Scott Henderson Discussion

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

I bought a new Klon KTR and it sounds just as good as my Vintage Klon! I tried an older version and thought it was terrible - as far as I know, these were made for awhile and discontinued because Bill didn't like the company building them. I'd like to know if that's true or not. Anyway, this new one sounds fantastic, almost identical in every way to my Vintage Klon, and when I say almost, that means every pedal sounds a tiny bit different - it's a difference you'd never hear in a track.

I also learned something about Alkaline batteries. The instructions for the KTR say to use a Duracell Coppertop. I have regular carbon batteries in all my pedals so I put one in the KTR - it sounded fine. Then I thought I'd try an alkaline for the hell of it, but all I had was an Energizer. I put that in and it completely ruined the tone - harsh, too much treble, fizzy, and generally awful. So I went to the store and bought some Duracell Coppertops. Wow! Bill has good ears - that battery made the pedal sound it's best - better than Eveready carbon, or alkaline. Now I'll have to try Duracell Coppertops in some of my other distortion pedals, though I'm told that there's a special circuit in the Klon which makes alkaline a better choice. I'd like to know more about that too.

manolopez · Joined: 12 Aug 2017 Posts: 15 Location: holland

the company was j rockett i believe.(somebody correct me if i am wrong)
there pretty big now with the archer and other stuff...

i almost traded a guitar once for a original gold klon but i backt out in the end selling price was 1800 euros or more, i thought no this is just crazy for a pedal

i bought a van weelden royal overdrive and thought that's pretty crazy as well for 650 euros ,but i do like it,even tho thats more a preamp than overdrive.

harmonicator · Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 20

So is it a SD9 killer? Or just a different animal...only for recording applications?

dizzy · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 406

Thanks for posting about the ktr.
Have you tried the Rockett Archer? I have one and I am curious if it is like the real thing. I like it but I have only used it by myself. In a mix is probably where it shines.
What are your settings for your ktr again?

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

I've never heard the Archer. My settings for the Klon and KTR are volume all the way up, gain about 2 o'clock, treble about 11 o'clock.

The Klon is a different animal than the SD-9. The SD-9 has more compression so it's better for the neck pickup, especially live. Also the compression makes it easier to play legato in loud situations where every note is trying to feed back. But for recording, the Klon sounds generally thicker, especially on high notes, and doesn't color the tone as much as the SD-9.

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

I just found the answer to my own question on the Gear Page. Bill said that his decision to change from the company which made the first 1400 KTRs to the company now making them was not based on the quality of the pedal.

Maybe the pedal I heard from the first 1400 was an anomaly because it didn't sound as good as my vintage Klon. Whether the first company did it right or not, the current one is definitely doing it right.

Thumberstrummer · Joined: 12 Oct 2014 Posts: 105

Hi Scott.
I own an Archer, its said to be made by the same company (J Rocket) it used to produce the oldest Klon. Dunno if that’s the truth, however I’m quite happy with it, non having ever tested the real thing.
Couple of questions: is the KTR true bypass?
What do you mean with Coppertop duracells? May you post a link showing more details about these?

Thanks
Fabio
_________________
Germino Club 40 plexi replica + EJ Strat w Suhr ML st. pups. I'm not asking for more so far (but... who knows...?)

Thumberstrummer · Joined: 12 Oct 2014 Posts: 105

Hi Scott.
I own an Archer, its said to be made by the same company (J Rocket) it used to produce the oldest Klon. Dunno if that’s the truth, however I’m quite happy with it, non having ever tested the real thing.
Couple of questions: is the KTR true bypass?
What do you mean with Coppertop duracells? May you post a link showing more details about these?

Thanks
Fabio
_________________
Germino Club 40 plexi replica + EJ Strat w Suhr ML st. pups. I'm not asking for more so far (but... who knows...?)

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

The KTR can switch between true bypass and buffered output.

This is a Duracell Coppertop. The one on the right is the 9v for pedals.

https://www.duracell.com/en-us/product/coppertop-battery/

mikoo69 · Joined: 27 Apr 2016 Posts: 31

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

I've never used a power supply - only batteries. The battery I've always used is the Eveready carbon - the one with the cat jumping through the 9. It makes my distortion pedals sound their best. The exception is the Klon, which sounds better with a Duracell Coppertop alkaline.

My wah seems to last forever with the same battery - I don't think I've changed it in two tours.

ItAllanLover · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 51

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

I might try the Duracell in some other pedals, but my friend who knows electronics told me there's a reason the Klon works better with alkaline than carbon. It has a particular part in it which converts 9 volts in a different way than other pedals. I haven't compared them yet, but I'm pretty sure the carbon batteries will still sound best in my other pedals.