Tone King Sky King User Manual
Tone King “Sky King”
Tone King “Sky King”
Tone King “Sky King”Tone King “Sky King”
User’s Manual
User’s Manual
User’s ManualUser’s Manual
1.4 8/25/2015
Tone King Amplifiers
A division of Premier Builders Guild LLC
4401 Eastern Avenue, Bldg 46-3G, Box 38
Baltimore, Maryland 21224
www.toneking.com
mail@toneking.com
Note from the Builde
Note from the Builderrrr
Note from the BuildeNote from the Builde
Thank you for choosing Tone King’s “Sky King” guitar amplifier. The Sky King is the
first handwired amplifier that we’ve built in 20 years. It was inspired by the desire to
dig deeper into the realm of genuine vintage guitar tones. Whether you’re chasing the
tone of Steve Cropper, Joe Maphis, Roy Buchannan, or any player that defines an iconic
vintage American guitar sound, the Sky King will get you there. In spite of its’ rich set
of features, the Sky King is quite simple to operate, and full of great tones - you won’t
need to do a lot of knob twiddling to get a great tone.
The Sky King is handbuilt by the fine team of builders at Premier Builders Guild’s
Rohnert Park, CA facility – the same crew that builds the Two Rock line of fine guitar
amplifiers. This crew works to the highest standards of quality, and every phase of
construction is subject to strict scrutiny and verification to ensure that every Tone King
amplifier is built exactly the way I build them myself.
I’ve composed this User’s Manual as a means of describing the features and operation
of the Sky King. If you have any questions which are not covered here, please feel free
to contact me personally at mail@toneking.com.
Best Regards,
Mark Bartel
Tone King Amplifiers, a division of Premier Builders Guild LLC
Safety Instructions (Important !)
Safety Instructions (Important !)
Safety Instructions (Important !)Safety Instructions (Important !)
1. Please read these instructions, and keep them for reference.
2. Please follow all instructions described here.
3. Do not use this apparatus near water.
4. Clean only with a dry cloth.
5. Do not block any ventilation openings.
6. Do not operate near any heat sources such as radiators or heat registers.
7. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at the plugs
and at the point where they exit from the apparatus.
8. Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.
9. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of
time.
10. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the
apparatus has been damaged in any way. For example, if the power supply cord or
plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the
apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has
been dropped.
11. CAUTION: To disconnect the unit completely from the MAINS, unplug the unit.
Turning the power switch off does not disconnect the unit completely from the MAINS.
1
Contents
Contents
ContentsContents
1. Front Panel Controls 3
Two Channels – Lead and Rhythm 3
Rhythm Channel 3
Lead Channel 4
Reverb 5
Tremolo (Rate & Depth) 5
2. Back Panel Controls 6
AC Power 6
Fuse 6
Power Switch, Standby Switch 6
Footswitch 6
Speaker Jacks, Impedance Switch 7
Output Mode 7
Attenuation Controls 8
Notes on Using the Attenuator 8
3. Tube Installation and Replacement 9
Choice of Tube Types and Brands 9
12AX7 Tubes 9
6L6 Tubes 10
5U4 Tubes 10
Installing Tubes 10
Replacing Output Tubes 10
Tube Quality 11
4. Warranty 12
2
1. Front Panel Controls
1. Front Panel Controls
1. Front Panel Controls1. Front Panel Controls
Two Preamp Channels
Two Preamp Channels ———— Lead and Rhythm
Two Preamp Channels Two Preamp Channels
The Sky King has two separate preamplifier channels, each with its own unique voicing.
You can switch between the channels with either the “Lead/Rhythm” switch (on the
front panel) or with the “Channel” switch on the footswitch. When using the footswitch,
you should set the front panel switch to the “Rhythm” position. You’ll notice that the
LED on the footswitch indicates the channel selected. When the LED is lit, the Lead
channel is selected. When the LED is not lit, the Rhythm channel is selected.
