I wish you guys would revisit some of these comparison videos from "back in the day" now that your production and sound quality has improved. This one, the Klon clone shoot out, etc.
That tone at 13:15 sold me on the Amp Eleven. The wife got the Volvo SUV and the dogs in the divorce, I cuddle with the Amp 11 now and am happier for it.
Yeah the Amp 11 is probably my favorite overdrive. People like to say its the same as the tim but I was to have one side by side with Amp11 and they’re definitely not the same. Close but the amp11 just has a slightly different sound. Wouldnt mind having the Tim as well.
This episode has opened my eyes! I have a Moeller which I've never been totally happy with. But that's because I was told it was a tubescreamer with a clean boost. I've tried for a while, but the Moeller always seemed like a bit of a poor TS to me. I was about to sell the Moeller when I saw this video. I don't care what anyone says (about the Moeller being a TS), but my happiness with the pedal has just jumped exponentially. I now run it in a totally different pace on my board, and use it as a Bluesbreaker type pedal instead....and it sounds fantastic in that setting.
+John Hegarty that's great John, there's lots of love for the Moeller out there. It's Danish Pete's favourite OD. I think we'll do a show on the 'sweet spot' of pedals and how to find it. But yes, use as that more open full freq Drive, it's fantastic!
I wanted a KOT Then I wanted an AMP 11 Now I want a King Tone Duellist. Schopenhauer was right. Life is a constant striving, and desire is never satiated ;) German bastard. They always get the bad shit right.
The Amp Eleven was really the one that sounded best to me, not the closest to the KOT, just the best of the bunch to my ears. Not the same as in the room with the amps of course but still :).
I thought the first tone they pulled from the KOT was absolutely perfect. I'll probably be getting an Amp 11 for time and monetary reasons. I want to try a Strymon riverside but I'm not sold yet.
Just received my K.O.T. from Analog Mike! Took about a year on the list, but once they had my order they built my custom black, higher gain both sides K.O.T., and had it to me, all in about a week and a half. The tone is the best I've heard, bar none. The UA-cam videos don't do it justice: in person, this pedal really does lives up to the hype! Beatiful, extremely responsive pedal! I now understand why Dan runs both sides on clean (boost): the snarliest, uncompressed overdrive I've heard (out of dozens owned, and hundreds heard). I doubt I'll ever part with it. Thanks, guys, for the encouragement!
wow...what a quick brush on the tonecity! man, that thing (at least here on UA-cam) sounded SPOT ON with the KoT! I mean c'mon seriously...the slightest difference between them isnt even worth considering the price difference plus the unacceptable waiting time....it would be nice if you could tell us a bit more why (in the room) is it not "up there" with the KoT as mentioned in the video, since their tones through the video are nearly identical...if anything the tonecity even has a bit more "presence" i guess? it has a slight more evident clarity to its tone in my opinion...i am struggling to see why and how would the KoT sound "that" much better in the room really...
Different spin on this but I don't consider the waiting time "unacceptable", Analogman are a small operation of highly knowledgeable and skilled individuals producing a product to their own design at a consistent high quality with fantastic follow up customer service and paying their staff to do so. Tone City is a made in China mass produced copy of another product with all that entails, its not just a tone conversation, its a sustainability and ethical one too.
You prolly dont give a shit but does any of you know of a way to log back into an instagram account..? I was dumb forgot my password. I would appreciate any help you can give me.
@Enrique Zakai thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and im trying it out now. Takes a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
King of blues was surprisingly good. For a bargain pedal it holds it's own. Would be a great travel rig pedal. They must have updated it because you used to only be able to use them both when one (which one I don't know) was activated. Now it looks like you can use both independently. Great show guys, I always learn a lot. I've got a Truetone VS-XO sitting on my bench still in the box waiting for some quality time.
Some great stuff coming out of Australia. Anarchy Audio Gain of Tones vs. AM KOT: ua-cam.com/video/Go7BQKedZ-Y/v-deo.html Used Art Sounds make a great KOT style pedal. They also make killer fuzzes. UAS Artavia: ua-cam.com/video/yEz20ALu4sI/v-deo.html UAS Fuzz pedals (four Fuzzfaces): ua-cam.com/video/908_frDECh0/v-deo.html Unfortunately, no demo of the UAS Blues Drive Deluxe but I know players who use it and, either consider it comparable or, actually prefer it to the King of Tone. Both cost less than a KOT and you don't have to wait until the next Ice Age to receive your pedal and Andy is a great guy, easy to deal with. :)
Yet another great video, thank you! I bought my dad a Gretsch 5420 a couple of years ago (they were the guitars everyone wanted in the late 50s when he was growing up in Liverpool) and I liked it so much I nearly didn't hand it over. I've had a Mk 1 Moeller on my board for the last 6 years and love it. Ive a Tim Pierce on order from Andertons too. Im on the KoT waiting list too. THanks again!.
I found this video about a month after reaching the top of the King of Tone waiting list, along with the ones Dan was running a Les Paul into a Marshall and Vox via the K.O.T. Thanks to the staggeringly great tones you both were getting with every guitar/amp combo, you inspired me to take the plunge. My K.O.T. order form is in the mail! I figure the cost of return shipping alone of the numerous overdrives I will continue to try and dislike will save me $ in the long run. Thanks for the motivation! I'll let you know how I like it. Keep up the great shows. It will give me something to watch during the brutally cold Minneapolis winter.
Hi, Mick and Dan! I hope you are enjoying NAMM! I was just watching this video, and I thought of a pedal that you guys could add to this list of King of Tone alternatives: the JHS Morning Glory V4! It has a remote input on the side that switches it from low gain mode to high gain mode, so technically, it has two modes, and it can have to foot switches with the remote jack. You could also include the JHS Double Barrel, which has a Morning Glory in one side, and a 808-style drive in the other. The order of the two is switchable, too, which is always a nice feature! :)
Amp 11, Full Drive 3 and T - Rex Moller were my favourites. Tone City king of blue was great as well even if the guys seemed to automatically disregard it probably because its cheap.
I'm a little late to the party, but a pedal that sounds as neutral as is get is available in Germany. It's called Baldringer Dual Drive and it's basically sort of a preamp that you plug into a clean amplifier - that sounds almost exactly like the amp after it - regardless of which amp it actually is. A Fender Princeton will sound like a Princeton and a Marshall Super Lead 100 will sound like that. I urge you to check it out. The guy also designed a couple of amps for Hughes&Kettner by the way (I think Duotone and/or Puretone were the ones). It's even better than the King of Tone to my ear as it has more of that depth, dynamics and three-dimensionality of a really good amp. It also has a complete EQ-section for each of the two channels plus a Mode-switch with which one can affect the mid-range additionally. As if that weren't enough there's a few pots inside the pedal that can switch treble boost frequencies, low or high gain settings and couple of other things. The pedal comes with a lifetime warranty and Dirk Baldringer offers a range of mods for the pedal to make it sound like another type of amp instead of the completely neutral "default" setting. There's Bogner, Fender, Marshall, Mesa and couple of other mods. Again, I strongly urge you guys to check it out, simply because it is likely to be one of the best pedals out there. Downside: It costs 450€ plus shipping. I personally own one and have the fortune of living just 60km north of Dirk Baldringer's studio and could test it there before buying it. I went for a version with a Marshall JCM800 2203 like-Mod (He has an original from 1981 there and there is very little difference with the Dual Drive and my JTM45) and a neutral channel that sounds exactly - and I mean exactly - like the cranked version of my clean JTM45.
I LOVE YOUR SHOW!!!!!!! I have the Amp 11. My amps range from a handwired JTM45, a 1969 Plush P1000, a Trainwreck clone, a Valve Junior, a Kustom Defender and a 5E3 (that I built). The Amp 11 can work with all of them in a complementary manner, and for extra juiciness I follow it with a Lovepedal Eternity Fuse.
