TopHat Club Royale 2x12 Combo

TopHat Club Royale 2x12 combo. Class A. 20 watts. sounds like 40! The people at TopHat tell me this amp was from one of the first batches. I think around 1997. Cosmetics: It's green tolex with a beautiful basket-weave grill and of course because of it's age the old style script logo. No corner protecters. It has nice thick rubber feet to raise it above any beverage spillage that might occur and is completed by a nice black heavy duty leather handle. Control panel has basic layout: 1 channel with high and low inputs, volume with pull-boost, treble, middle, bass and cut, standby on/off, power on/off, fuse and then the matching green colored jewel light. One speaker jack for the speakers in the combo and an extra one for an additional cabinet if you so desire. No effects loop and no reverb. In the cabinet are 2 celestion greenbacks. I do wish it had reverb but I don't need it with this particular amp. Runs on 2 El34's and is complete with a tube rectifier. The only feature on this amp that I don't need is the Cut knob. Brian at TopHat sat down and showed me how it works and had quite a bit to say about it. Lots of talk about "the brown sound" and amp tech talk that went way over my head. I personaly can live without it and could get any sound that this cut knob did simply by adjusting the treble and mids on the amp. I use this amp for rehersals and for gigs and I can say that this amp has the perfect amount of power for me. Very loud for 20 watts. I have a 1966 Fender Super Reverb that is not much louder than the Club Royale!

I play blues/Rock/Country ala Cream and Stones etc. I mainly use Gibsons and Fenders and occationaly a 12-string Ric and a Jerry Jones Sitar. This amp is ideal for any kind of music I would want to play. The controls are very sensitive and I've not played a guitar or stompbox that sounds bad through this amp. I really enjoy turning this amp up at least 3/4 the way up with the pull boost on. This amp has incredible sustain, beautifully full low end, shimmering highs and the smoothest tube saturated distortion I've ever heard! As far as british type amps go, this is the best sounding amplifier I've ever played through. With the volume on your guitar or volume pedal turned back a little, the amp will clean up nicely. If you're looking for serious tone, this is it. If you're looking for one of the finest amps ever built, this is it! For sure and without a doubt!

I bought it used and 3 months later I blew the main transformer. I wasn't playing it super loud or abusing it, I was just playing softly and quietly. Brian at TopHat said that the first batches had some bad transformers and that he would replace it for $50. So I took it down there at they did a normal service and replaced the transformer. They did a great job as usual. Now that the amp has been gone through and brought back up to snuff, I would use it without a backup. Even though I had a major problem with my amp, I don't think that it was from neglect or poor quality control by the company. Before the amp blew, it sounded terrific. These things happen. And partly the reason for me being okay with this is because of the action that the company took to get me back on the road so to speak.

I've emailed the company and they've always replyed promtly. Everyone is very friendly on the phone and in person.

I've been playing long enough to know quality is and what crap is and this is top of the line quality. I've always been a Fender man but you can't deny beauty when you hear it. I've learned that some amps do things others can't and some amps do some things better. I currently own a 1966 Fender Super Reverb, a Matchless Clubman 35 head with Matchless 4x12 cabinet and the TopHat Club Royale. This amp complements the others very well. Personally I think it's hard to beat the Super Reverb overall but for the british thang, the TopHat is the best. If it were stolen I would cry like a baby for a week, honestly. There is a store by my house that has one like mine from the same time period, accually it was made 20 units after mine. I'm thinking about purchasing it. If I think I'm in heaven now, I can only imagine having 2 of these things.

This is a followup to my (glowing) review after playing the amp out
for a year or so in studio and club gigs. It was the review that talked about being a deal at twice the price.

The main feature of the amp is the interaction in the tone controls that's normal to cathode follower preamp designs. Its got few controls but billions of sounds.

Still love it. I would not use it with a strat, however unless the strat had humbucking pickup in the bridge position. A bit thin. Its loud enough for any club gig, but not loud enough for stage volume with festival or big concert/outdoor gigs unless you bring it back through the monitors.

In studio, I sat in the control room while anothey player used it on a country-ish track. The engineer, a grizzeled, saavy, vetran was beside himself. "It sounds so.... stable, so solid". I think some Nashville cats should try this instead of a Deluxe.

