King Amplification Tigerhund 18

My Tigerhund 18 (TH) is an 18 watt 6V6 based all tube combo made in mid 2006 by King Amplification in Northern California. The amp weighs about 45 pounds and is hand made with old school quality terminal strip point to point construction. It has a single channel with master volume, bass, middle, treble, and volume controls. In the back there is an effects loop with both send and receive levels. Also has a speaker out connection. I choose the 2x10 format but you can get the amp with a single 12??? speaker. My TH is loaded with 2 Jensen P10R speakers. Overall, it???s a simple and intelligent design that???s very forgiving and easy to use. A key element to the Tigerhund???s design and resultant tone is the use of a concertina phase inverter (found in the Fender Princeton but not in the Deluxe or the Vibrolux). I wish the amp came with a spring reverb, but fortunately I have an old Quadraverb unit that I run through the effects loop to add verb when I???m practicing at low volume. At 18 watts with good speakers it???s loud enough to carry a small club and also sounds excellent at lower volumes for studio work and practice. This versatility is extremely important to me and was definitely a strong selling point as I am using the amp for home practice, band practice, recording, and gigging with a blues / classic rock band. Frankly, you only get this kind of versatility in an 18-25 watt amp (since higher power amps are useless for home practice or recording).

I bought my TH because it is the best sounding small package blues and rock flavored amp I have heard in years. And I???ve heard a lot of amps. I play Chicago style blues, jazzy blues and classic rock with teles, strats and Les Pauls. I???m a plug a play guy that doesn???t use effects except reverb (and even then only for low volume practicing). I thought about getting a vintage Fender, but ultimately decided to try to find a new boutique amp that covered the same tonal territory and maybe had a little something unique to offer. The TH delivers. At clean settings the tone is crystal clear and sparkly, while still maintaining that overall warmth one would expect from a 6V6 amp. This amp loves single coil pickups and seems to add strength, sustain and complexity to them (another big selling point for me). I would not describe the tone as exceptionally fat bottomed. But it has a nice round bottom end. Of course with the 10??? speakers I am losing a little bottom, but in exchange I???m getting more presence by having a pair (rather than one 12???). Cranking up the Tigerhund yields smooth, classic and very musical distortion that???s perfect for rock and blues playing. What does it sound like? With single coils, think Roy Buchanan (Vibrolux) and Derek and the Dominos era Clapton (Champ on 10). This is not over the top Mesa Boogie high gain. It is simply classic style Fender and, frankly, more usable for the types of music I play. Cranked, a Les Paul is absolutely stunning through the TH. I???m not a dog expert but I believe a Tigerhund is a type of viscous dog. Well, that???s what the amp sounds like cranked with a Les Paul. It growls. It screams. It bites. Not harsh distortion. But warm, rich, thick drive that just sends chills down you spine. Great sustain. If you have good vibrato technique you can hold a note for two minutes with this amp (without the help of feedback).

I have not had any problems with the amp.

The TH has a 3 year warranty. After I bought the amp I emailed Val King with a couple of questions about the amp. He was very responsive and helpful and seemed like a decent guy. For example, he outlined for me a few voicing mods he could do on the amp to tailor it exactly to suit my tastes. I haven???t done any (because frankly I love it the way it is) but I would certainly feel comfortable sending the amp back to him if I wanted to tweek something. In addition to making amps he has a repair and service business.

I seriously love this amp. Since King Amplification is a new company and the amp just came on the market this year I feel lucky as hell that the stars were aligned (so to speak) and I found one before I bought something else. After deciding that I didn???t want an old Fender, I played Rivera, Dr. Z, and Carr amps. All 18-25 watt combos. All handcrafted. All great amps. I choose the Tigerhund because it had a certain mojo and uniqueness of character. With single coils or humbuckers, at low volume or cranked, clean or distorted, this amp always sounds musical and sweet and inspiring. I have been playing for 20+ years, much of it semi-professionally. You name it I???ve played it. This amp is as good as anything out there. If it was lost or stolen I???d replace it (next time maybe with red tolex instead of cream!). It???s not a cheap amp, but, baby, you get what you pay for in this world... right?