Bill Finnegan, the man behind the popular Klon overdrive, had the prototype of the new iteration of the pedal on display at the NAMM show in Anaheim this week. The new Klon is much smaller than its predecessor, but boasts everything that made the original one of the most sought after overdrives around. The new pedal does have one new feature, a small, inset switch on the side that will allow users to switch between the classic Klon buffer and true bypass.

Finnegan confessed that the pedal is the sonic equivalent – and then some – of the original Klon, but the internal make up is very different. He told WTDP? that it took him two years to get the sound of the new Klon to reach, then exceed, the original. He had been building the same Klon for around 15 years.

The new Klon is expected to be available sometime prior to this summer. Finnegan is no longer making the pedals himself. He has outsourced the work to a US contract manufacturer who he believes understands his passion. There are no pricing details for the new pedal as yet. He is waiting to get a formal quote from the manufacturer before pricing is set. We expect that it will retail for around the same price as the first Klon, but may end up skewing just a bit lower. Stay tuned…

Guitarist John Mayer stopped in to the Media Preview Day at the NAMM show to show off his new collaboration with Martin Guitars – an extremely limited $14,000 ‘cowboy’ acoustic guitar. Reminiscent of the old parlor guitars that Martin made in the 1930′s, the 00-45SC is a 12-fret beauty that Mayer said is the sort of guitar he’d picture a modern day cowboy playing.

According to the Martin press release, the 00-45SC John Mayer Edition is constructed with back, sides and head plate of select premium quality cocobolo wood, a member of the genuine rosewood species prized for its rich reddish-orange and black grain striations. The soundboard is book matched from Martin’s highest grade of Adirondack spruce, prized for crystalline clarity and powerful projection. The slotted tapered headstock with hand-squared slots is equipped with Waverly Sloane bronze engraved side-mount tuning machines with ivoroid buttons. Style 45 vintage appointments are executed in rare richly-colored blue paua shell, with delicate snowflake fingerboard position markers. The tastefully ornate 1902 alternate torch design graces the headstock, also executed in blue paua.

Martin’s standard 00 12-fret body size has long been revered for its’ sweet airy depth of tone, but this special model has an even deeper sound. Aside from its vintage hide glue Custom Shop construction and hand sculpted Adirondack spruce bracing, the 00-45SC John Mayer Edition bears unique attributes never before seen on a Martin guitar. Style 45 top inlay typically circumscribes the tongue of the fingerboard as it extends toward the rosette. This new design provides for pearl edging along the sides of the fingerboard that extend directly with miter joints into the rosette. The inlay motif of the three-ring Style 45 rosette is perfectly continued as a matching inlay on the higher surface of the fingerboard, giving the illusion of complete contiguous circles.

This diminutive stunner comes at a steep price, however. With only 25 being made – and two of those going to Mayer himself – the 00-45SC John Mayer Edition will carry a suggested price of $14,000.

The mystery is history! Now, to the good stuff! Welcome to the biggest giveaway we’ve ever done… the Boo-tique Board Bonanza! We’re going to give one lucky winner a fully-loaded, Halloween-themed pedalboard worth more than $2,000! Head over to the Contest page and check out the rules along with all of the cool pedals this board will come with, including stomps from Earthquaker Devices, Mojo Hand, Red Witch Analog Pedals, Jack Deville Electronics, Catalinbread, Tortuga Effects, Black Cat Pedals and more! A very special thanks to all of our sponsors for making this happen… and to our readers for playing along with our little Halloween murder mystery! Good luck!