4401 Eastern Avenue, Bldg 46-3G, Box 38 Baltimore, Maryland 21224 : Table Of Contents. TONE KING METROPOLITAN AMP MANUALTone King “Metropolitan” Tone King “Metropolitan” Tone King “Metropolitan” Tone King “Metropolitan” User’s Manual User’s Manual User’s Manual User’s Manual R1.4 Tone King Amplifier Company, Inc.In addition, our testunit’s rather heavy chassis was a little loosewhen I unpacked it, which led me to wonderif future versions might benefit from areinforcement baffle. While both attenuatorswork well, the plastic knobs on my testexample were a little loose and made thevarious selections on the click-position potfeel a little indistinct. There are separate Ironman attenuatorsfor each channel, which allow the playerto dial in more preamp-tube saturationat lower volumes. TONE KING METROPOLITAN AMP PLUSThescript for each knob is bold and easy toread, which is a big plus for dark stage use,and as the Western rope motif on the controlpanel suggests, Maphis and Dickersondid more than influence the sound of theSky King. Outwardly, the amp is reminiscent ofFender’s early tweed amps (the so-called“TV fronts”), and the silver-and-blackgrille cloth adds a touch of blackface style.The Tone King logo, which is shaped likea ’50s television set, even harkens back toTone King’s own history and the company’searliest amps, which are among the most’50s kitsch-influenced amps ever built. The backpanel has controls for the built-in attenuator,pentode/ultralinear switch, and speakerimpedance setting, as well as the power andstandby switches. You can select either the lead orrhythm channel using a control-panelswitch or the included footswitch. The rest of the control layout is simpleenough. But in the latter stages of theSky King’s development, Bartel decided thatplayers might like the option of having themore conventional sound of pentode mode,which, by comparison, is more responsive,so he added the pentode/ultralinear switchto the back side of the chassis. Like the Falcon, the Sky King wasconceived as an amp having an ultralinearoutput design. Bartel was listening to a lot of JoeMaphis and Deke Dickerson, and diggingthe thick mids and silky top end in theirsound. In the year or so since he introduced theFalcon amp, Mark Bartel (the tone kingbehind Tone King) came to love the soundand feel of an output stage wired in ultralinearmode. With just a little effort anda few switch flips, you can coax the Sky Kingto deliver everything from smooth jazz tonesand R&B colors, all the way to the mostsaturated, raunchy rock sounds. The result is a simple and incrediblyversatile 35-watt amp that’s at home onstageor in the studio. But some ofthe biggest news here is the inclusion of apentode/ultralinear switch, a distinctly non-vintageoption that really expands the sonicpalette of this 2-channel, 6L6-equipped 1x12combo. The Sky King is the first handwired ToneKing amp in 20 years (along with the 20th-anniversaryImperial), which is exciting foranyone who digs the vintage-inspired workof this Maryland company. You can file ToneKing’s new Sky King in the latter category. Others, though, take thestreamlined simplicity of old amps and addtasteful and functional features that lendversatility-easing the maintenance commitments and space issues attendanta stable of vintage units. Many of these are near-perfectrecreations built with newer, more reliablecomponents. It’s doubtful there has been another timein electric guitar history when you couldchoose from so many amps based on classiccircuits. Tone King Falcon Grande 1x12' 20-watt Tube Combo Amp with Attenuator and Reverb - Brown/Beige 20-watt 1-channel All-tube 1x12' Guitar Combo Amplifier with 3 Switchable Voices, Reverb, Power Attenuator, and Hi and Lo Inputs - Brown. A growing number of players, including Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, have started to realize that the name of this manufacturer represents what they are all about: pure vintage tube tone, with no unnecessary bells and whistles. The Tone King Falcon has become somewhat iconic for its television-like appearance and warm sound, as have many of the Tone King combos. Tone King Metropolitan Fast Dial Calipers.Tone King Metropolitan Fast Dial Irritrol.
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