutting a single corner.

• Best for: players with crowded boards who want a no compromise miniature replica of the Centaur circuit.
• Look for: the through hole NOS build, the 18V internal headroom, and the per unit test against a real gold Centaur.
• Keep in mind: mini size means mini knobs, and it is built to order with a wait.

5. EarthQuaker Devices Westwood Translucent Overdrive

The EarthQuaker Devices Westwood is the wild card on this list, and it earns its place honestly. It is not a circuit copy of the Klon at all: it is a touch sensitive translucent overdrive in its own right, hand built in Akron, Ohio, with a mild mannered light to medium gain voice. We include it because it does the job most players actually buy a Klon clone for, which is a clear, dynamic, amp sweetening overdrive.

The Westwood’s secret weapon is its powerful active EQ, with up to 20dB of cut or boost at 80Hz and 2kHz, which gives it far more tone shaping than a classic three knob Klon. The four controls are simple Level, Drive, Bass, and Treble, and the pedal moves from cutting edge of breakup rhythm tones to articulate singing leads stacked with even order harmonics. It uses true bypass, runs on 9V, and draws about 15mA.

Keep in mind that purists will note the midrange character is its own thing rather than the Centaur’s famous hump, and it will not scratch the itch for players who specifically want the Klon circuit. What it does instead is arguably more useful: a transparent drive that adapts to any rig.

This is our pick for the player who loves what Klons do for an amp but wants modern EQ control and a fresh voice. It stacks beautifully and works with guitar, bass, and even synths.

• Best for: players who want the transparent amp pushing role of a Klon with a powerful active EQ and its own voice.
• Look for: the active bass and treble controls with 20dB of cut and boost each.
• Keep in mind: it is Klon inspired in spirit, not a circuit clone, so it will not nail the exact Centaur midrange.

6. Electro-Harmonix Soul Food JHS Mod

The Electro-Harmonix Soul Food was the pedal that proved a great Klon style drive did not need a boutique price tag, and the JHS modded version takes that idea further. JHS Pedals took the stock Soul Food and added two key upgrades: a three way clipping toggle that switches between stock, open, and Klon style germanium clipping, plus a side mounted bass contour knob called Meat that lets you dial low end in or out.

This is one of the most practical entries among the best klon clones because the mod directly addresses the two things players most often wish they could change about Klon style pedals: the fixed clipping character and the lean low end. The three way toggle moves you from the stock Soul Food voice through a harder open clipping to a traditional germanium mode that sits closest to the Centaur, while the Meat knob thickens single coils or tightens humbuckers.

The base pedal’s boosted power rails keep headroom generous, and the whole thing runs on standard 9V. Keep in mind that JHS offered this mod for a limited era, so these are found on the used market rather than new, and the side mounted Meat knob is easy to bump with a stray cable.

For the used market hunter, this is tremendous value: a modded Klon style pedal with clipping options and bass control that usually changes hands for very reasonable money. Check used listings patiently and you will be rewarded.

• Best for: bargain hunters who want a modded Klon style pedal with clipping options and bass contour on the used market.
• Look for: the three way clipping toggle (stock, open, Klon) and the side mounted Meat bass contour knob.
• Keep in mind: the JHS mod era has passed, so buy used and inspect the side knob and toggle before committing.

7. Foxpedal Kingdom Combo V2

The Foxpedal Kingdom Combo V2 pairs the builder’s Klon inspired Kingdom overdrive with the Ebenezer MOSFET boost in one box, making it the two for one entry on this list. The Kingdom side takes the Klon circuit framework and enhances it, running the entire audio chain at a higher voltage spread for extra headroom, with NOS D9E germanium diodes and added overdrive and clipping options. The boost side is a clean MOSFET boost with a Focus knob that adjusts the boost’s frequency bandwidth.

In practice this is one of the most versatile pedals among the best klon clones. Use the Kingdom side alone for transparent drive, kick in the Ebenezer boost for leads, or stack them for a huge singing sound. The Focus knob is genuinely useful, pushing mid and treble to cut through a mix when turned right, or bringing in bass for a thick wall of sound when turned left.

It features top mount jacks, a soft touch bypass footswitch, handwired construction, and runs on standard 9V DC at around 40mA with no battery option. The builder is refreshingly honest that the Kingdom is not a strict Klone but a Klon flavored circuit with its own enhancements. Keep in mind that two circuits in one box means a bigger footprint and a higher price than single pedals, and the many options reward players who enjoy dialing in sounds.

This is the pedal for the player who wants Klon style drive plus a real boost without buying two pedals. It is built in the USA and built to last. Specs and current availability are on the official Foxpedal Kingdom Combo V2 page.

• Best for: players who want Klon inspired overdrive and a clean MOSFET boost in a single pedal.
• Look for: the Focus knob on the boost side and the overdrive plus clipping options on the Kingdom side.
• Keep in mind: two circuits means a bigger box, and the deep options suit tweakers best.

8. Greer Amps Lightspeed Organic Overdrive

The Greer Amps Lightspeed Organic Overdrive is the minimalist’s answer to the Klon question. Builder Nick Greer designed it to be the clearest, most natural feeling overdrive he could build, blending with the tone of your guitar and amp rather than imposing its own voice. It delivers natural light to mild gain with rich harmonics and complex but smooth clipping, and it is famously sensitive to pick attack.

