The Falcon Grande is the sweetest sounding small amp that Ive ever played through. Portable, versatile, sufficient volume & takes pedals well. Great for doing small club & stuidio gigs ..it sounds even better when you're playing it!
Its literally taken me about a year to actually try all 3 of these amps as not kept in stock in UK shops generally. So had to find time to meet up with friends of friends etc. Anyway I wound up going for the imperial head and cab, it just sounded how I wanted it to, mines on order, supposed to come in around march this year.
You can’t go wrong with any of them but I would personally go sky king it sounds amazing ( all of them do ) but the sky king has a magic to it I really like
Yeah I just got the Gremlin head Absolutely love it but now need a 1/12 cab....4/10 or 4/12s is seriously loud for 5 watts but not sure if I want to go with their V30 or not Alnico gold maybe ??
I had the same choice between the Imperial and Sky King. I ended up getting the Sky King. The ultra linear swung it for me. Have had the amp a few years now. Still enjoy it very much. Good luck choosing!
I’ve tried the Imperial and the Sky King. Honestly, the Imperial is just a great all-rounder and would be my choice. In the ‘for what it is worth’ department, I’ve also tried a Gremlin and just loved it.
My current rig is a Tone King Mk I (2007) and a Dr Z MAZ18Jr 2×10 ( 1×10 stock Dr Z and 1×10 Celestion G10 gold alnico) I run them in stereo using a Radial splitter. In the 50 years I've been playing I've never had tone this dynamic, organic and downright nasty! Guitars are, 1971 Sunburst Les Paul Dlx, 2020 Heritage 535 Artisan Aged Cherry, 1962 Fender Strat Relic Daphne Blue, 1978 Tele Daphne Blue! I got my bases covered and it's made these covid days actually enjoyable!! Thanks for the demos and I love your chops btw!!
I bought the imperial mk2 a few years ago. I’ve played many boutique amps, own a vintage 68’ Princeton Reverb. Imperial, best amp I’ve ever played. Plus if you want to expand your sound pedals work so well with this amp. I will say I do have the combo with the eminence ‘33’ speaker. Just my two cents.
Jay! LOVE that you did this shootout. I've played most of the Tone King amps and own 2 (Imperial MK1 combo without attenuator & Falcon Grande) and used to own a Royalist!!! There is no wrong choice. Once you get one, you'll be hooked. One small correction on the info - the Falcon Grande has 5881 tubes not 6V6 You were REALLY feeling the Sky King. I could feel the enthusiasm in your playing and I think you like all of the options available. I'm with you on the looks though - the Imperial is the winner on that for me. Based on my ownership of 2 of these amps as well as demo'ing a Sky King, here are my standout pros and cons: Falcon Grande Pros: Looks, Easy Layout, 3 position voice switch is fantastic, unique feel and the lead voice is unique (heard it's supro based), dual inputs are fantastic and combined with the 3 voices and different guitars, I'm always finding more and more tonal options Cons: The Falcon Grande is a dark sounding amp. It records well, but in the room it's tough to get what I want out of it unless I'm using a bridge humbucker, especially on the rhythm voice setting. One thing to try is running a compressor in front. It adds some highs and opens up the tone a bit. Also try plugging in a Les Paul on the bridge HB into input 1 and set the amp volume to 3.5 (on the dial not o'clock), tone to 4 o'clock (almost all the way up), reverb 9 o'clock, reverb dwell at noon (this opens up the highs a bit), make sure the attenuator is only 1 or 2 clicks down so it doesn't compress too much and re-try the tweed and lead voices. This amp is indeed tweed style and the amp volume is in its Goldilocks zone with a HB at about 3-4 on the dial, like most tweed amps. The higher the amp volume goes, it not only overdrives more, it also adds more lows. Imperial: Pros: Looks, 2 channel, great punchy feel, mid-bite is amazing and gives lots of options on the lead channel. A les paul bridge HB into the lead channel with the mid-bite up around 6 is a GLORIOUS sound! Cons: Only thing overall is the Imperial can be a pokey bright amp with some guitars even with speaker break-in. This can also affect how well the amp takes pedals. The user manual instructs using pedals on the lead channel as the lead channel I believe does not have a bright cap. To me, the Imperial does not take pedals as well as a Deluxe Reverb RI. Also, on this MKII with the attenuator, there's an attenuator bypass switch for the rhythm channel. Try it with the attenuator bypassed and run the amp volume up to 4 -5 and see how you like it. My MK1 with no attenuator feels a lot more open and dynamic than the MKII head and cab I tried. Overall, still a super versatile amp though. Try it with a few pedals as well and on the lead channel one common mod is to swap a 5751 tube in place of the 12AX7 in V2. This brings the lead volume down closer matching to the rhythm channel volume. Sky King: Pros: 2 channel, Ultra-linear and pentode mode, mid-bite control, probably the most-versatile of the 3. I find the rhythm channel a bit smoother than the Imperials. I like both! Cons: HEAVY, the Sky King is the most expensive of the 3 Mark Bartel, founder and designer of Tone King said the Sky King was inspired by the Falcon Grande after he had got some time with the ultra-linear design. If I had to vote for which one for your channel, I agree with you - either Imperial or Sky King. Try them both with your tele, a 335 and a Les Paul and a few pedals while running the attenuators up and down and I think the answer will become more clear:) If you ever come across a used one, you should also try out a Royalist (15W or 45W JTM45 type with built-in attenuator). Have fun Jay and thanks again - I was so happy to see you (one of my favorite players) do this amp comparison.
