Analog Man King of Tone

Here's the way I see this: If you can't figure out how to open this and change the dipswitches you might be considered a dipswitch yourself. Internal trim pots for fine tuning are similarily straight forward if found necessary. If Mike had these controls on top they would add too much to the price - be too fragile and space consuming etc etc. It works just fine as designed.

The sound quality is excellent. Period. Very transparent with my Strat and 66 Super Reverb, allowing sound of guitar to come through on all settings. Here's the deal - every high end OD I have ever bought (Klon, Eternity, etc) all have a unique and wonderful sound. The AC Plus is a very simlar pedal - but my ears prefer the KOT for what it does. What is killer about it IMHO is the combination of versatility, transparency and SOUND in one pedal. This is the grab and go pedal for a sit-in situation. I use the Red side for crunch and then punch it up with the Yellow for Lead - or the Yellow just to get a clean boost. But that's just me. The possibilities are legion.

As long as The Fridge doesn't get up and rap at my mic and stomp the thing by accident I am quite sure it will be fine.

I have never NOT gotten a response from the guys at AnalogMan - and they have even answered a question NOT related to their products. (But don't bug them too much or that will stop).

This is a great overdrive - and suits me just fine for all OD situations. I haven't tried the Distortion settings inside the pedal as OD is what I use on gigs.

Only reason I gave the Sound a 9 is that there is always something to shoot for sonically - and I don't want Mike to ever stop his Quest.

Just received the pedal by mail - of course, my review may be biased because this is a new toy.. Though, I've tried a lot if different ODs. Mine is stock with higher gain option on the right channel. Controls are obvious and simple.

custom shop les paul custom or custom shop fender time machine '60s strat -- fulltone clyde dlx -- peterson strobostomp -- KOT -- cusak screamer fuzzV2 -- ehx dlx memory man into DRRI.
Sound is perfect both with les paul and strat. combined with the screamer fuzz I get a bunch of very cool sounds - from crunch to dirtiest fuzzy distortion. It is not that I have been desperately waiting for 2 years for this pedal - but the bigger ehx English Muff'n and Graphic Fuzz are now going away from my pedalboard. They are very good pedals but their design is much of a luxury when you get on the road and don't have the roadies to carry your stuff.

I cannot judge so far. It looks pretty solid and reliable. Though, I use to OD/dist pedals all the time anyway.

The shipment was fast, this is a good sign.

I play blues, funk, some jazz, hard rock for about 11 years. I have tried a lot of different pedals and currently I tend to choose the pedals which work for me right away.. Tweaking is something you have to do with many of the pedals and you can really get great sounds but somehow I think a real thing should be staightforward..
My main OD pedals have been English Muff'n and the screamer fuzz. KOT can nail most of the settings range I used with the Muff'n, so, with more compact size and 2 channels it wins. Screamer fuzz stays in for the perfect controlled dirt it can produce. I find the pure fuzz pedals too "uncontrolled", this one is a compromise and a perfect match to KOT.
So, KOT is great but maybe a little overpriced and the whole situation with the waiting list is kind of.. looks like to much of a PR project. But it doesn't deprive the pedal of its qualities.

I just got the KoT4...no special gain or other options. I don't want to compete too much with the excellent review below by Stevo.

Very ez to use..

2 buttons woulda gotten a 9.
1...a 10...ha.

I will give this unit a 10...the sound is fabulous. OD is my fav effect and I have some of the known models and mods...with the exception that I've never had a Fulltone product (would like to know how it compares).

But for me this is a 10. Check out Mike's webside and the explanation / comparison with a tubescreamer is spot on. If you are happy with your 'just' hands, amp and guitar sound and you want a beautiful 'finishing' OD to top it off...this is a fantastic purchase. Is it the best...? I dunno...'cause as mentioned...although I've tried a lot of units...I haven't tried them all. But this is a great one in my opinion. You name it "The King of Tone" and enclose it in a kool royal purple case...it better be great...ha.

Had it only a couple of days...but it seems to be very well built....excellent case.