I'm on my 2nd KoT, and just wasn't bonding with it (again). Thanks to this video, I adjusted the presence controls, and have discovered a pedal that sounds great. The Amp Eleven sounded best to me too, but the KoT with more presence is a much nicer pedal, and really does what I need (at last!).
Try it at 18V power if it is a version 4 KoT. (The capacitors have to be rated for at least 25V to do this.) It makes the clean headroom quite a bit higher.
I used to have a KOT and sold it a few years ago to fund something else... I'm back on the waiting list 😄 lesson learned. I really liked the Amp 11 and may have to get one for a different flavour while i wait.
1) loved the sound of that Gretsch, especially at the end with the memory man. 2) I really enjoyed the sound of the amp 11. Although different, for what you can get them for used, what a great pedal! 3) I love my JHS double barrel, and my Tumnus. The morning glory (blues breaker) side of the double barrel is still my fav light overdrive.
21:45 "...not up there...." well, it pretty much is actually, it is just hard to admit for someone who spent three times the money and thought to be in an exclusive owners club ;)
Superb video as per usual gents:-) Annnnnd..... I'm gonna be one of those people who say I don't think the king of tone is worth the wait or the money. Don't get me wrong it does sound great, but not that great, it's like a deluxe Tubescreamer to my ears. Really liked the open crunch of the Lovepedal and lets face it for the money the Tone City shows them all up as being a bit pricey, did I just say that!!!!!!! Great video keep up the good work
+Gary Moseley cheers Gary. Like we said, it's so subjective, but that extra 2% Schwang value is what we spend years trying to nail down. All part of the process :)
+That Pedal Show I just want to add to this (Mick). As much as we try to demonstrate the differences between pedals, there is still a MASSIVE part of the sound that's only appreciable when you're in the room. All our videos are really just here to get you to ask new questions and set out on a quest of your own. All of which is to say, please compare our videos with other videos and try to hear this stuff in person. The nuances are important, putting them across on video is impossible. We will continue to try. Thanks for watching!
Yeah UA-cam is never going to reflect the absolute true nature of the pedal, but it's in comparing pedals on videos like this that you do get to hear them alongside other pedals through UA-cam. This is why UA-cam demos are relevant because everything is receiving the YT/internet treatment. Bought an exotic bb pre amp a few years ago on the strength of its YT performance and I wasn't disappointed
I have to say...atleast through the Phones, the Lovepedal AMP11 wiped the floor with all of them including the KOT. That Gretsch tone, though...unreal!!! Great job, as always, guys!
The Ibanez TS808DX works in a similar fashion. TS on one side and Boost on the other and the order can be switched from the outside. I have every Full-Drive, including the 3. I do love it but the Tubescreamer is my favourite.
Thanks for putting up this video. It''ll help me keep track of how long I've been on Mike's list. :-) I had been thinking of getting on the list for a while... but I officially got on it the day this video was put up on UA-cam. (before everyone else who saw this video did) Hopefully I'm not too far down the list from Mick.
I recently bought 4 of the Tone City pedals and I would highly recommend them. The King of Blues and the Model V are currently my favourites, I'm still waiting for the Model M to be delivered which just might nudge ahead of the V as my favourite but I'll have to wait and see. The King of Blues though is an awesome sounding overdrive
The amp 11 sounds really good. Honestly through the video the differences between the King of Blues and King Of Tone seem really minimal. Maybe it's different in person and the KOT has a little more tweakability with the internal switching but the KOB seems very usable, especially for the price.
Thank you for this comprehensive review of not only the holy grail OD, but awesome quality versions or variations from other companies. Proud owner of the KOT V2 and I will never replace it... I'd love a V4, and until I find one it's great to have good quality comparisons around this 'type' of OD. Cheers.
I say if you don't want to spend KOT money or go through the waiting period, I would go with the Amp 11. I was considering getting a KOT but then I decided to just go with the Amp 11. Now, I'm not even considering getting anything else. It is definitely my favorite overdrive pedal.
I joined the waiting list just after midnight GMT New Years Day 2019. Just to make it easy to remember. I'll comment again the day it arrives. Hope I don't die in between without having played a KOT.
Thanks guys! As a long term Fulldrive guy, this confirmed my thinking that the FD3 is voiced pretty dark.. I need to crank the tone control on mine to get it out of muddy territory. I went back to the FD2 on my board.
+Steve Krecklo I have the FD3 and is my main drive pedal for now. I play a strat with 50's pups and a Les Paul with P90, which are both pretty bright sounding guitars. So I guess it's a good match for the FD3. But I would definitely not recommend it for someone with a humbucker Les Paul or a dark sounding amp.
To be fair, it sounds worse at bedroom levels. When I crank it to practice or gig levels, I don't know why, it works. But again, not a good match for an already bassy rig.
Great video as always gents. I loved that Lovepdeal in particular. Great sound. Dan, would you mind using your Nik Huber Krautster more often, since I ordered one and love to see and hear it in some great produced videos to sweeten up the wait for it ;-)
Very well done. Amp11 surprised me. The one thing that I feel you did not quiet get to was how the KoT feels when you have your fingers on the strings and the interaction which I think is a massive part of it. I feel that it makes you hit the strings differently and it just feels salubrious.
Thanks guys again! Analogman King of Tone seems to have a very Sharp attack to it somehow right? Like its a Dry and at the same time Wet sound both together! Very pronounced and to the face attack which makes it a unique pedal. I especially liked it when you stack the both sides together as it gives you more drive with insane clarity and note separation. All the other pedals were great but KOT was very unique IMHO. Cheers!
I love your channel -- you've given all of your viewers so much useful information and history... Well done guys. Thank you. But here's my quandary... I love pedals--and there are so many great sounding ones -- I want them all. For me, the pinnacle of electric guitar sounds is a cranked Plexi (Superlead). (Think AC/DC's If You Want Blood track.) I bought a Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret that I used with my Marshall DSL 40C. That was until Marshall came out with the Origin 20C. So here's the rub... Many pedals come close to "that" sound, but I haven't heard a reasonable-y priced pedal that can compete. (You guys played one on the Do You Think I'm Plexi video that blew me away... For about $400. Ridiculous!) But it all seems to be about trade-offs. Either you have a great clean tone and are compromising on your overdriven sound using pedals, or you have a great amp-overdriven tone and are left with a less than optimal clean tone rolling back the guitar volume. This is the struggle that all of my guitar-playing friends struggle with. Is there an episode in here somewhere that you guys could lend your expertise to?
3 places you should investigate for excellent Plexi tone. 1) Lawrence Petross Designs LPD Sixty 8, LPD Seventy 4, and LPD Eighty 7 pedals. 2) PedalPalFX 800, PedalPalFX 959 3) Source Audio L.A. Lady (cheapest of all these options and the most versatile. I have an L.A. Lady on my pedalboard.)
Recently picked up a Sabelya KOT drive pedal, it is great substitute for a King of Tone. Had fun hitting it with a Hudson Sidecar. It has a purple powder coat. Great looking pedal as well.
Thanks for all your demos and shows. I have learned a lot and best of all I get tom hear pedals I have never been able to use before. I ended up purchasing several pedals featured on your shows. Some ideas I would like to see you do on some future shows is exploring Vox AC30 in a pedal and a look at the SansAmp Character series. Love to know how they stack up!
+PapaDudeness Personally, I think the Gristle King is BETTER THAN the KOT!!! I would love to hear a side by side comparison of the two, as I have a T.J. GK and feel that I have no need for a KOT (although I do have an open mind).
