Thursday, September 19, 2024

40 thoughts on “THE BEST AMP EVER – Tone King Imperial MK II

  • This was obviously a special amp. I'm sure the onboard reverb and tremolo are to die for! On one hand, I wish my MK3 had those. On the other hand, would be that much heavier to carry around, and the MK3 combo is already pretty heavy with two attenuators. Which I love having.

    I think if I ever come across a Royalist MK2 for sale…I might be interested for those two features. Reverb and especially tremolo never sound as good as when real and tube driven on a tube amp!

    Are you still playing on and digging this amp?

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  • Yes, I believe that’s a great amp.
    But it’s again a copy of……

    Then I rather go for the “original” one.
    I believe if someone wants to make a
    difference. They should keep all the characteristics of the “Vintage” amp.
    And add the modern features to it.
    FX loop, attenuation (which this one has), Master Volume, and MUST BE hand Wired.
    As “Vintage” were, with top components.

    And propose the amp, with different speaker
    tpye options. I mean the manufacturer who
    would dare to go that path, would make
    a real difference…….

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  • Very nice demo of a very nice amp. Well done – your content and presentation is very well thought out without being too "clinical", haha. Quick question – how did you capture tones for this video? Miced or DI with a load box (and what did you use)? Also, is this running the stock Tone King 33 speaker and stock tubes? Yours doesn't sound as bright as mine. Do you recall where you were running your treble on the Rhythm channel? Thanks – two thumbs up!

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  • George hopefully you answer me a question: IMO the reverb of the MK II is a bit low. I mean not really hearable. Could be more in front (louder). What do you think? With the Fender Amps I had other experience. Geetings from Germany ????????????????????

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  • Had my Imperial MKII since 2019 and it has been such an inspiring piece of gear. My only gripes are that it doesn't have an FX loop for my time-based effects and I'd really like a switch to defeat the reverb on the footswitch (seriously, why do they let you turn off the tremolo, but not the reverb?!). Otherwise, it's my desert island amp. I toy with the idea of flipping it for a Two Rock occasionally, but I know I'd regret it.

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  • They’re certainly well made but they sound overly bright to my ears. The dreaded icepick.

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  • A wonderful amp, for sure. But honestly. – is the built-in Ironman attenuator design really that good? I had an iron man mini with a number of classic vintage amp designs, and in any situation it was far too much overcompressing. A good PPIMV does it much better, imho.

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  • A really good review. It was tonefull and not just focused on overdrive.

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  • Thank you for this clear video. It was a great help when deciding to buy one. I was so happy with it, especially when I played it through my Marshall 4 x 12 I ended up selling the combo and going for the head. Have you tried it through your 4 x 12 I can see in the background yet? I especially like it with the lead channel and a bit a bit of mid bite dialled in. Also hit the lead Chanel with a Klon is heaven.

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  • I recently worked on this amp for a customer and I was blown away by it. Easily the best amp I've ever played through, the attenuator is excellent.

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  • Just purchased this amp today, was heavily influenced by your video and awesome showcase here. I LOVE IT! do you recall what your settings on the intro sound might have been? I’m going to work on recreating as best I can tomorrow. Thanks for this video and putting me on to an awesome amp!

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  • The Bruno Underground 30 rocks my world. Unfortunately, not being built anymore and I couldn't afford one anyway!

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  • I've been using a 15 watt Princeton Reverb clone as my main workhorse amp for the past 5 or so years and while it's been great, I'm finally reaching the limits of its power. I'll be out on gigs where I find myself wishing I had just a little bit more headroom and oomph, but it just isn't there in those situations. Would you say the Mk II fits the bill for that, or should I really be looking at something that has a little bit more power? I'm extra intrigued by the Mk II because of the attenuator. Seems like it would be great for small gigs and jams, or at home, but still might have enough power to hold up for medium sized indoor gigs or outdoor gigs. Great playing and video man, cheers!

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  • Great Review… i got this amp in 2022 and it is really like you describe… he sounds organic, takes Pedals and sound like a Marshall JTM, Fender Bassmann, Tweed Amp and Blackface… and with an good AC 30 in a Box it sound like an AC… Heart what wish you more from an Amp! I dont need longer 4 Amps… i got a 4 in 1 ????
    Great playing by the way… good Review!

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  • Great video George. Appreciate you sharing this with us. So many crap videos and yours is straight up and on the mark.

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  • Louis Electric Deltone or Clark Blackface smoke that thing. I have tried and owned both. That is a paperweight to me. But that is just one mans opinion.

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  • New subscriber here and great presentation of a stunning amplifier! I have the tone king imperial Mark 1 and I replace the stock speaker with an Alessandro 12-in speaker and it just sings Like a Bird! Not that it didn't with the stock speaker but it's just so much better with the Alessandro. It breaks up a little earlier and just has such a beautiful musical, organic tone. I highly recommend that speaker even if you're playing a blues junior! Thanks again for the presentation!

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  • I see you have a mesa amp, so not sure if you had the. Glance to try it but if money is no object, for an early fender tone 6V6, which of the Mesa California Tweed or ToneKing Imperial mkII would you pick?

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  • That first intro riff is the exact tone I have been looking for! My decision is head through a 212 or combo?

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  • Is that hand wired ? The new royalists are printed circuit boards . I need to look into tone king more.

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  • I just clicked on the bell. What great sounds with you Gibson Le Paul. What brand of strings do you use and what is the gage? Super nice, I will listen regularly to your channel.

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  • they are great amps, it really blows you away if you dont use the attenuator and let all those high come through. I used the attentuater for months before turning it off and realizing what I was missing. I dont plan on selling mine, too damn nice.

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  • I have to say that your demeanor, being so laid back, initially had me not expecting much from this video. However after watching it I can say that you’ve done a great job presenting this amp and your phrasing on guitar is beautiful. I wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you.

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