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J Rockett Archer IKON Overdrive Pedal Review – The Better Klon Choice for MANY reasons!
Introduction
I noticed I have done a fair few Klon-type pedal reviews. I will admit that I have started to really enjoy the Klon sound. Once you start using a Klon for gain stacking, then you can really see why so many people love it and use it! However, there are so many to pick from, and of course, an original Klon is just so far out of touch for most of us. One of the most popular choices is this one! The J Rockett Archer IKON! I would argue this is used just as much as the original by famous guitarists! Two of the most notable are John Mayer and Jeff Beck!
From the get-go, this is not a brand-new pedal; this is a used pedal I found on Facebook Marketplace for a great price. It’s been used and toured, so you will see some wear and tear on it. However, the pedal works just fine! Just a bit of wear and tear.
In case you don’t know what the J Rockett Archer IKON is, then let me go over the pedal and discuss what it is all about and what it does. Then we can discuss my thoughts on this pedal!
J Rockett Archer IKON
The J Rockett Archer IKON is an overdrive pedal that is based on the iconic Klon Centura. A “transparent” and very usable overdrive which has been loved by guitarists ranging from blues to metal. J Rockett claim this is an exact tribute to the original circuit. This means matching the circuit and controls exactly. They are even using Germanium diodes in the pedal.
We should all be familiar with the Klon controls but just in case you aren’t I will go over them now:
- Output: Controls the overall output volume of the pedal.
- Gain: This adjust how much overdrive and clipping is in your signal.
- Treble: This will allow you to boost the treble frequencies
More on the J Rockett Archer
The J Rockett Archer takes your standard 9v power, but increases it internally to 18v for higher headroom. Another feature is that the Archer has a buffered bypass. This is all fairly standard on a Klon Centaur circuit. This allows for high headroom and an increase in output volume.
The enclosure is made of folded metal for maximum toughness while touring (just look how well this one has held up). The Archer overdrive pedal has all its inputs and outputs as well as the power input top-loaded. The gold enclosure colour with the red knobs and graphics really hints back to what this pedal is taking inspiration from.
The pedal is made in the USA but can be found at most pedal retailers. You will find it for sale around the £180 price point. However, there are several different versions and they will be sold at different prices. From my searches it seems that the Gold version is a little bit harder to find.
The Sounds
For the demo songs, you will hear two songs. The first one is with me using the J Rockett Archer set fairly overdriven to show you the gain that you can get out of this pedal. I think I had everything set to 2 o’clock for this demo. The second demo song is me using the Archer to boost my amp. Gain set very low and the volume set up high. In both demos, my amp is set up clean. Hopefully, showing you how the pedal can be used clean or overdriven!
For the sound samples, I just plugged the J Rockett Archer into the front of my Custom RD Amp. You will hear two sound examples, one with the amp set clean and the other with the amp set to a slight crunch. Hopefully, this gives you a good idea of what the pedal sounds like going into different amps.
What are my thoughts?
The Design
As I said above, this is a second-hand pedal, so I didn’t receive the pedal in its box. So I can’t comment on the box or box goodies you might receive. However, I can comment on the actual pedal! I love the design of this pedal, mainly because it is a unique-looking pedal, but is still Klon-like! It doesn’t look like a copy, but you know what it is inspired by and based on. The J Rockett Archer is slowly becoming just as popular and iconic as the original Klon itself.
This pedal is strange because I have never seen this pedal in real life. So I had no idea what to think about it when it comes to size. However, upon delivery, I am shocked at how compact yet usable the J Rockett Archer is! It is a wonderful size! Everything is easy to get to, and nothing feels “squished”, but it doesn’t take up much room at all.
I have to say that the build quality of this pedal is amazing! This is a well-loved second-hand pedal, and it still feels solid and secure! With the housing being full metal, you know that it is going to stand up to almost anything!
"Set everything at 2 o’clock and you will have a lush and thick overdrive sound that cleans up wonderfully with the guitar’s volume."
The Sounds
So how does the J Rockett Archer sound? Simply? Sounds wonderful! It sounds clear! Does shape your tone, but does it in a way that is expected and very usable! It is great on its own, but I find with Klon-type pedals, the key is to combine it with another pedal of some kind!
