Imperial Mk II 1x12" 20-watt Tube Combo Amp with Attenuator and Reverb - Black Review

Retro------but "NOT"

Need to preface this review with, "I am an old guy", and I've owned, played thru, and abused , most of the "Holy Grail" amps that modeling amps claim to emulate. That sweetspot, where the universe cracks open, and luscious, thick, no-no...very thick, tones and overtones make the sound matrix come alive, it pours out of this super corpulent , 6V6 driven flux capacitor. Make no mistake,… read more I'm not describing nostalgia, I'm talking about live, vibrant, push, pop, sizzle, and bloom. This amp coaxes the very best, richest, tones out of every guitar I've plugged into it, and I play some classics. Picture Filmore East and West, only in a smaller manageable package, and hold on for dear life....that's not the end of it.This little guy has superior, well thought out, modern features that help you shape tones, and control the sonic limits that we all struggle with. I've only just begun to experiment with the Iron Man attenuator built in to keep you smiling and keep the police away from your door. Useful for countless applications, flexible and well planned for uses up to and including recording. Did I mention the build quality? It has the look of a Pierre Cardin Tuxedo, and is solid, no creaking, buzzing, or crackling. I easily imagine this baby still working 50 years from now, delivering the same richness and joy it does today.

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After 9 months of tonal bliss...

I love this amp. I bought a Mesa Boogie Express 5:50 2x12 eight years ago and re-tubed it a couple times trying to get this sound. Don't get me wrong, the Mesa is a great amp...it roars! But now it is the stand that the Tone King Imperial MkII sits on. The 6V6 tubes give the Imperial a creamy, warm crunch that is incredible. Even my wife notices the chimey sweetness of this… read more amp. I mainly play a PRS 408 guitar through it, and it sound great on single coils or humbuckers. I always thought that the phrase, "This amp takes pedals great!" was BS, until I bought this amp. My all-analog pedal board sounds great feeding this beast. No need for an effects loop. Very versatile. I can dial up any classic rock sound I want. The attenuator can be used with both channels, or you can leave the clean channel unattenuated and attenuate the lead only. That lets you dial in any combination of sounds at any volume level you want. Hemmed and hawed for a year before finally pulling the trigger and buying it, mainly due to the high cost and not playing it in person. But Sweetwater is great and I have no buyer's remorse. Love, love, love this amp! In this case, I got what I paid for...a high-quality, well-built amp that produces that awesome, sweet, saturated, crunchy tube-amp tone I've been looking for for years.

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Attenuator & High Frequency Switch are Killer!!!

This amp sounds as good as any black face style amp and is very easy to dial in with any guitar. If you've played through enough boutique amps you realize they all sound great it's just a matter of finding the flavor you like. What makes this amp exceptional is the built in attenuator and high frequency switch. I've always found that attenuators are useless beyond a few clicks in… read more that the tone just falls apart at lower volume levels. This amp sounds and feels amazing even down to bedroom levels. This is the first amp that I've actually enjoyed playing at bedroom levels as much as when its opened up. It's expensive but I think its worth the premium price given its exceptional versatility. I have other amps I love: 64 Custom Deluxe Reverb (very similar tone), Dr. Z Z Wreck, Dr. Z Maz 18, and I enjoy them all, but this one is the most useful everyday use. Great service as always from Sweetwater.

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What an Amp!

What a great amp! I purchased this amp about a week ago and I am completely amazed at the tones it produces. I decided to upgrade from my Fender Super Champ X2 to the Tone King and I am amazed at the simplicity of the controls and yet the ability for this amp to change its character with a simple adjustment. Both amps are great and I have nothing but praise for the Fender, but… read more this is a real step up! Build quality is second to none. The manual is extensive and I was happy to see that the manufacturer even specs out the best tubes to use. From the moment I plugged it in, I knew it was a winner. Sean was extremely helpful as always and made the whole purchase very easy. I have never had a bad experience with Sean and the Sweetwater team. The amp is great and I look forward to future purchases. I definitely recommend this amp. (The attenuator is a great feature on top of the stellar build quality.) Rick

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Improvement on a classic design!

I've had a Tone King Imperial MK I for about 5 years now. It's been my "go-to" amp for gigs of all sizes. In my current bands, I mainly play Clean, (I've been a Vintage BF Fender Deluxe Reverb and Princeton Reverb owner for years but they stay in the studio now), but I've sacraficed my Lead Tone a bit with not using the MK I's Lead Channel becasue it wants to be cranked up. So in… read more small clubs, I'm stuck using a Stomp Box which can get a bit muddy or lost in the mix if the Mid's don't cut through. Well now Mark Bartel has upped his game by designing the Tone King Imperial MK II. The "built-in" Iron Man Attenuator can be placed in "by-pass" so you can have even volumes between the Rhythm and Lead Channels and it was brilliant move, (as well as now having the ability to set the Attenuator slightly hotter so you can use your guitar's Volume control to switch between Lead to Rhythm crunch tones). Also, the addition of the Comp switch and the custom designed Eminence Speaker really makes the Imperial MK II an amp you can use without the need for any Overdrive pedals. And the Attneuator can drop the dB's to bedroom levels but still have all the sparkle and grind that you'd want when playing. The Mid Bite just let's the amp sing. The Reverb is that typical lush Tone King sound, and the Tremolo is just beautiful. If Leo was alive today, I honestly think he'd be a fan. Now, this amp is for the player that does Classic Rock, Funk, Soul, Surf, Country, (basicaly anything pre 1980ish Rock), with such ease and soulfulness, it's just about the most perfect amp being made these days. For some, the lack of an FX Loop will cause grumbles, but I use a Fulltone SSTT in front of the amp and it sounds beautiful. It's built beautifully, only 36 lbs, and the Footswitch was improved to include LED's to indicate whether the Tremolo or Lead Channel are on. And finally, I've got to give props to the entire Sweetwater team for delivering the amp qucikly, packed well and of course, and full of that great candy my kids love. My salesperson, Christian Good, was on the phone and emailed me immediately and he made sure everything was to my satifaction. So, I give this amp a rare 5 Stars, and I give Sweetwater a 10 for the 0% Financing and great Customer Service.

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