Has anyone tried the new Tone King Imperial tri tube preamp? Between all the youtube buzz and a guitar friend hyping this thing up I thought I would give it a go. I'm 2 days in and can't really see what all the hype is/was about. I'm sending DI to a PA system just like the kemper player, and must say I still prefer the Kemper (MB Matchless profiles). Could it just be the " its got real tubes placebo"? I'm gonna keep messing around with it but so far the Kemper isn't getting replaced.
To my taste, this is another one of those amps I've tried before. Whether it's the Universal Audio UAFX, BluGuitar, Friedman IR-X, Koch Amps 63'OD, or now the Tone King, you name it, they're gear for tube enthusiasts, but for me, they're too inflexible. Anyone who only needs two sounds and likes playing with glass tubes might be happy with them.
But not me, maybe for an old-style blues rocker.
Could it just be the " its got real tubes placebo"? I'm gonna keep messing around with it but so far the Kemper isn't getting replaced.
I think this is 100% the case. Some folks will just never, ever give up tubes. And I get it to some degree ... I used fantastic tube amps for decades and i do miss them. But dropping a few 12ax7's in a pedal is not the same ... especially the TK's bit about a 12ax7 phase inverter replicating power amp tubes and iron characteristics. Silly.
I keep saying that the amp bit is not the weak link when comparing to real tubes. It’s a bit of room and a real dynamic behaviour of the speaker & cab. I think the UA pedals have a bit of an edge with regards to room, but not sure their cabs are more than a single IR. They sound and feel great though.
I like playing my pedal board with a few drives/boosts and effects built around a Lion68. In fact my kemper has been off for a week and I played that. But I will be back on the K for convenience and flexibility - and Kone/Imprint system of course (which to some extent adresses what I mentioned).
Still hoping for the next big innovation for what is after the amp.
The demos sounds really good, but probably nothing you can't already do with our kempers.
can't talk about the pedal , but judging by the NAM free collection available on tone3K , the amp sounds really great & interesting , it's seen as one of the best pedal platform and has some killer fender tones.
