GEAR REVIEW
WARM AUDIO CENTAVO PROFESSIONAL OVERDRIVE PEDAL | Michael Hodge
KEY FEATURES
• Classic Klon Centaur Recreation
• Custom Cast Champagne Case
• TL072 Op Amps
• Vintage-style diodes
• Charge-Pump Voltage Regulator
• Jeff Beck inspired MOD switch
Austin based Warm Audio has made quite a name for itself by creating classic studio gear re-creations . Their award-winning products are known for quality and affordability . Their venture into the pedal market is growing as they do their best to be faithful to the classic originals . The Warm Audio folks also support four music-based non-profit charities . The Centavo is a recreation of the legendary Klon Centaur invented by Bill Finnegan . The original Klons are out of production and sell upwards in the $ 5K-6K range . In this review , we will look at an original Centaur and compare it to the Warm Audio Centavo .
OUT OF THE BOX : The Centavo comes securely packed with grey foam protection . My original Klon weighs in at 1.68 lbs . and Centavo is 1.49 lbs . about 3 oz lighter . The case , size , and look are nailed at 6.75 ” x 5 ” x 2.25 ”. Centavo ’ s got a slightly brighter gold-flake finish . On top : Gain , Treble , and Output controls using Oxblood Daka-Ware pointer knobs . Centavo went with larger easyto-read labeling . The Bypass Switch feels a little smoother , and both units have the red LED indicator . On back , the Centavo replaces the 1 / 8 ” mini-ts jack with a BOSS type 9vDc jack and has an added Mod switch . The bottom screws are Phillips instead of flat-head round top and don ’ t protrude . Great update .
Inside my Klon , the hand-wired components , are covered in some resin-like stuff for secrecy . The Centavo looks to be hand wired as well . The pots are smaller , and the footswitch is different . The wiring is very clean and there is attention to detail . Centavo also includes a battery compartment .
IN USE : I was excited to check out Centavo . I ’ m a long-time Klon user . Bill Finnegan ran out of the special casings and at the time couldn ’ t imagine continuing production without them . The resale prices soared . Replacing my stolen Klon ten years ago cost me $ 1,000 . Nowadays that would be a steal . No pun intended . Bill later came out with the KT version Klon with a smaller footprint and the added True Bypass switch . One of the mythical special things about the Centaur is the MIT-influenced Charge- Pump Voltage Regulator . This temporarily inverts and doubles the internal voltage to help achieve tone transparency but also eats a 9V