Despite some serious abuse (For example a studio exercise in which another player built up 8 tracks of feedback - totally overloaded), its fine. Actually the more I abuse it the better it sounds.

Brian helped me mod it slightly (To cool bias providing more headroom) Now the cooler bias is standard I think.

After a year of use, I still love this amp. Would not sell it. Its got AC30 sweetness, but with less coloration, and serious balls. . Couldn't be better - Its crisp, open, but loaded with texture. Its not for every job, or every style, but any serious player should audition this amp.

Get a nine because it has what it needs to be what it claims to be. Not much in the way of features, but that ends up being good.

Just plain fabulous. AC30 sweetness and bite, harmonic comlexity all day long, warm mids, and better lows that any ac30 I've played - even with half the watts. Turn it up and look out plexi. Very tweakable. Tone controls can dial in lots of neat sounds. I swear there's not a bad sound in the box.

Not sure, but its pedigree is good. The volume pot is bad, however. Needs cleaning and its brand new - also its loose. Maybe it got bumped in shipping.

Brian is an amp god and he'll be patient with techno idiots such as myself. Class.

Its a bonified American tone monster. I've been playing 30 years, most of them for money. Its not trying to be a Black face fender, or a Marshall plexi, or anything but what it is. Its most like an ac30. A point to point hand wired amp that sounds as good as any Matchless I've heard, although not as loud, for 1200 bucks. YOU do the math.
It would literally be a good deal at twice the price. The voicing is masterful. It will be loud enough for stage volume in small or medium clubs, may fall short in big clubs. (So new I have not had it out yet). Just now I played an open E chord on a '59 335, striking only the bottom four strings, amp on 5, and let it sustain. It kept going, and going, and going. It had acheived a sort of resonance, without being loud, that kept the chord sustaining for what seemed like 60 seconds with no change in either volume or timbre. Totally awesome. Also, its absent any serious coloration.

The "on axis" test was good. 20 feet directly in front of the speaker
even smooth amps can sound harsh if there's a lot of high end going on. Not here. You won't hurt the front row in a small club with any reasonable sounding guitar. I've now tested a 6120, a Gibson Chet, Tele, and two very different 335's, and they are all fine. No farting, even with bassy sounds turned all the way up. Thank god. Not as perfectly quiet as I might like with gain up, but excellent none the less. Power and ground switches feel and look like they belong to an age gone by where switches went "thunk" and never broke. Knobs like Matchless. Cabnet very solid, including the rear panels, which in some amps are flimsey - which inhibits use of some amp stands. Interior finish of the cab is perfect. Like the Romans who used to put design in places where no one would ever see it. I've designed guitars, produced 7 CD's, played 2000 gigs, designed sounds for studios, owned or worked with 100's of amps etc. and its clear to me that this amp was made by a guy who is totally obsessed with his craft. The rubber feet are huge, keeping the amp off the ground enough to stop strange floor related resonance or the odd beer puddle from hurting the amp in a club. Big chrome caster fittings are built into the bottom. Speaker wire is thick enough to power Manhatten, and I had to get out a flashlight to see the seams in the tolex. The control face is black with white writing on it so you can read it in dimm lighting, and nothing sticks out so you can drop it in the car without fear of shearing off some knob.

This is a follow-up to my earlier Club Royale II review. Going back and reading my earlier review, I was amazed to find that I have owned this amp for ten months now.
Whereas I gave a relatively low score here previously due to the amp's basic features, I now increase this rating to a 8+. I find that, after practicing with my band regularly and playing out live, this amp truly has everything I need. Read other reviews for a rundown on the features and controls.