Thanks for all your insight! The Royalist was actually number 1 on my Tone King GAS list. It's a shame I never got a chance to play one when it was in production
@@JayLeonardJ Jay! I just watched your 2 new videos on the Tone Specific J-Mod Strat and Tele pickups. I really enjoyed those, so nice work. I see the Imperial in both videos. Does that mean you decided and the Imperial is the one? If so, I think you made the best choice and it looks absolutely killer on screen and you're getting some great tones.
I agree with most others. The imperial is the winner. They all sounded killer but the imperial not only has the tone and flexibility but damn that is one sexy ass amp.
My vote is for the Imperial. Love that amp. Deluxe Reverb clean channel and lead channel can do a bit of tweed or even into a bit of Marshall territory.
It gets more than "a bit" into Marshall territory. Dime the lead volume, put the tone and mid-bite at noon, and it'll go from clean to really nasty from the guitar's volume knob. That's how I run mine 99% of the time.
I think the green one gives you the best range of popular sounds. Gives you some video opportunities to try different cabs. I like the tan one in the linear mode, but the green one sounds like it's always in linear mode. I suspect Pentode is more for a lot of gain, but I'm not crazy about that. I don't think that's generally your thing either. My pick is greenie, but I can live with the tan one if you remove the Pentode switch.
Oh man, thanks @jayleonadJ this is a video I wanted for a long time. Your friend @livingroomgeardemos had a Tone King Imperial mkii for a long while and I wanted one but I also wanted to compare against more models. This is that video. Amazing job, I'd take the Imperial after your review. 🤓👏
personally, i think the Sky King may be the best sounding american voiced amp. ever. it truly masters the blackface cleans all the way through the big mid-forward tweed grind. the clarity and punch that it has, with that authoritative low end... it’s just killer. that said, i can’t believe they Tone King hasn’t made it available in a head w/ 2x12 cab setup. i personally need the head/cab setup and the combo would be an issue for me unless i could run it to a separate cab.
I've had all three, and kept the Sky King and Imperial Mk II. The Sky King is amazing sounding, and the Imperial Mk II is like a Deluxe on major steroids. Over time I used the Imperial a lot more because it's a little smaller, easier to carry, and the volume and sound fit into the things I was doing better, so I finally sold the Sky King about two months ago, though I love its sound.
Question as I have both amps here and the Sky King is getting the boot and returned. The Sky King or I’ll say Kings as I tried 3! All had hum/noise issues and rumbling trany issues. The inside rumble would cascade into other channels and sound bad. Live could maybe get away with it…but it was not as studio friendly as the Imperial MK2. I found the Imperial MK2 to be quiet, good headroom and a great recording amp! Live I just mic it for more tonal spread. But that’s why I tried the Sky King to get a bit louder and tonal spread…but came with serious issues. One blew a fuse and left the Ultralinear mode sounding like a fog horn. This is all issues with volume not even on. This noise would get louder even as you turn the attenuation lower! I traced it back to whatever Tranny they are using in the Sky King is garbage. Also they redid the original design and sons stuff is very close together that can go fast. I dunno, I wanted to love the Sky King to add more weight for versatility. It does sound wise have a thicker sound. That sometimes is good or bad deterring what you do. But the Imperial recording wise fits right in. Pretty much everything but heavy metal.