Welcome to the BIG, BIG Show ! ! Dan's moment with the Gretsch was very sweet. THE secret about the KOTv4 is this: it's not a set and forget ! What Michael designed is something that sounds desirable in ANY range or setting. That's the 'IT'. If I could only have 1, the KOT is the One. & There's more to it. Appreciating my ignorance, I purchased over a couple of years, about 50 quality overdrives. There's LOTS of stories in that journey (like how to get a KOT w/ no wait). I wanted to A/B all of them in my own studio, aka the bedroom, and see if I was trainable...not yet determined... Pedals purchased were all well known and respected products. From AC+ to Zen Drive. Add Jan-Ray, Soul Driven, Amp11, OD11, H9 Max, Golden Cello, OCD 1.4, Dual Fusion, Tumnus, Simble, Tchula and so on. And several of the basics like TSs, and such , and a mess of Strymon stuff @ 300 a pop. Here's what I've learned..... I prefer Boost to Distortion. It's important to use multiples (that's why everything became Twins). Layered sounds should compliment and not argue. Clarity is everything. Possibly your best show ever, certainly one of the top five as the subject is sooo important, and without a doubt, the best outro ever. MY Gawd,,,, I love you Guys, The work you've chosen, The Excellence you pursue, your products, your vids, my tee shirt..and how much better life is because you're here.
I waited about 19 months. I've had mine for a couple years. Though only my opinion...and I'm happy I have it...it is far from my favorite overdrive. It's a great pedal, but can seem compressed compared to some others. Thus far, I seem to get the best out of it by pushing the volume, and pulling back the drive on the pedal. Guessing you should be close to getting yours by the time I type this.
You guys should compare the KoT to 2 PoTs running back to back. I have 2 PoTs and a KoT v4 and personally I find my PoTs to be more chunky and more versatile. I’d love to watch you guys compare them and see what you think.
Based soley on what I'm hearing in this clip, the Amp Elven is my first pick! It's so dynamic and alive and that extra bite would serve it well cutting through a mix without being too brittle or harsh - Lovely pedal. Thanks guys!
+Nasser Sharaf It's a good sound for sure! We'd always encourage everyone to watch as many other demos as you can, and - of course - try one personally if at all possible. We're just one stop on your journey. Thanks for watching!
+That Pedal Show Absolutely! And as has been mentioned many times on this show, one needs to consider how all the various components in the signal chain interact. The type of gtr, pup's, amp, cables, and especially the individual's personal touch and attack. Keep up the great work guys - Fridays couldn't come soon enough!
I waited for My KOT so long I forgot I was on the list. I spent years, using, mixing and modding Overdrive/Boosts. I wound up eventually settling for the Wampler Euphoria, then the Tumnus as another boost. Years, I searched and then the KOT came. My search ended and I am fulfilled. I'm still keep the "Tum" on my board but it's more homage to Brian than anything else. I love the KOT. It doesn't hurt to add your name to the list. It's free to be on the list. It's just a great pedal. Perfect.
That Pedal Show one more thing Easter egg...the Opamps can be changed out easily. I had two opamps from an old radio. I emailed Mike to ensure they were ok to use and I use one on my clean side. (It turns out it's an DOD opamp that Mike uses on other Mods he does. But hey...that's certainly another great thing about the KOT.
Great as always chaps, would love a KOT but to be honest my Marshall guvnor mk1 does everything I need at the moment. Would love you guys to do an amp speaker upgrade vid, for cheaper amps like the tweed blues Jr etc please
Thanks again guys for another epic episode. Based on this video, I find you can hear more of a difference in tones while using the Strat to "A-B" the pedals. Maybe going forward we can put more focus on that. Plus, given their price difference I would assume more people have Strats rather than Les Pauls anyways. This is in no way a criticism, you guys are doing a great job and I fully understand why you're using one from each "family of guitars". I myself have a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster (my favourite) and an American Standard Stratocaster. :)
+UnchainedMelody86 Hmmmm I havent seen any stadistics about Strat users vs LP. However, besides Strat or LP the main categories are Single Coil or Humbuckers. To me the show is great because they show both guitar camps.
Great video Dan and Mick!! I bought a Budda Zenman OD/Boost Pedal, which is very similar to the featured pedals. The boost side can be used independently to the overdrive to give a clean boost but is always after the OD. Great vintage/phat switch too for OD variation. Now discontinued, but half the cost of what it was new, so I bought 2. Cheaper than the Tone City pedal too :-)
Dan, Mick, hello ! I love your show ! At least something fresh :-) You made me buy two pedals already, a Tumnus and a Moller 2, so stop it now please ! :D I have a question about the Moller, precisely...when I power it with my Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus, the drive channel is sometimes ON and sometimes OFF, regardless of the state it was when I powered it off. Do you experience the same strange behavior ? Thank you in advance and keep the good stuff coming ! Cheers, Matt
Great Video! Mick and Dan's videos make we wanna play guitar all day..and get a KOT! As a side note the Wampler Hot Wired Brent Mason pedal is also another great dual function overdrive pedal to check out.
Another wonderful video chaps. My personal favourite for years has been the Blackstone Appliances MOSFET overdrive - I'm sure both of you have heard of it but if not happy to send you mine to obsess over!
Today I tried out about a dozen different dual op amps in my King of Tone v4. Analogman suggests trying this in the data sheet that comes with the pedal. The op amps are socketed and easy to access with the bottom cover removed. I set both sides of the pedal to "clean boost" (all dip switches OFF) and did an a/b comparison by stomping both switches at once. Some op amps had much higher gain and even broke into oscillation. A couple others were indistinguishable from stock. A couple did not appear to work at all, I'm not sure why. (edit: they were not dual op amps,duh!) The FET input models like TL072/TL082 were a little bit brighter and had higher gain. I was happy to find that I liked one op amp the best, and for both sides of the pedal. The JRC 4558D seems to have the correct gain structure to work with my "higher gain" pedal, and the clipping distortion from the diodes sounds a little less raspy than even the stock op amps, perhaps partly due to the lower gain compared to the FET input chips. I also tried a ST Microelectronics copy of the 4558 and it didn't sound quite as pleasing, even though the gain was similar. Every op amp I tried was rated for 18V or higher Vcc supply so that's what I am using, in order to get a little more clean headroom. (Edit: now using the original JRC4580 for red side and an OP-2134 for the yellow side.)
Update: I found a better high gain tone on the yellow channel by using an OPA2134. Its distortion is cleaner than any other op amp I have tried. It just seems to fatten up single coils without spitting or crackling. And it has loads of gain without oscillating.
Nov 2023... The waiting list is now what... 5,6 years? I first heard a KOT through a super reverb 10 years ago in 2013, but it was just used as a "transparent clean boost", and I remember thinking "man what a waste! Meanwhile I've been watching sooo many "KOT style pedal" videos in my search for an alternative to Fulldrive II on Comp Cut mode, and endlessly procrastinating on buying a lowly Joyo King Of Kings for a whole year 😂 ... Finally pulled the trigger today!
Hahah yeah...same here... I got a prince of tone thinking it would be maybe a year wait until my number was up for the kot? That was in June of 2017....
Sooooo.... Yes the King of Tone uses a JRC45XX chip, the TS9 and TS808 use a JRC4558 and the King of tone uses a JRC4580, technically not the same but still sounds good. (I have a JRC4558 in my KOT clone). Brian Wampler does a great show on comparing op amps sound and they are very very similar almost indecipherable. So in all seriousness it probably doesnt matter that much....
The bluesbreaker uses a TL072 (Ti), the tubescreamer a JRC4558, and the KoT a JRC4580D. So they all have different chips. The JRC4580D is used by most modern drive pedals, it is basically an updated version of the 4558
I think you guys should redo this video. It sounds so muddy at times. You can tell this is an early episode before they had everything all ironed out as far as mics and sound. Now you guys got everything worked out and can really do these pedals justice! Who agrees?
Dan and Mick recently did a comparison of the D&M pedal and the KoT. They both sound great, but they are different sounds. The D&M sounds smoother than the KoT but not as interesting. But the D&M has better value for money.
