Modernized

The original Centaur’s components were attached to the circuit board using “through-hole” techniques, with pins that go through the circuit board and are soldered on its underside. This process got the job done, but it was expensive and time-consuming. Eventually, Bill Finnegan began producing his pedals using surface-mount technology (SMT), attaching the components directly to the circuit board’s face. This is the method we used to design the Harby Centauri.

True to the original

Bill Finnegan once said of his 1N34A germanium clipping diodes that they are “… the most important factor in how the circuit sounds when it’s being used to create distortion.” As a tribute to his insight, the Centauri uses only 1N34A diodes, with an original forward voltage of 0.35v (±15%). It’s also built using the original Centaur circuit board layout and features its buffered bypass, rather than the more modern true bypass.

Technical

• Original Centaur circuit board layout.
• Gold-plated PCB (ENIG).
• Genuine Texas Instruments op-amps (TL072).
• NOS 1N34A germanium clipping diodes with original forward voltage of 0.35v (+15%).
• Solid anodized aluminum knobs (volume, drive, and tone controls).
• Neutrik input and output jacks.
• Buffered bypass.
• 9v DC operation using a standard negative center power supply.