Tone King Meteor 40 112 Combo

2003 model actually the 20 watt version. I usual play blues and light rock so this amp was perfect for home and small club dates. it has two channels with reverb & tremelo on both. A footswitch for playing thru the lead or clean channel

Like a PRS not fender and not vox. Thick bluesy notes and lots of good tones from quite to cranked. But..., the reverb is very poor the the circuit board does not work well with many pedals. The tremelo is excellent. The overdrive/lead channel is good but not great. The amp was supposed to mimic an old deluxe but sounds more like an overdriven circuit board amp. The only difference is that the underlying notes are clear and usable. The other problem was how the amp would mix in a four piece band environment. It does not mix well in a band situation. Better for three piece or playing alone.

Build very well but it may be a problem getting parts for because the builder does not really keep stock once he stops building. This is a concern. That is why I give it a 5

Excellent

I would not replace this amp, in fact I just sold it. I had it for three years and found that it was not fenderish enough for me. That was a dissapointment because I was sold on the amp because it was supposed to be a great fender blackface type amp. It was a very good amp, better than most, but for the price not a fender tone or reverb.

My Tone King is the Meteor 40A (which is the "Meteor 40"; I'm sure Mark named is as such, just in case he had decided to produce a 2x12 version). This is a 2 channel, 40 watt combo, using 4 6V6's for power with a tube rectifier, all held in with outrageous spring loaded mechanisms to hold them in firmly and a cooling fan in between and 12AX7's for preamp duties. Lush spring reverb and tremolo. The cab is a thing of beauty; even finished on the inside, I would assume for more stabilty of wood. Mine is covered in a quality cream tolex (you can tell the musicians in the audience by them straining to see what the great looking amp is). Mine has a Tone King #1891 60watt speaker, custom made by Eminence. Rhythm Channel is, as others have mentioned, "blackface"-based, with controls for Volume, Treble, Middle & Bass. With the possible exception of some apparent "mutants" out there, this channel is the full 40 watts. The Lead Channel noticeably goes way into the "tweed" arena, with controls for Volume, Tone and Mid-Bite. The other panel controls are Reverb, Tremolo Speed and Intensity and Rhythm/Lead toggle. Rear panel includes Footswitch Jack, 1-8ohm and 2 - 4 ohm speaker outs, Bias meter with meter activation buttons for each power tube, removeable power cord,fuse recepticle, power switch, standby switch and half-power switch. The half-power feature only affects the lead channel, as advertised, which makes perfect sense, as it helps in balancing the two channels. The difference between full- and half-power at club levels isn't all that huge, volume-wise, but it does allow you to fine-tune the amount of "nasty" that want, at a given level. The two button footswitch controls, as advertised, Rhythm/Lead Channel selection and Tremolo On/Off. I gotta go "10"; It is what it is and does what it should.