This is my first AnalogMan purchase...but I've emailed questions before and Mike has answered everything very quickly. It's pretty obvious these guys pay attention to their current and future customers.

I luv this unit. I also luv my TS808HW and Cusack and Keeley Mods (TS808 and BD2) and the old Danelectro Blue Paisley and others. We are so lucky that that so many talented engineers are making really great stuff for us.

But...and I would never part with my other OD's...there is something very special about the KoT4. It was worth the 18 month wait for me.

Very easy to get a good sound out of. The way Mike has it set up (Dist on red side, Boost on yellow) is great for many sorts of applications. Of course, as straightforwards as the pedal is, there are a lot of different types of soutnds that you can get from it. The reason it gets a 9 is because you have to open the back panel to switch the voicings (unless you have Mike install an external toggle, which I did). But you could just plug and play this baby quite easily.

I don't give 10s in this category. I just don't. Until now.

Setup: Gibson LP/Blueshawk or Fender Strat --> Keeley compressor --> Teese RMC3 wah --> Keeley Java Boost --> KOT --> TIM --> Digitech Hardwire RV-3 --> SPF Ego Booster --> Boss Loop Station --> BBE Sonic Stomp.

My KOT has the full metal jacket of add-ons. I had Mike put in the external toggle for the right side, an extra set of jacks so I can run a pedal between the two sides (haven't yet), and the high gain option on the right side.

With these extras, I am able to get almost any type of sound I'm looking for. The toggle and high gain are particularly important, I feel, with the high gain being something that probably should be standard on one side. The toggle is great because I am always trying to find the right voice for each particular song I write. That said, the overall voice on this box is perfect, responsive, warm, open and uncompressed, just an absolute joy to play with.

There are three voice settings for the pedal that are controllable through DIP switches on the inside of the pedal.

Overdrive: Probably the best tube emulation I have ever heard. I can't say enough about this setting; I use it often and it stack VERY well with the Java Boost or the TIM (the latter combo is my favored lead tone).

Distortion: Also excellent, and I'm not sure why more isn't written about it. My suspicion is that many of the guys who wait for this pedal are classic rockers who are looking for classic OD voicing (which the OD does in spades). However, I can get a great punk rock sound out of this pedal with the neck pup on my LP and the Dist channel. Talk about range.

Boost: I use this side least (I have the right side on Dist, usually, sometimes toggle to OD, and the left side is perma-set to OD) as I have a dedicated boost pedal that sounds perfect. Still, it adds a lot of depth to the sound. My one wish on this pedal would be the ability to disengage the tone control (which I can do with my Ego Booster). I emailed Mike and though he liked the idea, he said the tone contol was already really complex.

So, to sum up, the pedal is perfect. And to the dude below me on these reviews, a short blurb about how you hated waiting for this pedal is hardly a review. And your issue with the high end could have been rectified by messing with the internal treble boost knobs. I feel it was worth the wait, and I would totall buy it again.

Like a tank, plus Mike is great w/ customer service.

Always top notch with Mike. Emailed him three times, got responses within a day. Good man.

I play mostly "medlodic distortion" which encompasses a lot of styles, but is really just my own. Since I value correct harmonics, the fidelity of my effects is paramount, and the KOT is about as good as it gets. To be fair, the TIM is more transparent (almost as if you are gettingn a clean signal and a distortion signal blended), and I love using the combo of pedals for lead, but the KOT's voice is just amazing. I dig it quite a lot.

Expensive? Yeah, kinda with the mods. High Gain = $10/side, Toggle = $50, 4 jacks = $75 for a total of $470 (yikes), but I figured that I'm only gonna get one shot at this pedal, go for broke, no pun intended. I'm glad I did, as I'm sure I won't be replacing this pedal for a long time, and probably not ever. My search for OD/Dist is over.

Easy.

The description from the website, though wandering, is pretty accurate. It really does take on the character of the amp it's plugged into. I use everything from pre CBS Fenders to a Classic 30, guitars have p-90's in them. Plays very well with my other pedals.

It's reliable.

Very supportive.

When you come up on the list, order it with the high gain option on both sides and get the toggle switch.