I own both the Falcon Grande and Imperial. Between the three, definitely the Imperial. In the rhythm channel it will give you enough juicy definition at low gain, and will turn into this lovely soup at higher gain. The tweed channel is a whole different amp with well defined mids, grit and aggression when you need it, love it. I don’t think you need ultra-linear in your case, it takes away too much. The SkyKing is too much definition imo, too stiff, reminds me of a twin.
Hey have you tried the lead setting(FG) on the low input ?? Very Plexi sounding Sorta dirty/clean as opposed to the tweed lead tone I've got a Gremlin head but not sure if the Imperial cabs V30 is the way to go Have you tried any Alnico gold's or blue's ??
I was looking for a video that had a well mic’d comparison of the Sky King and the Imperial, and Jay posts this a few hours later! Thanks. I say Sky King, but in turquoise.
So yes I got a Gremlin head and was wondering what you think about the speaker cab ? I was thinking maybe w 5 watts and Alnico blue or gold for max headroom Are you happy w the V30 ?
The cleans on the other 2 amps where fantastic but overall you should go with imperial the dirt on that amp can’t be beat by the other 2 amps so the blue imperial definitely
I didnt even get to the first 8 seconds of your show and already picked the Caline bluesky blue amp....JUST DO IT! You da Man, Jay! Stay healthy & Canadian, eh! P.S. Hope you invite Lance keltner for a jam...That dude got some smooth southern guitar licks that are smokin', and has a kool as F**k YT channel!
I wish you would have done some funk with the Falcon Grande, it had the best overdrive and reverb, IMHO, but I needed to hear you play funk through the Falcon to see if it could pull the hat trick!!
Imperial wins on the looks part, which for me is very important when comes to inspiration. But i feel the Sky King wins on the other aspects (Versatility, sound, and even though its heavier, its because the Imperial has its cab separated. If you do the math, Imperial is 5lbs heavier if inlcuding the cab). Either way you can't go wrong with neither of them. Wasn't a fan of the Falcon, seems like a one-trick pony for me.
I have an Imperial Mk II combo, and had a Sky King combo, and the Sky King is noticeably heavier. Compare apples to apples, either split head/cab or combo, and the Sky King weighs more, which eventually lead to me keeping the Imperial and selling the Sky King.
TK Imperial it is! It seems like it has the most flexibility, what do you bloody to Sound wide-open with extended highs and lows, but also with the ability to get that mid push that I know my boy Jay Leonard J loves! If you get mad about the decision later, just blame me! 😁
Money no object, I'd go imperial, but here in the UK imperial head and cab is double the price of the falcon, so I would go falcon, in the turquoise and white tolex
I've played all these amps. About two years ago I was at Sweetwater planning to buy a handwired amp. The Tone King Imperial sounds kind of boring really - flat, not very dynamic. Nothing really special about it. The Sky King sounds really good but it is very dark, and very very heavy. It is big. I ended up walking out with the Fender 64 DRRI. It was the best of the bunch, and only the Morgan PR36 sounded as good - but the reverb was broke. If I had to choose a tone king, however, I would go with the Falcon. Sounds really good and very flexible.
I've been struggling with either the Imperial or Falcon Grande. I ended up pulling the trigger on the Falcon Grande. It just seemed to give me those dirty blues sounds better than the Imperial, from everything I've seen.
Go for whichever is the most different from what you already have with one of your other amps. I think the Imperial is probably too similar to your vintage Fender and the Benson's. I would go for one of the other two personally.
Hi, I have a Marshall JTM 45 amplifier and it's very difficult to enjoy it at home, what do you suggest I do, I'm thinking of selling it already, thanks
For me attenuator means a lot. My playing is basically done in my basement. I hate to blow my wife away upstairs. Imperial=awesome, Sky King= a little more awesome. Go for the Sky King.
I would look at the Imperial in a combo, not really fair to say it's lighter than the Sky King because you have to weigh the head & cab together and I bet it comes in about the same as the Sky King. So here it is, the Imperial Head is 25 lbs, the Imperial 112 cab is 29 lbs, total 54 lbs. Falcon Grande combo is 34 lbs, Sky King 56 lbs, but you're getting more tubes & 15W of 6L6 vs 6V6 with the Sky King. Money, the Imperial is $ 2,295 & 112 cab is 695 vs the $ 2,995 Sky King. Cost is a push, unless you go with the $ 2,595 Imperial combo, which gets down to 36.2 lbs. And the Falcon Grande is $ 1,895. I'd pass on the Imperial Head & Cab, but get the Imperial in a combo, which is my vote for your channel choice. For my budget, Falcon Grande, money no object, Sky King obviously. Although I feel a Imperial combo that I would be just as content with & the $ 400, that's the next tube set it needs somewhere down the road.