The best way I can think of to describe this amp is, "warm and musical". The cab provides a "three dimensional" type of surrounding quality that's hard to describe in words. The Rhythm Channel is better than any "blackface" that I've laid ears to; Great headroom, though (the reason that it stays at full power, I'm sure). In a band situation, it's normal to have the volume at the 6-8 range and with perhaps a minor bass adjustment for the room/stage environment, it's set to go. I was never a fan of Tremolo until I bought this amp; It's so "musical" that sometimes I'll toss in an almost imperceptible touch of it, just to sweeten things up with a little sonic variety. I typically will have a touch of reverb dialed in (about 3 at the most), as it smooths out my rough edges (I'm no Metheny!). However, the reverb affects the Lead Channel to a much lesser degree, so that switching to the Lead Channel produces that "urgency" that a driven "tweed" is known for. The Lead circuit goes away from the enveloping fullness of the Rhythm channel, bringing out mids, as it should, and putting your guitar in Front! Increasing the Mid-Bite will increase the warmth and growl, while the Tone control dials up the high-end snap. Though sensitive, the three controls on this channel are largely "set it and forget it" (read: shut up and play!). With humbuckers, this channel sings smoothly with as much "edge" as you'd desire. This amp is not, however, a high-gain amp; Don't expect Boogie gain (do as I do; A/B is with a Boogie, fer cryin' out loud!). But it has more than enough boutique "tweed MOJO" for all but metalheads (I did describe this amp as "musical", after all). The true "versatility" beauty of the Meteor really came through when I joined a blues/soul/funk/jazz outfit that required me to play my Stratocaster (Am Dlx, stock) predominantly. Though I can get every "good" strat tone that I would ever want by running straight into the amp, the addition of a good booster pedal (in my case, Z-Vex SHO) puts it over the top; even my drummer grins when I kick it in! As to other pedals, I haven't found a pedal that this amp doesn't favor, though admittedly, I'm not a pedal-guy; I use the SHO>Budda Bud-Wah and, in a one-amp set-up, a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive (the weakest link in the chain, IMHO). With the possible exception of occasionally using an Ernie Ball Volume Pedal, that's it. I find that, more often than not,the guitar volume is all I really need. All that said, this amp shines with my Gibson Les Paul Standard, Heritage 535, Gretsch G400C archtop (Kent Armstrong pup) and, with suprisingly little tweaking, even my Gibson Chet Atkins SST!

I purchased mine wia online auction. The "men in brown" gave it a good throw-down enroute. When I received it and plugged it in, it hummed, then smoked! A busted power tube was the culprit and, as I recall, a filter cap was blown. I sent it to Mark Bartel, who promptly fixed it, set me up with a new matched set of EH 6V6's and replaced the four #10 STAINLESS CHASSIS SCREWS THAT WERE BENT BY THE IMPACT!
Since getting it back, I've replace one "glassy" preamp tube, despite the fact that drummers and bass players insist on helping me by carrying it for me and "dropping" it off by my truck!!

The repair cost me shipping one way. Yep. Lifetime Warranty! Even for subsequent owners. The man loves what he creates and backs it up. Cool cat to talk to, as well.

Admittedly, for the "big gig", I'll run my Boogie Rectoverb, as well. But only for the higher gain. It's been refreshing to join a band that let's me basque in the sound of the Meteor, whether with the Strat, Gibson or Heritage. I did perform one modification for my own personal taste; I installed a Weber Beam-Blocker to cut the directly forward bite just a tad. I'm considering going back to stock though. It just helps when I really want to drive the lead channel into old-school "Cream" territory; verrry smooth. I have run the amp through other quality cabs and though it always sound good, the combe itself is absolutely The Nuts! I've played electric guitar since 1967, with a 23 year break in the middle (stupid), mostly in rock early, now more jazz/blues. Back in the 70's, it was Les Paul, Strat (like Jimi!) through a Big Muff into an Orange OD with 2 4x12 cabs. Sold it all in '79. Idiot. But, it's all good with Tone King. If I lost it, I'd probably seek a Meteor II, trusting Marks ongoing evolution.

I don't know how to rate this. I bought this amp used unseen. The half power feature was global over both channels and not just over the lead channel. The footswitch was labeled "channel" and "power". Channel operated normally. The power switch however turned the tremelo on and off. If the amp I bought functioned as I thought it would, it would have had the exact features I was looking for.

I have a Strat and a 335. Clean channel is a beautiful combo of a clean Fender sparkle with a little more muscle thrown in. Sounds excellent with both singles and buckers. Lead channel is non-master and as some others have said, extremely loud. Even on the half power setting it's pretty ridiculous if you want a decent amount of dirt out of it. I read these other reviews and thought "oh these guys are old, or aren't playing within a band setting". Let me tell you, I typically play in clubs unmiked with another guitar player and a fairly loud drummer and like running an amp hot to get the tubes cooking. The lead channel on this thing at 20 watts is too frickin loud if you want a decent amount of dirt. Yeah you can turn it down, but you won't be playing in the sweet spot of distortion.
The reverb on this thing is killer. The trem at moderate levels is very nice, but at higher intensity levels I was getting a loud pumping noise, not sure if this was normal or a noisy component.

