Centaur

The Klon Centaur is the legendary overdrive built by Bill Finnegan between 1994-2008. Sought to emulate tube amp distortion at high volume while preserving the guitar's natural voice.

Developed over 4.5 years with MIT engineer Fred Fenning. Internal voltage doubler (9V to 18V), TL072 op-amp, NOS 1N34A germanium diodes with hard clipping. Signal split three ways blending clean with overdriven for transparency.

Every unit built by Finnegan's own hands. Circuit covered in black epoxy to protect the design. Approximately 8,000 units made. Used by Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Nels Cline, Ed O'Brien. Current value: $4,000-$20,000+.