Tone King Imperial Mk II Settings Guide
The Tone King Imperial Mk II is a 20-watt, single-channel all-tube combo with two 6L6 power tubes, a built-in reactive power attenuator (Ironman II), a bright switch, and a 12" Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. Mark Bartel designed the Imperial around the vintage American clean of the late 1950s — Fender-influenced but with more midrange presence and a tighter, more controlled low end. It's popular with Nashville session players and pedal-centric guitarists who need a reference-quality clean platform.
The best Tone King Imperial Mk II settings start with: Volume at 6/10, Bass at 5/10, Mid at 5/10, Treble at 6/10, Presence at 4/10, Reverb at 3/10, Attenuator at 3/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Clean / Nashville: Volume 7/10, Bass 4/10, Mid 5/10, Treble 6/10, Presence 4/10, Reverb 3/10, Attenuator 5/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 6/10 | Silent → Loud |
| Bass | 5/10 | Thin → Full |
| Mid | 5/10 | Scooped → Forward |
| Treble | 6/10 | Dark → Bright |
| Presence | 4/10 | Warm → Crisp |
| Reverb | 3/10 | Dry → Wet |
| Attenuator | 3/10 | Full Power → Silent |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
High Volume with the Ironman attenuator at 5 — the power tubes are working hard but the speaker volume is controlled. This is the premium clean platform setting for Nashville session work. Low Bass prevents muddiness; balanced EQ lets pedals define the character.
Volume 8 with attenuator at 4 produces natural 6L6 power-amp breakup at manageable volume. Mid 6 provides the vocal quality needed for blues lead. The reactive load of the Ironman II means the amp sounds like it's at full volume.
Full power at moderate Volume for maximum clean headroom. Bright switch engaged, Treble 7, Presence 5 for sparkling clean. Low Bass for tight, articulate country chicken-picking.
Volume pushed hard with the attenuator taking the speaker level down rather than the amp's drive — keeps the touch-sensitive breakup real rock rhythm playing depends on, at a volume a small venue stage can actually use.
Low Volume keeps the amp fully clean; Presence pulled back and Treble reduced soften the top end for a warmer, rounder jazz voicing than the amp's brighter factory-default character.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The Ironman II reactive attenuator is the key differentiator of the Imperial Mk II — it places a reactive (inductive) load on the power tubes rather than a simple resistive one, meaning the power tubes and output transformer respond as they would into a real speaker. The tone at attenuated volumes sounds far more natural than fixed-resistance attenuators.
- Leave the Attenuator at 0 (full power) whenever stage volume allows — the Imperial sounds its best at full power into the Celestion Vintage 30. The attenuator is for situations where you need the power tubes working but cannot use full volume.
- The Mid control has more effect than its single knob suggests — small movements shift the amp between a scooped, Fender-like voice and a more forward, cutting character.
- Because the attenuator loads the power tubes reactively, settings dialled in at reduced volume translate reliably to full volume — a rare quality among attenuator-equipped amps, most of which shift character noticeably as attenuation changes.
- Bright switch (where fitted) is most useful with humbucker-loaded guitars losing top end through the signal chain — single-coil players usually get enough sparkle from Treble and Presence alone.
- A boutique overdrive (Klon-style or similar transparent circuit) in front of the Imperial complements its clean-platform design better than a distortion pedal — the amp is voiced to be pushed gently, not overwhelmed.
- For session and studio use, dial in the tone at a comfortable playing volume first using the attenuator, then verify against the room or monitors — the reactive load means what you hear at the amp closely matches what a mic captures.
FAQ
Tone King Imperial Mk II — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Tone King Imperial Mk II: Volume at 6/10, Bass at 5/10, Mid at 5/10, Treble at 6/10, Presence at 4/10, Reverb at 3/10, Attenuator at 3/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Clean / Nashville: Volume 7/10, Bass 4/10, Mid 5/10, Treble 6/10, Presence 4/10, Reverb 3/10, Attenuator 5/10. High Volume with the Ironman attenuator at 5 — the power tubes are working hard but the speaker volume is controlled. This is the premium clean platform setting for Nashville session work. Low Bass prevents muddiness; balanced EQ lets pedals define the character.
For Blues: Volume 8/10, Bass 5/10, Mid 6/10, Treble 5/10, Presence 3/10, Reverb 2/10, Attenuator 4/10. Volume 8 with attenuator at 4 produces natural 6L6 power-amp breakup at manageable volume. Mid 6 provides the vocal quality needed for blues lead. The reactive load of the Ironman II means the amp sounds like it's at full volume.
Volume: Primary output and drive control. (Silent to Loud). Bass: Low-frequency EQ. (Thin to Full). Mid: Midrange presence. (Scooped to Forward). Treble: High-frequency EQ. (Dark to Bright). Presence: Power-amp treble resonance. (Warm to Crisp). Reverb: On-board spring reverb depth. (Dry to Wet). Attenuator: Ironman II reactive attenuator — reduces speaker volume while keeping the power tubes loaded. (Full Power to Silent)
The Ironman II reactive attenuator is the key differentiator of the Imperial Mk II — it places a reactive (inductive) load on the power tubes rather than a simple resistive one, meaning the power tubes and output transformer respond as they would into a real speaker. The tone at attenuated volumes sounds far more natural than fixed-resistance attenuators. Leave the Attenuator at 0 (full power) whenever stage volume allows — the Imperial sounds its best at full power into the Celestion Vintage 30. The attenuator is for situations where you need the power tubes working but cannot use full volume. The Mid control has more effect than its single knob suggests — small movements shift the amp between a scooped, Fender-like voice and a more forward, cutting character. Because the attenuator loads the power tubes reactively, settings dialled in at reduced volume translate reliably to full volume — a rare quality among attenuator-equipped amps, most of which shift character noticeably as attenuation changes. Bright switch (where fitted) is most useful with humbucker-loaded guitars losing top end through the signal chain — single-coil players usually get enough sparkle from Treble and Presence alone. A boutique overdrive (Klon-style or similar transparent circuit) in front of the Imperial complements its clean-platform design better than a distortion pedal — the amp is voiced to be pushed gently, not overwhelmed. For session and studio use, dial in the tone at a comfortable playing volume first using the attenuator, then verify against the room or monitors — the reactive load means what you hear at the amp closely matches what a mic captures.
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