TopHat King Royale

No fluid sound, little compression, very sterile. Overrated.

Do not know, but the guy at the store said it had needed a tube when it came in.

I've been playing 34 years. Mostly modern country the last ten,I like Robben Ford style and Danny Gatton, Larry Carlton, a diverse bunch. I also tried the ambassador, and really did not like this either. I've played an old Vox before, and these amps don't sound as warm, don't get a nice sustain in the clean setting. I wanted to leave this review and other amps I've tried lately, because of all the hype surrounding them, so that other musicians see a more realistic view than all the people who buy them who really like them.

This is a 2000 model and it is a basic vox type of control,the cut works on both channels and the 2nd channel has a master volume,with the first channel only has volume and tone knob,Its el-84 powered,and tube rectifier,2-12in one greenback celestian,and a weber blue dog.

I play strats,and 335,s,play blues and motown,r&b,southern rock,so I have to cover a lot of differant tones,I play,small and large venues,so when in large places I put a 57 in front and that always works good,I use the #1 channel for humbukers and that works best,very toneful it sounds like early clapton with cream and if you like that kind of tone you have no problem achieving it,#2 channel is best with strats I play a 57,and a 62 and you know it sound just like a Robert Cray tone,very clean and when you lean in to it you get a perfect compression happening,that can only be discribed as creamy with no hint of harsness,This amp has no bad tones at all an interesting design in the tone circuit is that if you turn down the treble your bass tone is gradully increased,the mid control is very active that control in its self is able to go from fender to marshall tone very easily.

Yes I think so I havnt had any problems yet I,m thinking of replacing the power tubes though.

This is one of the best customer friendly companies I have ever delt with,I wish that auto dealers would take some lessons from Brian,and I spent 20 times more money on my car.Brain gets back when ever you call I cant say how good it is to spend money on someone that doesnt treat you like crap,ARE YOU LISTINIG FENDER.

Ive been doing music for 35years and still learning,I own a 57 bassman with original jensens,67 super reverb,65 twin,66 basman head and 2-12 marshall cabinet,hot rod deluxe,sf champ.If it were stolen I would sit down and cry,then I would be pissed.This is one great amp,if you get a chance play one but in the store playing wont do you justice,you need to turn it up,to here what its about.It sound great at low volume but past 6 gets the tube rectifire working

Tophat King Royale, 30 watts class A with 4 EL34 output tubes, open back combo with a 12inch Greenback and a Weber of some type. Two channel amplifier with bright and normal inputs on both channels. Channel one includes volume and tone, allthough the "cut" knob works on both channels. Channel two has volume, treble, midrange, bass, cut, and master volume. Very Vox like set up allthough the tone controls behave somewhat differently but similar to the mid-boost of the ac 30. I give this amp an eight on features, only because the bass seems to have very little effect on the amplifier.

I use strats with Lindy Fralen pickups. I play a variety of music including blues and commercial rock. I use pedals to vary gain and sound and I have really never used but one channel of an amp during gigs and very rarely change the setting once dialed in to my taste. Playing straight into this amp is a thing of beauty. It has shimmering high end with rich harmonic overtones. Ghost notes are present which add distinctive character and depth to the overall sound. It is a big sound without the need for high volume. It overdrives within itself very well and maintains rich harmonic content and a transparency which allows your guitar to be heard. The treble and mid contols are very effective and the cut allows sthe "brown" sound to sort of sweep in on a graduated basis. Now the rest of the story. This amp does not like pedals at all!!! My tubescreamer produced a glassy horrid bite that overtook all of the harmonics and produced a high mid low treble bite that made its sound unusable for anything. It responded better to my green rhino but only after turning the cut control allmost wide open, which defeated the amps best feature its sparkling high end. For overall sound quality I have to give this amp a 6. It is not practical for my need as a usable club amp. It is reminiscent of the DC 30 (Matchless) when overdriven, a "blizzard of Nails) I remembered reading in a review one time. However, if you plug straight into an amp and play that style, there are some very great useable tones.

Its built like a tank, close attention to detail, good parts, great assembly, I am not sure about reliability but couldnt imagine from looking at the thing that it would give any problems. I give it a nine based on the construction alone.

