BLAMMO! Electronics Mr. Horse Pedal
The Mr. Horse is very similar to an original Klon Centaur. The main audio portion of the circuit is essentially identical. The same component values, circuit topography, and power filtering are used in the Mr. Horse to ensure the sound stays true. We even use NOS germanium diodes with a slightly lower forward voltage similar to the “magic” 1n34A’s found in original units.
BLAMMO! Electronics Mr. Horse Pedal Review
What can one say about the world’s most notorious guitar pedal that hasn’t already been said? A quick YouTube search pulls up hours of quality, information-packed videos, getting into the nitty-gritty of Klon’s development, design, and build history. But people are busy. And not everyone has the desire or time for tripping down nerdy online rabbit holes. So, to save you a few bucks (because time is money), here’s the shorthand: A telecaster player unhappy with the sound of a Tube Screamer sets out to develop an overdrive with less mid-range focus and transient compression that retains low-end thump and top-end sparkle. Based on the price of an original unit in the pedal market of 2022, I’d say Mr. Finnegan succeeded in making his inspiration a reality.
But as great as the Klon is, there are still a few things we deemed worthy of change. First, the buffered bypass in the original units leaked a SLIGHT amount of signal when not engaged, so we swapped it out for a relay-based true bypass system that uses soft switching instead of a clucky 3PDT footswitch. The larger, bulkier box of yesteryear has been slimmed down into a more pedalboard-friendly enclosure with top-mounted power and IN/OUT jacks.
A “DIODE” knob has been added to give users more control over the hard clipping diodes when the “GAIN” control is past 2 o’clock. Turning the knob far left activates the stock hard clipping diodes (both germanium) while dialing right slowly blends in two silicon diodes in series, resulting in an asymmetrically clipped signal (one germanium and two silicon in series) that offers a more open/less compressed sound. It’s basically a shape/contour control that works in conjunction with the “GAIN” knob. And lastly, NO GOOP!
BLAMMO! Electronics Mr. Horse Pedal Specs
- True Bypass / Soft Switching
- Grey Units - Yellow LED - (D9J diode pair)
- Gold Units - Red LED - (OA74a black glass & D9J diode set)
- Nichicon and Panasonic capacitors
- Top mounted jacks
- Teflon coated wiring
- Uses the standard 2.1mm center negative 9-volt power supply
- 125b metal enclosure (4.8 x 2.6 X 1.5 inch)
- Current Draw: 32ma
- Handmade with love in Portland, Oregon
BLAMMO! Electronics Mr. Horse Pedal Warranty
BLAMMO! Electronics will fix it and make it right if something is wrong with your pedal. If there are signs of wear and tear or neglect, it will probably have a small repair cost. Reach out to us for more information.
