Developed between 1990 and 1994 by Bill Finnegan, the Klon Centaur is arguably the most infamous, and frankly mythical, overdrive pedal in the music scene. While you expect its rarity to increase the value, it is hard not to be a little blindsided by JHS Pedals owner Josh Scott listing the first-ever Klon Centaur for $500,000 on Reverb.com.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Reverb, it is like a Craigslist exclusively for musicians and music stuff. That stuff can range from guitars, amps, drums, as well as more obscure items, like pickguards of famous guitarists. Often times, those “unique” items are put up by “collectors” for crazy inflated prices.
The Klon Centaur is a handmade overdrive pedal that is described as a “transparent” overdrive pedal. This means that the overdrive is laid over top your guitar’s tone, instead of altering your guitar’s tone. Due to the popularity and scarcity, an original Klon Centaur can be found on site’s like Reverb for $4,000+.
However, I guess with the historic value of the first-ever, the value shoots up to $500,000? Josh Scott recently listed the Klon Centaur #2 on Reverb for just that amount. It should be noted here, that though the pedal is called “Klon Centaur #2”, it is in fact the first ever Klon Centaur to be made and sold. As the first ever to be made was not sold, and Bill Finnegan set aside the first for himself.
Will the Pedal Actually Sell for Half a Million Dollars?
Well, if you asked owner Josh Scott, he’d tell you “who cares”. In the comical Reverb listing, Scott emphasizes how low his expectations are for selling the pedal by saying, “Buy it or don’t, I don’t really care.”
He then goes on to say that he will hand-deliver the pedal to the buyer anywhere in the world, but asks “Allow 30 days for me to clear my schedule and get it to you from the date of purchase.”, which I think is fair given the travel that could be involved. It’s also a nice (and frankly, necessary for the price) touch to hand deliver the pedal.
If you’ve got more bank than sense and want to buy the first-ever Centaur, head on over to the Reverb listing: here.
What do you think? Is Scott crazy? Do you think the pedal will sell? What’s the most expensive pedal, or piece of gear, you own? Drop it in the comments below and let’s talk!
I’ve never heard of reverb and admittedly don’t know much about overdrive pedals, but I do believe that anything handmade is much better – and should be worth much more – than commercially-made goods.
That said… $500,000 seems a little excessive. I can’t imagine paying that much for anything, so I definitely can’t imagine paying that for this device. However, I also wouldn’t be surprised if it did sell for that, considering that it seems almost like a work of art and definitely like a showcase collectable, and how much people do pay for both of things. I guess we’ll see!
Hi Jade,
Thanks for the comment! I agree, $500K is a boat load of money, especially for a pedal that likely won’t be used. But also agreed- it will probably sell to someone with more money than sense. Thanks again for the comment.
I think a good price for it would be $50,000 USD. I would not even consider paying more than that. And Scott clearly isn’t expecting anybody in his right mind to pay $500,000 USD. But, there will always be some crazy dude out there so who knows if he actually sells it one of these days.
Hi Paolo,
I agree, $50,000 is a lot more reasonable for a pedal that usually goes for $4,000. I think you’re right, there will likely be some mad man crazy and rich enough to drop that kind of cash on a collector’s item. Thanks for the comment!
It seems crazy to me that someone who pay half a million dollars to have him deliver it in person. I understand that is was the first one but did he use it himself? it’s being treated like it’s art but art usually sells for that high when there’s a history behind it, or a story. sounds like he just needs the money.
Hi there,
Thanks for the comment. There’s definitely a history behind it! The cost isn’t really for the in-person delivery I’d say.
I think it will sell. I’m not even a musician I think it’s very cool Some well-to-do musician will want to have it just to have it and to be able to tell the story. I’m hoping you’ll keep us updated on when it sells, where Josh Scott delivered it to and whether he indulged the story about how he came to possess it.
Hi Cynthia,
Thanks for the comment! I’ll definitely keep the post updated as it resolves, if it resolves. I’m pretty sure it will sell, too. Even if that price is crazy high. To be honest I’m not sure how Josh came to possess the pedal. Perhaps he was friends with Bill Finnegan. I’m not 100% on the history of the pedal but I’m fairly certain it isnt JHS branded or funded at all. Thanks again for the comment.