I´m searching for videos to help me choose between the two of these......jaja.... My chest resonance tells me Imperial sound .... just looking for sensations..... like It makes me feel, more than hear..... the Sky King stimulates my ear..... For me, the special thing is Imperial. sound.... new ground of sensations with new tones..... I WOULD CHOOSE IMPERIAL.... Great video by the way!!!....
You sound like Jay Leonard J no matter what amp you play, so I'd pick the one that sounded the best to my ears for most of the stuff you played and that's the Falcon Grande. I was a bit surprised to see that you didn't use your Telecaster. I thought that was you favourite guitar.
Definitely do love my Tele! I wanted to try to see how they handled the mix of single coils and humbucker since these amps all had so many different sounds they go for. They all do sound super heavenly with my Tele too!
happy new years from nyc!! you are the absolute best!!!! I love tone king amps and feel you should get that BUDGET SKY KING! lol but JEEEEZ THAT FRIEDMAN GUITAR....CAN DO EVERYTHiNG!!!!!! STRAT TO LES PAUL!!!!
Imperial- it’s a DR with a great second channel for lead? That’s the holy grail!
That Falcon Grande is the truth. Like, if I had to have just one amp, that might be one one. Super versatile.
The Falcon Grande is the sweetest sounding small amp that Ive ever played through. Portable, versatile, sufficient volume & takes pedals well. Great for doing small club & stuidio gigs ..it sounds even better when you're playing it!
As soon as Tone King release a Sky King head with a 2x12 cab, they've got my money.
Can't disagree with you there!
I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING!
Love my imperial ii. The mid knob on drive channel is basically a 'more dumble deluxe' knob. Killer
yesssssss
Its literally taken me about a year to actually try all 3 of these amps as not kept in stock in UK shops generally. So had to find time to meet up with friends of friends etc. Anyway I wound up going for the imperial head and cab, it just sounded how I wanted it to, mines on order, supposed to come in around march this year.
You can’t go wrong with any of them but I would personally go sky king it sounds amazing ( all of them do ) but the sky king has a magic to it I really like
Yeah I just got the Gremlin head Absolutely love it but now need a 1/12 cab....4/10 or 4/12s is seriously loud for 5 watts but not sure if I want to go with their V30 or not Alnico gold maybe ??
i almost went skyking, too heavy. wish i could have tried falcon but i like my imperial
Imperial, it sounds great, looks great, has Reverb and Trem and the JJ6V6 are great Tubes!
I had the same choice between the Imperial and Sky King. I ended up getting the Sky King. The ultra linear swung it for me. Have had the amp a few years now. Still enjoy it very much. Good luck choosing!
I was surprised at how nice the Sky King Rhythm side was in ultra linear when you have it at the edge of breakup. Beautiful sounds there!
I’ve tried the Imperial and the Sky King. Honestly, the Imperial is just a great all-rounder and would be my choice. In the ‘for what it is worth’ department, I’ve also tried a Gremlin and just loved it.
They are all great!! For me the falcon grande! 🤟🤟👍👍
It’s joyous watching you play.
Thanks so much!
Imperial sounds so balanced and clear. I would go with that (if I could).
Winner is Human Nature by Michael Jackson. All the amps sounded great.
Falcon Grande is the best amp for me 🎸! But all Tone King Amps are great.....
I’m a little biased because I own the TKFG and absolutely love it but you sounded best and looked the most inspired playing the Sky King.
My current rig is a Tone King Mk I (2007) and a Dr Z MAZ18Jr 2×10 ( 1×10 stock Dr Z and 1×10 Celestion G10 gold alnico) I run them in stereo using a Radial splitter. In the 50 years I've been playing I've never had tone this dynamic, organic and downright nasty! Guitars are, 1971 Sunburst Les Paul Dlx, 2020 Heritage 535 Artisan Aged Cherry, 1962 Fender Strat Relic Daphne Blue, 1978 Tele Daphne Blue! I got my bases covered and it's made these covid days actually enjoyable!! Thanks for the demos and I love your chops btw!!
I bought the imperial mk2 a few years ago. I’ve played many boutique amps, own a vintage 68’ Princeton Reverb. Imperial, best amp I’ve ever played. Plus if you want to expand your sound pedals work so well with this amp. I will say I do have the combo with the eminence ‘33’ speaker. Just my two cents.
I have a newfound respect for your playing ... and these are all fabulous amps!
Thanks :)
Imperial hands down. One of the best amps for that boutique “F” sound!
