I bought a Ceratone Centura and it’s actually pretty awesome

L

lqdsnddist

Axe-Master
i know, the dreaded “k” word.....

Well, not having $1500 or whatever they go for, I never played a real one. Tried some popular variations like the Ehx Soulfood, the “settings” to emulate in the drive block etc and honestly nothing really did much for me.

Well, was reading about how amp cloner Ceratone was doing basically a dead copy (regardless of how some may feel about that practice) with the exact parts, case etc, for a fair price and short wait time (about 2 weeks) I figured I’d buy one just to try it, knowing I can flip it easily enough for what I paid.

Well got to say the thing is actually pretty awesome. Can’t say how close it is to the real deal but it sounds good. Works as a slight boost or as an OD with a really nice tone, just enough treble but not harsh, full but not muddy. Basically sounds better on than off

I think there are lots of ways to get a similar tone, in the box or out, but the hype over the pedal is somewhat valid. It’s not $1500 good, at least to me, but it’s worth the money I paid, about $205.

Didn’t change my life, isn’t a “must have”, not trying to change anyone’s mind. Just simply saying it’s a pretty cool pedal and the hype wasn’t just BS

If your curious like I was give one a try. Great handmade build quality and you just might really like the sound. For better or worse it’s one of those pedals it’s cool to say you tried in person.
 
I was able to play on a real Klon Centaur a while ago. Really wonderful pedal. Definitely NOT $1500 good, but I was surprised, and I've owned a ton of great drive pedals over the years.
 
Biggest “problem” I’m finding with this pedal is I kind of want two of them. With the gain low, treble rolled back a touch and output a little below noon it’s a really nice thickening boost, keeps the tone but also makes it sound a bit fuller, as counter-intuitive as that sounds. Certainly different than the likes of a clean EP boost etc. lots of guys use the pedal this way I believe and works great

But..... it’s also a pretty ripping OD with the gain and treble boosted a bit. Run a strat bridge pickup and a cleaner Marshall style model and it’s a great rock tone, with lots of body and grind, and just the right amount of highs. Not an easy balance with a strat bridge pup


Problem is how do You run the pedal? Always on tone thickener ? Use it just as a boost ? Od for leads or heavier parts?

Wish they made like a 2 or 3 channel one of these so you could have any any all tones at the press of a button
 
Most of the cost is in that custom enclosure. If you've got the tools, you could build one yourself in a generic enclosure for less than $50. They sell the bare PCB for $15. Schematic, layout, and parts list are all in the kit manual. The "magic" germanium clipping diodes are new old stock 1N34A's. From various pics online, it looks like generic polyester film and electrolytic caps (Panasonic maybe), generic carbon film and a few metal film resistors, and Texas Instruments TL072CP Op Amps. It's an interesting looking circuit.
 
It’s for sure an interesting enclosure. I don’t know the history of why the original came in such a shape instead of just a basic Hammond style box. Kind of iconic now I guess with the heavy shell, color, unique knobs etc, but yes, I’m sure at least half the cost of the pedal is the enclosure and knobs. Doesn’t change the tone but I guess if your going for the most authentic copy you need to go all the way lol

I think they actually sell just the enclosure for DIY’rs too
 
I just bought a couple of pedals from a guy who used the money to buy a Centura. He told me today that he doesn't like the one he has as much as he thought. I told him he can have his pedals back if he gives me the Centura. We'll see what he says.
 
Klons are fantastic pedals. Calling them tubescreamer clones isn't fair. They've got a mid boost to them sure, but a Klon is a lot more rounded and it keeps the top end better than a TS. Klons also have a different transient response and overall are quiet glorious.

Not $8000 glorious mind you, but if somebody wanted to argue that they were better than a TS, I would be reluctant to argue with them.

That being said, I do find TS' more versatile. Boosting with a TS generally makes things a bit more aggressive and exciting, whereas boosting with a Klon always makes things prettier in THAT Klon sort of way. It's a pretty awesome boost like that, but it's a bit of a thumbprint.
 
Well he said no, which is okay by me. I get to keep his Catalinbread RAH and Klamac Elmo overdrive. I've got a EHX Soul Food to give me a bit of Klon-ishness. But I wonder when the AxeFX III will get an honest to god Klone drive.
 
Update, my friend bought a real Klon and sold me his Centura after all. I did a write up in another post. In short, this thing is seriously awesome.
 
Good review, I agree that it makes things sound fuller/thicker. Really keeps the character of the tone, just a bit “more” of it. It’s like if your guitar had 09’s on it the pedal makes it sound like 12’s, for lack of better analogy.

I’ve owned the Soul Food and Tumnus and a few other Klones, none sounded as good as the Centura.

It’s a tough pedal to emulate though.... I can get something dialed in pretty close, but no matter how I eq it, balance level and drive, change transitor types etc it still sounds different. The drive blocks sound either too much like just a pure level boost, or they add too much edge, too much grit. The Centura/Klon has an odd way off adding to the tone but not adding to the tone, as weird as that sounds. Kind of sweetened it in a way when you turn it off it sounds “worse” and you want to just always play with the pedal turned on. Sounds great with every guitar and every amp type. Makes other drive pedals and fuzz sound better too.

I’d really like to “crank” the settings for an emulation but think I’ll be keeping the pedal for a while
 
lqdsnddist said:
Good review, I agree that it makes things sound fuller/thicker. Really keeps the character of the tone, just a bit “more” of it. It’s like if your guitar had 09’s on it the pedal makes it sound like 12’s, for lack of better analogy.
Click to expand...

Good analogy, though I think it makes you sound like you're playing out of a bigger cabinet. Like if you're playing a 112, it sounds like a 212. A 212 sounds like a 412.

No question about the difficulty to "Klone". The fact that for so many years people have been trying to close in on the Klon and only now someone is getting around 85%. It's why I think Fractal should concentrate their efforts on other areas than trying to model the Klon.
 
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