Best Klon Clone: Electro-Harmonix (EHX) Soul Food

Every once in a while a pedal comes along that blows your mind because of the unbelievable value. I am a sucker for simplicity in operation and have a “3 knob” preference when it comes to features and ease of dialing in tones. A few moons ago, I wrote an article called the Klon Centaur Phenomenon about Bill Finnegan and his legendary pedal, the Klon Centaur. There are quite of few Klon clones out there (Try saying that quickly over and over!) Many of these pedals are quite close to the original and one would be hard pressed to pick out the authentic, given a blind-fold test.

EHX (Electro-Harmonix) has been on the cutting edge of the effect world for quite a few decades. I have a few of their later products and again they take first place in my arsenal for coolest with one of their latest forthcomings, the EHX Soul Food.

TAKE A GUITAR COURSE WITH BERKLEE ONLINE

Essentially a Klon clone with some tweaks, this pedal has quickly become my favorite OD for a couple of reasons. It takes up very little pedalboard real estate, you cannot beat the price, and it sounds great! I rarely play a gig where I am not going back and forth to my amp, tweaking a knob or two in between songs or adjusting tone knobs on pedals depending on the room. I played one of my all-time favorite gigs (tonewise) last week with the EHX Soul food as the main engine behind my solos with no tweaks all night!

It was historic! The way the Soul Food works with a Fender-style platform is quite spectacular. A great feature of this pedal is it stacks really well with other boosts or overdrive pedals. Use it as a clean boost before an overdrive pedal, or use a clean boost before it to increase the edge.

I did a few A/B tests with the EHX Soul Food and other pedals including the KTR from Bill Finnegan, which is the latest, smaller incarnation of the original Klon. If you cannot afford an original Klon or a KTR, The EHX Soul Food is a very special find. The KTR is a welcome downsize in price and size from the original Klon. It is easier to get an offers a “buffer” or “no buffer” option switch on the side of the pedal.

At around only a $96 price tag, the value and quality of the Soul Food is unbeatable!

Below is a link to a video from EHX. For more info check out the EHX website.