Description
Tone King Amp Visionary Mark Bartel On The Design of the New Sky King
“In 2012 I came out with the Falcon, where I got deep into some old school, Tweed meets Supro kind of tones. I really liked that direction and had a lot of fun with that amp, which is just so much fun to play. This year my goal was to create a bigger format amp that takes the Falcon recipe and applies it to more familiar voicings, like those of the Imperial. The Sky King layout is similar to the Imperial. It’s just that the tone is a kind of a combination of the Imperial and the Falcon.
I took the voicings of the Imperial, which cover a lot of ground – you get that nice 1960’s Blackface kind of sound for the cleans, and the lead channel goes from a real nice tweed to an early Marshall kind of thing – and just gave that the mojo and texture that I have with the Falcon, that just makes it so fun to play.
And there’s a bonus: I added a pentode/ultralinear switch, to deliver those old vintage voicings but also modern voicings. So you can get all that funky mojo but you can also switch over to pentode mode and get a nice, crisp, sharp attack.
The Sky King’s basic clean tone is a lot like the Imperial, but when you play it you can hear that it doesn’t quite have the Imperial’s sharpness. Instead, the Sky King has this real rounded quality; this real syrupy kind of thing – like what you have with the Falcon. But the cool thing is that you can get the Imperial kind of thing as well. Just go to Pentode and you’ll get that real nice, 1960’s Fender-style sharp attack.
The Sky King’s lead channel tones are much like the Imperial. It’s got that same kind of mid-bite thing. If you turn it all the way down it’s a little more tweed, but you’ve got 6L6’s, so it’s going to give you a little different sound, with a little more beef to it. You can really hear the compression in the Sky King, too. Just like the Imperial, you can crank the mid-bite up and it brings up a peak in the upper midrange, tightens up the bass – but you still get that range.
And then there’s the built-in Ironman attenuator. It adds real value to this amp in its own right, but I took it a step further and gave it dual attenuation controls; one control for the rhythm channel and the other for the lead channel so you can match up the attenuation to perfectly meet your needs.”
Product Features
- Tubes: 6L6GC (x2), 12AX7(x4), 12AT7, 5U4G
- Output Power: 35W
- Speakers: 1×12 Celestion G12M65 Creamback
- Footswitch: Channel Switch and Tremolo
- Reverb: Tube Driven Spring Reverb
- Tremolo: Tube Driven
- Attenuator: Ironman Attenuator Built In
- Colors: Black, Brown and Cream
- Weight: 48 Pounds
- Size: 24″ x 12″ x 18″
Shipping & Returns
Free ShippingMost orders over $99.00 ship for free inside the lower 48 states. Certain items that are large and heavy do not qualify for free shipping.
We Ship Worldwide!For information on International Shipping, please call, email or use live chat for rates. Orders shipping outside the Lower 48 States to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and international orders do not qualify for free shipping. Orders shipping to U.S. Military APO/FPO addresses, PO Boxes, and US territories (Guam, Virgin Islands, etc.) can only ship USPS. NOTE: Boxes over 70 lbs each cannot be shipped to these locations.
As a security precaution, orders over $200.00 will only ship to the address your credit card company has on file for you.
*Korg and Mesa/Boogie products are only available for shipment within the USA.
ReturnsWe want you to be completely happy with your purchase, so we offer a 48 hour approval period on most purchases (see exclusions below). The 48 hour approval period begins when your purchased item is delivered to your door. If after 48 hours you’re not happy with the item, just contact us via phone, email or live chat on our website to arrange for a return authorization (RA#) and return shipping instructions. Any package sent back without prior authorization will be refused.
Returns must be shipped back to us within two days of the RA being issued. Items must come back to us undamaged and in the same condition they were shipped out. All manuals, paperwork, cables, tremolo arms, wrenches, etc… must be included or full credit will not be issued. Any items not conforming to this policy will be subject (at our discretion) to a restocking fee of 20% of the purchase price.
Refunds will be issued minus all related shipping expenses, if free shipping was initially given, the cost we incurred to get the item to you will be deducted from your refund. A 10% restock fee will also be deducted from your refund. Restock fees will be waived for full value exchanges.
Here are exceptions to our return policy.
- Custom orders of any kind are non returnable and non refundable. We often charge a deposit before we will place a custom or special order. All special order deposits are NON REFUNDABLE, no exceptions.
- Microphones, Harmonicas, In-Ear Systems and any other items that come into contact with your mouth or ears.
- Items labeled as BLOWOUT, are non-returnable. These are often being sold below cost and are considered “all sales final”.
- Software (this may also include hardware that includes software), unless still in shrink wrap with barcode affixed.
- Guitar strings, blank media, and other disposable merchandise.
- Guitar or bass pickups that have been installed or used in any way.
- Any item advertised as “USED” is non returnable.
*Payments for music lessons are non refundable, no exceptions.
View our detailed Return Policy here.
Early Order CancellationAll deposits are non refundable. Lots of our products are special orders and in many cases your order has to be built for you at the factory. This is what makes a lot of our products special. Once your order is started, it's being put together just for you. For this reason we ask that you don't cancel your order after you place it with us. If for some reason you absolutely have to cancel your order with us, we will assess you a 25% cancellation charge. This amount is equal to 25% of your total order amount. Ask us before you place your order to see if what you're purchasing is considered a special order.
Damaged MerchandiseDo not accept your shipment if the package shows any signs of external damage. After the item is returned to us we will ship you a replacement. If you receive incorrect or defective merchandise, please call 781-335-0700 within 5 days for a return authorization number.
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