New subscriber here. GREAT channel! As a pedal nerd, of course I love it, but the attention to detail that you put into the content reflects pure quality and is appreciated. Keep up the good work guys.
I'm loving that Lazy J! I'm a big fan of using graphic eq's throughout my board and I'm pretty sure that with a nice graphic eq and something with comparable transient response you could do the KOT thing pretty easily. Any suggestions from my fellow TPS fans regarding pedals with KoT transients? I was thinking the J was a touch too quick, probably the T-Rex. I honestly can't wait to try the Keeley D+M drive... That looks really awesome!
Late to this video...BUT...the Tone City is $65 on Reverb. Is it as good? Probably not (it doesn't have all the options), but WOW it's pretty close. And the King of Tone is around $500 right now.
Hi, Mick and Dan! Yeah, I just want to add a vote for the JHS Morning Glory or the Double Barrel... the Morning Glory is a modded Bluesbreaker circuit, similar to the King of Tone, and it is one half of the JHS Double Barrel. I would really like to hear your opinion of it next to the Prince/ King of Tone!
Great video as usual!! Alternative worth a try is the Oddfellow Caveman v2 overdrive. Bought it while waiting on my king is f tone.... Now I use either.
Wow, love that Strat... Keely Mod BD-1 is my personal fav. OD (through either my PV Classic 50 2x12, a truly amazing and under-rated amp IMO, or my Super Reverb/both as well) and has been on my board for over a decade now. Love the thing. I'd gladly run a KOT but I don't feel like spending teh cash or the time to get one so until I do the BD-1 does "me" perfectly. Thanks for the great show aye. Cheers
If anyone is interesting in these kind of pedals but still prefer the ts808 sound, there is a new ts808dx. It's just a tube screamer with a boost. Very nice indeed.
Fantastic content as usual. If I were nitpicking though, and I'm sure many strat owners would agree, I would say there needed to be a tad more even distribution between LP and Strat
Amp 11 sold out! Hmmmm......I wonder why. And thanks, guys, for helping turn my Strat / Deluxe Reverb into a tone machine. LOVE my Muffroom Cloud - and how I can dial in the warmth just so. Never miss a show - You've got a growing following here in Northampton Massachusetts!
Personally the King of Tone is still my favourite, though I must admit that the T.Rex is pretty excellent too. The only way I can qualify the difference is that I find the other choices to sound a little artificial to my ears. But hey, to each their own! Have you heard that Way Huge are re-releasing the Camel Toe? There's another unique dual overdrive!
Hi Guys, excellent demo, Dan's playing with the Gretchw as just beautiful, as for the Pedals I loved the Amp 11 and the Tim Pierce absolutely killer tones!
That Pedal Show, Thank you so much for your reply, much appreciated, I have a Spinal injury at the moment and need to lay down for several hours a day and being a Pedal junkie your Show really helps relieve the boredom, by the way Dan if you are ever in Melbourne, Australia I would love you to help me out with my Pedal Board :). Thank you again to both of you, Kind regards, take care.
Another alternative... Reverb.com and Ebay are full of people who sell handmade clones. Admittedly you are taking a chance but if you find a good builder, you can't get closer than the real deal... or, if they build to order, you have the chance to get mods built in that Analogman, for whatever reason, does not offer. I have about 1.5 years left before my name comes up to get a KOT. I ordered a clone from a Reverb seller last week. It shipped yesterday. I've bought from him before and can say his clones are very close to the originals. For my KOT clone, I also had him add a 2 way toggle on each side that gives me a second set of clipping diodes for each side. The difference between the diodes is subtle but noticeable from what I'm told. I can't wait to try it out.
I was thinking the same thing about not realizing how mid-humped the KoT is until you hear it in context. It's lower than a TS type pedal though; in the 600-800hz range I think. TS seems to be more 800-1kHz area.
Been on the waiting list for about 2 months. Should receive mine in about a year or so. Currently running an ARC Klone V2 as a first stage drive, even though it's not compressing much at all, then stacking a JHS sweet tea on top of that. Angry Charlie side set with the gain pretty low, below 10 o clock, for my rock sound then the 808 side stacked on top of the Klone for my country sound with single coils and blues sound with humbuckers. Can't wait to get a KOT to play around with too.
After a year and a half, my King of Tone is marked as "out for delivery" today and I am watching this video again to stoke the flames of my excitement.
I wish you guys would revisit some of these comparison videos from "back in the day" now that your production and sound quality has improved. This one, the Klon clone shoot out, etc.
very much agreed. Once the Covid situation settles, they have lot of work to do :D
This is a great Idea
Couldn't agree more!
Yeah, these really need to be revisited. Especially this one.
That tone at 13:15 sold me on the Amp Eleven. The wife got the Volvo SUV and the dogs in the divorce, I cuddle with the Amp 11 now and am happier for it.
Although I would probably miss the dogs.
Yeah the Amp 11 is probably my favorite overdrive. People like to say its the same as the tim but I was to have one side by side with Amp11 and they’re definitely not the same. Close but the amp11 just has a slightly different sound. Wouldnt mind having the Tim as well.
This episode has opened my eyes! I have a Moeller which I've never been totally happy with. But that's because I was told it was a tubescreamer with a clean boost. I've tried for a while, but the Moeller always seemed like a bit of a poor TS to me. I was about to sell the Moeller when I saw this video. I don't care what anyone says (about the Moeller being a TS), but my happiness with the pedal has just jumped exponentially. I now run it in a totally different pace on my board, and use it as a Bluesbreaker type pedal instead....and it sounds fantastic in that setting.
+John Hegarty that's great John, there's lots of love for the Moeller out there. It's Danish Pete's favourite OD. I think we'll do a show on the 'sweet spot' of pedals and how to find it. But yes, use as that more open full freq Drive, it's fantastic!
+That Pedal Show Hey guys I totally agree, that's a great idea for an episode!!
I really wanted a King of Tone. Now, I want an Amp 11. Great & informative as always. Thanks...
XTheBryanKellyX same.
I wanted a KOT
Then I wanted an AMP 11
Now I want a King Tone Duellist.
Schopenhauer was right. Life is a constant striving, and desire is never satiated ;)
German bastard. They always get the bad shit right.
The Amp Eleven was really the one that sounded best to me, not the closest to the KOT, just the best of the bunch to my ears. Not the same as in the room with the amps of course but still :).
I thought the same. I loved the full frequency without the muddiness.
I thought the first tone they pulled from the KOT was absolutely perfect. I'll probably be getting an Amp 11 for time and monetary reasons. I want to try a Strymon riverside but I'm not sold yet.
That Amp 11 sounds great no doubt. I like both the Amp 11 and KOB
Tone City King of Blues at about 19 minutes in. Can't go wrong at $79.90 shipped. Got one very nice simple to use pedal full of great tone.
I watched this video back in 2017 and got my name on the waiting list. It arrived today... It is Magic.and well worth the wait
You guys have a show about every single thing I've searched about pedals. Unbelievable!!
Just received my K.O.T. from Analog Mike! Took about a year on the list, but once they had my order they built my custom black, higher gain both sides K.O.T., and had it to me, all in about a week and a half. The tone is the best I've heard, bar none. The UA-cam videos don't do it justice: in person, this pedal really does lives up to the hype! Beatiful, extremely responsive pedal! I now understand why Dan runs both sides on clean (boost): the snarliest, uncompressed overdrive I've heard (out of dozens owned, and hundreds heard). I doubt I'll ever part with it. Thanks, guys, for the encouragement!
+Dean Teiwaz Nice one Dean - sol glad you love it!