Sensitivity: This sucker is class A and is very sensitive to everything. Especially pedals as someone else pointed out. This amp did not like my pedals at all and I heard a very big difference in going straight into the amp versus going through my pedal board. It was disgusting actually how much of a difference there was.
Pedal chain: Teese RMC2, RAT2, Drivetrain, SD01, Visual Sound H2O.
The amp did not like any of my pedals at all.
Sorry to ruin the perfect score, but it wasn't perfect for me. I was looking for an excellent building block of great amp tones that I could manipulate also when needed. That wasn't it. Way to picky.

I agree with everyone on this with a couple of exceptions. Yes, this is a beautifully crafted amp. Extremely high level of detail in design and build quality.
However, I can see some long term potential problems.
1) The bias meter is an excellent idea, except you don't really want to have a sensitive meter on the back of an amp that is going to be constantly moved around from gig to gig do you? Mark has addressed this in the series II amp.
2) Cabinet construction. Extremely high quality work. But, the wood is extremely thin. I didn't measure it but I'm guessing somewhere around 3/8" thick and no corner reenforcement that I could see. It didn't leave me with the impression that the cab would stay rigid over the long haul.
Neither of these affect the amp not working, so I won't rate this, just concerns.

Well I gotta take issue with Mark here. I did buy the amp used, but reading as much as I could get my hands on before I bought this amp I thought I would have had a better experience when I did reach out to him for clarification of the obvious fact that the amp did not appear to be stock. I emailed him about the power switch functioning as a global power switch over both channels (and only via the amp mounted switch, not the footswitch) and the "power" switch on the footswitch turning the tremolo on and off.
He did reply quickly but told me that my amp was functioning properly and only the Comet had the half power footswitchable function. I sent him another email quoting his own web site and he came back with "you are right, it now occurs to me that the Meteor I was wired this way" and went on to say that many people ordered the amp with the global power switch on the amp, but the footswitch always only controlled channel switching and the Tremolo.
So OK, as anal as this guy appears to be about his product, it appears he wasn't sure what the stock config was and he is still using an incorrectly labeled footswitch that was a holdover from the previous model. I'm not going to quote the whole email back and forth chain. Suffice it to say I was not all that impressed with his willingness to help me determine if my amp had been modded (my first assumtion) or what it would take to get it put back to the stock half power option of the lead channel only (which would have allowed me use a power attenuator and run the clean channel at 40 watts to keep it clean and get some decent break up from the lead channel). He honestly didn't seem to want to be bothered. Not what I expected from this guy at all. Bummer

I have been playing since '75 in local bands pretty much solidly the whole time. I am currently playing in 2 cover bands.
I was looking for my last amp basically. Something that was unique, very high quality and would cure my amp gas. If I played with no pedals at all (or pedals that the amp liked), and the half power switch functioned as advertised, I think this might have been it.
But since the amp was not the advertised stock config (and Mark wouldn't answer my questions on how much it would be to change the half power function to his advertised config) the seller agreed to refund my money.

I bought the meteor 20A. I play non-professionally. I play exclusively at home in a bedroom or friends living-room so I don't need lots of volume. I play lots of jazz, blues on carved top archtops with floating Armstrong pickups, and a Godin Jazz with a humbucker and bridge pickup. My previous amp was a Peavy classic 30, and I have a solid state AER Domino. The sound from the meteor is fantastic. Big,lush clear separation. Great tremolo. I use several effects pedals, Boss DD#3 and autowah which work great with this amp.This amp has huge power and I have never played it beyond 2 volume setting.