As with most Klon circuits, there is loads of volume in it! You have a lot of output to play with and use how you would want to. In the same way, there is also a lot of gain on tap! The Klon circuit is famous for clean boost but it works wonderfully as a proper overdrive pedal! Set everything at 2 o’clock and you will have a lush and thick overdrive sound that cleans up wonderfully with the guitar’s volume.
More on the Sounds
Putting a clean boost in front of the Archer really opens this pedal up! It allows you to run the amp as a slightly gritty clean boost then boost it into lovely overdrive! Giving you more sounds and tones! It does this job wonderfully. Running it as a clean boost into a clean amp will just give you “more” of your amp! If you love the way your amp sounds, then using the Archer as a boost will just give you that but more!
I did notice that this pedal does sound and behave a little bit differently to the other Klon circuits I have tried. I think this is due to the changes that J Rockett made to the circuit. Not saying it is better or worse, but having played a fair few Klon-type pedals, I found the position of the knobs I would normally go to a bit different.
The pedal does sound very mid-happy and also warm to me. Hard to describe what I mean by warm, if you think about those classic Marshall amplifier sounds. It isn’t that! Those have the high end, the sizzle at the top. This isn’t!
The Drawbacks
This pedal is very mid honky! Which might not be a sound you enjoy! If you are playing this pedal in your house alone, then it will be very mid honky and might sound “bad”. However, if you put it in a band environment, then it will work better! That is the frequencies that get you heard. If you like that mid heavy guitar tone, then you will love this pedal. If you don’t, then you won’t like it. After the 80s classic rock tone? This isn’t the pedal for you! You would be better with the Affordaboard 800 Drive (Review Here).
It can’t be ignored that it is a fairly expensive pedal. There are other Klon-type pedals that are cheaper. Add this on top with the fact that they don’t really lose any value on the second-hand market either! So finding a second-hand bargain can be done but will take a lot of searching. However, hearing the sounds and feeling the quality, I can say that if you did want a good-quality Klon pedal, then this could be the one to get.
"I think this will be staying on my Blues Pedalboard for a while! What also pulls me towards this pedal is the size!"
Final Thoughts
For me, taking things like sound, price, and size into consideration, I think this is my favourite Klon-type pedal. For me, it is the size that makes the biggest difference. When compared to my Fake Klon (Review Here), it takes up less space, sounds better, and is built better. Of course, if I wanted to save loads of space, I would use the Wampler Tumnus (Review Here).
There are several versions of the Archer around: Gold, Silver, and a Jeff Beck version (based on his personal Klon). However, they will all be in and around the £180 range. Which I get is a lot of money; however, for a good-quality Klon, isn’t that bad? Out of all the Klon pedals, this is one of the best priced. Plus, if you ever need or want to sell it, you will get a lot of that back. They seem to hold their value rather well. Unless it is a bit beat up like mine!
I think the question I wanted to ask myself is “is this my favourite Klon-type pedal I have tried?” The simple answer would be I think it is! As I said in the sounds section, it’s different to other Klon circuits I have tried, and I really like it! I think this will be staying on my Blues Pedalboard for a while! What also pulls me towards this pedal is the size! Most Klon-type pedals go for the wide chassis size; this is a nice-size pedal and doesn’t take up too much space on a board.
Conclusion
So that is my review of the J Rockett Archer IKON! I really enjoy this pedal. It has a wonderful sound to it and can be used in a variety of ways! I think this will be on my pedal for a while now. It will take a really good pedal to get it off!
What did you think of this pedal? Do you like this pedal? Do you own the pedal? Let me know as I am always interested to hear and read people’s opinions on Klon. I find them the most controversial overdrive pedal (Tube Screamer in second place). So let me know your thoughts on my Instagram!
I think this is all the Klon-type pedal reviews I will do for a while. I have covered a lot of Klon-style pedals. Unless someone has a real one, I will give them a little break! However, I do have a lot of other overdrive pedals lined up! Including a lot of special pedals!
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J Rockett Archer Links:
- J Rockett Archer (Andertons Affiliate)
- J Rockett Archer (Thomann Affiliate)
- Andertons Affiliate Link
- Thomann Affiliate Link
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