A bargain klone delivers expensive OD tones.
Nice clarity and detail. Well made for the money. Effective extra midrange seasoning.
Not quite as euphonic as some of the best replicas or original Klon.
$129
76Owl Owldrive
76owl.com
Mythical, magical, mysterious … overrated? Whatever praises or criticisms you slather on the original Klon Centaur overdrive, there's no denying the way it captured the imagination of thousands of guitarists—and inspired underwhelmed observers to question why originals are worth several thousand dollars.
While exploring the intricacies and now-numerous variations of the famously transparent and dynamic Klon, Aric Bandy of Minneapolis stumbled on a circuit from China that he found particularly accurate. He decided to market it for sale in the U.S. as the 76Owl Owldrive. And it captures many of the most essential sonic qualities that define the Klon mystique, while delivering a little more midrange punch in the process.
K-Line Springfield with Strat-style single-coil pickups, into Friedman Mini Dirty Shirley head set to low-gain mode.
Clip 1: Bridge pickup—first pedal off, then with Gain 11 o'clock, Treble noon, Output noon.
Clip 2: Bridge pickup—first with pedal off, then Gain 3 o'clock, Treble 1 o'clock, Output 11 o'clock. Change to neck pickup near the end for the bluesier riffs.
Night Drive
While not as big as the original, the 4 ½" x 3 ½" x 1 3/8" Owldrive honors the inarguable style of the original Klon, with a metallic-copper finish, three retro radio pointer knobs, and an off-center footswitch. The controls are the same as the Klon, too, right down to the nomenclature: gain, treble, and output. The input, output, and 9V jacks are top mounted, and there is no battery option.
Bandy makes no secret of the fact that the pedal is an import from China, which enables the low $129 price. But while affordably priced, the Owldrive feels robust and is entirely hand-wired using through-hole construction. True-bypass switching is a slight tweak on the original formula.
Our review pedal is No. 9 from an initial run of 100. A second run is already in the works, which will be the same electronically, but feature a few cosmetic updates. And in a very cool gesture of environmental stewardship, 76Owl has partnered with Woodchuck USA to plant a tree for every pedal sold. Each Owldrive will also include a card to geo-locate the planting. Nice!
It exhibits a clarity that shines no matter how much overdrive you ladle on your signal.
Taking Flight
So, is the Owldrive a Klon-worthy klone, or klunker? Klon comparisons and puns aside, it is a super-usable and worthy overdrive. Compared to both affordable and higher-price klones, the Owldrive acquits itself very well. For starters, it exhibits a clarity that shines no matter how much overdrive you ladle on your signal. But it also has a away of enlivening your overall tone at lower gain settings. The latter quality has long made this circuit a favorite always-on tool for goosing an otherwise dull amp, and the Owldrive does this trick exceptionally well. Not surprisingly, it also excels as a near-clean boost—another Klon hallmark.
These low-gain applications made the Klon famous. But it's easy to forget how juicy and thick a good klone can sound in medium-gain overdrive settings. For the most part, the Owldrive nails these tones, too—especially when you crank the gain knob up to 1 o'clock or beyond. But the Owldrive's slightly accentuated midrange adds a little more grunt at these settings than an original or more accurately scooped klone might. Some of the extra oomph comes at the expense of the sonic lushness and sparkle dust that lives in the more pronounced, detailed high-end output of an original. To many ears, however, the extra muscularity will be an advantage in a hard-rocking environment.
The Verdict
The 76Owl Owldrive is a fine homage to a classic. And at just $129, it's certainly one of the best values in the klone category. Klon purists may quibble about the extra midrange punch and how it can obscure some high-end detail. But for any player who ever wanted to bridge the gap between a Klon's sweetness and a TS9's midrange heft, the Owldrive is an enticing option.
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We chat with Molly about Sister Rosetta’s “immediately impressive” playing, which blends jazz, gospel, chromaticism, and blues into an early rock ‘n’ roll style that was not only way ahead of its time but was also truly rockin’.
In the early ’60s, some of the British guitarists who would shape the direction of our instrument for decades to come all found themselves at a concert by Sister Rosetta Tharpe. What they heard from Tharpe and what made her performances so special—her sound, her energy—must have resonated. Back at home in the U.S., she was a captivating presence, wowing audiences going back to her early days in church through performing the first stadium rock ‘n’ roll concert—which was also one of her weddings—and beyond. Her guitar playing was incendiary, energetic, and a force to be reckoned with.
On this episode of 100 Guitarists, we’re joined by guitarist Molly Miller, who in addition to being a fantastic guitarist, educator, bandleader, and performing with Jason Mraz, is a bit of a Sister Rosetta scholar. We chat with Molly about Sister Rosetta’s “immediately impressive” playing, which blends jazz, gospel, chromaticism, and blues into an early rock ‘n’ roll style that was not only way ahead of its time but was also truly rockin’.
Featuring vintage tremolos, modern slicer effects, and stereo auto-panners, the update includes clever Rate and Tempo controls for seamless syncing and morphing.
Today Kemper announces the immediate availability PROFILER OS 12.0 including the highly anticipated collection of advanced Tremolo and Slicer FX for the entire range of KEMPER PROFILER guitar amps.
The Collection features three vintage tremolos, two modern slicer effects, and two stereo auto-panners, that have been derived from the slicer effects. They all feature a clever Rate and Tempo control system, that allows for syncing the tremolo to the song tempo, retriggering the timing by simply hitting the TAP switch, and changing or morphing the tremolo rate to different note values,
The new Advanced Tremolo Modules in Detail
- The Tube Bias Tremolo is the familiar Tremolo in the Kemper Profilers. Formally named "Tremolo“ and available in the PROFILERs since day one, it is a reproduction of the famous Fender Amp tremolos from the 50‘s. Placed in front of the amp it beautifully interacts with the amp distortion.