This type of amp, class A makes heat and requires a cooling fan. I found the fan to be a little noisey playing soft jazz in a small room. I called Mark Bartel, discussed it and he suggested changing the fan to a two speed design. I sent it back and he promptly installed it, so I can run it at a lower, quieter speed when playing softly, or turn it up if we are in a louder environment where you wouldn't notice it. He was great about dealing with it. This would not be an issue for anyone playing at band volumes.

no problems with it

as above. Mark was great to deal with

I would replace if lost or stolen

This is, without a doubt, the best blues/rock amp on the planet. The tone array is simply amazing. If you like the sound of an old Deluxe Reverb, but crave other sounds and more headroom when you need it, then chek these amps out. A feast for the ears. The meter on the back for individually biasing each tube is just too much! Killer, killer amp.

No metal here, folks. But Stevie, Jimi, Eric, Billy, and all the other blues and classic rock greats are in this amp. Wicked tone ... and I mean TONE. You cannot put your guitar down once you start playing through the meteor. Ranges through all the great Fender tones, and even has some very aggressive rock tones there if you want them. Superior for lead playing too ... not just a sweet rhythm machine. Man-o-man, it just does NOT get any better than this.

Never had any problems ... built like a TANK, but only 45 lbs!! Tube holders are custom made ... wiring and cosmetics are flawless. A work of art sonically and visually.

Never had a reason to find out about this ..

I have been playing sice the early seventies, and man is it great to play through such a grerat amp! It makes me want to practice my fingers off, it has such great tone. Worth every penny. This 40 watt sucker is LOUD. I mean medium club loud. But sounds great at ANY volume.

This is 1x12, all-tube, 40w combo amp using four 6V6's for power and three 12AX7's for preamp which should give a little idea of its sound. It has two channels, Lead and Rhythm, each with its own EQ, and there's reverb and Tremolo that affect both channels. The Rhythm channel has the conventional controls- Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass while the Lead channel has Volume, Treble and "Mid-Bite." There's also a half-power switch that affects only the Lead channel. It has a dual footswitch that changes channels and shifts the first channel between half and full power. The back panel has an 8 ohm jack for the internal speaker and a pair of jacks for a 4 ohm load when used together. It also has a built in meter for biasing the power tubes. The chassis is completely enclosed even when removed from the cabinet. The inside of the cabinet is not "raw" but is actually finished with a slightly glossy oak colored stain. All the tubes have retaining devices including the 6V6's. I see this level of attention to detail and robust construction as phenomenal.

Tone is subjective so I'll not rate it (nor insult anyone's taste) but just describe what I hear as best I can. I play PRS's, Tele, Strat and Les Paul Deluxe, and my "tone targets" are Hendrix, Billy Gibbons and SRV.
The Lead channel, with it's Volume,Treble and Mid-Bite controls, is the "dirty" channel. It's loud. I think it's enough at full power for any mid size club, and at half power it might be a bit much for small places, depending on the band. Its tone covers three bases to my ears. With Volume settings below about half, the Treble at 3/4 and the Mid-Bite at 1/2 it sounds like a great old Fender tweed. From there, turning the Mid-Bite up to 3/4 or more and bringing up the Volume it starts to break up like early Marshalls used to. With the Volume up but the MId-Bite down it breaks up like an old Fender Tweed. I'm old enough to have played the originals.
The Rhythm channel does the Fender Blackface thing with the usual Fender-type tone controls, minus a bright switch. While the 40w power suggests Super Reverb, it's actually more like a Deluxe in terms of loudness and tone- a little bit darker than the Super Reverb, and not moving as much air. Also, it's much smoother than either of those amps. I'd say that's because it's lacking some of that super high frequency emphasis that I think people call "ice-pick-in-the-ear." I do miss being able to call on those frequencies if I need them, but they can also get very fatiguing to listen to. If I didn't have so much familiarity with these old amps I don't think I would be able to recognize or describe it. See, it's all subjective.

I haven't gigged it hard enough for any real experience, but the construction details suggest to me that it'd be as reliable as any tube amp can be. That means always have spare tubes, and a back up amp if you can afford it.

