NUX | Horseman Overdrive Pedal, Full Size

Product Information

In my last article on the topic –‘ Why Is the Klon Centaur So Famous?‘– I covered 8 of the main reasons why the original Klons have now become so expensive. The second ‘Magical’ circuit, is totally different, and produces a much more compressed and higher gain sound. The versatility in the Horseman also presents you with clean boost by dialling in low-gain in the high-output setting, adding volume and vibrancy into your tone, which you might argue is that sweet spot everyone is searching for in a Klon-style pedal. If it is even more gain you’re looking for, you can wield this stompbox as a distortion pedal by cranking up the dual-ganged gain knob to boost the middle and bass frequencies, giving you an immense range of tonal possibilities in one small, yet mighty pedal. Key Features My conclusion was that although the Klon is a brilliant sounding pedal, the price of used Klons has less to do with the tone of the pedal, and more to do with its popularity amongst famous guitarists, its scarcity, and the mystery behind its production.

NUX NOD-1 Horseman Overdrive at Gear4music

NUX is a part of Cherub Technology, a leading digital musical instrument accessories designer and manufacturer. Are cheap pedals worse than expensive ones? The world of “Kloners” is ripe with more or less successful attempts and experiments by emerging manufacturers. Here’s a list of some of the less popular or discontinued models. The ‘No.1 Overdrive’– a Klon clone that Nordvang released in 2014 – proved popular for the quality of its tone, as well as its variety of tone shaping options. Featuring the classic Klon 3-knob layout and Germanium clipping diodes, this is an authentic-sounding, quality pedal offering higher headroom and dynamic response thanks to an integrated charge pump delivering higher internal voltage rails. First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best cheap guitar pedals on the market right now.

Specifications

However if there’s one pedal in the world which needs “kloning” its the Klon, because these things cost a fortune. But Nux isn’t the first and dare we say they’ll not be the last to make a Klone and a great price so what makes this any different?? A hand-built Klon that shares the simple 3-knob layout of the original, but allows for more flexibility thanks to two under-the-hood side sliders: one sets the circuit to True or Buffered Bypass, the other one provides a CENT mode tuned after the original and a higher gain and fatter bass mode labeled as MINO. Nordvang offers three dual-channel overdrives in which at least one side is a Klon-style circuit. The Wingman has two of them, so it’s technically a dual Klone. The three classic knobs (Gain, Tone, Volume) are integrated by a Ratio toggle switch that adjusts the OD’s maximum gain range. Internally a set of dip switches for each side allows you to extend the bass response. V2 introduces a TRS split function to use with pedal looper systems enabled via three internal dip switches. It is perhaps a little misleading to include the Klon KTR in this list. Technically speaking, I don’t think it can be classified as a ‘clone’. This is because the KTR was also made by Bill Finnegan – the designer of the original Klon Centaur.

Nux – Thomann UK Nux – Thomann UK

A Klone very close to the original, with tweaks only intended to improve consistency and deliver a smoother overdrive sound. Also available is a Germanium Mod that features hand-matched Germanium Clipping diodes, featuring softer clipping that is more compressed with less overall gain. The original Centaur took up a beastly amount of pedalboard space, and the KTR (manufactured by Klon’s inventor Bill Finnegan himself, but contracted out to make it compatible with mass production) features a smaller footprint. A toggle was added to switch between true or buffered bypass. Some say it doesn’t compare to the original, but considering it was built by Finnegan himself, the KTR is the closest to the Centaur a pedal can get, according to its creator, who – by the way – thinks it sounds exactly the same. a Klon evolution sporting signature features and expanded voicing. The Adapt switch toggles two modes of a circuit that responds in real-time to the input to deliver more consistency to the resulting overdriven tone and its dynamics. A Dry knob allows control of the clean signal’s level, while a MOD switch gives you a standard voice and another one with a mid hump and a softer, more compressed clipping character.

About NUX Pedals

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. The Sugar Drive has a dual-ganged gain pot, as well as a ‘charge pump’ that boosts the voltage of the pedal to 18V.

NUX Horseman - Unbiased Sound Review - TonePedia NUX Horseman - Unbiased Sound Review - TonePedia

The Tumnus – named after ‘Mr. Tumnus’ from the fictional series The Chronicles of Narnia –is a very affordable and compact clone built to recreate the tones of the original Klon Centaur.This arrives with all of the parts you need to build your own ‘Klone’ from scratch. Given the number of components in the Centura, it isn’t an easy build, but it could be a great project if you like tweaking and modding your own gear. Within a few years, the pedal gained legendary status, also because of the maker’s dedication to customer service, and to hand-wiring every unit that left their shop. Finnegan stopped building the original model in 2009 – at that point, he had hand-wired 5,400 of them. (You can find a more comprehensive history of the Klon here.) Due to the popularity of the original Klon Centaur, there are now literally hundreds of Klon clones to choose from.

The Best Klon Centaur Clones | Pedal Haven The Best Klon Centaur Clones | Pedal Haven

Although this is not presented as a Klon clone, this transparent overdrive by a very reputable builder presents uncanny similarities in tone and response. A glass knob controls the treble without affecting the bass frequencies and coexists with a tone knob. One of the newest, affordable, three-knob klones from a reliable builder. It keeps things simple, compact, and – what’s important – delivers authentic tones. So the question then, is how can we capture the sound of the Klon, without paying the inflated prices on the second hand market? 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.Finally, the original had a massive enclosure, so as always, we tend to say that size should be one of the most important considerations. After all, if you can't fit it on your 'board, it doesn't matter how good it sounds! An “as close as we can get” simulation of the Klone, it adds a lo-gain Pre Drive toggle with a mid-frequency bump and asymmetrical soft-clipping that widens the tonal options. A 3-way toggle labeled “Clipping” lets you also select between Germanium diodes, Schottky diodes or no diodes in the overdrive stage for extra dynamic and tonal flavors.