Easy to dial in.
The trim pots take a little time?

I like the tone of this pedal.
There's not as much description
to that tone as I hoped. That being said, it
still has it's own nondescript voice.
The EQ is pretty good, but is high end heavy.
Was it worth the 2 plus year wait??

I'm certain it will presently out live everyone on planet earth.

I have one problem with Analogman.
It takes over 2 years to get this pedal & they decide to list
the KOT on Ebay to Qoute "DRIVE THE PRICE DOWN"?
What the hell is that about? They did such a good job the
pedal they listed sold for over $400. Good job in driving the price
down for a $245 pedal with a 2 year waiting list.

No doubt this pedal has some good tone.
Is it the end all OD pedal, No..
Still a cool sounding pedal that I will most likely depart with
at some point. May be the King of Tone to some, just not to me..

Very simple. However, one needs to take time with it to learn it's nuances with their particular setup. This pedal is sensitive to the input source, which is a very good thing.

First off, it has replaced any other OD and boost I had on my board.
I'm playing a Tele with Custom Shop Nocaster pups through an S2 Amps
Custom Micro Plex with a 12" Weber Silver Bell Alnico which is my
favorite amp to date. I set my amp to break up slightly with harder
dynamics and like the pedal to get it there the rest of the way. It's
the only OD that truly sounds like the amp sounds cranked. I say that
but it actually sounds a bit better than the amp cranked. It's
really more like I have cranked the amp rather than stepped on a drive
pedal, as there is no awkward transition to the "drivier" sound. I
have both sides set for the OD tone and when both are on it makes for
an excellent lead tone. Often I'll use my higher volume/less gain side
setting with the neck pup for some fantastic blue tones. It doesn't
just do blues though. It's quite honestly the most versatile overdrive
I have used.

Another thing that has amazed me is when I'm playing a lower volume
gig. Just set my amp where I usually set it, leave on one side of the
KOT on for the whole low vol gig, dial the volume back on the KOT,
drive up a ways, tone up a ways and it sounds pretty darn similar to
my amp. Amazing. I've tried alot of things at low volume gigs and this
has been the best solution. Although I still prefer the sound of it
pushing my amp a bit, this works well when I am forced to use it this
way.

Built very well. Very solid. No cheap parts.

Mike has always responded personally and been very helpful any time I have had questions for him. He's a gentleman and indeed supports his product well.

I'm a producer and recording engineer. This is how I feed my family.

If an artist comes in and I can't get what I need out of his/her amp, I use my setup mentioned above - which starts with this pedal. If they insist on using their amp, I kick them out. Just kidding but I really do put the King of Tone in front of their setup and it repeatedly has saved the day.

I'm giving this a qualified ten, because although i can get a great overdrive sound easily, there are a lot of variables involved when deciding how to set the other side.

I got a great sound with almost no effort, plugging into the stock red side and bringing up the knobs a little bit. With all the variables (treble boost knob inside, four possible dip switch settings for each side, interactivity of both sides together, etc.) I think it will take me some time to figure out how i want to set the yellow side, but the fact that this pedal is versatile and requires some effort on my part to get the most out of it is not a down side. even if I never use the yellow side, it's easy to quickly get a good sound using the stock overdrive sound.

I'm playing a classic style tele through a blackface style deluxe reverb. I'm not getting any extra noise, but I've put a lot of money into getting my gear shielded so that helps a lot.

Here is the most important part of my review-- This pedal sounds as good as any overdrive or amp cranked up that I've ever played through. I have a lot of modified tube screamers, a modified blues driver, and i've tried the excellent tim overdrive. all of those are great, but the king of tone is the best overdrive sound i've ever heard.

i basically agree with the thoughts on the analogman site-- this pedal has a clarity and rich full tone that tube screamers do not have. i love tube screamers-- i've been using them for almost twenty years, but hearing this king of tone sound, i'm happy to switch my allegiance. i'll probably use tube screamers now as backup, or to give me a couple more combinations live without having to tweak knobs. i suspect that i'll be using the king of tone in the studio as my default from now on.
it's not an over-the-top high gain/crazy distortion kind of thing. it's a very warm, bluesy sound-- trashy with clarity, if that makes sense. as mike says on the site, each individual string has clarity. sometimes, with the compression and midrange boost, tube screamers can give you uneven or inconsistent response, but the king of tone sounds good all over the guitar.

