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

Just what I was looking for

I was looking for a small tube amp with great sound at low volume for playing at home. I use a solid state amp for playing out, a Boss Katana which is light weight, reliable, has tonal options, and takes pedals well. What I like about this Tone King amp are three things. 1. The attenuator pushes the tube while draining the output into a kind of sink and it works as advertised. Rich… read more creamy tone at bedroom noise levels. It really sounds good and the attenuator knob lets you select how quiet you want the amp to be while keeping the sound quality. 2. I'm a blues player and this amp has the tone I want. Not just a blues amp though. 3. I chose the turquoise/white colour combo. It has a beautiful retro vibe that suits me and my cherry red es 335.

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A library of tones, even at low volume

You pay a lot to get a little. But that little is worth a lot. I play in an acoustic duo, but we use a lot of electrics. Archtops, Strats, Teles. I bought this amp for my home studio, where we have jam sessions. I wanted an amp that had sweet tones at low volume and could run the range from super clean to jazz to fat Tele rock overdrive. This amp does exactly all that. I… read more also own a Blackstar HT5R and Fender Blues Jr III, both great amps for low volume. But this Tone King does everything they do better than they do it, and more. It's like having all the amps I would ever want in one amp. The personal-touch, plain English manual gets you going on some choice settings (clean Strat, honky tonk Tele, Wes Montgomery jazz) and you are off and running. The bass is rich and clear, never muddy. The tonal spectrum is always balanced across any settings. Tone quality is knee-weakening, a different class from the more budget Blackstar and Fender amps. I don't think I could go back to a master volume amp to control volume. The attenuator preserves tone at any volume. If I have any complaints: - While the bass is excellent out of the amp, when I mic it into my studio PA it can get too boomy even with the bass completely rolled off on my mixer. So I'd like a way to reduce the bass on the Lead channel where there is only a single tone knob. - I'd like a wetter reverb. It's fine for 95% of applications, but occasionally I want really wet (like the Blues Jr) and this can't do it. - The attenuator has 6 discrete steps. Ideally it would be analog like a master volume so I could dial in my tone first and then set the volume exactly where I want it.

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Wow. Just wow.

If you are looking for the ultimate amp for a clean stratocaster sound, look no further. This is by far, he cleanest amp I have ever owned. I knew I had made the right choice when I opened the manual and the very first suggested setting was the "sultans of swing" sound. Its versatility extends far beyond that. It is loud for a 20 watt amp imo, but thanks to the Ironman II attenuator,… read more its easy to dial back the volume with little sacrifice to tone! This will be the amp for 99% of my playing in the future. I wish they sold embroidered amp covers for it, but have a great aftermarket cover (tuki) that fits it like a glove and protects my investment.

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