TONE KING Sky King Combo – Black Tone King

The Sky King is a 1 x 12” combo that sings with American tones of the 1950s and 60s. This 35W hand-wired amp features Rhythm and Lead channels that are voiced after the glassy elegance of the original blackface-style design and the unmistakable warm bark of the tweed-covered titans. Give the Lead channel’s Mid-Bite control a spin and you’ll discover tighter sounds reminiscent of some equally iconic amps from across the pond. Add in foot-switchable tremolo and a custom-voiced bias-modulated tremolo circuit and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more flexible amplifier that accurately reproduces everything we love about the vintage American tone of yesteryear.

The innovative back panel controls allow you to further enhance the amplifier’s inherent character. A mode switch selects between Pentode and Ultra-Linear performance on both channels. Pentode offers familiar clarity and transients, while Ultra-Linear allows the amp to sag and react to every note you play. This flagship amp boasts not one, but two of the incredibly popular Ironman II reactive power attenuators – one for the clean channel and one for the Lead channel. This unprecedented control allows you to dial in the perfect performance-to-volume balance, no matter the gig.

A lesson in American tone

Both foot-switchable channels boast a no-nonsense 3-knob control layout – but that’s where the similarities end. The Rhythm channel is carefully sculpted to sing with ‘60s era cleans and chime. The Lead channel, on the other hand, handles the harmonically rich midrange of ‘50s tweed amps and can be crafted into old-school, British-style Lead voices.

• Rhythm channel controls: Volume, Bass, Treble
• Lead channel controls: Volume, Tone, Mid-Bite
• Mid-Bite control tightens the low end for added punch and cut

Changing character with the flip of a switch

The Sky King features a powerful Mode switch that swings the amp between Pentode and Ultra-Linear operations. Choose Pentode for the feel and clarity that is found in the majority of amps around the world. Flip over to Ultra-Linear mode to give the amplifier a warmer, rounder sound with plenty of elastic response to enhance your picking style.

• Pentode mode offers a faster attack and more defined highs
• Ultra-Linear mode delivers richer lower-order harmonics and a softer feel
• Ultra-Linear mode reduces the amplifier’s gain and may need to be compensated with the preamp volume control

Ironman II reactive attenuation

The dual Ironman II power attenuators aboard the Sky King offer even more flexibility allowing maxed tube tones from gigging to home-friendly levels. Using our reactive load technology, your amp will sound and respond the same at any volume.

• 6-step attenuation adjusts the power from 35 watts down to around 1 watt
• Reactive load technology maintains the feel and response of your guitar amplifier
• Independent attenuation for Rhythm and Lead channels

Onboard spring reverb and tremolo

The tube-driven circuit and old-school controls of the spring reverb and bias-modulated tremolo found in the Sky King, gloriously re-create the thick, splashing and pulsating tones which defined the sound of vintage American-voiced combos for generations.

• Bias modulation tremolo circuit delivers vintage-style pulse – foot-switchable
• Tube-driven spring reverb with wide-ranging control
• Effects carefully tuned to balance across the two channels

SPECS:

35W, 1×12 Two Channel Combo

Speakers:

Custom Voiced “Tone King 1660” by Celestion

Preamp:

2 channel (Rhythm, Lead), Foot-switchable

Rhythm channel controls: Volume, Treble, and Bass

Lead channel controls: Volume and Tone

Reverb:

Tube Driven spring reverb

Full spring 2-spring reverb pan

Tremolo:

Bias modulation type tremolo circuit

Footswitch controllable

Controls:

Attenuation level (Rhythm), Attenuation Level (Lead)

Attenuation steps: 0db, -3db, -9db, -15db, -24db, -36db

Dual attenuation controls (one for each preamp channel)

Footswitch:

Two button Footswitch (channel, tremolo)

LED status indicators

Operation Mode Switch:

Controls operating mode of output tubes: Ultra-Linear or Pentode mode

Tubes:

4 x 12AX7, 1x 12AT7, 2 x 6L6GC, 1 x 5AR4

Output Stage:

2 x 6L6GC, cathode biased, no negative feedback, selectable ultra-linear/Pentode mode

Output Power:

35W RMS

Speaker Impedance:

8 Ohms

Ironman Attenuator Design Features:

Precision tuned frequency compensated reactive load

Dimensions:

24″ x 12″ x 18″ – 60 LBS