I bought this direct from Mark Bartel, the builder. My experience with his support was his prompt response to my emails when I discovered and inquired about his amps. He also got the amp to me about 2 weeks earlier than he first estimated. Also, he offered to send me a free replacement preamp tube in response to my recognition of some microphonics. I haven't heard further from him, but my sense is that he'd be there if I needed.

This amp is as close as I've been able to find in a single amp that covers the majority of my "tone targets". I've owned originals of the Fenders and Marshalls I'm comparing to, as well as Mesa/Boogie, Victoria, Top Hat and old GK when they were making solid state guitar amps. I like the maintenance free idea of a solid state amp, but I haven't yet found one that doesn't fall so far short of tube sound as to be unacceptable for my purposes. Mark is clearly focused on tone, and tone of a particular type that happens to exactly match what I like. See, it's taste, not good or bad; so I give no ratings. But I would say, if those sounds are to your taste, you couldn't go wrong with this amp.

Tone King Meteor 40A...
112 combo, 40 watts, 6v6 power section, 2 channels, NMV, reverb and trem, single input. No effects loop. Bias meter for each power tube. Fan cooled. Loves pedals in the front end. Exemplary build quality.
I play in a smooth funk fusion band (everything from Marcus Miller to John Scofield, to Oteil and the Peacemakers), and we have no keyboards. So, I have to provide rhythmic chordal backup, and solo as well.
I was looking for a small-medium club amp that would not run through a P.A., and have clean headroom/tonality to get the job done. Other amps I've tried were either too loud, or broke up too early. The Meteor 40A is THE amp for that music in those size rooms.

My guitars of choice with this amp:
1)Baker Robben Ford Model.
2)Scott Lentz S Style (strat)
3)Gretsch 6119 Tennessee Rose

*Although, all of my guitars sound great through this little tone monster. The Meteor is dead quiet, and doesnt hum, or pick up radio stations, or anything like that. I love the bright, BF Fender-like spank of the clean tones...yet the bottom end is tight and focused...just what my music calls for. The tonality is similar (but WAY bigger) than a great old BF Fender Deluxe Reverb . No Deluxe ever thumped like the Meteor, though, imo. The sound image projected by the cabinet is way bigger than you would guess before plugging in. Mark Bartel is a genius.
I havent pushed the clean channel into overdrive. The clean headroom is alot more than I need, which I consider a good thing. With the right pedal in front..which for me, means either a Barber Burn Unit (recommended by Mark himself), or a Visual Sound Route 66...I'm in Robben Ford/Larry Carlton land. Even at 'talking over' volumes....my lead tones have never been fatter or better defined. The amp has a 2nd channel, that sounds like a Tweed being pushed to the City Limits of 'MarshallVille'. Too loud for me, though I am still experimenting with 2nd channel/pedal combinations.

This thing is built like a brick sh*t house. The tube clamps alone are completely snug, and I have no worries about lugging this baby around anywhere. Lightweight, too.

Mark Bartel is one of the nicest guys in the business, and dependable to a fault. He doesnt stop until he knows you are absolutely satisfied and happy with your Tone King amp. I wish some other (un-named) amp builders would follow his lead! I'm gushing in every category...but, darnit, its' all true!

I've been playing guitar for over 30 years, and have owned a ton of amps...Fender to Mesa to you name it. I have other amps at home (TK Comet 40B, Two Rock Onyx), and I love them as much...but this evaluation doesnt apply to them. It applies to one of the best made, fender-style, 112 combo amps ever built. I'm very lucky to have one, and will keep it until Mark B. tells me he has something better for me. If this amp were stolen, I'd pack up my blow torches and pipe wrenches...get the posse together, and hunt the varmint down for some serious payback. If you want a quality combo that will take what you dish out, and deliver a constant stream of high level clean or dirty tones...set in a lush reverb'd or trem'd setting...look no further.

