Boutique Amp Battle: Two-Rock vs Bad Cat vs Tone King
Welcome to Foxxy Gear Reviews, where we review the gear of Fox Farm, eastern Canada’s fourth foxxiest five piece all male disco rock band.
Today we’re listening to some incredible boutique amps. We’re comparing the Two-Rock Studio Pro Plus (+) 35 with the Bad Cat Classic Deluxe and the Tone King Imperial (Mark 1).
The Tone King uses circuit board, but the other two amps are hand wired.
Given that these are all based on the fender black face design, they sound surprisingly different, and each amp has a very distinct tone.
I’m playing a Fender American Standard Stratocaster with Custom Shop ’69 pickups, a Fender American Vintage Reissue ’62 Telecaster and a Gibson ES-335.
Enjoy the demo, and remember to subscribe and leave comments.
#Boutique #Amp #Battle #TwoRock #Bad #Cat #Tone #King
Originally posted by UCttDhWxjETo5DRtbG9eU3HQ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_016cXr0zg
Love the Two Rock – Also – the 22 Watt Model is Killer –
So you've demonstrated strumming chords on all these amps, but many would like a comparison of single line solo type stuff. And for me, I would like to hear them clean (unlike most videos which are usually thru 27 pedals and give no idea what the AMP sounds like). I did play thru a Bad Cat at a guitar show, a few years ago, and was VERY impressed. I'm a BF Deluxe Reverb (bright cap intact) guy mostly, so maybe a DR in the comparison?
What a great video and a perfect presentation of all three amplifiers. I love how you played consistently with each amp so we can hear the characteristics of those amplifiers.
My rig consists of a Tone King Imperial Mark 1 with a Celestion Gold alnico and a Dr Z Mass 18 Junior 2×10 with 2 Celestion Gold 10".
I run them in stereo through my effects board and the tone is just glorious! In this particular shootout I would take the tone King any day! But of course I'm biased!
I do have to say that Two Rock amp was amazing! I didn't care for the Bad Cat at all. I thought it sounded boxy and lacked character.
Great playing btw! ❤????????????????✌
How do you get a june bug out of the room? I never heard of anyone having to face that nightmare
How are the tones while using the attenuator on the Tone King? I’ve really been considering getting a Tone King amp but I’ll have to be playing at “bedroom” levels. So the attenuator is critical. I’m wondering if I’ll be able to get the tones I’m looking for with the imperial at the levels I’ll be restricted to.
Either the Two-Rock or the Tone King for me!
Long life the guibson big pharma of tone ????
Wow as soon as guibson came in it opened the true nature of tone. The fenders made them sound like toys begging to to shine but no spine! So it just limped like an erection disfunction. But the es 335 showed viagra for sure
I’ve never heard a Bad Cat so thin.
The badcat just sounds so thin compared to the other two, I would pick the tone king
ACDC BAG! LETS GET DOWN TO THE NITTY GRITTY!
Appreciate the demo but fyi, difficult to hear your voice over the music, just sayin
great vid however i think you had the bad cat eq etc set at a disadvantage
I was expecting to prefer the two rock. Especially being a Mayer fan. But that imperial took the win for me.
damm …..i guess if u got thee time and money……no complaints….
Awesome review!
Your chill and I love it.
Just subscribed.
I have become convinced that every time you see a 7ender it could be a Tone King and I'd be completely happy with it.
I have the Tone King Falcon Grande. Gorgeous sound – warm, sweet and clean. When it's pushed hard, the overdrive is so satisfying. I've heard a lot of love for the Two-Rock amps.
Great vid and some smooth ass groove my friend .tbh id give a nut to have either of these amps .lol.kinda hung in there to hear you my friend lol.im in canada and kinda got looking cause there is a bad cat cougar 15 for 650 canadian .not sure if thats good and don't know much about them i currently play through a marshall dsl 40 cr
Hands down the 2 rock
I'm digging the beefiness of the Two Rock on here!
I go for bad cat!
I think that the tone KING is pretty self explanatory
It's funny how it makes the other sound just OK, when we all know two rock's quality for example (didn't mention bad cat cause I don't know them that much, but I know they are high quality ofcourse)
Wow easy win for the Two Rock
the best is Tone king
nice ACDC Bag
What was the second song you played around 6min?
Great video Foxxy. I own the BadCat Classic Deluxe Ltd Ed and play Strats. The V30 speaker is such a terrible choice for that amp. The agressive upper mid spike and ice-pick highs are overkill for a BFish EQ stack. Dumping all eq just made it sound like a Hot Rod Deluxe (a fine amp in it's own).
Swapped with a Jensen style speaker (Weber 12F150) and immediately fixed all the eq funk. Round, blooming, and perfecly glassy (not spikey) highs. Like a DR on roids with much more headroom. If BadCat put a decent American speaker in that amp they would sell a TON of them.
Tone king for single coils, Bad Cat for humbuckers
For years my rig consisted of a 1966 super Reverb and a 1965 Pro Reverb.run in stereo. I own the tone King Mark 1 and it's incredibly close to my 1965 Pro Reverb, but better! The clean channel is just unbeatable in my estimation I'm still trying to find The Sweet Spot on the lead Channel but I'm getting there! I didn't care much for the other two amps but that's just my opinion.
Tone King, no contest!
I own the Two Rock (head) and use with 2×12 vintage 30's cab. Also own '73 Super Reverb (blackfaced). I can use them interchangeably. As a 3 piece combo, or with added keyboards, I prefer the SR. As a 4 piece, twin guitars, the Two Rock is my prefered amp. I don't think any of these amps is a bad choice.
bias amp 2 all the way. oh sorry
I don't know it is but I have never heard a bad tone coming out of the TK Imperial. It just got that thing that differentiate a tone from sounding good sounding surly magical. 🙂
Have you ever played the tone king gremlin? If so what did you think?
Something is wrong with the Bad Cat in this video, or the way it was recorded…
I’ve owned all three of these amps. I had the Two-Rock and Bad Cat at the same time. Still have the Bad Cat, and have upgraded the Two-Rock to a TS1. The Bad Cat sounds nothing like it does in this video. It’s warm, and fat. Absolutely huge Fender tones. Unfortunately for Bad Cat this is a significant misrepresentation of how the amp actually sounds.
Great demo. Although it seems like the BadCat is EQ'd far differently than the other two. I could be wrong but it seems like it was voiced much brighter.
Were you running all of the controls relatively similar?
tone king killed the others …for that classic fender sound!
The Tone King for me. Best "F" clean and dirty sounds and it has drop dead gorgeous looks.
TONE KING!!! It sounds like my 65 reissue Deluxe reverb!!
The volumes are way different to my liking it !
And the bandit 1-12 is just hanging back saying I'm a fucking work Horse
This guy sounds like the narrative before a really cool movie about amps begins
That might be phase issues on the bad cat
I am watching the full playlist. I added the first video to a playlist on my channel
Thanks for the demo! Tone King for me. Didn't like the Black Cat
Thanks for doing this. I just used an AC15hw & a Two Rock Studio Pro in a split mono configuration to do a recording and am trying to figure out if an amp exists that somehow captures the sound of them both at once. I think it's the Bad Cat!
What a cool guy and some really tasty playing. I think the TK for me but I really enjoyed hearing all of them. Great vid, I’m subscribing