Analog Man presents KING OF TONE overdrive pedal
King of Tone Version 4.
Here is some info on the KoT Saga
This is the story so far
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Reader's digest version :
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Hand made in the USA
Analog Man, in collaboration with Jim Weider, have come out with the pedal we have been looking for for many years - the King Of Tone (KoT). There are many overdrive pedals on the market, but none of them have been quite right, preserving the tone of the guitar and adding the right amount of overdrive without compromise. There are some good clean boosts available, but they just don't have enough drive to really give your amp the distortion you often want. There are some newer OD pedals that have a great frequency response, but to me they sound too DRY, sterile, and cardboardy. That is where the King Of Tone pedal comes in - it has enough warm overdrive but still preserves the tones of your quality guitars and amps.
Jim had been using an original TS-808 for well over 20 years, it's now housed in a 1980s TS9 case after Rick Danko stepped on it at a concert that THE BAND played. Jim likes the tone of his TS-808, but has always found it loses some low end and is a bit too heavy in the mids. I also love TS808s and have sold thousands of TS9s with our TS808 mods. But sometimes I have wished for a less compressed, more open and natural sound with more of the guitar's actual tone, or as Jim says "you can hear the note better". A Tube Screamer makes it easier to play and sound good due to the compression and vocal midrange boost, but a master player like Jim would often prefer less coloration to allow his techniques and superb tone to get through.
The King Of Tone overdrive was designed to take an amp at reasonable settings, and make it sound like it would sound if it were naturally driven to pure, smooth, tube distortion. It was fine tuned with Jim's 1960s Fender Deluxe Reverb amp to duplicate the sound when his amp is singing, but at lower volume settings - to simulate the natural tube amp distortion of preamp and power tubes. It does the same thing on other amps like Vox, Marshall, etc, making them sing in their own voice. Jim's amp was modified by our good friend the late Cesar Diaz, and is about the best sounding Fender amp I have heard. Later on, I tested the KoT on my own 1966 Deluxe Reverb amp. My amp is stock, and does not sound that great when it's cranked up. It gets loud but not very warm or singing, a little harsh. My amp sounds MUCH better using the KoT for overdrive, then it sounds very close to Jim's amp.
The KoT is one of the few overdrive pedals available that is NOT based on a Tube Screamer circuit. It does not have a huge amount of distortion. In OD mode, it has a little less drive available than a Tube Screamer. It has quite a bit more volume available than a Tube Screamer and The TONE control has a similar range. The KoT has less compression than a tube screamer, and also does not boost the mids or cut the low end as much.
Once we had a prototype that Jim liked and used on stage several times, I emailed the circuit to my collaborator in Japan, Ohbayashi san, and he tried several ideas I gave him. CAMTAC Ohbayashi san has a suberb ear for details like capacitor and chip selection and came up with some great ideas for the pedal- a chip and diodes that made it sound even better! The special JRC chip he preferred was designed for audio tone controls, and has a warm yet clear sound. The diodes are more open sounding, for a stronger, clearer, less compressed sound and more volume. All the nuances of your playing and each string of the guitar will come through clearly.
For more info on this pedal in Japanese language, please check out Ohbayashi san's King Of Tone page.
The Version 4 King of Tone was developed in late 2005 due to popular demand for seperate controls for each channel of the original 4 knob KoT. The original KoT was one overdrive circuit, with 2 channels, having seperate volume controls and internal configurations. Almost all "dual overdrive" pedals available are like this. The Ver4 KoT is actually TWO overdrive pedals in one box, one on each side. Each side has an on/off switch, LED, and three independant knobs. Each side also has configuration DIP switches and a TREBLE trim pot on the inside. Having two actual overdrive circuits allows you to use both pedals at once, in series, for even more possible tones and levels of drive!
Each side has it's own Volume, Drive, and Tone control and LED. We use SUPER BRIGHT Yellow and Red LEDs so you can easily tell which channel is selected. In addition, there is a TREBLE BOOST knob on the inside of the pedal. This is a small knob or trimpot which can be turned by hand or with a pick or small screwdriver. Jim does not need more treble for his Tele, but I found it allowed some superb tones with my '59 reissue Les Paul through my '69 Marshall amp, similar to the sweet yet biting tones of Michael Bloomfield (I believe he used a Fender Twin amp with his famous 1959 sunburst).