Rhythm Channel
Rhythm Channel
Rhythm ChannelRhythm Channel
Lead and Rhythm
Lead and Rhythm Lead and Rhythm
The Rhythm channel includes controls for Volume, Treble, and Bass. This channel is
designed to deliver a “vintage 1960’s clean tone” – the type of tone you might associate
with a well known brand of amplifier made in California during that period. This tone
is characterized by a crisp, present top end, a slightly “scooped” midrange, and a full
bottom end. As will be noted later, this general type of tone can take on two distinct
flavors, depending on the setting of the “Mode” switch on the back panel. Pentode mode
will give you a sound and response that you would expect from a genuine vintage amp
of this type, with a crisp and present top end, and fast attack, and lots of clarity and
transparency. Ultralinear mode recalls a sound from an earlier period of vintage amps.
In this mode, you will get a sound with a softer attack and increased depth and
dimension, and a nice compliant “feel”. The top end will become rounder, smoother,
and silkier. One other thing to note is that the overall gain of the amplifier is reduced
significantly in Ultralinear mode, so you will need to compensate by adjusting the
Volume control.
The Bass and Treble controls act much like they would on a genuine vintage amp of
this type. The Sky King is a bit unique in that you’ll find a wide range of usable tones
at just about any setting of the Bass and Treble controls, but here are a few sample
settings to get you started:
1960s Clean Tone
1960s Clean Tone
1960s Clean Tone 1960s Clean Tone
Volume Treble Bass Mode (back panel)
6 Pentode
6 Ultralinear
3 4
Old
Old----School Clean Tone
School Clean Tone
OldOld
School Clean Tone School Clean Tone
Volume Treble Bass Mode (back panel)
5 5
3
Lead Channel
Lead Channel
Lead ChannelLead Channel
The Lead channel starts out with a Tweed style preamp, which drives a proprietary
tone-shaping circuit built around the Mid-Bite control, a unique Tone King feature.
This proprietary circuit transforms the basic tweed tone to more of a crunchy rock tone
as you turn up the mid-bite control. This is accomplished by simultaneously tightening
up the bass, rolling off the very high frequencies, increasing the gain, and developing a
pronounced upper midrange peak. The Mid-Bite control is the key to dialing in your
own particular sound on the lead channel, so you may want to experiment and observe
its effect as you rotate it from 1 to 9.
The setting of the “Mode” switch on the back panel will have a big effect on the tone
and feel of the amp in the Lead channel. In Pentode mode, the amp will be brighter and
edgier, with a tighter, more percussive response. In Ultralinear mode, the overdive will
be thick and syrupy, with a more elastic feel. One other thing to note is that the overall
gain of the amplifier is reduced significantly in Ultralinear mode, so you will need to
compensate by adjusting the Volume control.
When you are using the attenuator to reduce the volume of the lead channel, you’ll
notice that the speaker acts differently at low volume than it does at high volume. At
low volume, you don’t get the benefit of speaker breakup and compression to smooth
and round out the distortion tone. A good way to compensate for this is to use
Ultralinear mode when attenuating to very low volume.
Here are a few sample settings which demonstrate just a few of the tones available with
the Lead channel:
Old Style Tweed Clean
Old Style Tweed Clean
Old Style Tweed CleanOld Style Tweed Clean
Mode Volume Tone Mid-Bite
Ultralinear 4 5 1
Cranked Tweed
Cranked Tweed
Cranked TweedCranked Tweed
Mode Volume Tone Mid-Bite
Pentode 5 4 1.5
Rock Grind
Rock Grind
Rock GrindRock Grind
Mode Volume Tone Mid-Bite
Pentode 7 5 6
Thick, Chunky Mids
Thick, Chunky Mids
Thick, Chunky MidsThick, Chunky Mids
Mode Volume Tone Mid-Bite
Ultralinear 7 5 9
4
Loading...