Tone King Royalist MKIII 40-Watt 1×12″ Tube Guitar Combo Amp

Manufacturer’s Description

The original Royalist was the first Tone King amp to offer the best elements of British tone and was one of the company’s most beloved amps.  The new Royalist MKIII is a 40-watt, two-channel, all-tube, 1×12” combo that expands on that legacy by faithfully reproducing early British tones ranging from the sweet, singing JTM45, to the iconic “Plexi” sound, all the way to the raging “Super Lead”. The Royalist MKIII authentically captures the vintage nature of these iconic amplifiers, delivering tones that span from clean to edge-of-breakup, to the bright-crunchy leads found on countless classic rock tracks that helped shape music history. The built-in IronMan II attenuator on each of the channels features a tuned reactive load and special compensation circuitry that allows the power tubes to be fully driven, yet only allowing a fraction of the volume through the speaker.

The built-in Iron Man II attenuator on each of the channels features a tuned reactive load and special compensation circuitry that allows the power tubes to be fully driven, yet only allowing a fraction of the volume through the speaker.

The Royalist MKIII offers three inspiring new features:

• Two channels with independent Volume and PULL FAT feature.
• Three-way 1964, 1967 and 1970 voicing switch, assignable to each channel.
• Tone King’s legendary Iron Man II attenuator, one for each channel, with HF switch.

All-Tube Signal Path

The Royalist MKIII features an all-tube signal path with three 12AX7A preamp tubes and two EL34 power tubes. In addition to the output tubes, a 5AR4 rectifier tube delivers the authentic “sag” feel and response which is signature of classic British amps. 

Independent Volume Controls with FAT Option

The Volume for both Channel A and Channel B features a PULL FAT option which changes the feel of the amplifier by delivering more low-end frequencies on the first gain stage of the preamp. The FAT setting is ideal for a clean sound with a bit of bottom end or to add some juice if you are running overdriven.

Independent 3-Way Voicing Switch Per Channel

The 1964, 1967 and 1970 three-position voicing switch on each channel allows you to choose the particular preamp, tone stack and negative feedback (power amp) from three of the most iconic vintage British amps.  

• 1964 – delivers a balanced treble response, lower gain, and less aggressive attack inspired by a vintage JTM45 or Bluesbreaker.
• 1967 – delivers the crisp treble response and aggressive attack of a vintage “Plexi”.
• 1970 – this highest gain setting delivers the raging “Super Lead” sound.

Iron Man II Attenuator Per Channel

The Royalist MKIII is a non-master volume amp, and when pushed into distortion at full output power, delivers the complex harmonic spectrum which can only be obtained from a precise mix of preamp overdrive and power tube distortion. This combination is the key to the authentic tone and feel of a vintage British amplifier.  In the past, creating this sound authentically required floor-shaking output volumes.  The Royalist MKIII solves this problem by including two of Tone King’s legendary IRON MAN attenuators – one for each channel.

The Iron Man II attenuators feature a tuned reactive load and special compensation circuitry that preserves the natural sound and feel of the amplifier. The result is a much more transparent attenuation versus a conventional attenuator, allowing the amplifier’s output tubes to run at full output power while delivering only a selected fraction of that power to the speaker.

Using a complex tuned reactive load circuit, the Iron Man II simulates the frequency dependent impedance curve of a real speaker, avoiding a common pitfall found in most attenuators – a muffled, muddied sound lacking in presence and dynamics.

Proprietary circuitry compensates for the differences normally found in low volume tone versus high volume. The result is a very natural sounding attenuation producing deep, rich tones with presence, at even the lowest settings.

The two position HF switch lowers the high frequencies and gently emphasizes the mid-range, which can help soften the cut of a single coil pickup or add extra mid push to the sound.

Iron Man Attenuator Benefits

• Reactive load technology maintains the feel and response of your guitar amplifier.
• High frequency switch to correct for an overly bright amplifier.
• Independent attenuation for Channel A and Channel B.

Custom Celestion “1660” 12” Speaker

At the heart of the combo is a custom Tone King 12″ Celestion speaker which was carefully voiced to elicit the classic tone and response from the Royalist MKIII amp with complex overtones, rich vocal mid-range, beautifully detailed top-end and a warm low-end.

Line Out

A 1/4″ unbalanced line out jack is provided on the back panel of the amp, with an associated level control. The line out can be used to drive any line level input, such as a recording device or mixing console.

Specifications

• 40W All-Tube 1×12” Combo
• Two Channels with Volume Control and PULL FAT feature.
• Three-Position 1964, 1967 and 1970 Voicing Switch, Per Channel
• 6-Step Iron Man II Attenuator, Per Channel
• Wide Variety of Vintage British Tone
• Tubes
  • V1 = 12AX7 1st Stage Preamp Circuit (Channel A & B)
  • V2 = 12AX7 2nd Stage Preamp Circuit / Tone Stack
  • V3 = 12AX7 Phase Inverter
  • V4 & V5 = EL34 Power Amplifier
  • V6 = 5AR4 High Voltage Rectifier
• Speaker: Custom Celestion “1660” 12” Speaker
• Preamp: 2 Identical Channels, Foot-Switchable
• Shared Controls: Volume, Treble, Bass and Presence
• Volume Control with PULL FAT feature Per Channel
• Three-position 1964, 1967 and 1970 Voicing Switch Per Channel
• Iron Man II Attenuator
  • Precision tuned frequency compensated reactive load.
  • Dual attenuation controls (one for each channel)
  • Attenuation steps: 0db, -3db, -9db, -15db, -24db, -36db
• Footswitch: Single Button Channel Footswitch with LED Indicator, 25’ Instrument Cable Included
• Line Out: 1/4″ Unbalanced Line Out Jack with Level Control
• Speaker Impedance Select: 4, 8 or 16 Ohms
• Cabinet: Tongue and Groove Baltic Birch Construction
• Dimensions: Dimensions: 12” (L) x 24.5″ (W) x 21” (H)
• Weight: 59 LBS.