Dean Teiwaz w
I went for the Moller 2 and I got it for 92€ and it was a great choice! Thank you for the recommendation. Greetings 🇲🇦🇲🇦
Yeah I just bought an unused new in box Moller1 for £65 and it's in the post. These things are criminally underrated.
wow...what a quick brush on the tonecity! man, that thing (at least here on UA-cam) sounded SPOT ON with the KoT! I mean c'mon seriously...the slightest difference between them isnt even worth considering the price difference plus the unacceptable waiting time....it would be nice if you could tell us a bit more why (in the room) is it not "up there" with the KoT as mentioned in the video, since their tones through the video are nearly identical...if anything the tonecity even has a bit more "presence" i guess? it has a slight more evident clarity to its tone in my opinion...i am struggling to see why and how would the KoT sound "that" much better in the room really...
Different spin on this but I don't consider the waiting time "unacceptable", Analogman are a small operation of highly knowledgeable and skilled individuals producing a product to their own design at a consistent high quality with fantastic follow up customer service and paying their staff to do so. Tone City is a made in China mass produced copy of another product with all that entails, its not just a tone conversation, its a sustainability and ethical one too.
You prolly dont give a shit but does any of you know of a way to log back into an instagram account..?
I was dumb forgot my password. I would appreciate any help you can give me.
@Elon Imran Instablaster =)
@Enrique Zakai thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and im trying it out now.
Takes a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Enrique Zakai It did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy!
Thanks so much you saved my account!
King of blues was surprisingly good. For a bargain pedal it holds it's own. Would be a great travel rig pedal. They must have updated it because you used to only be able to use them both when one (which one I don't know) was activated. Now it looks like you can use both independently. Great show guys, I always learn a lot. I've got a Truetone VS-XO sitting on my bench still in the box waiting for some quality time.
The VS-XO is killer.
Some great stuff coming out of Australia.
Anarchy Audio Gain of Tones vs. AM KOT: ua-cam.com/video/Go7BQKedZ-Y/v-deo.html
Used Art Sounds make a great KOT style pedal. They also make killer fuzzes.
UAS Artavia: ua-cam.com/video/yEz20ALu4sI/v-deo.html
UAS Fuzz pedals (four Fuzzfaces): ua-cam.com/video/908_frDECh0/v-deo.html
Unfortunately, no demo of the UAS Blues Drive Deluxe but I know players who use it and, either consider it comparable or, actually prefer it to the King of Tone. Both cost less than a KOT and you don't have to wait until the next Ice Age to receive your pedal and Andy is a great guy, easy to deal with. :)
A King of Blues it is, thank you very much for the demo. I have the Marshall MK.1 BB pedal. Can't wait to compare.
How do they compare? My understanding is that the Engine A (right) is a Klone, while the Engine B (left) is more of a Bluesbreaker clone.
Yet another great video, thank you! I bought my dad a Gretsch 5420 a couple of years ago (they were the guitars everyone wanted in the late 50s when he was growing up in Liverpool) and I liked it so much I nearly didn't hand it over. I've had a Mk 1 Moeller on my board for the last 6 years and love it. Ive a Tim Pierce on order from Andertons too. Im on the KoT waiting list too. THanks again!.
I just got the King of Tone. Dan, it is everything you say. Just amazing tone and the feel under your fingers is like nothing I have every played.
I'm going to kick myself in the nuts if I stay up all night watching pedal videos again 😶
Story of my life
Ha! That's funny.
I would pay to see you actually do that...anatomically!
I did that, it really hurts!
Trying to imagine the mechanics 🧰 of that
I found this video about a month after reaching the top of the King of Tone waiting list, along with the ones Dan was running a Les Paul into a Marshall and Vox via the K.O.T. Thanks to the staggeringly great tones you both were getting with every guitar/amp combo, you inspired me to take the plunge. My K.O.T. order form is in the mail! I figure the cost of return shipping alone of the numerous overdrives I will continue to try and dislike will save me $ in the long run. Thanks for the motivation! I'll let you know how I like it. Keep up the great shows. It will give me something to watch during the brutally cold Minneapolis winter.
Danish Pete likes Chewbacca ;). And the Møller ;)
The KOT dosen't sound like a pedal, it sounds just like a amp turned up. Absolutely fantastic.
Hi, Mick and Dan! I hope you are enjoying NAMM! I was just watching this video, and I thought of a pedal that you guys could add to this list of King of Tone alternatives: the JHS Morning Glory V4! It has a remote input on the side that switches it from low gain mode to high gain mode, so technically, it has two modes, and it can have to foot switches with the remote jack.
You could also include the JHS Double Barrel, which has a Morning Glory in one side, and a 808-style drive in the other. The order of the two is switchable, too, which is always a nice feature! :)
You definitely need to do a Part Two! Keeley Tone workstation, Camel Toe, Wampler, etc! Love your show!
Amp 11, Full Drive 3 and T - Rex Moller were my favourites. Tone City king of blue was great as well even if the guys seemed to automatically disregard it probably because its cheap.
I'm a little late to the party, but a pedal that sounds as neutral as is get is available in Germany.
It's called Baldringer Dual Drive and it's basically sort of a preamp that you plug into a clean amplifier - that sounds almost exactly like the amp after it - regardless of which amp it actually is. A Fender Princeton will sound like a Princeton and a Marshall Super Lead 100 will sound like that. I urge you to check it out. The guy also designed a couple of amps for Hughes&Kettner by the way (I think Duotone and/or Puretone were the ones). It's even better than the King of Tone to my ear as it has more of that depth, dynamics and three-dimensionality of a really good amp. It also has a complete EQ-section for each of the two channels plus a Mode-switch with which one can affect the mid-range additionally. As if that weren't enough there's a few pots inside the pedal that can switch treble boost frequencies, low or high gain settings and couple of other things. The pedal comes with a lifetime warranty and Dirk Baldringer offers a range of mods for the pedal to make it sound like another type of amp instead of the completely neutral "default" setting. There's Bogner, Fender, Marshall, Mesa and couple of other mods.
Again, I strongly urge you guys to check it out, simply because it is likely to be one of the best pedals out there. Downside: It costs 450€ plus shipping.
I personally own one and have the fortune of living just 60km north of Dirk Baldringer's studio and could test it there before buying it. I went for a version with a Marshall JCM800 2203 like-Mod (He has an original from 1981 there and there is very little difference with the Dual Drive and my JTM45) and a neutral channel that sounds exactly - and I mean exactly - like the cranked version of my clean JTM45.
I LOVE YOUR SHOW!!!!!!!
I have the Amp 11. My amps range from a handwired JTM45, a 1969 Plush P1000, a Trainwreck clone, a Valve Junior, a Kustom Defender and a 5E3 (that I built). The Amp 11 can work with all of them in a complementary manner, and for extra juiciness I follow it with a Lovepedal Eternity Fuse.
I'm on my 2nd KoT, and just wasn't bonding with it (again). Thanks to this video, I adjusted the presence controls, and have discovered a pedal that sounds great. The Amp Eleven sounded best to me too, but the KoT with more presence is a much nicer pedal, and really does what I need (at last!).
Try it at 18V power if it is a version 4 KoT. (The capacitors have to be rated for at least 25V to do this.) It makes the clean headroom quite a bit higher.
I used to have a KOT and sold it a few years ago to fund something else... I'm back on the waiting list 😄 lesson learned. I really liked the Amp 11 and may have to get one for a different flavour while i wait.
I like how "chameleonic" the fulldrive 3 can be... but for pure OD, amp 11 stole the show 🤘🏼
To my ear the Amp 11 nails it! Limitations of listening to this on an iPad not being representative fully understood of course 😉
Who else wants a long sleeved, 2 toned shirt made available, same as Dan is wearing?
+POG FROGULPOP Me.
Hey guys make 3x shirts available please! Big dudes play too!
POG FROGULPOP I'm wearing one right now!
Since this is based off the BluesBreaker, it would have been cool to stack two cheap clones. Compare the KOT to two Mooer Blues Crabs.
well, the Blues Crab (have one, love it) doesn't have the switches. So you can't compare a KOT set to "boost+OD" to two "OD" Blues Crabs.