Here is where all of the Top Hat products shine. I also own a King Royale, and am very familiar with Top Hat's Emplexador 50w head. Across the board, these amps are unreal. But, back to the Club Royale II.....
I play once or twice/week with my band, typically practicing 3 hours per night. Now that we have enough material down, we have also started to gig a bit. Whether practicing or gigging, this amp is truly a kill. Vintage British tone for miles.
Our other guitarist, who is an excellent player (we are both 20+ year veterans), goes for the classic Fender Strat/Vintage Fender Amp tone - very American sounding. It is a wild and very cool contrast to the extremely vintage British tone delivered by the Top Hat Club Royale II.
At about 18w, this amp needs to be cranked up about 1/2 way to really be heard in practice or live. It's a beautiful thing, and at that volume or a bit higher, the amp sings. I set my master volume at about 12:00, normal volume dimed out with the boost on, and all tone controls at 12:00. I front the amp with a Fulldrive II for that "over the top" drive when necessary. For classic blues, I don't need anything else when it comes to tone.
I will sum up the classic Top Hat tone with one line. Our other guitarist has said, "I would pay just to hear your tone". Enough said.....

Have been playing with the band for a couple months now. As stated before, I put the amp through its paces typically twice each week or so for about 3 hours per practice. This amp has never given me a problem while playing.
If you read one of my other reviews, I discussed a chassis buzz that started shortly after I bought the amp. I called Brian Gerhard from Top Hat, and sent the amp back. Brian had it tuned around less than 24 hours after receiving it. He installed a larger transformer, isolated the chassis and VOILA....no more problems. It was under warranty, and I never had a question asked - the work was simply done free-of-charge, and done correctly the first time.
At this point, I truly don't expect anything else to go wrong. The amp is virtually bullet proof, and seems to be built to take anything thrown at it. If not for the initial buzz incident, I would easily give a 10 here.

Excellent. Brian Gerhard is a true gentleman to speak with - always courteous and always willing to take the time necessary to answer any and all questions. Stands behind his gear. I have spoken with Brian about 1/2 dozen times, and have always been extremely satisfied with our conversations.

I love both Top Hat amps that I own; can't say enough good things about them. As stated in earlier reviews, I have been playing more than 20 years. I have owned or demoed at-length amps by the following manufacturers: Bogner, Budda, Matchless, Mesa (every one of their products), Fender, Marshall, Fat Boy, Victoria, Tone King, Dr. Z, Holland, Trace Elliot, Johnson, and Line 6. I've played through new amps, and I've played through vintage amps (i.e., Plexis, Fender BF, Tweeds, etc.). I admit that I truly don't "know it all", and I consider myself lucky to have experienced alot of cool gear.
Money isn't the determining factor when I buy my gear; luckily I can buy what I want. My bottom line is that I choose to play through Top Hat amplifiers because I think they are absolute killer products.
Top Hat is a wonderful alternative to all of the other boutique amp shops trying to emulate the Tweed or BF tones. If you are considering spending $1,300+ on your next amp, demo Top Hat gear. If you seek tremendous British tone and a truly cool vibe, take a Club Royale II or King Royale for a test drive - you won't be sorry.
These are fantastic amps!

If "Features" means bells & whistles, then this amp is lacking. BUT that is just fine as far as I am concerned. It has two inputs, Volume & Master Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass & Cut. That's all folks, and as you see below you will understand why I like it that way. As far as appearance, they sell these amps with a wide choice of colors, including blonde, purple, black, white. I chose the nicely understated dark green.

I have stated before that I feel these boards suffer from review hype. We always have to justify our most recent purchase, & besides, because it sounds new, it somehow sounds "better." That said, I am not hesitating to give this amp a ten. A brief history. I was looking to get a new amp, one with more oomph than my current AC-15 (which I like). I looked at & played many, many amps. I was very close to getting either a Bogner or a VHT because I was enamored with the idea of channel switching. I even tried several modeling amps, which I thought were just mediocre. In other words, I played a wide variety. Then the guy at 30th Street Guitars (NYC) had heard me playing for several visits in the store, & suggested from listening to my style of playing that I try a Top Hat. I did & was immediately hooked. I knew I would abandon my misguided lust for channel switching. I did some research & decided to buy the 2x12 model because I wanted more bottom end than I could get with a 1x12. The sound is sublime, even at low volumes. The natural overdrive when the volume is at 2-3 o'clock is warm without being the least bit muddy. My style of playing is very poppy & the amp suits it perfectly. The controls are extremely responsive & you can have fun searching for the perfect combination for hours. It all sounds good. These things are hand wired and the theory is that the less "stuff" between the guitar & the amp, the better. No effects loop, not even a reverb tray. The sound is so much fuller than my AC-15. Obviously some of that is due to the 2x12's but there really is no comparing the two amps. The top Hat is the far superior amp. The main guitar that I play is a G&L ASAT Classic & they seem to get along wonderfully. The only effects I use with it are a Klon, which seems to go very nicely with it & occasionally I use an H&K Tube Rotosphere. I have never been a huge pedal guy and this amp certainly lends itself to staying away from them. Why cover up the sound of this beautiful amp with a bunch of pedals? One other note about the sound: when I took it to my first band rehearsal, my bandmates all very overwhelmed with the great sound I got at lower volume levels than I was used to with the Vox. That said, I still like to crank it up & it really sings.