Jay! LOVE that you did this shootout. I've played most of the Tone King amps and own 2 (Imperial MK1 combo without attenuator & Falcon Grande) and used to own a Royalist!!! There is no wrong choice. Once you get one, you'll be hooked.
One small correction on the info - the Falcon Grande has 5881 tubes not 6V6
You were REALLY feeling the Sky King. I could feel the enthusiasm in your playing and I think you like all of the options available. I'm with you on the looks though - the Imperial is the winner on that for me.
Based on my ownership of 2 of these amps as well as demo'ing a Sky King, here are my standout pros and cons:
Falcon Grande
Pros: Looks, Easy Layout, 3 position voice switch is fantastic, unique feel and the lead voice is unique (heard it's supro based), dual inputs are fantastic and combined with the 3 voices and different guitars, I'm always finding more and more tonal options
Cons: The Falcon Grande is a dark sounding amp. It records well, but in the room it's tough to get what I want out of it unless I'm using a bridge humbucker, especially on the rhythm voice setting. One thing to try is running a compressor in front. It adds some highs and opens up the tone a bit. Also try plugging in a Les Paul on the bridge HB into input 1 and set the amp volume to 3.5 (on the dial not o'clock), tone to 4 o'clock (almost all the way up), reverb 9 o'clock, reverb dwell at noon (this opens up the highs a bit), make sure the attenuator is only 1 or 2 clicks down so it doesn't compress too much and re-try the tweed and lead voices. This amp is indeed tweed style and the amp volume is in its Goldilocks zone with a HB at about 3-4 on the dial, like most tweed amps. The higher the amp volume goes, it not only overdrives more, it also adds more lows.
Imperial:
Pros: Looks, 2 channel, great punchy feel, mid-bite is amazing and gives lots of options on the lead channel. A les paul bridge HB into the lead channel with the mid-bite up around 6 is a GLORIOUS sound!
Cons: Only thing overall is the Imperial can be a pokey bright amp with some guitars even with speaker break-in. This can also affect how well the amp takes pedals. The user manual instructs using pedals on the lead channel as the lead channel I believe does not have a bright cap. To me, the Imperial does not take pedals as well as a Deluxe Reverb RI. Also, on this MKII with the attenuator, there's an attenuator bypass switch for the rhythm channel. Try it with the attenuator bypassed and run the amp volume up to 4 -5 and see how you like it. My MK1 with no attenuator feels a lot more open and dynamic than the MKII head and cab I tried. Overall, still a super versatile amp though. Try it with a few pedals as well and on the lead channel one common mod is to swap a 5751 tube in place of the 12AX7 in V2. This brings the lead volume down closer matching to the rhythm channel volume.
Sky King:
Pros: 2 channel, Ultra-linear and pentode mode, mid-bite control, probably the most-versatile of the 3. I find the rhythm channel a bit smoother than the Imperials. I like both!
Cons: HEAVY, the Sky King is the most expensive of the 3
Mark Bartel, founder and designer of Tone King said the Sky King was inspired by the Falcon Grande after he had got some time with the ultra-linear design.
If I had to vote for which one for your channel, I agree with you - either Imperial or Sky King. Try them both with your tele, a 335 and a Les Paul and a few pedals while running the attenuators up and down and I think the answer will become more clear:)
If you ever come across a used one, you should also try out a Royalist (15W or 45W JTM45 type with built-in attenuator). Have fun Jay and thanks again - I was so happy to see you (one of my favorite players) do this amp comparison.
Thanks for all your insight! The Royalist was actually number 1 on my Tone King GAS list. It's a shame I never got a chance to play one when it was in production
@@JayLeonardJ Jay! I just watched your 2 new videos on the Tone Specific J-Mod Strat and Tele pickups. I really enjoyed those, so nice work. I see the Imperial in both videos. Does that mean you decided and the Imperial is the one? If so, I think you made the best choice and it looks absolutely killer on screen and you're getting some great tones.
I agree with most others. The imperial is the winner. They all sounded killer but the imperial not only has the tone and flexibility but damn that is one sexy ass amp.
My vote is for the Imperial. Love that amp. Deluxe Reverb clean channel and lead channel can do a bit of tweed or even into a bit of Marshall territory.
It gets more than "a bit" into Marshall territory. Dime the lead volume, put the tone and mid-bite at noon, and it'll go from clean to really nasty from the guitar's volume knob. That's how I run mine 99% of the time.
I have a (Mark Bartel - era) Sky King. It's my favourite amp.