Hey Guys - Thanks for all the videos. You guys have helped me a lot for creating my tone on and off stage! Great work.
+Mike Klean very welcome Mike :)
1) loved the sound of that Gretsch, especially at the end with the memory man.
2) I really enjoyed the sound of the amp 11. Although different, for what you can get them for used, what a great pedal!
3) I love my JHS double barrel, and my Tumnus. The morning glory (blues breaker) side of the double barrel is still my fav light overdrive.
21:45 "...not up there...." well, it pretty much is actually, it is just hard to admit for someone who spent three times the money and thought to be in an exclusive owners club ;)
Superb video as per usual gents:-) Annnnnd..... I'm gonna be one of those people who say I don't think the king of tone is worth the wait or the money. Don't get me wrong it does sound great, but not that great, it's like a deluxe Tubescreamer to my ears. Really liked the open crunch of the Lovepedal and lets face it for the money the Tone City shows them all up as being a bit pricey, did I just say that!!!!!!! Great video keep up the good work
+Gary Moseley cheers Gary. Like we said, it's so subjective, but that extra 2% Schwang value is what we spend years trying to nail down. All part of the process :)
+That Pedal Show I just want to add to this (Mick). As much as we try to demonstrate the differences between pedals, there is still a MASSIVE part of the sound that's only appreciable when you're in the room. All our videos are really just here to get you to ask new questions and set out on a quest of your own. All of which is to say, please compare our videos with other videos and try to hear this stuff in person. The nuances are important, putting them across on video is impossible. We will continue to try. Thanks for watching!
+Gary Moseley I agree - to each their own. Fo me, the King of Tone or the Klon just are not by cups of tea.
Yeah UA-cam is never going to reflect the absolute true nature of the pedal, but it's in comparing pedals on videos like this that you do get to hear them alongside other pedals through UA-cam. This is why UA-cam demos are relevant because everything is receiving the YT/internet treatment. Bought an exotic bb pre amp a few years ago on the strength of its YT performance and I wasn't disappointed
I have to say...atleast through the Phones, the Lovepedal AMP11 wiped the floor with all of them including the KOT. That Gretsch tone, though...unreal!!! Great job, as always, guys!
+Drew Hammond love the Amp11, it's next in my list :)
The Ibanez TS808DX works in a similar fashion. TS on one side and Boost on the other and the order can be switched from the outside. I have every Full-Drive, including the 3. I do love it but the Tubescreamer is my favourite.
thanks to you, I bought my koB. It is amazing, great and so cheap!
Thanks for putting up this video. It''ll help me keep track of how long I've been on Mike's list. :-)
I had been thinking of getting on the list for a while... but I officially got on it the day this video was put up on UA-cam. (before everyone else who saw this video did) Hopefully I'm not too far down the list from Mick.
I recently bought 4 of the Tone City pedals and I would highly recommend them. The King of Blues and the Model V are currently my favourites, I'm still waiting for the Model M to be delivered which just might nudge ahead of the V as my favourite but I'll have to wait and see. The King of Blues though is an awesome sounding overdrive
The amp 11 sounds really good. Honestly through the video the differences between the King of Blues and King Of Tone seem really minimal. Maybe it's different in person and the KOT has a little more tweakability with the internal switching but the KOB seems very usable, especially for the price.
+Bumblefritz KOB is amazing value, but it’s not the original
12:00 a.m. and here I go watching this video again. LOL 😂 🎸👍👏✌️🇺🇸😎
Thank you for this comprehensive review of not only the holy grail OD, but awesome quality versions or variations from other companies.
Proud owner of the KOT V2 and I will never replace it... I'd love a V4, and until I find one it's great to have good quality comparisons around this 'type' of OD.
Cheers.
I say if you don't want to spend KOT money or go through the waiting period, I would go with the Amp 11. I was considering getting a KOT but then I decided to just go with the Amp 11. Now, I'm not even considering getting anything else. It is definitely my favorite overdrive pedal.
I joined the waiting list just after midnight GMT New Years Day 2019. Just to make it easy to remember. I'll comment again the day it arrives. Hope I don't die in between without having played a KOT.
Thanks guys! As a long term Fulldrive guy, this confirmed my thinking that the FD3 is voiced pretty dark.. I need to crank the tone control on mine to get it out of muddy territory. I went back to the FD2 on my board.
+Steve Krecklo I have the FD3 and is my main drive pedal for now. I play a strat with 50's pups and a Les Paul with P90, which are both pretty bright sounding guitars. So I guess it's a good match for the FD3. But I would definitely not recommend it for someone with a humbucker Les Paul or a dark sounding amp.
+Steve Krecklo
I came to the same conclusion about Fulldrive a long time ago. Some may want their voice dark, not me.
To be fair, it sounds worse at bedroom levels. When I crank it to practice or gig levels, I don't know why, it works. But again, not a good match for an already bassy rig.
+ralvknights lopez I at least want a bit of an option. Love my 90's FD2 though. not dark at all
+Rafael Andrade what kind of amp are you using?
Great video as always gents. I loved that Lovepdeal in particular. Great sound. Dan, would you mind using your Nik Huber Krautster more often, since I ordered one and love to see and hear it in some great produced videos to sweeten up the wait for it ;-)
Very well done. Amp11 surprised me.
The one thing that I feel you did not quiet get to was how the KoT feels when you have your fingers on the strings and the interaction which I think is a massive part of it. I feel that it makes you hit the strings differently and it just feels salubrious.
+Andrew Gordon yeah, very hard to convey but the idea of how great that initial attack is, very special pedal
iirc, the Amp11 is a tweaked Timmy clone.
Always looking forward to your videos now. You have helped me a great deal in my guitar gear journeys!
Thanks guys again! Analogman King of Tone seems to have a very Sharp attack to it somehow right? Like its a Dry and at the same time Wet sound both together! Very pronounced and to the face attack which makes it a unique pedal. I especially liked it when you stack the both sides together as it gives you more drive with insane clarity and note separation. All the other pedals were great but KOT was very unique IMHO. Cheers!
+konnektlive yep, it's special :)
I love your channel -- you've given all of your viewers so much useful information and history... Well done guys. Thank you. But here's my quandary... I love pedals--and there are so many great sounding ones -- I want them all. For me, the pinnacle of electric guitar sounds is a cranked Plexi (Superlead). (Think AC/DC's If You Want Blood track.) I bought a Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret that I used with my Marshall DSL 40C. That was until Marshall came out with the Origin 20C. So here's the rub... Many pedals come close to "that" sound, but I haven't heard a reasonable-y priced pedal that can compete. (You guys played one on the Do You Think I'm Plexi video that blew me away... For about $400. Ridiculous!) But it all seems to be about trade-offs. Either you have a great clean tone and are compromising on your overdriven sound using pedals, or you have a great amp-overdriven tone and are left with a less than optimal clean tone rolling back the guitar volume. This is the struggle that all of my guitar-playing friends struggle with. Is there an episode in here somewhere that you guys could lend your expertise to?
3 places you should investigate for excellent Plexi tone. 1) Lawrence Petross Designs LPD Sixty 8, LPD Seventy 4, and LPD Eighty 7 pedals. 2) PedalPalFX 800, PedalPalFX 959 3) Source Audio L.A. Lady (cheapest of all these options and the most versatile. I have an L.A. Lady on my pedalboard.)
Recently picked up a Sabelya KOT drive pedal, it is great substitute for a King of Tone. Had fun hitting it with a Hudson Sidecar. It has a purple powder coat. Great looking pedal as well.
I think there's a VERY audible mid hump to the KOT, sirs.
Nicolás del Castillo I think it is the least good sounding..... 😂
A beautiful perfect obe
Thanks for all your demos and shows. I have learned a lot and best of all I get tom hear pedals I have never been able to use before. I ended up purchasing several pedals featured on your shows.