I talked with Bryan about the tone and pedal problem. He was very informative about the other pedals and reasons for my problems. He made several suggestions for alternatives, I havent had time to try his suggestions.

I have been playing 30 plus years, blues to rock to commercial puke music. Good tone is my constant directive. However, versatility is a must for playing situation. I have to rely on pedals to achieve the needed results for gigging. This amp is not really not useable in a club situation if you need several levels of overdrive and rely on pedals to get there, it just does not respond well to anything I have tried, and I have tried many. My overall rating has to be a 6 due to the great tone but lack of versatility and inability to accomodate input enhancement.

Real simple amp but with all the features you need: 2 channel + 2 HI/LOW inputs for each channel. Push/pull on/off Master volume. 1st only has a TONE control + CUT. 2nd has T/MID/BASS + CUT + boost with a Footswitch and both could be just volume or with master volume. EL84 power tubes + 12AX7 preamp tubes.

After owning the best from Matchless, Bruno, DRZ, Alessandro and the unreliable VOX's amps. Nothing can get close to this incredible amp. If BRITISH is your thing. You wan't believe the VOXY tones to Marshall sounds you can get out this amp. I Never played an amp that had all this qualities and really sounded like a VOX or a Marshall and never imagine to be possible to sound better than the originals. Please give a try and please let me know. Brian (the genius behind TOP HAT) finally after the past Summer of 98 got this amps really screaming. This is the KING ROYAL and Brian you got just the correct name for it what killer amp. I only which you stop here because I cannot imagine any better and the next "Guitar Player MAG." Amp shootout just send them one just like mine. After owning the Matchless SC/30 or DC/30 + Bruno Underground 30 + DRZ MAZ 38 + ALESSANDRO EL84 amps. I can tell you that you can all kiss TOPHAT/Brian ASS because this guy his just an incredible amp builder. Inside/out this amp it's a 11 on my book any day, from the incredible point to point work to the imaculate CAB work just has great has a MATCHLESS or A CLARK. You will get the best flavors that a VOX or Marshall can give + a more aggressive, in your face or just a sweet and smooth bluesy tones that will just make smile. THIS IS THE BEST OF THE BEST.

SO FAR SO GOOD.

BRIAN his the best. The one thing I love about the guy is: he know so much but he's allways willing to listen to his customers and change and improve unlike like most amp builders I know and even if they are real demanding and real picky about little shitty details like GREG. That's an inside joke. BRIAN you will be a ***** guy in my book. THANK YOU FOR THE INCREDIBLE WORK.

I like to say to all the AMP NUTS out there. if didn't try this one yet, You don't know what is the BEST. But if like it smaller less powerfull just give a try to the CLUB ROYAL or VIBRATREM. They also kickass and any of this amps are worth every penny. Unlike the BAY AREA SHOOTOUT you can not compare prices for a amp. The KING ROYAL is best amp your money can buy specially when you paid almost $2000 for a little shoe box and all the other out there are more expensive than the KING ROYAL, but DRZ MAZ 38 $1495. I THANK MY BUDDY SCOTT to be the guy that turn me into this TOP HAT amps and along with my KENDRICK and my CLARK for that tweed thing. The hunt is finally over. THANKS BRIAN for the incredible sounding amps. Specially the KING ROYAL.

The King Royale is a 35 Watt, class A, all tube 2X12 combo amp. This amp was designed after a Vox AC-30. It was hand-built and wired point-to-point by the folks at Top Hat. The King has two channels. Channel 1 is simple with just a volume pot and a tone pot. Channel two has a master volume, full EQ complement (bass, mid, treble), cut control (works with both channels), and a volume control. Very straight forward.
Other back panel features include an optional passive effects loop, impedance selector, extra speaker out jack, and a line out with a level control. The tube configuration is 4 EL-84's in the power section, 3 12AX-7's in the preamp, and a 5AR4 rectifier. For speakers it has a 25 Watt Greenback, and a Weber Custom VST. This amp also came with pop-out casters which was a pleasant surprise.
I use a Whirlwind Selector to switch between channel one and two. I set channel 1 louder for leads and use channel 2 for clean/rhythm sounds.
This is a nice, classic looking amp. I ordered the dark green tolex with an oxblood grillecloth. Very pleasant color combination. This amp has the old logo but does not have top handles on it like older King Royales. I guess this is now an upcharge option. That's ok with me, I think it looks cool without them.
I'm giving this amp a 9 for features because it doesn't have a million bells and whistles on it. It is well-suited for just about anything besides high-gain metal. I think overall this amp's simplicity is the key to its superb tone.

