Tone King is one of those little known vintage amp companies that doesn’t go for big name recognition.  Instead, they focus on building the best quality amps they can.  Each and every piece has to be the best or it’s not going into a Tone King.  Every Tone King amp is hand built by Mark Bartel, the designer for the company.  He puts his all into each and every amp, so you know you’re getting a true masterpiece that’s going to sound amazing.  This means, however, that getting a Tone King amp can take quite some time since the products are not mass produced.

Tone King currently offers two different amps for sale The first is the Imperial.  This amp delivers all the great sounds of the 1950s and 1960s, and it looks the part, too.  It brings players that slightly spongy feel and raw tone that an amp this old should provide, but it is made with only the finest modern parts.  The Imperial is a 20 watt amp that is pretty lightweight.  It has two preamp channels, tremolo, and reverb, and it’s a very nice amp for small gigs or practicing at home.

The other Tone King amp is new for 2009, and it’s called the Metropolitan.  Tone King describes it as their finest amp ever, and it’s a completely new sound and design for the company.  It features a three-dimensional sound, a warm resonance, and a nice midrange chime.  The new cabinet design gives it an interesting new look, and the state of the art Phase-4 output power control, a Tone King exclusive, allows you to change the power level from 0.1 watts to the maximum of 40 watts for both the power tube overdrive and the distortion. (more...)

Debuting in 1993, the Tone King Imperial was created to deliver the classic sound of Fender Blackface and Tweed amps, and then bring that sound to a new level.

Mark Bartel, founder of Tone King, makes each amp by hand out of his shop in Baltimore, MD. His commitment to high caliber craftsmanship is evident in all of the woodworking, upholstery, chasis assembly and wiring operations which he does himself. To ensure the signature sound that these amps are known for, Mark chooses to work intimately with American producers to produce custom-made transformers and speakers. (more...)