I think the green one gives you the best range of popular sounds. Gives you some video opportunities to try different cabs. I like the tan one in the linear mode, but the green one sounds like it's always in linear mode. I suspect Pentode is more for a lot of gain, but I'm not crazy about that. I don't think that's generally your thing either.
My pick is greenie, but I can live with the tan one if you remove the Pentode switch.
I played my first Tone King today (a used metropolitan) and let me tell you, probably the best on-board reverb I've ever heard. So creamy.
Falcon Grande-- come on, Jay... you know it’s the right choice... :)
Love your playing, feeling and demo. Great my friend!
Thanks!
Oh man, thanks @jayleonadJ this is a video I wanted for a long time. Your friend @livingroomgeardemos had a Tone King Imperial mkii for a long while and I wanted one but I also wanted to compare against more models. This is that video. Amazing job, I'd take the Imperial after your review. 🤓👏
Can't argue with Eirik. He has an ear for outstanding tones :)
For me it's the falcon. But that's me.
For you I think the imperial. It's so pretty..
The Imperial MK2 head is amazing man! Once I save up I'm def getting it.
personally, i think the Sky King may be the best sounding american voiced amp. ever. it truly masters the blackface cleans all the way through the big mid-forward tweed grind. the clarity and punch that it has, with that authoritative low end... it’s just killer. that said, i can’t believe they Tone King hasn’t made it available in a head w/ 2x12 cab setup. i personally need the head/cab setup and the combo would be an issue for me unless i could run it to a separate cab.
I've had all three, and kept the Sky King and Imperial Mk II. The Sky King is amazing sounding, and the Imperial Mk II is like a Deluxe on major steroids. Over time I used the Imperial a lot more because it's a little smaller, easier to carry, and the volume and sound fit into the things I was doing better, so I finally sold the Sky King about two months ago, though I love its sound.
why did u get rid of falcon grande? i got rid of mine because I could dial out the prominent bass, and there was rattling in the cab
Question as I have both amps here and the Sky King is getting the boot and returned. The Sky King or I’ll say Kings as I tried 3! All had hum/noise issues and rumbling trany issues. The inside rumble would cascade into other channels and sound bad. Live could maybe get away with it…but it was not as studio friendly as the Imperial MK2. I found the Imperial MK2 to be quiet, good headroom and a great recording amp! Live I just mic it for more tonal spread. But that’s why I tried the Sky King to get a bit louder and tonal spread…but came with serious issues.
One blew a fuse and left the Ultralinear mode sounding like a fog horn. This is all issues with volume not even on. This noise would get louder even as you turn the attenuation lower!
I traced it back to whatever Tranny they are using in the Sky King is garbage. Also they redid the original design and sons stuff is very close together that can go fast.
I dunno, I wanted to love the Sky King to add more weight for versatility. It does sound wise have a thicker sound. That sometimes is good or bad deterring what you do. But the Imperial recording wise fits right in. Pretty much everything but heavy metal.
Imperial. That bit you played between 5:02 and 5:30 just does something to a man. Amazing tone.
I own both the Falcon Grande and Imperial. Between the three, definitely the Imperial. In the rhythm channel it will give you enough juicy definition at low gain, and will turn into this lovely soup at higher gain. The tweed channel is a whole different amp with well defined mids, grit and aggression when you need it, love it. I don’t think you need ultra-linear in your case, it takes away too much. The SkyKing is too much definition imo, too stiff, reminds me of a twin.
Hey have you tried the lead setting(FG) on the low input ?? Very Plexi sounding Sorta dirty/clean as opposed to the tweed lead tone I've got a Gremlin head but not sure if the Imperial cabs V30 is the way to go Have you tried any Alnico gold's or blue's ??
I was looking for a video that had a well mic’d comparison of the Sky King and the Imperial, and Jay posts this a few hours later! Thanks. I say Sky King, but in turquoise.
Hope the vid helped you figure out what would work for you! Thanks for writing :)
Sky king was the best. But I like the head and separate cab combo. Both sounded great.
Imperial. Lower wattage for studio use, essentially three amps in one that all sound fantastic, and hey, it looks great too is a bonus!
I like the sky king the best. Just a little "something" extra and I felt like it matched up well with your playing style. Good luck. Love the channel.
The Imperial head and cab is truly stunning! .. But a Sky King head and cab would be pretty epic too!
Just pulled the trigger on the Imperial! I have a couple of other 6L6 amps, wanted to see what the 6V6 experience is like!