This amp gives incredible tone. Period. It is voiced with an extremely warm tone and a great sounding chime. Certainly not a metal player's dream amp, but extremely appropriate for any other style of music. The clean sound will give you chills. I use this amp with my Top Hat Club II (see my previous review for this amp) and together the two amps make quite the wall of sound.
As far as power goes, this thing gets quite loud. I am not at all worried about it having enough to cut through a band in a small/medium sized room. There is plenty of clean headroom as you crank the amp. It does seem that a lot of the volume reserve comes in to play after the volume knob is turned up past three or so, but that may be dependent on the types of tubes used. The nice part is that the King responds well to a Tube Screamer or FullDrive in front and you'll get a tone that will make you smile for days.
I use this amp with a Carvin DC400 with active humbuckers, and a Carvin TL-60 with passive humbuckers. The sound characteristics of both these guitars comes through very clearly on this amp. The style of music I play is blues based pop rock.
As far as noise goes, this thing is SILENT. You can tell when a tube amp has been constructed with quality materials when you can listen to it at idle and not hear any hum or interference. Of course, if you are using a distortion stompbox that adds noise this amp will amplify it, but otherwise it is extremely noise-free.
The overdrive on channel two is very pleasant and warm when you set the volume higher than the master volume. You can dial in some very useable distortions, but I tend toward pedals for my overdrive sounds. The tonal variety is good. You can go from a Marshall JTM 45-ish sound with the tone and volumes cranked on channel two, to a Fendery sound with the tone controls dialed in at about 9 o'clock or so, and a very Vox-like sound with the tones around 12 o'clock. (My favorite setting.)
I purchased some NOS EL-84's and a Sylvania 5U4 rectifier when I bought the amp. The amp sounded great with the stock Sovteks, but really came alive with the NOS tubes. The 5U4 allowed a lot of sag when playing aggressively, which resulted in a really cool sound. Unfortunately, I cracked the base of the precious (and expensive) 5U4 while re-tubing. Arggh! I had to put the tighter-sounding stock rectifier back in which sounds okay.
I would give this amp a 12 if it were an option for tone quality.

I would be willing to gig without a backup with this amp. But I plan on bringing my Club II along just in case. I will be gigging this amp for the first time in a few weeks, so I'll send an update a few months to comment on reliability.
I really don't see how there would be any reliability problems with this unit. The insides are all hand-wired to terminal strips. The wiring is very neat and well-planned. All sockets, swithces, electrical parts seem to be of the highest quality. Also, it seems that silver solder was used which may be why the amp is so noise-free.
One concern I have is that the tubes are mounted underneath the chassis facing forward to the front of the amp. This means that you have to pull the chassis to get at the tubes. This means that you must be very careful when doing this (or else you might crack up a rare and expensive 5U4 rectifier like I did). I guess the worst part is that if you have a tube failure at I gig (I doubt you will), it could take a while to replace a tube the way they are mounted. The amp does seem to be well-ventilated, however.
So far in the month I've owned it, I've only noticed that the stock rectifier seemed to be microphonic, which I am about to replace. Otherwise, this thing is BULLETPROOF.

I've talked with Brian at Top Hat before and he was very helpful and knowledgable. I would say that I have no worries that he will support me with any problems I may have with this amp, although I don't foresee anything going wrong with it.
One quick side story. I ordered this amp from Electric City Music (http://www.ecmusic.net/) in Wisconsin. I special ordered this amp to match my Club II. To make a long story short, I decided to take a field-trip to pick it up (450 mile drive) and see the store where I've been treated so well in past purchases. When I arrived, I spent several hours in the store talking to the owner (Jim) and Matt Stewart (amp expert) which was a great experience. It turns out that my amp did not show up in time for my visit due to bad weather and a shipping mishap. I was not pleased, but not exactly upset since the trip was worth it overall.
Jim ended up personally delivering the amp 3 days later (he drove the 450 miles this time) and even bought me dinner to make up for the inconvenience! What a great group of people to do business with. That's why I feel I must spread the word about this authorized TopHat dealer. I received immediate help from Matt when I discovered the microphonic rectifer. He had one shipped to me within several days.
Now I know that either way, through Top Hat or Electric City Music that I'll be covered. It's a great feeling.

