Guitar World Verdict
Not only is it one of the most affordable Klon clones out there, but easily the most entertaining. We’d say go buy one right away, but you can’t. Owing to its immense popularity, the Notaklön is backordered – no surprises there.
Pros
- +
No soldering required.
Cons
- -
Demand means you might have to wait for yours.
You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
It’s not an over-exaggeration to say that no other effects pedal in recent memory has managed to stir up quite as much hype as JHS Pedals’ Notaklön overdrive did when it was first unveiled last year.
Overnight, the internet was flooded with news of the Notaklön – a brand new, £79 Klon clone that you assemble yourself. Every influencer under the sun marched on YouTube, documenting the foolproof building process and demonstrating the JHS-certified Klon tones, which – as expected – looked to be top‑notch.
Now, the market is in no great need for more Klon Centaur clones – the mythically elusive original unit championed by the likes of John Mayer has been the inspiration behind many off-brand attempts in recent years – but the Notaklön is a different beast altogether.
To start: you build it yourself. The solder-less DIY process is immensely fun, and adds an extra layer of entertainment to a piece of gear that sonically excels.
Sure, it’s simple – all you have to do is fit the two circuit boards to the chassis, connect them via a ribbon cable and secure the Output, Treble, and Gain control knobs – but that’s what makes it so great: its accessibility.
The foolproof process caters to all players, and while the Notaklön could easily have been released as part of a standard JHS line, it certainly would have lost some of its charm.
Then there are the tones. JHS has been kind enough to fit this pedal with a Shamrock Mod Switch, which means you get not only the classic Klon tone, but an additional voice that supplies +4dB gain boost and an additional stage of hard-edge clipping.
This is the mode that TG have found ourselves sitting in; with the gain dialed up, there’s a gritty gnarliness about it. Rolled back, it’s the most serene edge-of-breakup boost you could hope for.
At £79, not only is it one of the most affordable Klon clones out there, but easily the most entertaining. We’d say go buy one right away, but you can’t. Owing to its immense popularity, the Notaklön is backordered – no surprises there.
Specs
- PRICE: $99 / £79
- TYPE: Overdrive
- CONTROLS: Volume, Treble, Gain, Bypass switch, -/+ Shamrock Mod Switch
- TRUE BYPASS: Yes
- POWER: 9V DC negative center
- CONTACT: JHS Pedals
“I left without a penny to my name. I was bitter for a while, but I’ve got a great legacy”: Though Pete Quaife gets credit for jumpstarting the Kinks bass chair, John Dalton and Jim Rodford pushed the band forward on many of their classic albums
“Chuck Berry's not a very good guitar player. He's a clown. He runs all over the guitar, just like any one of these old rock players would do, and makes no sense”: Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown pulled no punches when speaking about his fellow guitar heroes
“I said, ‘Merle, do you remember this?’ and I played him his song Sweet Bunch of Daisies. He said, ‘I remember it. I've never heard it played that good’”: When Roy Clark met his guitar hero
