JHS Pedals NOTAKLÖN (Solderless KLON DIY Kit)

[SillyOctpuss]

It reminds me of the Catalinbread "Fuck it. You build It" kits they did a long time ago.

 

[jellodog]

Unfortunately, I'd bet it'll take quite a while for these to arrive at german retailers. And as usual, they will slam a hefty "hey, we managed getting this over here for you" fee on top.

AFAICT You order it directly from the JHS online store. No need to wait for German retailers.

NOTAKLÖN

A SOLDERLESS DIY KIT! We’re proud to present the NOTAKLÖN DIY Overdrive kit, which utilizes the unique “Shamrock” modification that JHS performed on the *Klon KTR for several years. With easy-to-understand instructions (no soldering required), this kit is for anyone who wants a particularly...

jhspedals.info

 

[Sascha Franck]

AFAICT You order it directly from JHS. No need to wait for German retailers.

Well, in that case it'd be a surprise bag regarding shipping cost, customs and possibly VAT.
Fwiw, just added it to the cart, adress as well, around 40 bucks for shipping. Err, no, seriously - I mean, no idea how things will go, but in case the deal has to be made an official affair, there's VAT and customs on top. So I might end up with something closer to €200.

 

[mbenigni]

Having actually watched the video...

I'm a little disappointed to see that this is literally just an assembly project. By "solderless kit", I first assumed it would be a bunch of loose components and a breadboard with some kind of locking mechanism or sealing technique. That would leave the door open for some educational opportunities, and modding. This is just, "I guess I work here now."

The boards themselves are pretty sparse, which makes them good candidates for desoldering and modding. But that's what old pedals you don't like are for.

 

[mbenigni]

Also, the IKEA approach is working quite well for IKEA, could as well work for these kinda things - well ok, admittedly, unlike IKEA, you don't save much storage space, so it's just the final assembly.

The difference is that IKEA is saving a lot of cost on assembly, shipping, storage, etc. and passing that on to the consumer. Whereas, the Notaklon isn't significantly cheaper than an actual assembled Klon clone from another vendor. It's a little project for hobbyists, but if anything the work involved is too trivial. I thought about buying one for my kid as a "bonding exercise" and learning experience, but what's she going to learn? How to turn a screwdriver?
(As for storage space: the Notaklon box is actually twice as big as a typical pedal's shipping box!)

It is a really adorable video, though. And the pedal sounds good. (As good as the million other Klon clones LOL.)

As a potential (hypothetical but still...) sideeffect: The fact that this is solderless could lead to a new trend, such as in solderless DIY kits allowing for a bit more freedom of choice. As an example, you could just split things over two solderless PCBs and combine, say, different drive circuits with different EQ circuits. I'd be all over that!

Definitely! (See my previous post.) Leave a couple of components in loose sockets with a means of taping them down or something; let us get weird. Otherwise, I'm sure my wife has a bookcase she wants me to build...

 

[jellodog]

The difference is that IKEA is saving a lot of cost on assembly, shipping, storage, etc. Whereas, the Notaklon isn't significantly cheaper than an actual assembled Klon clone from another vendor. It's a little project for hobbyists, but if anything the work involved is too trivial.

Bah!

 

[mbenigni]

Bah!

 

[metropolis_4]

The difference is that IKEA is saving a lot of cost on assembly, shipping, storage, etc. Whereas, the Notaklon isn't significantly cheaper than an actual assembled Klon clone from another vendor. It's a little project for hobbyists, but if anything the work involved is too trivial. I thought about buying one for my kid as a "bonding exercise" and learning experience, but what's she going to learn? How to turn a screwdriver?

It is a really adorable video, though. And the pedal sounds good. (As good as the million other Klon clones LOL.)


Definitely! (See my previous post.) Leave a couple of components in loose sockets with a means of taping them down or something; let us get weird. Otherwise, I'm sure my wife has a bookcase she wants me to build...

I bet they wanted to make sure it was simple enough to be accessible

I also bet it was originally developed as one of their 3 series pedals and they decided it would be funny to make it so everyone makes their own Klon clone. Maybe the purpose is more about the joke than being educational

 

[jellodog]

I bet they wanted to make sure it was simple enough to be accessible

Yep, and JHS do genuinely seem to be hoping that kids will get involved with some of these builds; and it's not a bad idea that kids aren't going to have to get involved with a 370 degrees Fahrenheit soldering iron tip.