There is also a four position configuration DIP switch on the inside of the KoT which you can use to choose between Clean, OD, and DISTORTION modes for each side. I designed this switch to allow almost anyone to be able to find the exact sounds they want. This picture shows the factory settings. It is two pairs of two switches, the left two switches are for the red side and the right two for the yellow side. You can set either side to normal OD mode or CLEAN mode by moving it's OD/CLEAN dip switch (switch 1 or 3). You can set either side for additional distortion, with the DIST dip switches (2 and 4). When you turn one of these DIST switches ON you get significantly more and harder distortion, and a little less volume. When the DIST switch is on you can't get the normal OD or CLEAN modes on that side. See the manual for specific information on setting the DIP switches.
The modes are:
1) Normal Overdrive mode (OD mode): This is the standard King Of Tone sound, which Jim likes best- a little less drive available than a tube screamer. Factory DIP switch setting has this mode on the right (red) channel. This mode can get about 4 times louder than a tube screamer if desired.
2) CLEAN mode : This mode has less drive, can be used for clean boosts or clearer, louder sounds. It's like a clean boost with an overdrive knob. CLEAN MODE is even less compressed than the standard OD mode. The factory DIP switch setting uses this mode on the left (yellow) channel. This mode can get twice as loud as the OD mode. You can think of the clean mode as the OD mode with the overdrive removed, allowing louder, clearer tone. But the drive knob still functions and can add some drive to the sound, and volume as it's turned up.
3) DISTORTION mode : This mode has more drive than the standard OD mode- a touch of hard distortion. The sound is more compressed, yet retains the King Of Tone character. This mode can get about twice as loud as a tube screamer. Think of this mode as a cross between a Boss DS-1 distortion and OD-1 overdrive, with more clarity. We recommend most players use the OD and CLEAN modes. While the DIST mode sounds great, and I like to use it on certain occasions, it does not allow the pedal to get it's absolute BEST tones. You can put an aged single malt Scotch whisky on ice, but it would be a shame to dilute it! The DIST mode is better with the HIGHER GAIN option. it's best to turn the OD dip switch down when using the DIST mode, especially with the higher gain option.
Either side can be set to any of the three modes, with the DIP switches. I recommend setting the right side for most distorted sounds and the left for cleaner, then when used together you get more of a volume boost. But if you want more distortion and compression, you can try it the other way around too.
At low DRIVE settings, or when playing softly, there is not much difference between the three modes- they all clean up very nicely. This pedal cleans up a lot better than a Tube Screamer type pedal, if you play softly or turn your guitar down they will not have the underlying fuzziness that most pedals have.
On the left is King of Tone pedal number 1, used by Brad Whitford on Aerosmith's late 2003 and 2004 tours of the USA. Click on the picture for more info. He was still using it when I saw his board in 2006. Other early users of this pedal were Mark Karan, Dave Malone from The Radiators, Steve Kimock, Andy Powell and Ben Granfelt of Wishbone Ash , and Al and Chuck from moe. Also Sid McGinnis has been using it on the David Letterman show, and likes running it in front of his wah sometimes for a really cool tone when they play some Clapton tunes. I sent Sid several chips to try (he loves tweeking!) and he likes the TS-808's JRC4558D chip in his KoT with his 50s Strats and Teles into his tweed amps. On the right is part of Dave Malone's pedalboard from January 2004, with the King of Tone nestled between his old reliable TS9/808 and Analog Man Clone Chorus. The KoT works great along with a tube screamer for some extra drive and thickness. Click on it for some more pictures of him from the show.
In spring 2004 Noel Gallagher from Oasis got one and is using it a lot along with his mini bicomp and DD-6 with high cut mod. Scott Coney from the George Jones band was lucky to score a used one and it replaced his KLON. John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls got one in early 2006 and I hope to see it on tour promoting his new CD. John said It's amazing, I love the articulation I still get even though it's distorted (heavy but not metal) and the boost is perfect for solos. Rontrose Heathman of the Supersuckers told me he loves his ver2 KoT pedal that he got for Christmas. John Platania has been using his Ver2 KoT pedal with Van Morrison and Chip Taylor among his other projects. Toshihiro Sumitomo of the Japanese band BLUESTONE COMPANY has been using his KoT Ver4 for his awesome slide guitar work on tour along with Chris Duarte. He is also using our AR20DL analog delay and TS808/silver pedals. David Bryson from Counting Crows loves his and got a second one for the studio. Pat Travers has one for studio use, he does not use dirt boxes for live playing though. Rogers Stevens of Blind Melon got a KoT from us in 2007 and says he pretty much left it on all the time since getting it, recording their new album. Shayne Hill from Sawyer Brown used a V2 KoT for three years, then got a Ver4 in late 2007. He wrote: I think I have owned every pedal made Mike, and this KoT Ver4 is far and away my favorite overdrive ever..... period. . Kenny Wayne Shepherd got one from me on the Experience Hendrix tour and it was steadily on his pedalboard in 2008. I brought Doyle Bramhall II a KoT when I saw Kenny in '08 and Doyle was using it on his Arc Angels tour in 2009.