I have been playing for 12 years and have another Top Hat, and Matchless Chief. I have a bunch of effects that I used when the mood calls for them.
If this map was stolen, I would get another one, if not two more. It's that good. If I could change anything about this amp, it would be tube accessibility and some metal corners to protect the tolex, that's it.
Overall, I would say check out this amp if you get a chance. It makes a lot of other amps sound like toys. Also, check out the folks at Electric City. You will not be let down by this amp or their customer service.

I submitted a lengthy Top Hat King Royale review on 1/27/99. Due to the large number of amp reviews sent to Harmony Central during the past week, my review never made it into the "Most Recent Submissions" listing. However, Harmony Central did publish it in the normal "Listing By Manufacturer" section.
If interested in the review on this great amp, please chack out that portion of the Amp Database. Also, feel free to ask questions about the amp.

The rating that I give to this category is based on a combination of my needs, and overall features available in amplifiers. This category is NOT an indication of sound quality or overall amp quality. Keep that in mind. This amp is nothing more than a simple, easy-to-use, killer tone machine. Not a lot of frills; just huge amounts of incredible tone. By the way; isn't that what an amp is all about?
For my style of playing, this amp has everything I want and need. However, relative to other amps that have features like 3-channel switching, cacading gain, channel cloning, amp mimicking capabilities, a million knobs with push/pull capabilities, speaker damping, etc., the King Royale would seem very basic in its approach. But let's be serious folks; people who understand extremely high-end hand made tube guitar amps should also understand what an amp like this is all about. You don't buy a King Royale because you expect a million different features. Rather, you buy an amp like this because you are seeking a specific sound, tone, and/or vibe for your playing.
The King Royale is 35w of pure Class A power. However, that supposed 35w gives you lots of headroom.
This amp has two distinct channels. Channel II has a full complement of e.q. capabilities; Channel I merely has a "Volume" knob and a "Tone" knob. Simple.
If you face the amp, controls are laid out as follows, from left to right: On/Off Switch, Standby Switch, Pilot Light, Master, Cut, Bass, Mid, Treble, Vol II, Tone, Vol I, Hi/Lo Inputs II, Hi/Lo Inputs I. My King Royale also has a passive one input effects loop which I will likely never use since I am not a big believer in stomp boxes and other effects.
The King Royale is powered by a matched quartet of EL-84 power tubes. Tube preamp. Tube rectifier. Hand made. Hand wired, point-to-point. E.Q'd brilliantly - you get a lot of bang for the buck via the Cut, Mid and Treble controls. In other words, the knobs work. By the way, tubes "jut out" from the chassis toward the front of the amp, as opposed to hanging down as in most tube amps.
The King is heavy. Mine came with removable casters; this is a good idea for an amp that is 70+ pounds.
One last issue for this category; the amp looks great. Mine is blonde tolex with oxblood grille cloth. Old Top Hat logo. Vented top (in front of chassis). Single handle on top (older Kings had three handles - see the WEB site or older marketing materials). It matches my Top Hat Club Royale II perfectly.
I decided to give an "8" here because of the amp's simplicity. If I was rating it solely based on my needs, I would give it a 9 or 10.