I have only owned this amp for just over a month so I can't say. I will say that it seems to be extremely well made. I decided to buy from my local dealer even though it was a bit more expensive than mail order because I felt that if it did need service, it would be easier to deal with. But I doubt I will have to. Another thing: this amp is not a back breaker. The Bogner I played was a 1x12 & the thing seemed to be 20+ pounds heavier. This is something to think about because I certainly don't have any roadies carting my stuff around.

I have spoken to the nice folks at Top Hat a couple of times on the phone & they have been extremely nice & willing to talk about their amps and their new pedal. I have no doubts that these folks stand behind what they sell. This, to me, is one of the nice things about the boutique amp & pedal business (at least the people I have dealt with). These people take serious pride in their work & they stand behind what they make. Not only that, but they are as reasonably priced as any boutique amp on the market.

I have always been a guitar player who prefers function over form. To me, if the tool works well, that is the most important thing. Whether it is going to be worth 20 times what I paid for it in thirty years is not important. These amps do what they are designed to as good as any I have ever played. They might not be as well known as some other companies, but I know that this amp will be working for me well into the next century. I strongly feel that if you play one of these amps you might fall in love with it the way I did. When I plugged into it the first time I did so reluctantly, thinking I had to have a channel-switching amp. But after only a couple of minutes, I knew that the Top Hat was the amp for me. In the end these things are always subjective & my opinion is simply that: my opinion alone. But do play one if you get the chance & see for yourself.

I bought this amp in August. What an unbelievable purchase it was. After playing it for the past few months I feel I'm finally ready to do a review of the amp. I bought the amp on good faith from Electric City Music (Thanks Matt and Jim!) without ever playing it. The fine people at this store made it all possible by taking time to e-mail and call me about the details of this amp before purchasing.
This amp has a single channel with two inputs , a pull-boost on the volume, bass, midrange, treble, and a "cut" knob which was actually wired as a master volume in this model. The "cut" was set internally by the builder to its "sweet spot". It uses 3 12AX7's in the preamp, two EL84's in the output stage, and a tube rectifier. From what I understand, this amp is being re-designed with a SS rectifier soon. If you can gget one with the tube rectifier, do it! Because this amp is very basic, you will need some pedals or other effects to get more tonal varieties. However, this amp has absolutely outstanding tone. I was amazed how incredible rich it sounded right out of the box. The Club Royale I bought has a really attractive green tolex and an oxblood grillcloth. It also has one Weber Blue Dog and one vintage Greenback speaker. This amp is fairly lightweight (around 30-40 lbs.) and has no reverb or effects loop. I guess the fact it has no-frills is made up by outstanding tube tone it produces. I have used this amp only for practices (with a drummer, bass, and other guitarist) so far, but I have a feeling it will be okay to use in a medium or smaller club setting. If you will be playing a room with a PA, throw a mic in front of it and you won't have any problems (think Fender Deluxe Reverb for output potential). It does run in Class A, so you can get pretty loud before breakup, but it doesn't have a tremendous amount of headroom. When it does break up, it sounds very chimey and sweet like and old Vox AC30. I give this amp a 9 rating based upon the fact that it is so basic. It does do the one-trick "holy grail" tone thing however.

