This post is long overdue, since I already posted about building the Klon Buffer in 2012. This is around the time that I built my Klone as well, but I never made a post about it.
Back then I was obsessed with reading about the Klon and how people would pay $1000 for the right one (this was before the KTR, just after it was reversed on FSB). Now Klones are ubiquitous and even major pedal companies like EH and MXR have their versions, sometimes even in a tiny 1590A format.
When I build mine it has to be perfect, I thought, and since Analogmike swears by carbon composition resistors for his Sunface, they must sound better, so I'll build my holy grail pedal with carbon comps as well. Those are the big brown cylindrical ones. The modern KTR is built with tiny surface-mount resistors that are used in many modern electronic devices. Go figure.
I found this vero layout project on FSB (click the link for the full file):
Back then I didn't do my own layouts and didn't have a schematic. I simply trusted it would work. And luckily it did!
The pcb turned out nicely, but the offboard wiring was a mess and I "insulated" it with tissue paper (real classy). It only had a battery snap, no power jack, and would whine loudly when the battery was empty, because of the voltage doubler. It wasn't really reliable and I lost interest after a while and lent it to a friend (who kept it for a few years). A few weeks ago, I remembered the pedal and got it back. Now that my pedal making skills had improved a bit, I realised the PCB could be easily salvaged and the pedal "refurbished" to make it more reliable and easy to use. So I took it apart, drilled another hole in the side, cleaned the enclosure, flipped the pcb around, and changed the switch (optoswitch) and wiring (no battery now).
Looks and plays great now!
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