I am still basically using the same guitars that I was using when I reviewed my Club II. However, I sold one of my axes since then. Without getting into a ton of boring details, I play two killer custom-made Tele knock-offs that were built buy a great guitar tech/luthier in Southern California. Both have solid swamp ash bodies, although one of the bodies is a little thicker than the other.
One is voiced like a true vintage Tele, including being very telephonic (tap anywhere on the body and you hear it through the amp)- it was built that way on purpose. The other is a bit more tricked out - three pick-ups including a Duncan 59er humbucker in the bridge. Both guitars sustain forever, have perfect intonation throughout the neck, and sound awesome. I will never sell either of these guitars - ever.
I also own a '57 Gibson Les Paul Junior that is in excellent condition. However, that one stays packed away in its case, and only gets taken out for an occasional polishing.
As stated in my other reviews, I play around with the blues a bit. Tone is important; in fact it's the only thing I really care about in an amp (I assume that in this price range the amp is well-built, so quality of construction should be a given). I believe that you should be able to plug straight into a great tube amp, fire it up, and get killer tone from the get-go. As stated previously, I am not a big effects guy, and play straight into the amp 99.9% of the time. Thus, my rating here is based solely on the incredible tone derived from high-end, high-quality custom built guitars plugged straight into a high-end, high-quality hand made all-tube guitar amp. Nothing in between to alter the signal path.
It should be noted that I swapped out the stock power tubes for a matched quartet of Ruby/Tesla EL-84 tubes. I also dig NOS tubes, but wanted to see how these would sound.
Channel I has a very direct and up-front clean sound. Dial in your favorite tone with the simple Tone knob, and this thing yells at you. Miles and miles of in-your-face clean sound.
Channel II.......this is where things get EXTREMELY interesting. With my basic tele in the middle position (between the pickups), tone controls at 12 o'clock (the Cut was at about 11 o'clock), Master at about 11 o'clock, and Volume II at about 4 o'clock, I pulled off some of the most incredible tone I have ever heard. I can get pretty exact Clapton tone from the Mayall/Bluesbreakers days using this combination of guitar and amp settings. Who ever thought that you could get so f#@%!ing close to that tone using a tele????
With the Ruby/Tesla power tubes, it is also incredible to just strike a chord and let it ring. Bar chords, seventh chords, raised seventh chords, ninth chords, it doesn't matter. Just hit a chord and let it ring. It is, without question, the single glassiest sounding amp I have heard in my life. Now this is saying a lot, because I figured out the other day that I have demoed and played through about 250 amps over the years....maybe more. That includes a large portion of the existing boutique amps on the market.
You will never get the brutal distortion of some amps. However, that is NOT why you buy a King Royale. For my tastes, this amp has more than enough edgy overdrive. It is great. And the clean sound....YOW! This amp is voiced exquisitely British. It is NOT a tweed of BF knock-off. Get a Victoria, Holland, or Tone King if you dig that sound. Totally different voicing and vibe here. Think of Clapton with Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Think tons of flat-out British tone. Think beautifully saturated EL-84 overdrive.
If you like that type of tone, and want a hand-made killer guitar amp, this is a good choice....no, make that an excellent choice. I have read a lot of reviews where cats talk about "the holy grail" of amps. I am not sure exactly what that means, as everybody has his or her own idea of what "the tone" really is - and it is different for everybody; plus, a lot of it comes from your hands, not your am

Only had it a few weeks. I've played through 4 or 5 other King Royales, and they seem to be well-built. Of course, if you are gigging, it is probably a good idea to carry a spare set of power, preamp, and rectifier tubes. It's a cheap way to ensure reliability. The problem is that you have to remove the entire chassis to really access the tubes. Thus, it may be a bit tough to swap out tubes during a gig.
Also; I am having a padded amp cover made by Susan at Studio Slips in California. She does a lot of amp covers for Top Hat owners. It is a great way to protect the amp for only about $70 (plus shipping). Should help the amp last longer if I decide to take it out.
If I decided to get into a serious playing situation, I might buy a second King Royale for a back-up. I also have my Club II that I could use.
I am not saying that these amps require a back-up for gigging, but as with any tube amp situation, it probably wouldn't hurt to have a second amp. Besides, it would be cool to have a second King Royale anyway.