I bought this 2003 Meteor 40A, used while in a pinch. My vintage '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb was shorting out, after warming up for an hour at big band gigs. I hated to park my Deluxe but it shorted at every session, after an hour of play. I Suspect a broken solder joint that opens up with prolonged heat and vibrations. The Fender service center could not get it to fail for them even once over two weeks, go figure. "Cars and guitars! My Point is I loved my Fender faithfully, but desperately needed dependability fast! Solution: Search Harmony Central reviews for great vintage tone at a similar price, but with dependable solid construction. A chance run at Ebay listed a slightly used Meteor 40a 112 2 channel amp that bragged about it's "Blackface" replicated sounds. I jumped in feet first believing that I would be disappointed eventually. Wrong, wrong wrong! My Deluxe remains in it's cover buried in a back room, and I could care less!! I have found the Holy Grail! Sounds are a 10+! Blackface sounds on steroids. Fat, thick, clear shimmering definition. I play guitar in a 40's swing big band and my rythm chops need to drive 12 horn players, and a rythm section straight down the road. At the first gig I had no less than half the band ask me what the heck did I do to improve my sound so much. I played the same '68 vintage Gibson Johnny Smith guitar and it was a gas! I felt like I was playing two guitars at once. I would replace this amp ASAP hands down. The rythm chickenhead knob layout is your basic treble, mid, and bass. Reverb, & tremelo circuit is of your dreams. The back panels individual tube metered bias is brillant. I wish it had an XLR out w/ adjustment for direct to the mixing board, for easy live recording. Also a headphone out would fullfill my dream listsince I would like to hear these tones late into the night when at home. The half power tweed lead channel is icing...Cutting driven crunch is just a fingertip away. Luckly I don't live in an apartment because I'd just get evicted! I can easily handle small to large rooms with this amp. I usually play rooms the size of your local church sanctuary, seating 25 tables to about 200 people. This amp really cuts through the band, the dancers, and projects to the last row of hearing aids!

I have a wide selection of guitars. A '39 Super 400, '56 L5 CES, '56 Tele, '63 Byrdland and '68 Johnny Smith. They all sound better through this amp. I also have my tempermental'65 Deluxe, and a '57 tweed champ. The meteor is dead quiet, even under flourscent lights. I have never found the need to push the amp at gigs past5-6! At that setting it is still noisless, clean, and very loud. Sounds range from the basic blackface to gritty rolling harmonic crunch. Hopefully your not looking for metallica because it isn't "hear!"

I use it week in and out without a backup. My "right" brain lobe says I must be out of my mind!! My left side gut instinct says it's built like an iron rock! Get a serious look at the tube sockets and retainers. I guess if I kicked it down a set of ten stairs it might have trouble. No problems to date. If I get to the point where I scare myself into getting a backup, I would like to try out a comet 30. A tad lighter with the same guts would be my dream.

Before I bought my Meteor used, I emailed Mark to see what kind of warrenty or lack of I could expect? In two hours he emailed back, "FULL Lifetime top to bottom!" People still do that? You bet!

I have been playing since 1974!! Studied at Berklee, very particular about my guitars and ideal sound. I have had more guitars and amps than most. I like to savor the taste of good gear then trade on to new tastes. I have finally settled down with my favorite guitars and amp! It makes me nervous to break "tradition" and buy an amp that has a PCB, but Mark has made an amp that is impossible to ignore! My amp is constantly getting moved in and out of my truck to gigs and shows no signs of not being able to take shake , rattle and roll! What do I hate? I greatly miss an XLR out the back for 2 G's! Also find only ONE 1/4 jack input a bit stingy!! I would buy it again despite these short comings. I researched hard, the choice was obvious on paper, and undisputable in trial.

it small and very light. I cant recall all the features and stuff.

I could play this amp on the clean ch non stop for the rest of my life. this amp sounds so good, I thought I was in heaven. unbeliveable warm fat punchy tone. I really really love this amp. If I had the cash it would be in my house! 2k! ouch! If I ever hit the lotto I'm gonna have a room full of amps and this will be one of em! oh yea its got another overdrive ch but I never got past the awesome clean side.

looks like it was built by a master builder. its priced like it too.

dunno

Ive been playing 20+ yrs. Ive got a 60's vox pacemaker that sounds great and a soldano thats also kick ass. I played this amp at good'n loud music in madison wi. with a prs santana se. the clean sound of this amp haunts me. sooo fine.

