Many, many pedal builders have taken the infamous Klon circuit and recreated it, added to it or changed it completely, depending on their tastes. One of the things that makes the Klon circuit so special is that it splits your guitar signal into 3 sections, morphs them and then combines them back together to get it’s unique tone. VFE Pedals has taken that circuit and concept and put it into an impressive klone-like overdrive, the Merman.
What sets the Merman apart from other klones is the control section. VFE has come up with a way to control each of the sections that the signal gets split into individually, giving you total control over the sound, even more so than an original Klon pedal. The Drive, Warm and Bottom knobs work in conjunction with one another to form an incredibly thick yet transparent sound. Plus, there’s a Comp knob that adjusts the amount of compression applied to the output effect, adding to the tweakability and preciseness of the Merman. The Drive has a nice, broad spectrum of sounds as well: go from a sweet clean boost to a slightly distorted tone, with the ability to really drive your amp right to where you want it, and replicate that Klon tone beautifully. The Level control gives out plenty of power, too and will cut right through your bass player’s overpowering 15’s, and make that overbearing drummer tone it down a bit (I’m a drummer, too, so that’s just a little joke). Add to all this the Treble knob, which adds in or cuts the high frequencies, and you have got a really, really customizable replica of a sound that many, many players long to capture.
Peter and VFE Pedals keep putting out incredible pedals, and the Merman Overdrive is no exception. A really great replication (with way more options) of an original Klon pedal, at about 1/10 of the cost. Thanks, guys, for letting us review this awesome overdrive, I think it’ll be staying close to my board for a while to come.
Submitted by Mike B, Website
