I've been wanting to buy a Klon Centaur but I was wondering if anyone can directly compare the Klon to a Banzai Cold Fusion or a Maxon 820. Is there $100.00 worth of difference there? I play a Naylor thru a mMarshall cab that is slighty breaking up, kinda like Angus Youngs tone. I want something for solos that is fairly transparent and keeps the definition on the bass strings. I would really appreciate any help.

I have all three. I've been meaning to do a thorough head to head, especially between the Klon and Banzai but I've just been swamped. Anyway here are some impressions:

Clean Boost: Klon and Banzai are the clear winners - both in transparency and amount of avaialble boost. The Maxon just colors the tone to much for a 'great' clean boost.

Overdrive: The Maxon has the most gain available, then the Klon then the Banzai. I would say the Maxon colors the tone the most, but in a good way. The Klon has a big mid range hump when cranked thet can be a good thing with the right amp. It can really help your tone cut through the mix. The Banzai I would say is the most tranparent when cranked, but doens't have that much gain on tap. It's great at preserving your lows and highs while adding a gentle grind to the tone. It'll make a clean Super Reverb sound like it's just breaking up - schweet!

Most of my playing is done into a clean amp: Super Reverb, Pro Reverb and '69 Marshall 50 watt. I just don't often play in an environment where I can open these babies up. My honest belief is that the Klon and Banzai are much better suited to an amp that is on the edge of break up, and then use these pedals to push them over the top. The Maxon would probably be a better choice into clean amp.

Thanks Trebor, your post was really helpful. I think that I'm going to go with the Cold Fusion.