I use this amp along side a Matchless Chief. The TopHat is different sounding. I would say that it has a tighter low end and a warmer, less mid-rangy sound than the Matchless. On the other hand, the Matchless would blow out windows turned up, so I used that amp for the loud and clean, and the TopHat for the lower-volume clean/crunchy sounds. This is one great amp for recording. I am using a Carvin DC400 with dual humbuckers and a Carvin TL60 with dual humbuckers with this amp. Both guitars sound good through this amp. This amp is very quiet as far as background noises go. I did have to replace the rectifier after a week (see "reliability" below), but after that there was no noise. The clean channel breaks up nicely as you turn up the volume. It sounds very Vox-like with a sweet, chimey distortion. The distortion when the amp is maxed out remains sweet with a nice tight low end. Very cool. I typically use this right on the edge of clean with some output distortion. I run a pedal board into it that has the following effects: Guitar->Fulldrive2->TS9->Boss DS-1->Boss CE-5->Boss DD-5->BBE 262->Whirlwind Selector->TopHat Club Royale 2 ->Matchless Chief I can honestly say that I can cover a large tonal variety from metal clean jazz,etc. with this setup. One thing to note is that the BBE262 Sonic Maximizer makes this amp sound even better! I highly recommend this affordable gadget for any effects chain to clean up your sound!

I would take this amp to a gig without a backup. However, I would bring extra tubes. This amp is the picture of simplicity. The insides are hand-wired point-to-point on terminal strips. Any tech worth talking to would be able to figure this thing out. I had to replace the tube rectifier due to noise within a week of getting the amp. I was not happy. The folks at Electric City Music and Brian at TopHat took care of me. I ended up having an SS rectifier mailed to me no charge from Top Hat. After using that SS rect, the amp sounded a lot more tight and sterile. I ended up ordering an NOS 5Y3 rectifier from ECM and haven't looked back since. I would say this thing is very reliable. This amp puts out about 1/3 the heat of the Matchless.

All I can say is Brian at Top Hat was very helpful and took the time to help me out. How many other amp companies give personal attention to their customers? Also, the folks at ECM are great! Check them out at: www.ecmusic.net .

I have been playing for almost 12 years. I have owned and played many different amp brands including Peavey, Fender, Ampeg, Marshall, Carvin, and Matchless. Now I only own the Top Hat and Matchless. This amp is definitely on the level of the all-time greats. I love the fact this amp is simple and works well with pedals into the front end. I can get so many good sounds out of it. I also like the fact you don't have to throw your back out when you carry it around. I chose this amp because it was in my price range and I eanted a point-to-point amp. I also remember reading a review of it in a magazine a year ago which ultimately sparked my interest in this amp. If this map were lost or stolen, I would get the same model or even a King Royale for the additional hearoom. Overall, I would say that you can't go wrong for the price of this amp. It doesn't have a million bells and whistles, but the tone more than makes up for that. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

This is a follow-up to my prior review. I wanted to describe the great midrange control on this amp. By using the midrange at twelve o'clock, the amp delivers classic British tone. After playing around with the mid and turing it to about nione o'clock, the amp goes into a great Fender type of tone. More versatility than I thought. Tone controls are very active, and actually do what they are suppose to do - as opposed to many other amps.
The amp is truly loud...especially for 20 watts. Again, this is all Class A power. However, who ever thought that 20 watts of any type of power would be loud? Check this one out though, you'll be extremely surprised!

This is the killer part when talking about Top Hat amps. I have now played four different guitars through this amp, including my '57 Junior - which I rarely play anymore. Everything I put through this amp sounds great.
I use no effects, and the amp just has incredibly great tone straight-up. No B.S. Play through one of these things if you can find a Top Hat dealer close enough to where you live.
Again, as I stated in my earlier review, you will NEVER confuse the sound quality of this amp with other, lesser quality rigs. It's worth every penny.