This is one area where the company and music store I purchased it from really shine! I bought the amp from Electric City Music in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. Same place I bought my Club II. The guys are extremely knowledgeable and customer service oriented at EC Music. Brian Gerhard at Top Hat is the same way. Thus, I must tell two short stories here, so you can see what true customer service is about....
Story #1: I ordered my King Royale from EC Music. Since I dealt with them and Top Hat previously, the decision was to have the amp drop-shipped directly to my house. One night, the door bell rang at about 6:30 p.m., and the UPS guy was standing at the door. I opened the door and, to my horror, saw the UPS guy rolling this huge box end-over-end up to my house (he walked back down the driveway after ringing the doorbell). Got to love it. What did he give a s**t....it wasn't his $2,000 amp. He got it to the door and said, "This thing is heavy". I sort of figured that out myself by looking at the sticker on the box that read "77 Pounds".
I let the amp sit inside of my house for a day before plugging it in. Wanted to make certain that there was no condensation in the tube sockets, etc. When I finally fired it up, I was disappointed in the lack of volume versus other Kings I heard. So, I immediately called and e-mailed EC Music. We both thought it was probably a tube problem due to the fine handling by UPS.
Within a day, EC Music had sent a fresh set of replacement power tubes. However, they were the Ruby/Tesla tubes discussed above, not simply reaplcement Svetlana or Sovteks. Instant customer service. No b.s. No hassles. No excuses. No problems or questions. Incredible customer service from the best shop I have ever dealt with. Their customer service has been impeccable since I started doing business with them a few months back. Since replacing the tubes, everything has been tremendous with the amp.
Story #2: I recently had some buzzing/rattling with my Club II chassis. I spoke this past week with the guys at EC Music. Next thing I know, Brian Gerhard from Top Hat is calling me to find out what is going on first-hand. Said to send the amp back. He said one of two things would happen. Top Hat would either A) fix it and turn it around to me within 24 hours of receiving it, or B) if they couldn't isolte the problem, they would simply send me a brand new Club II.
Top flight product. Top flight customer support from the manufacturer. Top flight support from the dealer. Can't ask for much more than that.

It's almost hard for me to believe, but I have been playing for 20+ years. Ouch. I occasionally play out out with some friends, and am currently setting up a band with another local player. Other than that I enjoy a lot of blues music, and also enjoy great equipment.
As stated above, I have had the fortunate opportunity throughout my playing life to demo and play through a lot of different gear, both high-end and not-so-high-end. I have also owned a variety of good products - both guitars and amps. I have never ever been a GAS guy, and normally stick with good equipment when I find it. Like I said before, I will never ever get rid of the two custom made tele knock-offs I have. There are many reasons why.
I will also keep my Top Hat amps forever, as I now have a matched set of Club II and King Royale amps with extremely low serial numbers. Although I am not really a collector, I still think it is cool to own some of the first amps made by a company with a quickly-growing reputation in the high-end amp marketplace.
If the amp was lost or stolen, I would collect my insurance money and buy another one. It's a great amp, and there is no reason not to get another one. As I said before, I may just get another one because I simply like the product.
I have not compared this amp to other products. As I have said in my other reviews, I don't think it is possible to truly compare amps. Each amp has its own place, has its own vibe, and does its own thing. As a player, you just have to be smart enough to realize that, and not worry about things that "you wish it had". When I buy an amp, I am fully aware of what it can do before I make the purchase, and I don't worry about what it "could have" or what I "wish it had" (that is not my phrase; Harmony Central asks the question "Anything you wish it had?").
You buy what you want, and play the cards you are dealt from that point forward. After all, if you don't think the amp has the features you are looking for, then don't buy it.
One other thing I would like to share about Top Hat products. A friend of mine bought a 50w Top Hat Emplexedor head and matching 2x12 open back Top Hat cabinet. Poeple, this is - simply put - the single best sounding amp I have ever heard. Period. Anybody looking at Marshall, Soldano, Mesa, Bogner, Guytron, etc. should check out one of these amps. They are not easy to find, but trust me on this one. It is an absolutely phenomenal sounding 2 channel amp. One channel is voiced like a vintage Plexi, the other has a more modern high gain. However, the high gain channel allows each and every note to ring distinct as opposed to - as an example - a Dual Rectifier, which sounds sort of buzzy and like a running engine. Check out an Emplexedor if you must have a 2 channel head with a separate bottom. That will likely be my next amp purchase.
If I could, I would give the King Royale a 9.5 in this category because, although it is a killer amp, it is still a lot of money. However, you get what you pay for.
I will likely add to this review after I have used the amp for a couple more months. At that point, the Overall Rating may climb to a "10".