2003. Includes 3x12AX7A preamp tubes, 4x6V6; 5AR4 rectifier; two preamp channels (Rhythm channel, Lead channel); Rhythm channel controls: Volume Treble, Middle, Bass; Lead channel controls: Volume, Tone, Mid-Bite; Spring pan reverb; Tremolo (controls: Rate, Depth)
Bias meter (back panel) with individual external bias controls for each output tube; Half-power switch; 2-Button footswitch included (channel, tremolo)

Construction Highlights:
Totally-Enclosed, 1/8? thick, black anodized aluminum chassis
Chassis mounted tube sockets
Handwired switches, potentiometers, and tube sockets
Custom-fabricated tube retainers
Cooling fan for extended tube life
RFI line filter to reduce radio-frequency interference
DC regulated filament supply for reduced hum and noise
Military grade sealed potentiometers
Vintage-style paper bobbin output transformers
Stainless steel hardware
Dovetail jointed birch ply cabinet body
Custom-designed 12? Eminence speaker

According to the company, the new Meteor is based on the Comet, but
redesigned in several ways. In particular, the chassis and parts layout are entirely new. Other differences between the Comet and Meteor -
1. revoiced the cabinet for a looser, more broken-in sound
2. reworked the balance of gain amoung the various stages for a beefier tone
3. revoiced the reverb for a more authentic vintage tone
4. removed the effects loop
5. added tremolo
6. added a midrange control to the rhythm channel
7. added bias controls for each 6V6
8. added a bias meter
9. reduced hum and noise considerably
10. reduced chanel switching noise
11. many construction improvements:
- chassis mounted pots, switches, jacks and tube sockets
- a lot more hand wiring
- 1/8" thick anodized aluminum chassis
- vastly improved tube retainers
- beefier low-voltage DC supply
Are there enough features or what? Best of all, they're all designed to improve an amp -- the Comet -- that was already one of the ebst in the business!

Using both a Gary Moore Les Paul and a Barden-equipped Strat, I swore that the reverb was on the first time I played it. The cab-tuned design is more than just a catch phrase. The sound is soo dimensional! In fact, I A/B'd the Meteor with my Top Hat King Royale with 2 Celestion Alnico Blue speakers and found that -- despite the Metero having just 1-12 (specially-designed Eminence), the sound was as open and enveloping as the 2-12. The sound seemed to come from all around me. The versatility of the two channels was also a very plesant surprise: the rhythm channel sound was rich, the highs sparkled, the bottom end was very present. I loved clarity and articulation of single notes. The lead channel is aggressive -- even with the Mid-Bite control down all the way, which is more tweed like, the lead channcel grabs you. Turn the Mid-bite progressively higher and the "bite", or to my mind, grit really sharpens the attack. All in all, there's not much that you can't get out of this amp. As I said, I have a King Royale (EL-84), Vibroclone-modded Bandmaster Reverb and KT-66 modded Bassman, from sparlking clean -- almost Vox-like to blackface 6L6 clean to tweed crunch, you can cover a lot of bases.

I have no experience, but based on the construction details and other Tone King reviews, I have no reason to doubt it's reliability. There are some truly unique dessign considerations, ie., the fan, that foster confidence that this amp will hold up under severe usage!

I have only had one dealing with Tone King and Mark got back to me same day.

I've been playing 40 years now, giving me time to try and own just about every guitar and amp ever made. I can't say that I've ever seen an amp that addresses guitar amp tone enthusiasts' needs like the Meteor. The bias meter is a good indication of a real step up in amp design. Nice job! I'd definitely buy another if something happened to this amp. I'll try the EL-84 verions (the Meteor 30 next!) For all of the features, the price is fair, too. I highly recommend that you find a Meteor and try it yourself.