Robert Keeley wondered what would happen if he swapped germanium diodes for germanium transistors in a Klon Centaur circuit. He found the answer with his new Manis drive pedal from Keeley Electronics. The pedal captures the original Klon sound but adds more saturation and compression. Guitar players who never liked Klon pedals might enjoy this version. The germanium transistors create different cut-off voltage that boosts gain and tube-like harmonics.
The Manis pedal offers two modes through a toggle switch. Players can choose between germanium transistor mode or classic germanium diode mode. Keeley tested his pedal against a reference Golden Horsie Klon unit to match the original sound. The pedal also features a bass boost switch that drops the frequency response down one octave. This feature helps single-coil guitars like Telecasters and Stratocasters recover low-end frequencies.
The pedal uses simple Volume, Tone and Drive controls. Input and output jacks sit on top of the unit. Musicians can run it in buffered or true bypass modes. The Manis works with 9V or 18V power supplies and comes in three colors. Guitar Center sells the exclusive Gold version alongside standard Brushed Silver and Black options for 199 dollars.
The Manis pedal offers two modes through a toggle switch. Players can choose between germanium transistor mode or classic germanium diode mode. Keeley tested his pedal against a reference Golden Horsie Klon unit to match the original sound. The pedal also features a bass boost switch that drops the frequency response down one octave. This feature helps single-coil guitars like Telecasters and Stratocasters recover low-end frequencies.
The pedal uses simple Volume, Tone and Drive controls. Input and output jacks sit on top of the unit. Musicians can run it in buffered or true bypass modes. The Manis works with 9V or 18V power supplies and comes in three colors. Guitar Center sells the exclusive Gold version alongside standard Brushed Silver and Black options for 199 dollars.
