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JHS Pedals simply can’t make enough of its $99 DIY Notaklöns to keep up with demand, but I managed to get my hands on one – does the Klon clone live up to the outrageous hype?
(Image credit: Future)
2023 has been a pretty historic year as far as effects pedals are concerned, and we’ve seen some groundbreaking developments such as the introduction of the Fender Tone Master Pro and the long-awaited Boss RV-200. However, my “pedal of the year” goes to something more affordable and novel. The JHS Pedals Notaklön was revealed as a solderless DIY Klon clone designed in the spirit of an IKEA flatpack furniture kit. It’s affordable, easy to assemble, and comes from a brand with a stellar reputation for producing fantastic effects pedals.
After the pedal’s initial announcement, the hype quickly picked up the pace. The Notaklön rollout was relentless. In the space of just a few days – nay, hours – it seemed every single prominent guitar YouTuber had got their hands on one, documenting the foolproof assembly process and demonstrating the eerily faithful Klon tones that the kit provided. The reception was staggering and, as per JHS’ own admission, the brand has not been able to keep up with the outrageous demand: it simply could not make enough pedals to go around, with the next shipment not expected until early 2024.
Seeing all these YouTube videos, I had a serious case of FOMO and was curious to see if the hype was worth it, so I reached out to see if I could get in on the action. Fortunately, there was one rogue unit left in stock and JHS was kind enough to entertain me. Before long I was leafing through my own IKEA-style manual,