Have had follow-up conversations with both Brian Gerhard (Top Hat owner) and Electric City Music about the amp. Both are absolutley top-notch to deal with.
For being a busy guy who owns one of the foremost boutique amp shops in the country, Brian has no problem taking the time to talk shop with you. He has now called me back twice - long distance, on his dime - the day after I left messages for him. He has taken a lot of time talking with me about the Top Hat products. Seem's like he is completely customer service oriented. He is great to deal with - no arrogance, no b.s. - just a cool guy who happens to make a great product.
I continue to have only the best things to say about Electric City Music. Before you buy anything, call these guys and give them a chance to deal with you. Ask for Matt or Jim. They have a good WEB Site, and are located in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. Their "800" number is 1-800-826-0707, so it doesn't cost anything to call them about their products.
The store has killer high-end guitars (Grosh, McInturff, PRS, Anderson, etc.), high-end basses, and high-end amps (Top Hat, Guytron, Rivera, they are also a Matchless dealer). They also have many hand-made guitar effects, many of which are hand signed and numbered! Nothing but cool stuff. And don't let their location bother you - they ship all over the place, including some international customers as well. I strongly recommend calling them before your next purchase; they will take care of you! It's truly cool dealing with guys who care about your needs and know their sh#!, especially when you are buying high-end stuff. I met them in-person (traveled to their store) and they are the real deal - whether you speak with them via phone, internet, or face-to-face.
Would give Top Hat and EC Music both a score of 12 here, if I could.

Read prior review, and additional info provided here. The whole experience has been great.

The rating I give here is based solely on the limited features of this amp, NOT THE TONE QUALITY. Remember though, this amp was built explicitly to sound a certain way, and to crank out great tone with minimal effort. What that means is that the Club Royale is basic, basic, basic. In other words, the amp was not built with four different channels, channel cloning, channel switching, cascading gain, a parmetric e.q., a dozen effects loops, etc.
My Club Royale simply has a volume w/boost (ala AC-30 Boost), bass, middle, treble, and "Cut". However, my Club is a little different than most. When Brian Gerhard (the owner of Top Hat Amplification) built this Club for Electric City Music in Kaukauna, Wisconsin (they are a wonderful dealership!), he replaced the "Cut" with a Master Volume. The natural "Cut" is set permanently at about one o'clock, which I understand is the sweet spot anyhow. The Master Volume is great.
My Club has the standard 20w all Class-A power with a tube rectifier. I understand that Brian may be changing to solid state rectifiers in the near future; so, if you want the real Top Hat killer tone, get one now - while the rectifier is still tube. While at the dealership, I also purchased a NOS Sylvania/Philips replacement rectifier tube. This tube will give the amp a little more sag, which should make it even cooler sounding.
Wiring is all done by hand. Point-to-point; as clean as it gets. Transformer is not huge - which allows for natural saturation. Extremely well thought out. This amp is simplicity at its best.
Speakers are one Celestion Greenback, and one Weber Blue Dog. Excellent combination.
Cabinet is actually smaller, narrower, and much lighter than the King Royale, which I also demo'd. It's covered in blond tolex with matching killer grille cloth.
Again, features are basic, but that's the kind of guy I am. I have reviewed a couple other pieces for the Harmony Central amp database, and I am the one talking about finding simplicity of tone. Great tone should not be something that takes two months to find. I have never bought into the theory of an amp with 300 different tones - all of them average. I would rather own 3 - 4 amps that are all different, but sound great by themselves, and go from there. To me, features aren't the issue, tone is.

