Tone King Imperial MK II, User Manual

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15
The Attenuator Can Help
So far, we’ve discussed using the attenuator to control the volume in the case where
we’re driving the amp into overdrive and distortion. However, it can also help greatly
with clean tones in a problematic room as well.
Usually, in a good sounding room, you would set the attenuation knob to 0db or bypass
the attenuator when dialing in a clean tone. This always gives you the most headroom,
and the most apparent clarity and dynamics.
However, if you are finding that the amp sounds harsh in your room, and that it’s hard
to control the volume because you are using a setting between 1 and 2 on the Volume
knob, then the attenuator can help. Try setting the attenuator down a few steps (e.g.
try it at –15db), with the HF Comp switch set to Max, and turn the Volume control up a
bit to compensate. You should find that this smoothes out the upper mids and fattens
up the tone without losing presence.
5. Tube Installation and Replacement
I currently recommend the following tube types:
No. Type Function
V1 12AX7 Stage 1 (Lead), Stage 2 (Lead)
V2 12AX7 Stage 2 (Rhythm), Stage 3 (Lead)
V3 12AT7 Reverb Driver
V4 12AX7 Reverb receiver
V5 12AX7 Phase Inverter
V6-V7 6V6 Output Tubes
V8 5AR4 Rectifier
Alternate Tube Choices You May Want to Try
Reducing Gain: If you find the preamp too gainy, and you find that you’re setting the
volume controls down quite low to get sufficient clean headroom, you may want to try
swapping in a 12AU7 in the V2 position. You can reduce the gain further by swapping
a 12AU7 into the V1 position as well.
Tube Types