- The Photocell Tremolo dates back to the 60‘s and features a steeper pulse slope, and its width varies with the intensity.
- The Harmonic Tremolo also dates back to the 60‘s and was introduced by Fender. The low and high frequencies alternate with the tremolo rate.
- The Pulse Slicer is a modern slizer or stutter effect that will continuously transition from the smoothest sine wave to the sharpest square wave, using the "Edge“ parameter. The "Skew“ parameter changes the timing of the high level versus the low level, sometimes also called pulse width or duty cycle.
- The Saw Slicer creates a ramp like a saw wave. The saw wave has a falling ramp when "Edge“ is at full position, and a rising edge at zero position. Towards the middle position a rising and falling ramp are forming a triangle wave. The „Skew“ parameter changes the slope of the rising and falling ramp from a linear trajectory to a more convex or concave shape.
- The Pulse Autopanner and the Saw Autopanner are derivates from their respective Slicers, they spread their signals in the stereo panorama. The "Stereo“-control parameter is included in many effects of the PROFILER. Here, it introduces a novel "super-stereo" effect that lets the Autopanner send the signal well outside the regular stereo image. This effect works best if you are well positioned in the correct stereo triangle of your speakers. When you move the “Stereo” soft knob beyond the +/-100% setting, the super-stereo effect comes into place, reaching its maximum impact at +/-200%.
- A single press on the TAP button at the beginning of the bar will bring the rhythmic modulation effects, such as Tremolo or Slicer, back into sync with the music without changing the tempo. The sync will happen smoothly and almost unnoticeable, which is a unique feature. Of course, tapping the tempo is possible as well.
- Modulation Rate - The “Rate” control available in many modulation effects is based on a special philosophy that allows continuous control over the speed of the modulation and continuous Morphing, even when linked to the current tempo via the To Tempo option. The fine Rate resolution shines when seamlessly morphing from, e.g., 1/8 notes to 1/16 notes or triplets without a glitch and without losing the timing of the music.
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Barry Little’s onstage rig.
How you want to sound and what makes you happy are both highly subjective. When it comes to packing and playing gear for shows, let those considerations be your guide.
I was recently corresponding with Barry Little, aPG reader from Indiana, Pennsylvania, about “the One”—that special guitar that lets us play, and even feel, better when it’s in our hands. We got talking about the gear we bring to gigs, and Barry sent me the photo that appears with this column.
“I’m mostly old school and take quite the amp rig, and usually two or three Strats or ‘super strats,’ plus some Teles,” he wrote. “Some are in different tunings.” Barry also has a rack, built with famed guitar-rig designer Bob Bradshaw’s help, that he says holds a Bad Cat preamp bearing serial number one. For his ’70s/’80s rock outfit and his country band, this covers the waterfront.
I love Barry’s rig; it looks awesome! So … why do I feel guilty about the substantial amount of gear I take to gigs where my five-piece band will be playing a concert-length set? Onstage, my setup looks fantastic—at least to me. It’s the gear I’ve always wanted. But packed inside cases and ready to load into the Honda Odyssey with a rooftop carrier that all five of us and our instruments travel in for away dates … it seems excessive. Currently, I take three guitars: my customized reissue Fender Esquire “Dollycaster,” my Zuzu one-off Green Monster, and a Supro Conquistador, plus a 1-string electric diddley bow made from a crawfish-boiling pot. They start every show in open G octave (D–G–D–G–D–G), open D, standard tuning, and A, respectively. There’s also a Sony GLXD6+ wireless, and a pedalboard with 13 effects stomps, a tuner, and two power boxes, along with a Brown Box. That board is the launchpad for the stereo signal that runs into two Carr 1x12 combos: a Vincent and a Telstar. In addition, there’s a big black bag with spare cables, fuses, capos, strings, extension cords, microphones, straps, duct tape, and just about anything else you might need. After all that, miraculously, there is also room for my bandmates–another guitarist, bass, drums, and theremin—and their gear, plus light luggage.
I admit that’s a lot, but it used to be more—at least by the pound. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, I often played through two Marshall 4x12s with a Mesa/Boogie Duel Rectifier Trem-O-Verb on one and a ’72 Marshall Super Lead atop the other. And before that, it was the Marshall with a 4x12 plus a ’66 Fender Twin Reverb. I kept a waist back-support belt in the van, but spent a decent chunk of that era living with regular back pain.
“I admit that’s a lot, but it used to be more—at least by the pound.”
Where am I going with this? Besides a desire for you to absolve me of my guilt, I feel like all of this gear is … um … necessary? It’s the recipe for the sound I want to hear, for the versatility of the material, and for me to play from my happiest place—onstage in the middle of a glorious stereo field of my own making. It’s not really about gear and it’s not about somebody else’s definition of practicality. It’s about joy. Ideally, you should be able to bring whatever gives you joy to a gig. Period.
Sure, naysayers will yap that after a guitar, a cable, and an amp, nothing else is necessary. And on a certain misguided, intolerant level, they are right. We can all play a show with just the basics, but I, for one, don’t want to—unless maybe it’s a solo gig. Neither did Jimi Hendrix. There is a universe of tones out there waiting to be discovered and explored. There are improvisational paths that only a pedalboard can suggest. (Of course, if you’re playing a small stage, traveling in too tight quarters, or claiming turf that impinges on bandmates, those considerations apply. “Be kind” is a good rule of thumb for life, including band life.)
Remember, the naysayers are not in your bones, and onlyyour bones know what you need and want. Don’t let the voices—even in your own head—nag you. (I, too, must take this advice to heart.) Bring whatever you want to bring to gigs, as long as you can get it there. Do it guiltlessly. Have fun. And listen to your bones.