Luther Dickinson joined the Black Crowes for their 2008
tours and grabbed a KoT before heading overseas for the first legs.
He wrote me:
Hey! Just got home. We went 'round the world and the
King Of Tone sounded great thru every crazy backline
amp I had! It saved the day! Thanks, bro! LAD. Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes
got one from Jim Weider while at Levon Helm's studion in Woodstock, and used it on a few tracks
of their 2009 album. Rich was using it along with just a wah when I saw them
play their last live show at the barn on 3/7/09, which was also recorded for
the album and maybe a DVD. J Mascis has some KoT pedals that he uses live
for his clean (!) tones, with the higher gain option of course.
Mick Jones (Foreigner) is using one live with his JCM 900 SL-X, and in the studio, along with his Analog Man chorus.
Marc Ribot got a ver2 KoT in 2008, he's a killer player! I first saw him with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on the CROSSROADS TV show, strangling leads out of his old 1950s Harmony guitar. He got a Ver4 as a backup in 2009 and said, can't tell you how much I enjoy the analogman pedal. As far as i'm concerned, its the best distortion ever. Marc used the Kot on Plant/Krauss ‘raising sand’, The new Marriane Faithfull and Joe Henry albums, Upcoming Norah Jones, Grace Potter, Jakob Dylan, plus everything he's done with John Zorn in the last three years.
Buddy Miller, the other Plant/Krauss electric guitarist, has an awesome new Buddy and Julie album called Written in Chalk. Buddy got a KoT in 2009 and said he was taking it on the road along with his Bicomp after he recovered from his heart surgery. Another Nashville player, Brent Mason, has been seen with his V4 KoT in recording sessions and borrowing Sol Philcox's KoT pedal when he plays out. Sol is a Nashville session player and lead guitarist for Jake Owen. Sol said, I''ve never known of a pedal to record the way the KOT does. It does something to guitar tones that's just phenomenal. Sol has both sides set to the BOOST mode to push each other and the amp.
And yet ANOTHER awesome Nashville axe-slinger, Bill Hullett, wrote:
You once again have created a pedal that once you hear & try it you'll wonder how you did without it!!
The complaint that everyone always has about distortion pedals is that they sound fizzy or buzzy
and you tweek and tweek and if you're lucky you find something tolerable at best and you
have to weld the knobs down to ever use the thing....
With the King Of Tone you can tweek and tweek and all you get is a boatload of great
variances of world class amp style distortion....It sags and breaths just as if the amp were
creating it!! and the touch sensitivity of the pedal is light years above anything I've
ever plugged into to try and get distortion !!!! Thank You for designing and building this!
Brian Wooten (Trace Adkins band) got one in 2008 and sent in in for the higher gain option in 2009.
Here is Sid McGinnis playing with the Jim Weider band.
Sid has both channels set to the CLEAN setting.
He has the TREBLE BOOST trim pot
turned up a bit, to keep his 50s strat bright and clean on the bridge/middle
pickup position which he uses for noise reduction. He uses the volume
control on his strat to either get a REALLY clean sound, or cranked
for some drive. He goes to his Boss DS-1/Pro (analog man PRO mod) for
even more distortion. His DS1/pro is set for minimum gain so it's still not very
distorted. The SIDTONE tweed deluxe clone he made does not
have a lot of headroom, so it does not need much gain from pedals.
But the King of Tone pedals works great for it.
Sid has been using his NKT SUNFACE more often lately,
along with his Fender custom shop low power Tweed Twin amp
or his modified bandmaster SID-TONE amps.
Here are more pictures of
Sid and Jim from June, 2004.
