all the way up, it’ s in unity gain. You can turn it down, so you don’ t overload your effect pedals. Bright 1 adds high-end sparkle when engaged, helping compensate for a dark amp sound or long cable runs to the pedals. The Return knob is usually all the way up but can be turned down if your pedal signal is too hot. Recovery is a makeup gain that comes after the loop and can be raised to drive your amp for more grit. Lastly, Bright 2 is a second subtle high-end boost that comes after the loop for additional sparkle, if needed, especially with long cables. There’ s a manual available online on the Ceriatone website for more details. The Klein-ulator can be used with your amplifier’ s effect loop or directly on your pedalboard.
IN USE: Mini Klein-ulator is a truly no-nonsense pedal. It faithfully re-creates the Dumble version and has a few extra controls than the original. John Mayer’ s setup is a loop for an Ibanez TS-10 Tube Screamer overdrive pedal. I have an old one, and unfortunately, it’ s not working. Instead, I used it with the new Warm Audio Tube Squealer. It’ s a TS 10 clone, among other things. There are a few cool things you can do
with the Klein-ulator. You can crank the TS- 10’ s input to add more girth and distortion. The Bright 1 switch has a significant influence on the TS-10, and I found a good middle ground with it engaged.
I adjusted the Bright 1 switch in and out, and landed on having it on, with the TS-10 lowered some. I got some nice high-end sizzle without the painful cutting edge. I messed around with the TS output and the Return levels to find the sweet spot for this pedal. Of course, whatever you put in the loop will have to be adjusted. The Bright 2 switch is actually subtle and could be helpful if you are using it in an amplifier’ s FX loop, feeding the pedalboard. For me, I didn’ t need it.
Overall, I noticed the TS-10 pedal sounded more harmonically rich, if you can imagine, and also very cool in a hard-to-describe manner. I really like it. Some players may not hear the difference as I do because of years in the studio, dialing in tones. Lastly, I tried it without anything in the loop. The manual speaks to this as an option. With nothing in the loop, the pedal does its own thing. It actually is a great boost with a little attitude. It’ s not pristine clean, but it adds something in the midrange and top end that’ s very pleasing to me. It would be an always-on pedal. You could either use it at the end of your distortion pedals to boost into the amp, or near the beginning of your chain to provide extra buffering before your crunchier pedals.
MY TAKEAWAY: I love John Mayer’ s playing and his tones. It’ s kind of the new guitar sound that a lot of worship guys lean into. Not a Metal vibe. Crunchy but not necessarily fuzz-based. Great for lines and presence without sounding thin. It’ s essential if you are playing a Strat with single coils. They can sound super thin and get lost in the mix. I’ m really excited about this pedal, and at this price point, I think it will improve the sound of any TS-10-type pedal. I see them on Reverb, not yet on Sweetwater. I think the guys reselling them probably don’ t appreciate what it does. For me, it’ s a great addition to my pedalboard, and I recommend anyone to try it.
$ 150.00 Ceriatone. com
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