I kept the Imperial! Great choice :)
Imperial. Versatile and such a beauty
Sky King is my pick. Most versatile sounding of the 3 to my ears plus all the tones from it gave me a big smile!
So yes I got a Gremlin head and was wondering what you think about the speaker cab ? I was thinking maybe w 5 watts and Alnico blue or gold for max headroom Are you happy w the V30 ?
I think the imperial is gorgeous and sounds great but i think my favorite sounding was the sky king for sure
Nice sounding and good features - would buy if they did the big open fender sound as well
The cleans on the other 2 amps where fantastic but overall you should go with imperial the dirt on that amp can’t be beat by the other 2 amps so the blue imperial definitely
I didnt even get to the first 8 seconds of your show and already picked the Caline bluesky blue amp....JUST DO IT! You da Man, Jay! Stay healthy & Canadian, eh!
P.S. Hope you invite Lance keltner for a jam...That dude got some smooth southern guitar licks that are smokin', and has a kool as F**k YT channel!
Lance Keltner is a monster! Great tones :)
Sky King would be my choice.
Hello Jay! Can you do a review on the Line 6 Pod go for various genres? I’d love to hear your feedback on that product
I think I'll vote for the Sky King, as much as the Imperial is just so beautiful! Rock on Jay!
Retracted... The Imperial. It sounds amazing enough, and looks much nicer sitting next to you for video purposes!
Imperial!
SkyKIng !! More headroom with the 6L6's !!
I wish you would have done some funk with the Falcon Grande, it had the best overdrive and reverb, IMHO, but I needed to hear you play funk through the Falcon to see if it could pull the hat trick!!
You’re a real guitar player man. So good.
Thanks so much! I really appreciate it :)
@@JayLeonardJ so which amp did you go with???
Imperial wins on the looks part, which for me is very important when comes to inspiration. But i feel the Sky King wins on the other aspects (Versatility, sound, and even though its heavier, its because the Imperial has its cab separated. If you do the math, Imperial is 5lbs heavier if inlcuding the cab). Either way you can't go wrong with neither of them.
Wasn't a fan of the Falcon, seems like a one-trick pony for me.
I have an Imperial Mk II combo, and had a Sky King combo, and the Sky King is noticeably heavier. Compare apples to apples, either split head/cab or combo, and the Sky King weighs more, which eventually lead to me keeping the Imperial and selling the Sky King.
I would pick the Sky King! Rock On 😉🤟
If you're keeping it in the studio, I'd pick the Sky King...most versatile.
Sky King is one of the best amps ever made. It’s like having a blackface Fender, Marshall, and Standel 25l15 all in the same box.
TK Imperial it is!
It seems like it has the most flexibility, what do you bloody to Sound wide-open with extended highs and lows, but also with the ability to get that mid push that I know my boy Jay Leonard J loves!
If you get mad about the decision later, just blame me! 😁
Haha, I definitely did go for the Imperial in the end and I have no regrets at all :)
I felt the “togetherness” of the imperial works for your style more naturally. Both sounded great though.
your style sounded best in the Falcon Grande tbh
Sky king all day baby...just ask Henning 😉
Get them both, spoil yourself. You only live once, and the price never goes down
Imperial MKII!! I have a combo coming in the mail as we speak!
Enjoy it! It's a good one!
The Imperial is a classic. But my ears go with the Sky King (wrapped within Turquoise for optimal sonic enhancement).
I like blue one!
Money no object, I'd go imperial, but here in the UK imperial head and cab is double the price of the falcon, so I would go falcon, in the turquoise and white tolex
Sky King - most versatile
I've played all these amps. About two years ago I was at Sweetwater planning to buy a handwired amp. The Tone King Imperial sounds kind of boring really - flat, not very dynamic. Nothing really special about it. The Sky King sounds really good but it is very dark, and very very heavy. It is big. I ended up walking out with the Fender 64 DRRI. It was the best of the bunch, and only the Morgan PR36 sounded as good - but the reverb was broke. If I had to choose a tone king, however, I would go with the Falcon. Sounds really good and very flexible.
Imperial for sure
I've been struggling with either the Imperial or Falcon Grande. I ended up pulling the trigger on the Falcon Grande. It just seemed to give me those dirty blues sounds better than the Imperial, from everything I've seen.
Yeah I think that's what I'm going with Gremlin is cool too
Imperial all the way!
Easy: Run two Tone Kings through an A/B-Y splitter with the third one for backup (just in case!) Viola - problem solved, in style!