Some ideas I would like to see you do on some future shows is exploring Vox AC30 in a pedal and a look at the SansAmp Character series. Love to know how they stack up!
Absolutely loved this one, guys. You both continue to bring us stellar, interesting videos and I'm so grateful for them. Thanks!
Nice video as always... Another great amp-like overdrive/boost pedal for your consideration would be the T. Jauernig Gristle King v.3.
+PapaDudeness Personally, I think the Gristle King is BETTER THAN the KOT!!! I would love to hear a side by side comparison of the two, as I have a T.J. GK and feel that I have no need for a KOT (although I do have an open mind).
Welcome to the BIG, BIG Show ! ! Dan's moment with the Gretsch was very sweet.
THE secret about the KOTv4 is this: it's not a set and forget ! What Michael designed is something that sounds desirable in ANY range or setting. That's the 'IT'. If I could only have 1, the KOT is the One. & There's more to it. Appreciating my ignorance, I purchased over a couple of years, about 50 quality overdrives. There's LOTS of stories in that journey (like how to get a KOT w/ no wait). I wanted to A/B all of them in my own studio, aka the bedroom, and see if I was trainable...not yet determined... Pedals purchased were all well known and respected products. From AC+ to Zen Drive. Add Jan-Ray, Soul Driven, Amp11, OD11, H9 Max, Golden Cello, OCD 1.4, Dual Fusion, Tumnus, Simble, Tchula and so on. And several of the basics like TSs, and such , and a mess of Strymon stuff @ 300 a pop.
Here's what I've learned..... I prefer Boost to Distortion. It's important to use multiples (that's why everything became Twins). Layered sounds should compliment and not argue. Clarity is everything.
Possibly your best show ever, certainly one of the top five as the subject is sooo important, and without a doubt, the best outro ever.
MY Gawd,,,, I love you Guys, The work you've chosen, The Excellence you pursue, your products, your vids, my tee shirt..and how much better life is because you're here.
I'm still returning to these videos and still on the KOT wait list..... just a reminder of what an influence your videos have had on me.
Waiting as of 3/15/18
I waited about 19 months. I've had mine for a couple years. Though only my opinion...and I'm happy I have it...it is far from my favorite overdrive. It's a great pedal, but can seem compressed compared to some others. Thus far, I seem to get the best out of it by pushing the volume, and pulling back the drive on the pedal. Guessing you should be close to getting yours by the time I type this.
You guys should compare the KoT to 2 PoTs running back to back. I have 2 PoTs and a KoT v4 and personally I find my PoTs to be more chunky and more versatile. I’d love to watch you guys compare them and see what you think.
That’s a great idea Matt. Let’s do it!
Oh and how good did that Gretsch sound?!?!! The way it was just drifting into feedback, amazing!!!
Based soley on what I'm hearing in this clip, the Amp Elven is my first pick! It's so dynamic and alive and that extra bite would serve it well cutting through a mix without being too brittle or harsh - Lovely pedal.
Thanks guys!
+Nasser Sharaf It's a good sound for sure! We'd always encourage everyone to watch as many other demos as you can, and - of course - try one personally if at all possible. We're just one stop on your journey. Thanks for watching!
+That Pedal Show Absolutely! And as has been mentioned many times on this show, one needs to consider how all the various components in the signal chain interact. The type of gtr, pup's, amp, cables, and especially the individual's personal touch and attack.
Keep up the great work guys - Fridays couldn't come soon enough!
I waited for My KOT so long I forgot I was on the list. I spent years, using, mixing and modding Overdrive/Boosts. I wound up eventually settling for the Wampler Euphoria, then the Tumnus as another boost. Years, I searched and then the KOT came. My search ended and I am fulfilled. I'm still keep the "Tum" on my board but it's more homage to Brian than anything else. I love the KOT. It doesn't hurt to add your name to the list. It's free to be on the list. It's just a great pedal. Perfect.
+Tommy Golden Glad it lived up to your expectations Tommy. Nice one!
That Pedal Show one more thing Easter egg...the Opamps can be changed out easily. I had two opamps from an old radio. I emailed Mike to ensure they were ok to use and I use one on my clean side. (It turns out it's an DOD opamp that Mike uses on other Mods he does. But hey...that's certainly another great thing about the KOT.
What ever that was at 12:40 to 12:43 was pure magic!
Thumbs up before the video even starts.
Great as always chaps, would love a KOT but to be honest my Marshall guvnor mk1 does everything I need at the moment. Would love you guys to do an amp speaker upgrade vid, for cheaper amps like the tweed blues Jr etc please
Thanks again guys for another epic episode. Based on this video, I find you can hear more of a difference in tones while using the Strat to "A-B" the pedals. Maybe going forward we can put more focus on that. Plus, given their price difference I would assume more people have Strats rather than Les Pauls anyways.
This is in no way a criticism, you guys are doing a great job and I fully understand why you're using one from each "family of guitars". I myself have a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster (my favourite) and an American Standard Stratocaster. :)
+UnchainedMelody86
Hmmmm I havent seen any stadistics about Strat users vs LP. However, besides Strat or LP the main categories are Single Coil or Humbuckers.
To me the show is great because they show both guitar camps.
Great video Dan and Mick!! I bought a Budda Zenman OD/Boost Pedal, which is very similar to the featured pedals. The boost side can be used independently to the overdrive to give a clean boost but is always after the OD. Great vintage/phat switch too for OD variation. Now discontinued, but half the cost of what it was new, so I bought 2. Cheaper than the Tone City pedal too :-)
Dan, Mick, hello !
I love your show ! At least something fresh :-)
You made me buy two pedals already, a Tumnus and a Moller 2, so stop it now please ! :D
I have a question about the Moller, precisely...when I power it with my Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus, the drive channel is sometimes ON and sometimes OFF, regardless of the state it was when I powered it off. Do you experience the same strange behavior ?
Thank you in advance and keep the good stuff coming !
Cheers,
Matt
Great Video! Mick and Dan's videos make we wanna play guitar all day..and get a KOT!
As a side note the Wampler Hot Wired Brent Mason pedal is also another great dual function overdrive pedal to check out.
Another wonderful video chaps. My personal favourite for years has been the Blackstone Appliances MOSFET overdrive - I'm sure both of you have heard of it but if not happy to send you mine to obsess over!
+sam atkins And that Gretsch sounded fabulous...Want!
Today I tried out about a dozen different dual op amps in my King of Tone v4. Analogman suggests trying this in the data sheet that comes with the pedal. The op amps are socketed and easy to access with the bottom cover removed. I set both sides of the pedal to "clean boost" (all dip switches OFF) and did an a/b comparison by stomping both switches at once. Some op amps had much higher gain and even broke into oscillation. A couple others were indistinguishable from stock. A couple did not appear to work at all, I'm not sure why. (edit: they were not dual op amps,duh!)
The FET input models like TL072/TL082 were a little bit brighter and had higher gain. I was happy to find that I liked one op amp the best, and for both sides of the pedal. The JRC 4558D seems to have the correct gain structure to work with my "higher gain" pedal, and the clipping distortion from the diodes sounds a little less raspy than even the stock op amps, perhaps partly due to the lower gain compared to the FET input chips. I also tried a ST Microelectronics copy of the 4558 and it didn't sound quite as pleasing, even though the gain was similar. Every op amp I tried was rated for 18V or higher Vcc supply so that's what I am using, in order to get a little more clean headroom. (Edit: now using the original JRC4580 for red side and an OP-2134 for the yellow side.)
Update: I found a better high gain tone on the yellow channel by using an OPA2134. Its distortion is cleaner than any other op amp I have tried. It just seems to fatten up single coils without spitting or crackling. And it has loads of gain without oscillating.
Nov 2023... The waiting list is now what... 5,6 years?