I demo'd the Top Hat King Royale previously with four different types of Telecasters, and one Strat; so, I was familiar with the Top Hat sound before trying the Club Royale. Before I bought my Club Royale, I played through it for 2 1/2 hours at the store (like I said, the guys at EC Music are great!). I kept going back and forth between the King and Club using only one guitar.
I love the blues, but play them using a series of custom-made Tele's that are made for me by a great guitar tech/luthier in Southern CA. When I went to EC Music, I brought only one Tele with me, because I wanted to test drive both amps (along with a Guytron head) with only one guitar - so everything would be equal. In other words, I wanted sound and tone to be dictated by the amp, not different guitars.
I brought with me the most basic guitar I own - my custom-made Tele with a one-piece swamp ash body. It has a thick natural finish, and the body is a bit thicker than a classic Fender Tele body. Pick-ups are a Fender '52 Tele Reissue in the neck with a bit more high end than the real "dead" sounding '52 pick-ups had. The bridge pick-up is a Fender Texas Special Tele pick-up that will peel off the top of your head at higher volumes. The guitar was built to be microphnic (tap anywhere on the body and you hear it through the amp), just like the real thing. The neck is HUGE - bird's eye maple with an ebony fingerboard. Strings are hybrid, and go from .10 - .54. Lot's of low-end. Action is set-up sort of medium, which really allows me to dig in.
The classic Tele sound, combined with the Club Royale was phenomenal - and I won't say that about many things. I played straight through the amp with the master volume on about 4, the volume dimed-out with the boost on.... It was great! I played a bunch of different stuff during my 2 1/2 hours going between the King and Club - newer Clapton, older Cream, SRV (notice how I didn't say "nails the SRV sound" like everybody else in the guitar world can obviously do - LMAO), even old Leslie West. Everything sounded great.
The Club is only about 20w, which allows you to crank it up into a natural overdrive much more readily than the King. The King is about 35w of all Class A power......yeah, right....... if that's the case, how come it sounds like 75w or 100w?????
The King has more headroom than the Club, so it is more suited to running a variety effects through it's fabulously quiet effects loop. If you need the power or play with an array of stomp boxes, go for the higher powered King. However, if you are only playing in clubs (as opposed to 10,000 venues), or doing it as a hobby like me, then the Club is actually more functional than the King.
In the face of so many boutique dealers who are trying to nail the tweed and black-face tones (does Victoria or Tone King come to mind???), Top Hat truly sounds vintage British. It is a true English sounding new-vintage amp.
One of the cool things about Top Hat amps is that they are so well made, you can control a lot of your sound from your guitar. Pull back on the guitar volume and the sound does not get lost - only the volume goes lower. In fact, pulling back on the volume simply cleans up your sound nicely.
I have played through and/or demo'd a lot of different amps for extended periods, and have owned many different amps. Regarding all of the current boutique shops in the amp world, I think the Top Hat sound is uniquely British. There is also a certain "Quality" to the Top Hat sound. In other words, I don't think you'll find many players confusing Top Hat sound and/or tone with Peavey or Crate.
If you want a "new vintage" amp that does not sound like another tweed or black-face, test drive the Top Hat Club Royale - or even King Royale. If you play blues or straight rock, and like great, solid, vintage British amp tone, this is the way to go.

I have only owned the amp for a couple days. However, I demo'd the Top Hat products pretty extensively, spoke with Top Hat's owner, and spoke with a couple top amp techs before making my purchase. Because of its simplicity, and the fact that Brian uses all high-end components, I can't see reliability being a problem. Also, any good amp tech should be able to handle most problems with this amp - there just aren't that many things that can go wrong with it (I hope I'm saying the same thing a few months down the road).

I obviously have not needed customer service at this point. However, I spoke extensively with Top Hat's owner before my purchase. I left him a voice mail message one morning, and he called me back the same day. We spent about 45 minutes on the phone, long distance - on his nickel. He was very nice and answered all of my questions; it never seemed as though he was trying to cut the conversation short.
Based on that experience, as well as what I have heard from others, I expect customer service to be as good as the product itself. So far, so good!

I have now been playing for more than 20 years. Scary but true. I used to play with a band years ago; did some recording and live playing. Seems like it was a different lifetime. I now play more as a hobby. The funny thing is that I am probably a much better player now than I was back then. I love and have a healthy respect for the blues; that is mostly what I play.
I have always sought out "the tone" in my amps, regardless of what point I was at with my playing. I have owned a lot of amps over the years, including gear by Fender, Marshall, Mesa Boogie, and Peavey (god - I can't believe I admitted that), and now Top Hat. Aside from the amps I have owned, I have played through or demo'd (at length) products by Matchless, Rivera, Digitech/Johnson, Fat Boy, Trace Elliott, and a few others.
As I have previously written, I don't know whether or not you can truly compare amps. I think that good amps were meant to get the player a certain sound or tone, not to be compared with other products. Thus, I don't really like to make comparisons.
I think the Club Royale has a great sound, and a great tone. As I have written in my other reviews, it is only a great sound or tone if it is the one you are looking for.
I love the fact that this amp gives me absolutely killer tone and sound. It is a simple package that truly does not try to emulate the tweed or black face sound of so many other boutique amps. It is a wonderful product, and will likely stand the test of time.
Luckily, I do not have to worry about buying one amp versus another amp. I can pretty much afford what I want. In that regard, I think the fact that I bought the Top Hat says a lot. Could have bought Matchless, Bogner, Victoria, etc., but I decided on the Top Hat.
By the way, I hope that everyone reading this review checks out the Electric City Music Web site. Those guys are great! They are located in Kaukauna Wisconsin, of all places, and sell some really cool equipment - for both guitar and bass. They are truly good people to work with. Don't be worried about location, because they do a lot of business via the net and mail - they have customers all over the country and world. Give them a call before you make your next purchase!
I give the amp an overall "10" at this point, or I would not have bought it. I also give EC Music a solid 10 for being about the coolest music store I have visited anywhere -- and I've been in music stores all over the U.S. and in Asia.