Here is a note from
Carl Verheyen, one of the tastiest players ever :
"I've always believed that the guitarists that get a huge distortion sound using nothing but single coil pickups are usually the ones with the most original and identifiable tones. That's because it's harder to find the perfect combination of guitar-pedal-amp that gives you the saturation needed to play freely, and yet still hear all the notes with clarity. The Analogman KoT pedal fits right into that mold, and gives you 2 separate options as well. I also use the Beano pedal for a super tone-full boost. Thanks Mike for having such great ears!"
Carl Verheyen 2008
Carl emailed me again in mid '09:
"Just a quick note to tell you I am REALLY DIGGING the King of Tone!
That pedal gets better with every use and I sure appreciate being on board. You so rock!
Thanks again for everything,
Carl
Warren DeMartini (Ratt) got a KoT in early 2010 and wrote John Levin (Dokken) turned me on to it and it's smoking hot!!! A few months later, Guitar World magazine did an equipment diagram for Warren and his King of Tone pedal was featured.
There are some videos and a few mp3 files HERE sorry we are working on more but making pedals is taking priority. Also it sounds so different on each amp that we will need to get several amps together to give you a good idea of the capabilities.
Here is a video of Buddy Whittington playing with John Mayall's bluesbreakers. He is playing a friend's '52 Tele and Carmen Ghia amp with the red channel of the KoT. He usually uses just an amp's distortion, but playing in small clubs he is often using a Carmen Ghia with the KoT to add a lot of versatility to the amp at lower volumes.
Here is a video of Jim Weider playing it through his Fargen JW40 amp.
Here is a video from Jim Weider's 2009 PULSE album, Squirrels in Paris, using both sides of the KoT for the melody parts (around the one minute mark), and an upcoming Analog Man distortion pedal on the leads around the 3 minute mark. This album was recorded live in the studio with his Fargen head into an old Marshall 4x12 cabinet.
Here is a clip from Doug Doppler
which will be on his GET KILLER TONE dvd series. It's an Ibanez S470
into our KoT Red Side (overdrive setting) with the Drive knob up high
and tone at 12:00, through a '59 Bassman reissue.
KOT Here Down with the Tone
The next clip has both sides of the KoT on, with both drives up high. Doug
played with his fingers and the bar to get some extra gain and grit.
AnalogMan KOT BecKing
Nick Sterling got a KoT in 2009 and wrote:
The King of Tone is one incredible pedal! With two independent gain/boost channels that both have a ton of vibe, just the right amount of saturation, and a great sense of the player’s dynamics, it is awesome! It’s such a pure sounding boost, it just makes your tone bloom and fill out so very nicely while not affecting the overall feel, just accenting it. I really like the way that it is so touch sensitive; from clean to gain all with my right hand. It’s got a great clean boost and just enough drive for leads. I thought that the clean side almost had a Voxy type crunch to my ears. I have yet to tweak the internal dip switches, honestly because I’m totally diggin it just the way it is! Killer Pedal!!!”
Nick Sterling Endorsement Courtesy Of Paidas Management www.paidasmanagement.com.
There is a good review of the pedal for more info on how it works and sounds at Peerless Tone.com
FEATURES and price
We don't make many of these with options as almost everything is available on the standard Ver4.
We can put the HIGHER GAIN option on either side, or both sides. A lot of people run the DRIVE knob on the OD side up all the way- with this mod you can reach the perfect setting if you wanted it to go up a little higher. Even the CLEAN mode with the higher gain option sounds great with the drive up all the way- cool, responsive distortion without the clipping/limiting/compression of most overdrive pedals. And of course it really helps to make the DISTORTION mode sound bigger and thicker.
I recommend the higher gain option on your OD side for almost everyone. Setting the red side to OD and the yellow to clean boost (our factory setting) will give a louder sound when you kick on the boost - boost after OD increases volume. Setting the yellow side to OD and the red to boost will add more drive when you kick on the OD - boost before OD adds distortion.
We do not have a kit for modifying your own pedal, as it requires complete disassembly of the board and some tricky desoldering. But we can mod your existing Ver4 6 knob KOT with the higher gain option. No charge for the higher gain mod if you send in another pedal to mod or buy another pedal. Otherwise it's our $40 min bench charge plus S & H, for either or both sides modified. The Higher Gain option is $10 per side extra at time of ordering a new pedal.
When you reach the top of the list you can ask about availability of these options if they are not listed on the website ordering page.
We made up a special purple with gold KoT shirt, here is a picture of one of our KoT builders modeling it. These are available with your KoT when you reach the top of the list. Kot Shirt Guy
Thanks for your patience!
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