 

[mbenigni]

I bet they wanted to make sure it was simple enough to be accessible

I also bet it was originally developed as one of their 3 series pedals and they decided it would be funny to make it so everyone makes their own Klon clone. Maybe the purpose is more about the joke than being educational

There's definitely a lot of "wit" built into the product launch, right down to that enormous tube of "goop" that will go in a landfill after the purchaser puts a tiny portion of it on the board for yucks. (Wet blanket alert!)

But I already saw all of the jokes, delivered expertly and with the help of adorable child labor. For free. I don't need to spend $100 and get an extra chore. (Only half serious at this point LOL.)

 

[mbenigni]

Yep, and JHS do genuinely seem to be hoping that kids will get involved with some of these builds; and it's not a bad idea that kids aren't going to have to get involved with a 370 degrees Fahrenheit soldering iron tip.

If getting the next generation excited about pedals in an accessible way is the idea, then I'm fully on board. (But take it from me: you can lead some horses foals to water only to find that they will not drink...)

I will go and wring out my blanket now.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Yep, and JHS do genuinely seem to be hoping that kids will get involved with some of these builds; and it's not a bad idea that kids aren't going to have to get involved with a 370 degrees Fahrenheit soldering iron tip.

 

[metropolis_4]

There's definitely a lot of "wit" built into the product launch, right down to that enormous tube of "goop" that will go in a landfill after the purchaser puts a tiny portion of it on the board for yucks. (Wet blanket alert!)

But I already saw all of the jokes, delivered expertly and with the help of adorable child labor. For free. I don't need to spend $100 and get an extra chore. (Only half serious at this point LOL.)

 

[mbenigni]

I can go both ways (and I've clearly gone too far in the "thief of joy" direction here.) I actually really loved the video. Josh is funny as hell, the kids are adorable, the IKEA style manual is an expertly crafted parody. And last but not least, the resulting pedal looks and sounds great, for $100. The whole thing is REALLY cool. I just wish there were some actual DIY electronics elements to the project. It feels like a missed opportunity to me.

 

[Jarick]

It's the complete opposite of a missed opportunity. It's both really funny and it's kicking down the doors for people without EE backgrounds to build their own pedal. It's brilliant. Perfect gift for a loved one into guitar gear. Also a great tongue in cheek response to 20 years of Klon and pedal drama.

There are tons of pedal kits out there if you want to solder and paint and all that stuff.. StewMac has one at the same price:

 

[ragingplatypi]

I just wish he made a deal to sell these in IKEA stores so I could slip one in along with my Knoge Shuffle wardrobe.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Maybe the purpose is more about the joke than being educational

It's good entertainment. The video is, the packaging is, building it probably is as well. Just an allround little fun package that doesn't harm anybody and might be good for some grins.

 

[eggpl@nt]

I preordered one since I missed the first batch. I keep a handful of OD pedals around, and though I have the Fat Sugar, I’ve wanted to add something of another Klon to my collection. This was just too cool to not bite.

 

[eggpl@nt]

I just wish he made a deal to sell these in IKEA stores so I could slip one in along with my Knoge Shuffle wardrobe.

I honestly though this was going to be sold through IKEA and was surprised to see it sold through the JHS store instead.

 

[Whizzinby]

The difference is that IKEA is saving a lot of cost on assembly, shipping, storage, etc. and passing that on to the consumer. Whereas, the Notaklon isn't significantly cheaper than an actual assembled Klon clone from another vendor. It's a little project for hobbyists, but if anything the work involved is too trivial. I thought about buying one for my kid as a "bonding exercise" and learning experience, but what's she going to learn? How to turn a screwdriver?
(As for storage space: the Notaklon box is actually twice as big as a typical pedal's shipping box!)

Yeah I think they had to make it so simple to build that they could guarantee 99% of people who buy it can complete it. It probably undercuts the experience for some, but this is a DIY-lite experience. Kinda depends how much youll value the fifteen minute build time, to end up with something close to a $40 Wish klone.