This amp is a basic no bull old school design. The amp only has the essential controls. Volume, treble, midrange,bass and cut. It also has a pull pot on the volume control that is labeled boost. I thought this control was some sort of distortion nonsence at first but after some tweeking I noticed it had a AC-30 Top Boost vibe to it at lower settings. The controls are very interactive. I got this amp for small gigs so I could crank it up and get a big sound at a low volume level. Perfect amount of juice. Personally I like amps with less features so this amp fit my bill. My rating is based on feature versatility not versatility of tone.

I use Gibson Les Pauls, ES 335, Fender Strat and Tele. All vintage or vintage Custom Shop with stock pickups except the Tele which has Lindy Fralin vintage style pickups. I play Rock, Blues, Country. This amp works very well for all styles. The Club Royale is whisper quiet. I dont own much new gear and this is my only new amp. I own or have owned every vintage amp I wanted including: Vox AC 30's, Marshall JTM 45, Fender Tweed Bassman's, Tweed Deluxe's, Deluxe Reverb's, Princeton, and a 310 Tweed Bandmaster that is my all time favorite amp. These are all exceptional amps and will always be the amps we compare others with. I have also tried all of the Matchless amps, (which every body seems to compare to Top Hat) and I have owned and giged with the DC 30, Lighting, Cheiftain and Spitfire and I no longer own any Matchless amps. To me they dont have the feel or the tone of a vintage amp. They are built great and the company is exceptional but I just couldnt get a feel for or from theses amps. I was turned on to Top Hat while purchasing a Deluxe Reverb from a person who has posted a review on this very board. (thanks Mike Tatro) He had a 112 version of the Club Royale and I purchased a 212 which I tested side by side with the 112. It sounded much bigger and more open than the 112 but it is a little larger in size and weight. The 112 version still sounds very impressive. The sound of this amp is interesting. It sits on the fence between Vox and Marshall. I found I could get these tones by rolling my volume knob on my guitar. I didnt have to change the EQ on the amp. I found a good EQ setting with the volume set at about 3/4 with the pull boost out and the guitar and amp did the rest. This thing is truly dynamic! The amp cuts through at very low volume levels with your volume knob pulled back. It also has that AC 30 sparkle and bloom. Kick the volume on the guitar and here comes the plexi. No front end pedals are needed but they sound great if desired. My amp came with a Greenback and Weber Blue Dog . It sounded great but I needed a little more rip in the sound. I replaced the Weber with a vintage Vox Bulldog. The amp became more open and transperent. It also made the amp quiet a bit louder. I changed all the tubes to NOS British tubes. Both of these changes made a big differece in the sound quality of the amp but this amp deserves these upgrades. The amp also sounded great dead stock. I own many amps made between 1957 and 1974 and the Club Royale is the only new amp own. There are many good vintage replicas and boutique style amps out there and I have not tried them all but in my opinion the Top Hat has the vibe and for the price this thing blows.

To simple to have any major problems. Everything looks very solid.

Brian at Top Hat seems like a very sharp guy and he is very willing to give you any amp info you desire. All of the peole I have talked to seem very friendly and helpful. Warranty is solid.

Ive been playing for about 20 years. I own a large collection of gear. I would buy this amp again and I will buy another amp from Top Hat in the future. This amp is " fresh vintage" kind of like "new classic". Stupid but true! So far I like everything about this amp. Keep in mind, you wont hear the true beauty of this amp until you are playing with a band live or in the studio doing tracks. It sounds great in the show room but its real with the band.