Here’s what Keeley Electronics say:
Keeley Electronics Manis Iconic Overdrive Pedal With the introduction of the Manis Overdrive, Keeley pens the next chapter in the legend of the mythical Klone.
The essential germanium diodes at the heart of the myth faithfully deliver the iconic tones that are as expected, but that’s far from where this story ends. With additional options for switching between both clipping and bass boost modes, Manis is sure to conjure up a suitable saturation for any situation.
Key Features
- Voltage-Doubled Hard Clipping “Clean Boost”
- Updated Ge-Trans Switch – Diodes or Transistors – Huge difference in feel with increased saturation and tube-like compression
- Bass+ switch – for selecting between 2 bass settings o Down: Stock mode – “Transparent” Mid Boost o Up: Bass+ mode – Adds 3dB of low end for enhanced bass response
- Clipping switch – for selecting between 2 distinct clipping modes o Down: GE Diode – for classic “Klone” style clipping o Up: GE Transistor – for increased compression and saturation
- Top-mounted jacks and soft touch relay switching
- True Bypass or Buffered Bypass (selectable)
- Hand-made in Oklahoma, USA
- Powered by a regular 9-18V DC PSU (centre -, 2,1 mm, ~15 mA current draw)
Keeley recognises that not every guitarist relates to the sound of the original horse related pedal, so while the Manis totally nails the sound of the fabled original, it also delivers a worthwhile evolution of this renowned circuit. By using GE Transistors as opposed to the fabled GE diodes, the result is representative of the same well-known flavour, but due to the different cutoff voltage there is increased saturation, compression and sustain. The additional “tube like” second order harmonics and extra gain on tap are like a miracle cure for anyone with the “Klone blues”.
Toggle the clipping switch to swap in cold-war era GE transistors for more sustain, saturation, and tube-like response that you can really feel under your fingertips. Or leave the pedal in Diode mode for that authentic Klone experience. Control the character and punch of your sound by dialing down the upper-mid honk with the Tone knob.
Need more low-end? A dedicated bass boost switch lowers the cutoff an octave and adds 3dB of gain, ideal for single coil low-end recovery.
Manis is built tough and uniquely capable of running on 18V for more headroom, a true first of its kind. Being a modernised voltage-double hard clipping boost, Manis is a one stop solution for clean boost amp saturation, sure to please Klone purists, newcomers or converts alike.