note-- one reviewer says this pedal cuts off all his bass response. i can only add that mine does not do that, and i doubt that mike piera would say in an email that the king of tone cuts out bass. this is not consistent with my experience, nor is it consistent with the info on his site.

i've never had problems with any analogman pedals, so i expect the same reliability from this one.

mike is always very gracious, helpful, and quick about getting back to me.

I've been playing for about thirty years. I play a variety of styles-- rock, country, jazz, blues, etc. For me, this pedal was worth the two year wait-- and pretty cheap considering the amazing sound. while i waited for my name to come up on the list, i bought a ton of other pedals. with the king of tone, i will be able to go to a gig with a much smaller collection of gear.

most of the reviews here of this pedal are pretty glowing-- I agree with them, but recommend to prospective buyers that you read the info on analogman.com before you decide if this pedal is right for you. it is versatile, but it has a definite personality to its basic overdrive sound. it's right for me, but might not be for you.

i don't know if harmony central will cut this comment out, but i'd like to say that i think a lot of reviewers expect gear to sound magical with no effort from the player. it also seems to me that some reviewers buy something without trying to figure out first what they want, and whether a pedal is right for them. i'm always amazed when a pedal has a sea of great reviews, and then one really angry disappointed guy.

beyond that, i'll try to justify my gushing review by saying that this really is the sound i've wanted for years-- it sounds like a tube amp cranked up, but at low volume, and none of the notes mush out. when i have that, it's hard for me to think of anything negative to add. as soon as i played through the king of tone, i immediately got back on the waiting list for another one. i hope it doesn't take so long this time!

As simple as any other overdrive pedal but there's two of them. The dip switches need a bit of time so that you can work out what's best for you but once done it's set up.

Really one of the best drive pedals you can use. The K.O.T does everything from light blues/jazz to hard rock. It's not until you take this pedal to a show when you realise it does what it does so well. Fat but not muddy and with clarity. I use Teles and strats into an ac-15 or classic -30. Awesome sounds and very versatile.

Built like a tank!!!!!!

Analogman is renown for his great customer service, no worries there.

I play a lot of styles of music, live gigs and sessions and I've been doing it for over 25 years. I love the sound, full stop. I've compared it to about fifty other drive pedals, some I own and many that I've played over the years.
Just get on the waiting list, great value at $235....it's just a long wait.

Controls are pretty standard for this kind of pedal and easy to understand.

I play a PRS Santana III with Seymour Duncan pickups. My pedalboard sends a stereo signal to a Mesa Boogie Blue Angel and a Dr. Z Maz Jr. For a pedal interfacing with two tube amps, it is relatively quiet. If you like the basic sounds of your rig, this pedal provides the most musical sounding overdrive you will ever use. The pedal is extremely sensitive to manipulation of tone and volume controls on your guitar. I couldn't disagree more with the review than panned this pedal but raved about the Fulltone OCD. This pedal is much more natural and "old school" sounding. I favored the Fulltone until I got the KOT. Now the KOT is on most of the time, while the Fulltone is reserved for really high gain situations.

Been using it for 6 months in smoke filled clubs - so far so good. But I am on the waiting list for a backup - just because I can't imagine being without it for a show.

Haven't had any issues yet.....Mike answers emails.

I do the cover band thing in a 3 piece - everything from Johnny Cash to Weezer with a hefty dose of southern rock thrown in. I have been playing for 30 years. This pedal sounds like ROCK to my 47 year old ears. I also use a fulltone OCD for a high gain distortion and a tubescreamer set clean for boosting. I would definitely replace this pedal if something happened to it. I am on the waiting list for a backup just because I love this pedal so much. My ONLY complaint is the waiting time - life's too short to wait two years for a pedal.