RYRA The Klone: A Replica of the Legendary Centaur
4.5/5
The Guts & the Glory
Chasing the Centaur
Few pedals carry the mystique of the original Klon Centaur. Long out of production, it built its legend on a big, 3D, open sound that cuts right through a mix without ever sounding like a typical overdrive pedal—the kind of transparent boost that’s won over plenty of players who otherwise don’t reach for pedals at all.
RYRA built The Klone as a replica of that circuit. It’s offered in a handful of powder-coated finishes with selectable knob colors, so you can get the original’s tone without having to track down an astronomically priced (reaching into the thousands) original just to get the sound.
This pedal is near perfect, and has remained a staple on my pedalboard at the beginning of the chain, mainly as a buffer and a boost, and a mid-forward OD when needed. I love its size and the way it looks. However, the market is flooded with tons of options, such as the EHX Soul Food, Wampler Tumnus, Warm Audio Centavo, J. Rockett Archer, Decibelics Golden Horse / Golden Royale, Way Huge Conspiracy Theory, Ceriatone Horsebreaker, Keeley Electronics Manis, Origin Effects Halcyon Gold, Converstone Centurio, and various options from Nordvang. My only request for the RYRA-built Klone would be greater control over the bass.
Bench Metric
“Big, 3D, and open—exactly what the legend promised.”
k_sonic
Technical Editor
Pros
✓Through-hole build for a faithful replica of the original circuit
✓Buffered bypass keeps tone and level consistent through long pedalboard chains
✓Powder-coated finish and knob color options let you skip the beige mystique of the original
Cons
✗Buffered bypass isn't for players who insist on a true-bypass signal path
✗No onboard voicing or clipping switch to tweak the character beyond the stock controls
✗At $190, it costs meaningfully more than budget clones of the same circuit
Technical Specs
Circuit Basis
Exact Part-for-Part Klon Centaur Replica
Bypass
Buffered Bypass
Construction
Through-Hole, Made in USA
Power
9V DC Jack or 9V Battery
Dimensions
4.7" x 3.7" x 1.18"
The Verdict
The Klone doesn’t try to reinterpret the Centaur—it tries to replicate it, making it available and affordable. If you’ve spent years chasing that transparent boost through cheaper clones and never quite landed on the real thing, the through-hole build and buffered bypass here get you as close as most players will ever need to get. It costs more than a budget clone, and the buffered bypass won’t suit true-bypass purists, but for the tone itself, it earns the name on the box.
Speaker Fuzz Approved