I first heard a KOT through a super reverb 10 years ago in 2013, but it was just used as a "transparent clean boost", and I remember thinking "man what a waste!
Meanwhile I've been watching sooo many "KOT style pedal" videos in my search for an alternative to Fulldrive II on Comp Cut mode, and endlessly procrastinating on buying a lowly Joyo King Of Kings for a whole year 😂 ... Finally pulled the trigger today!
I've FINALLY placed my order... took 3 and a half years to get to the top of the list lol... thanks Dan.
Hahah yeah...same here...
I got a prince of tone thinking it would be maybe a year wait until my number was up for the kot? That was in June of 2017....
Correct me if i'm wrong but KoT is primarily based on blues breaker, not tube screamers
Yes but Mike still uses that same chip. It's a JRC45...wahtever, I can't remember, in a Bluesbreaker circuit.
It's all explained on Analogman.com
Sooooo.... Yes the King of Tone uses a JRC45XX chip, the TS9 and TS808 use a JRC4558 and the King of tone uses a JRC4580, technically not the same but still sounds good. (I have a JRC4558 in my KOT clone). Brian Wampler does a great show on comparing op amps sound and they are very very similar almost indecipherable. So in all seriousness it probably doesnt matter that much....
The bluesbreaker uses a TL072 (Ti), the tubescreamer a JRC4558, and the KoT a JRC4580D. So they all have different chips. The JRC4580D is used by most modern drive pedals, it is basically an updated version of the 4558
Just buy 2 Prince of Tones and tape them together! I got one use for $160, still figuring it all out, but like that OD selector switch is on the top.
I think you guys should redo this video. It sounds so muddy at times. You can tell this is an early episode before they had everything all ironed out as far as mics and sound. Now you guys got everything worked out and can really do these pedals justice! Who agrees?
Dan and Mick recently did a comparison of the D&M pedal and the KoT. They both sound great, but they are different sounds. The D&M sounds smoother than the KoT but not as interesting. But the D&M has better value for money.
New subscriber here. GREAT channel! As a pedal nerd, of course I love it, but the attention to detail that you put into the content reflects pure quality and is appreciated. Keep up the good work guys.
Great video. You made me buy a Moeller2 because it sounded so great :-)
They all sound good on this end, but KOT ahhhhh maybe it is that sunny face looking back at you.
Just signed up to buy this, see you guys in 2057.
did you actually get it yet? 2 years ago now.
did you actually get it yet? 2 years ago now.
@@grahamkelly8299 nope
@@burninglcd How high are you on waiting list. I assing today so.. just to know when I will get pedal
@@domagojzagorac6186 I'm about 1 year out exactly. So probably will still be a few more years.
While I wait out my King of Tone waitlist position, I'm stacking an Archer iKon into a Mooer Blues Crab (BB V1 clone). Really sweet tone!
wow.... love the way that Gretsch sings into feedback. Damn, now I have to get another guitar!! Thanks Dan :-)
keep up the good work... great show
I'm loving that Lazy J! I'm a big fan of using graphic eq's throughout my board and I'm pretty sure that with a nice graphic eq and something with comparable transient response you could do the KOT thing pretty easily. Any suggestions from my fellow TPS fans regarding pedals with KoT transients? I was thinking the J was a touch too quick, probably the T-Rex. I honestly can't wait to try the Keeley D+M drive... That looks really awesome!
Late to this video...BUT...the Tone City is $65 on Reverb. Is it as good? Probably not (it doesn't have all the options), but WOW it's pretty close. And the King of Tone is around $500 right now.
Hi, Mick and Dan! Yeah, I just want to add a vote for the JHS Morning Glory or the Double Barrel... the Morning Glory is a modded Bluesbreaker circuit, similar to the King of Tone, and it is one half of the JHS Double Barrel. I would really like to hear your opinion of it next to the Prince/ King of Tone!
Robert Simpson dude seriously did expect to see the double barrel as well :( I have one so I wanna know if it's worth getting a Kot.
Great video as usual!! Alternative worth a try is the Oddfellow Caveman v2 overdrive. Bought it while waiting on my king is f tone.... Now I use either.
The great feature with the caveman is the boost that you can assign post or pre overdrive guys you should really check it out!!!
Bought a Moller 2 based on this video.
Wow, love that Strat...
Keely Mod BD-1 is my personal fav. OD (through either my PV Classic 50 2x12, a truly amazing and under-rated amp IMO, or my Super Reverb/both as well) and has been on my board for over a decade now. Love the thing. I'd gladly run a KOT but I don't feel like spending teh cash or the time to get one so until I do the BD-1 does "me" perfectly.
Thanks for the great show aye. Cheers
If anyone is interesting in these kind of pedals but still prefer the ts808 sound, there is a new ts808dx. It's just a tube screamer with a boost. Very nice indeed.
Fantastic content as usual. If I were nitpicking though, and I'm sure many strat owners would agree, I would say there needed to be a tad more even distribution between LP and Strat
Amp 11 sold out! Hmmmm......I wonder why.
And thanks, guys, for helping turn my Strat / Deluxe Reverb into a tone machine. LOVE my Muffroom Cloud - and how I can dial in the warmth just so.
Never miss a show - You've got a growing following here in Northampton Massachusetts!
+cotepj thanks Cotepj, yeah, Muffroom, what a corker!
Fulltone does it for me. Sounds crisper at my end..👍🇦🇺
I got KOT nothing beats it ,I’m on the waiting list for another hope mine lasts till I get another .
Personally the King of Tone is still my favourite, though I must admit that the T.Rex is pretty excellent too. The only way I can qualify the difference is that I find the other choices to sound a little artificial to my ears. But hey, to each their own!
Have you heard that Way Huge are re-releasing the Camel Toe? There's another unique dual overdrive!
there is now a waiting list for the AMP11!
Hi Guys, excellent demo, Dan's playing with the Gretchw as just beautiful, as for the Pedals I loved the Amp 11 and the Tim Pierce absolutely killer tones!
+John Roberts ah, cheers John. Yep, such great sounding pedals paired with these amps :)
That Pedal Show, Thank you so much for your reply, much appreciated, I have a Spinal injury at the moment and need to lay down for several hours a day and being a Pedal junkie your Show really helps relieve the boredom, by the way Dan if you are ever in Melbourne, Australia I would love you to help me out with my Pedal Board :). Thank you again to both of you, Kind regards, take care.
Another alternative... Reverb.com and Ebay are full of people who sell handmade clones. Admittedly you are taking a chance but if you find a good builder, you can't get closer than the real deal... or, if they build to order, you have the chance to get mods built in that Analogman, for whatever reason, does not offer. I have about 1.5 years left before my name comes up to get a KOT. I ordered a clone from a Reverb seller last week. It shipped yesterday. I've bought from him before and can say his clones are very close to the originals. For my KOT clone, I also had him add a 2 way toggle on each side that gives me a second set of clipping diodes for each side. The difference between the diodes is subtle but noticeable from what I'm told. I can't wait to try it out.
I was thinking the same thing about not realizing how mid-humped the KoT is until you hear it in context. It's lower than a TS type pedal though; in the 600-800hz range I think. TS seems to be more 800-1kHz area.
Been on the waiting list for about 2 months. Should receive mine in about a year or so. Currently running an ARC Klone V2 as a first stage drive, even though it's not compressing much at all, then stacking a JHS sweet tea on top of that. Angry Charlie side set with the gain pretty low, below 10 o clock, for my rock sound then the 808 side stacked on top of the Klone for my country sound with single coils and blues sound with humbuckers. Can't wait to get a KOT to play around with too.
Just saw Tommy Emanuel played live here last weekend. His cadcading harmonic is unreal!
After a year and a half, my King of Tone is marked as "out for delivery" today and I am watching this video again to stoke the flames of my excitement.
+Grant Oliver you'll love it G ;)
I'm maybe 2-3 weeks away from my name coming up on the list...