That is the correct answer, haha
Go for whichever is the most different from what you already have with one of your other amps. I think the Imperial is probably too similar to your vintage Fender and the Benson's. I would go for one of the other two personally.
Sky king does it for me!!
I would take the Imperial I guess :-)
Hi, I have a Marshall JTM 45 amplifier and it's very difficult to enjoy it at home, what do you suggest I do, I'm thinking of selling it already, thanks
Try an amp attenuator. Look up something like the Tone King Iron Man. Mine is a life saver for my big amps!
For me attenuator means a lot. My playing is basically done in my basement. I hate to blow my wife away upstairs. Imperial=awesome, Sky King= a little more awesome. Go for the Sky King.
8 seconds in, the amp for you is the imperial.
Tone King Sky King
Tough one but i,d pick the sky king
Jay ... You need that Imperial head + cabinet for the flexibility of using other cabs. And then you need a Gremlin. 😃
Gremlin keeps coming up! I feel like I'm missing out on something amazing
Is Rufus Guitar shop the best shop on Alma street? I believe it is.
You know it!!! Although, I am partial to that Cinnamon bun place down the street as well... haha
Skyking all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2:20 clean 4:15 crunch 5:05 gain imperial; 6:45 clean 8:35 crunch 9:25 gain falcon; 11:15 clean 12:30 crunch 14:00 gain 14:34 maxxed sky king
Thanks!
Need Jay to do a Benson vs TK video: monarch vs imperial, chimera vs sky king.
Yes please
And we do both pairs in stereo!!
Benson Monarch vs Falcon Grande please!
Sky King! Good luck choosing.
looks like you had the most fun w/ Skyking
Sky King for me but the Imperial is really nice too.
I would look at the Imperial in a combo, not really fair to say it's lighter than the Sky King because you have to weigh the head & cab together and I bet it comes in about the same as the Sky King. So here it is, the Imperial Head is 25 lbs, the Imperial 112 cab is 29 lbs, total 54 lbs. Falcon Grande combo is 34 lbs, Sky King 56 lbs, but you're getting more tubes & 15W of 6L6 vs 6V6 with the Sky King. Money, the Imperial is $ 2,295 & 112 cab is 695 vs the $ 2,995 Sky King. Cost is a push, unless you go with the $ 2,595 Imperial combo, which gets down to 36.2 lbs. And the Falcon Grande is $ 1,895. I'd pass on the Imperial Head & Cab, but get the Imperial in a combo, which is my vote for your channel choice. For my budget, Falcon Grande, money no object, Sky King obviously. Although I feel a Imperial combo that I would be just as content with & the $ 400, that's the next tube set it needs somewhere down the road.
I´m searching for videos to help me choose between the two of these......jaja.... My chest resonance tells me Imperial sound .... just looking for sensations..... like It makes me feel, more than hear..... the Sky King stimulates my ear..... For me, the special thing is Imperial. sound.... new ground of sensations with new tones..... I WOULD CHOOSE IMPERIAL.... Great video by the way!!!....
Imperial. You'll love it the more you have it. Surprised you didn't try a Bartel amp as Mark Bartel designed the Imperial and other Tone King amps.
Bartel Amps are gorgeous: would love to try them one of these days!
@@JayLeonardJ I don't know Mark but I sent him an email asking if he could get you a demo to try. Peace.
@@JayLeonardJ no reverb, no trem, no attenuator... no deal.
I liked the falcon.
Imperial gets my vote. If they had one with both reverb and trem, that would be a true Deluxe Reverb killer.
You are in luck: the Imperial does come with both Reverb and Trem!
Falcón Grande for me🥰
Falcon Grande
Nice playing!
You sound like Jay Leonard J no matter what amp you play, so I'd pick the one that sounded the best to my ears for most of the stuff you played and that's the Falcon Grande.
I was a bit surprised to see that you didn't use your Telecaster. I thought that was you favourite guitar.
Definitely do love my Tele! I wanted to try to see how they handled the mix of single coils and humbucker since these amps all had so many different sounds they go for. They all do sound super heavenly with my Tele too!
I would get the Imperial. But you can't go wrong!
happy new years from nyc!! you are the absolute best!!!! I love tone king amps and feel you should get that BUDGET SKY KING!
lol but JEEEEZ THAT FRIEDMAN GUITAR....CAN DO EVERYTHiNG!!!!!! STRAT TO LES PAUL!!!!
Yeah, with that Friedman I can play pretty much any style they can throw at me :)
@@JayLeonardJ did u get that amazing amp??
Imperial is my choice