TopHat Prince Royale

8" Tophat speaker. 4 Watts. El 84 Power section. Volume knob, boost switch, bright switch.

This amp is so simple in layout, yet it is quite versatile. Without the boost or bright switches engaged, the volume knob is, as one would expect, able to bring the amp from VERY quiet chimey cleans into heavier overdrives. The boost fuzzes the amp out while maintaining a rouder tone. The bright switch adds tons of usable topend, which sounds good and lets you play with the guitar's volume and tone knobs. So, there are really four settings: boost and bright off, bright on, bost on, both on. Combine that with the drastic changes that come with cranking on the volume knob, and it's a rather versatile little amp. So, for fatures, I give it high rating, not beacause it has a ton of them, but because there are no useless ones.

I play loud rock and I need to record those sounds in my little apartment quietly. I use a short scale guitar with DiMarzio DLX P-90 side-by-side humbuckers. It's basically a gibson type guitar (warmoth project, actually). Think Les Paul in sound and output. The 8" speaker is fun to mic up, and it bahaves much like a 12", bright crunchy in the middle and smoother and bassier on the edges. I can get a nice Angus Young overdrive, and singing Steely Dan solo tone, a chimey Birds rhythm tone, and with Menatone pedals (Mena is an old pal of Brian at Tophat, BTW) this amp works great. With the Red Snapper, I can dial in all kinds of usable Marshall-like sounds. Through an SM57, I'm in Brittish tone city.

I can't really get the Fender-ish sound to happen, and this must be why there's a 12ax7/6v6 Portly Cadet 5 watter available. The Prince Royale covers the Vox/Marshall world.

Again, I'm a guitar player doing recording. It's really cool to record these whispering levels and then crank them in the headphones and hear stacks. A few tracks piled together, and it's HUGE ROCK! But, remember, it takes work to get these sounds. Mic placement turns out to be the most important issue with the PR, which is cool, since it means there's lots of variety across the speaker.

Also, there's a psychological adjustment that has to happen when dealing with 4 watts, and being used to full powered amps. I went from a 50 watt stack to this, and it just didn't sound "big" or "full". This probably has more to do with how hard it's hitting the eardrums than with it's actual sound characteristics. Being used to big amps, I expect the sound to "hit" me. Once between the headphones, however, the PR does hit wonderfully. Though it will never fill a room like a Vox AC-30 or a Marshall Plexi, it will fill a mic like those amps. And that, I believe, is the beauty of this low watter. Remember, this is part of the "Studio Series."

Tank-like. Inspires confidence.

Brian is amazing. Honest, open, available.

Been playing since mid-80's. Always played hard, loud stuff. I'd buy another. I use an Emplexador for my live rig. Again, Menatone pedals and Tophats seem to jive excellently. This one likes my Prescription Germ pedal, too.

For recording guitar in quiet situations, break free of the POD world and get a low-wattage tube amp like the Prince Royale. I've used PODs and real amps, and, though I can't model thousands of amps, I'll take the real thing over a model any day. With patience and hard work, the Prince Royale and an SM57 are infinately varriable and will give gobs of tone in many shades of cool.

The "Prince Royale" is a 4 watt tone monster that once again lends itself to the "Less is More" way of thinking.The cabinet that it is housed in is the same size as the "Portly Cadet 5 watt" that Tophat builds.This amp has a EF86 preamp tube ,EL84 power section and a 5Y3 rectifier tube.

The controls are the same as the "Portly Cadet".You have a volume control,bright/boost switch and a on/off switch.

Once again I am a harmonica player of forty years and this amp like the "Portly Cadet" is a harp players dream come true.You have a slightly different voicing obviously because of the different tube configuration,but the overdrive will set your soul free.I like the boost setting more than the bright,a bit more full all around boost on all frequencies and driving sound.I have the volume nob set between the jewel light and the "P" on "Tophat".

I want everyone to know that this is not an over zealous review,I am so sold on "Tophat Amps" that I am trading in my 1996 "Matchless" Hurricane amp that has only been out of the house twice for a "Tophat" Club Deluxe.I use a "Shaker" dynamic harp mic in this setup.

Once again,all reviews are a going to have some subjectivity in them,what works for one person may not for another. But after four decades of playing,I have ended my search for the perfect tone after finding "Tophat" amps.

I have had this amp for almost four months and I play it hard around three times a week,it has never given me a moments problem.But as with all tube amps,you should always carry an extra set of tubes and a fuse.These amps are built much better that the old Fender amps in the early and late fifties and they are still around.I personally feel like if properly cared for for,you could pass these amps from one generation to another.

As I stated in my "Portly Cadet" review,Brian and his wife Joan are very concerned about making sure EVERY customer is happy with their product and will go to the extreme to do all they can to make sure that your amp is in A-1 shape and performing at peak efficiency for your needs.

As I have already stated,in the process of selling and trading "ALL" of my "NON"-"Tophat" gear and buying "ALL"-"Tophat" amps.I have now the "Portly Cadet" and the "Prince Royale" and after playing thru a "Tophat" "Club Deluxe" I now have one of those on order.I am positive,I will have these till the day I die.

The sound is so RICH from these amps,it is almost impossible to find the words to describe it.I am not an endorsee for "Tophat",just a working harp player that has finially ended his quest for the perfect TONE MACHINE after finding "TOPHAT" amps.

Please check out my website at http://bluzharp.tripod.com
Best regards,
Steve"Big Daddy BluzHarp"Harvell