Among the best klon clones, the Lightspeed is the one players reach for when they want transparency above all else. It can be set to sound almost like your original signal, adding just a breath of drive and harmonic richness, or pushed to the edge for gritty rhythm work. Four knobs keep it simple, true bypass keeps your signal clean when it is off, and it runs on 9 to 18 volts at a tiny 11mA draw, so higher voltage operation is on the table for extra headroom.

It is a fixture on professional pedalboards for a reason. Keep in mind that the gain range tops out at mild overdrive, so high gain players will need to stack it, and its subtlety means it will not transform a dull rig the way a more colored pedal might.

This is our pick for the player who already loves their amp and just wants more of it. If your tone is 90 percent there, the Lightspeed supplies the last 10 percent.

• Best for: players who want the most natural, amp like transparent overdrive with exceptional touch response.
• Look for: the 9 to 18V operation for extra headroom and the pick attack sensitivity.
• Keep in mind: gain stays in the light to mild range, so stack it for heavier sounds.

9. J Rockett Rockaway Archer

The J Rockett Rockaway Archer is what happens when a Klon style overdrive swallows a graphic EQ. Developed with legendary guitarist Steve Stevens as an all in one solution for his overdrive and EQ needs, it takes the Archer overdrive platform and adds a six band graphic EQ with up to 18dB of cut or boost per band, at 100Hz, 200Hz, 400Hz, 800Hz, 1.6kHz, and 3.2kHz.

This is the tone sculptor’s entry among the best klon clones. The sliders let you push the front of your amp harder than a stock Archer style pedal, fatten a Strat into Les Paul territory like Stevens does, or notch out problem frequencies in a live room. An internal 18V charge pump gives it serious headroom while running on a standard 9V supply, and the pedal uses true bypass with a roughly 30mA draw.

Volume and gain knobs keep the drive side familiar. Keep in mind that the slider laden top panel is a very different workflow from a three knob Klon, and the larger enclosure plus the EQ section means this costs more and takes more space than simpler clones.

We recommend the Rockaway Archer for the player who gigs different rooms and backlines and needs one pedal to adapt the Klon sound to all of them. It is an overdrive and a problem solver in one box.

• Best for: gigging players who want Klon style drive with a full six band EQ to adapt to any amp or room.
• Look for: the 18dB cut and boost per slider band and the internal 18V charge pump for headroom.
• Keep in mind: the slider workflow and larger size are a bigger commitment than a simple three knob pedal.

10. Klon KTR with JHS Shamrock Mod

The Klon KTR with the JHS Shamrock Mod is the only entry on this list that starts life as a genuine Klon. The KTR is Bill Finnegan’s own production version of the Centaur circuit, and for several years JHS Pedals performed their Shamrock modification on customer KTRs, adding a switch that increases overall gain by 4dB with a lift in mid frequencies and an extra stage of hard edge clipping.

What makes this special among the best klon clones is that it is not a clone at all: it is the real circuit, made by the real company, with a thoughtful hot rod mod on top. Flip the Shamrock switch off and you have an authentic KTR with the famous buffered clean blend and glassy drive. Flip it on and you get a bigger, bolder Klon that hits the front of an amp harder and sustains longer, which is exactly what lead players ask for.

JHS later carried the Shamrock circuit into their own NOTAKLON project, as documented on the official JHS Pedals page, which confirms how highly they rate the mod. Keep in mind that modded KTRs are only found on the used market, they command a premium over stock KTRs, and any modded pedal should be inspected for clean workmanship before you buy.

This is the collector’s choice and the purist’s endgame: a real Klon with a switchable extra gear. If you find a cleanly modded example at a fair price, it is the closest thing to having your Centaur cake and eating it too.

• Best for: Klon purists who want a genuine KTR with a switchable higher gain Shamrock voice.
• Look for: the Shamrock mod switch adding 4dB of gain with extra mids and hard edge clipping.
• Keep in mind: these trade on the used market at a premium, so verify the mod work before buying.

Final Pick

After reviewing all 10 pedals, our final pick for most players is the Decibelics Golden Horse Mini. It captures the authentic Centaur circuit with obsessive part for part accuracy, it is tested against a real gold Klon before it ships, and it fits on any pedalboard. Among the best klon clones, it offers the most genuine Klon experience per square inch of board space.

Players who want the full size ritual should look at the Decibelics Big Vintage Klone, while tone sculptors will get more mileage from the Chellee Ponyboy V3 or the J Rockett Rockaway Archer. Bargain hunters should watch the used market for the Soul Food JHS Mod, and minimalists will love the Greer Lightspeed. For more buying guides covering every corner of the music world, keep exploring DixTrick. Whichever you choose, remember that the best Klon clone is the one that makes you play more.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

The best klon clones prove you do not need a second mortgage to own the Centaur sound. All 10 pedals in this guide earned their place through honest tone, from obsessive part for part replicas to clever reinterpretations that take the idea further. Match the pedal to your rig, your board space, and how you actually use overdrive. Get those three things right, and your amp will thank you every time you step on the switch.