ABOUT THE COMBO.
The original Royalist was the first Tone King amp to offer the best elements of British tone and was one of the company’s most beloved amps. The new Royalist MKIII is a 40-watt, two-channel, all-tube, 1×12” combo that expands on that legacy by faithfully reproducing early British tones ranging from the sweet, singing JTM45, to the iconic “Plexi” sound, all the way to the raging “Super Lead”. The Royalist MKIII authentically captures the vintage nature of these iconic amplifiers, delivering tones that span from clean to edge-of-breakup, to the bright-crunchy leads found on countless classic rock tracks that helped shape music history. The built-in Iron Man II attenuator on each of the channels features a tuned reactive load and special compensation circuitry that allows the power tubes to be fully driven, yet only allowing a fraction of the volume through the speaker.
This new Royalist MKIII expands on that legacy with new features and
enhancements, faithfully producing early British tones ranging from the sweet,
singing JTM45 to the iconic “Plexi” sound, all the way to the raging “Super
Lead”. The Royalist MKIII captures the authentic vintage nature of these iconic
amplifiers delivering tones that span from clean to edge-of-breakup, to the
bright, crunchy sounds found on countless classic rock tracks that shaped
music history.
The Royalist MKIII offers three important updates over its predecessor: dual
channels with independent Volume and Pull FAT feature; 1964, 1967 and 1970
voicing switch assignable to each channel and two of our legendary Iron Man
attenuators with independent level for each the channels.
Both channels share a classic tone control circuit (Treble, Midrange and Bass)
and Presence control. The combination of the Royalist MKIII controls provide a
wide palette of British tones from beautiful cleans to the heaviest of old school
British tones.
The Royalist MKIII has two identical foot-switchable channels (A & B). Each channel
has an independent volume (gain) control, three position “Era” voicing switch and
independent attenuator rotary control. Both channels share the same tone controls
and presence control.
Channel Select Switch
Selects channel A or B when footswitch is not being used.
Volume A & B
The two independent volume controls (A&B) adjust the amount of gain in the preamp
circuit. Each volume control has a PULL FAT feature, which when pulled allows more
low-end frequencies in the first preamp gain stage.
Tone Controls
These controls should be familiar, as they operate in the same way as most other guitar
amplifiers, with the Treble knob controlling the high frequencies, the Bass knob
controlling the low frequencies, and the Midrange knob controlling the frequencies
between bass and treble.
The Royalist MKIII is a non-master-volume design, which means that overdrive and
distortion are generated by both the preamp and power amp in certain predetermined
proportions. This makes it relatively easy to dial in the amount of overdrive and
distortion you want – it’s all under control of the single Volume knob.
Presence
The Presence knob adjusts the level of very high frequencies (those above the range of
the Treble control) and does it in a way that is slightly different than the Treble control.
As you turn the Presence knob up, the level of those very high frequencies is increased,
as you would expect. But, the presence control also has an effect on the “feel” of the
amp as well. At higher settings, the amp is punchier and more “raw” sounding, while at
lower settings is less “spiky”, with a more “compressed” feel.
It’s a good idea to get used to the specific effect of the Presence control, as it can really
help to dial in your sound for a particular room or setting. As a general rule, you may
find it appropriate to set the presence control higher in larger rooms, but keep it rather
low at home.
The 1964, 1967 and 1970 three-position “era” voicing switch on each channel allows
you to choose the particular preamp, tone stack and negative feedback (power amp)
from three of the most popular vintage British amps.
1964 – delivers a balanced treble response, lower gain, and less aggressive attack of a
vintage JTM45 or Bluesbreaker.
1967 – delivers the crisp treble response and aggressive attack of a vintage “Plexi”.
1970 – this highest gain setting on the Royalist MKIII delivers the raging “Super Lead”
sound.