First off.. I wanted to say Happy New Year to everyone! Thanks for making 2013 a great year here at EffectsBay. The readership has really grown and the community that supports the site.. is awesome. So thank you for everything!!!!!
So there has been a ton of talk about the EHX Soul Food right now. Basically, they’re replicating the Klon KTR/Centaur circuit. The KTR offers an optional buffer or true bypass option, and so does the Soul Food. The biggest difference – price. You can find Klon Centaurs reaching prices in the $1500 range. You can find Klon clones hitting the $200+ range as well, and EHX is available for only $62.81 on Amazon right now. So when you compare the original with the Soul Food, is there a $1400+ difference in tone? The Klon has really become a status symbol to some. The discussions bashing clones in comparisons get quite heated, since obviously, it de-values their purchase if they sound too similar.
Yesterday, when I posted about the Soul Food, there were a few people telling me about a comparison video by Analog Mike at Analogman doing comparison between these two pedals. Here you go:
To me, there are some subtle differences, but overall.. damn, they’re pretty close. And, again, for that price – why would you not buy it to try it out? If you’re looking for a great overdrive, EHX may have knocked it out of the park on this one – tone and price.
Like I mentioned above, Amazon currently has the Electro-Harmonix Soul Food available for only $62.81! Let me know what you think about the Klon, Soul Food, pricing, tone, etc by commenting below!
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11 years ago
If, the discussion is which pedal sounds better, then the Klon sounds much better. There is a clarity between the strings is the way that I would describe it. If, the discussion moves away from the absolute to the relative, then I’d ask what does similar mean. Every transparent OD is put up against the Klon, and I believe the Klon wins. Therefore, the high price. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t great pedals at varying prices . . . . however, I would caution to going on what you hear through Internet video vs. live.
I have never owned an Analogman pedal. However, I’ve owned some Boss pedals modded by another famous modder, and I didn’t like them, and I’d say the improvement was so minimal as to never have been worth the cost. Like the difference in tone and price here. A DS-1 unmodded is pretty darn clost to the modded DS-1; is it worth the price. I guess the people modding the pedals will say yes.
I also notice that he uses the gold Klon, I’ve seen most Klon vs. using the silver Klon.
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11 years ago
I would add that there is an online music gear retailer among many that do video demos of pedals. I commented once that they never seem to sell / demo a bad pedal. They put that as based on the quality of the player, who is super fine. My point was that every pedal isn’t that great; no matter the demos and the push by the magazines, etc.
I had an original BC109 Fuzz from a famous manufacturer. I thought the darn thing sounded tinny. I couldn’t wait to get my money back, and I luckily did. Now, I have another silicon fuzz from the same manufacturer that sells cheaper and is better without any tinny-ness.
This pedal that was raved about made me stay away from this manufacturers pedals after hearing that tinny sound.
I also have kept one pedal from another large manufacturer, but I have sold three that have been raved about or demo’ed or promoted, etc. I hated them.
How come every new pedal is great? Isn’t a bad pedal ever made? I hope you guitarists understand my point . . . be willing to buy and sell pedals until you find what you like; until you find something you like better.
I was hacked from China after eight plus years and over a hundred positive reviews, but for some reason I was unable to sell anymore. No costs were put on eBay, but they cancelled my selling privileges . . . well, when you live in a rural town and state, you become less willing to buy into the hype of every new pedal.
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11 years ago
I really think this comparing of the two simply shows that EHX was trying to get into the same vein as the Klon, which they seem to have done pretty convincingly in my honest opinion. Saying one sounds “better” than the other is mostly a matter of preference, but if someone dropped $1500 on a Klon, I’m sure NOTHING would/could sound better to them! More notable discussions might be about noise floor or things like that. But for under $70? And the ability to actually get one/replace one/service one if wanted or needed? No goop? That’s the real center to the shrubbery maze. EHX is on to something here, and I’m thinking they won’t be the last “big” company to break into this type of thing in the coming year(s).
All that aside:
I personally liked some settings better on the Soul Food, as some of the lower notes sounded a bit constipated on the Klon in this demo (could be 50 reasons for it-just going by my ear and speakers after one listen).I do have a pretty much spot on Klone I enjoy, but still want one of these now to compare. I’d also like a “real” one, but not even remotely close to what they go for now. I could get a boutique amp or pretty good guitar for that, if I could afford either right now.
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11 years ago
I have been intrigued by the Klons for a few years, and I would gladly pay the original retail price for one (yeah, that’s not gonna happen). So I am going to try out the Soul Food, as it’s one of the affordable alternatives. It’s hard to understand how/why new Klons are not available at this point. He’s created a market for Klon-ish pedals and missing out big time.
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10 years ago
My two cents is the soul food loses the low end, I Bought two because there cheep and sent one off to be Modded, I have had a Ethos,Zendrive and a Dumkudo and sold them all after I picked up a earth drive from the folks at Sarno, The Stock soul food sounds pretty good pushing a fender bassman head or a old twin, Great buy !! It might be my ears but the soul food,Zen and dumkudo all seem to color the orig guitar sound if I try to set them all to where I can not tell the difference weather the pedal is in or out , The Sarno is totally transparent and then I add girth / boost from there , The soul food is ok with the drive off and volume cranked but as soon as I touch the gain it starts losing low end and sounds very mid rangy. I cant really get the transparency of the Sarno, The EH does sound good for the price and Everyone should have one in the gig bag for sure , Looking forward to the Modded SOul food to come in.
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