Analog Man Prince of Tone Settings Guide
A single-channel version of the Analog Man King of Tone — the Prince of Tone uses one channel of the KoT circuit (asymmetric diode clipping, charge-pump voltage doubler) to produce a transparent, dynamic overdrive at a more accessible price. Available in three voicing modes — OD (overdrive), Clean (boost/buffer), and Dist (distortion) — selected via a toggle switch. The Prince of Tone is widely regarded as one of the most responsive and musically natural overdrive pedals available, producing a dynamic feel that tracks pick attack and guitar volume with unusual sensitivity.
The best Analog Man Prince of Tone settings start with: Gain at 10/10, Treble at 5/10, Volume at 6/10, Mode at 0/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Blues / Classic Rock: Gain 10/10, Treble 5/10, Volume 6/10, Mode 0/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Gain | 10/10 | Unity Boost → Saturation |
| Treble | 5/10 | Dark → Bright |
| Volume | 6/10 | Silent → Loud |
| Mode | 0/10 | OD → Dist |
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
OD mode, Gain at noon — the Prince of Tone's most used setting. The asymmetric clipping in OD mode produces a warm, harmonically complex overdrive that responds to guitar volume: rolling back the guitar to 7 or 8 partially cleans up the clipping. Treble at centre preserves the natural frequency balance of the guitar and amp. This is the King of Tone half-channel approximation for players who want a boutique transparent overdrive.
Clean mode, Gain minimal, Volume above unity — the Prince of Tone as a transparent boost into a valve amp front-end. In Clean mode the pedal adds no clipping of its own; the Volume boost drives the amp input harder. Treble at 5 (centre) preserves the amp's natural voicing. This is the Klon-adjacent use case: the pedal itself is clean, the amp provides the colour.
OD mode, Gain above noon — the Prince of Tone approaching the upper limit of its OD voice. The asymmetric clipping character becomes more prominent above noon; Treble raised to 6 compensates for the slight midrange thickening at higher Gain. Compared to a Tube Screamer at equivalent Gain, the Prince of Tone is warmer and less nasal.
Dist mode — the Prince of Tone's highest-gain voice with harder diode clipping. The Dist mode is closer to a light distortion pedal than an overdrive; the clipping is harder and less transparent, producing a more compressed, less touch-responsive character. For players who need the Prince of Tone to cover rhythm distortion as well as lead boost, Dist mode is the harder-edged alternative.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The Prince of Tone, like the King of Tone, ships from Analog Man directly with a waiting list — it is not available from standard retailers. The wait varies from several months to over a year depending on demand. The waiting list is maintained on the Analog Man website; the pedal cannot be acquired through standard retail channels at list price.
- The Mode toggle switch changes the clipping diode configuration internally — switching modes while playing produces an audible click (not a pop). It is a set-and-forget control, not a real-time performance switch. Set the Mode for your primary use case and leave it in position.
FAQ
Analog Man Prince of Tone — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Analog Man Prince of Tone: Gain at 10/10, Treble at 5/10, Volume at 6/10, Mode at 0/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Blues / Classic Rock: Gain 10/10, Treble 5/10, Volume 6/10, Mode 0/10. OD mode, Gain at noon — the Prince of Tone's most used setting. The asymmetric clipping in OD mode produces a warm, harmonically complex overdrive that responds to guitar volume: rolling back the guitar to 7 or 8 partially cleans up the clipping. Treble at centre preserves the natural frequency balance of the guitar and amp. This is the King of Tone half-channel approximation for players who want a boutique transparent overdrive.
For Clean Boost: Gain 5/10, Treble 5/10, Volume 8/10, Mode 1/10. Clean mode, Gain minimal, Volume above unity — the Prince of Tone as a transparent boost into a valve amp front-end. In Clean mode the pedal adds no clipping of its own; the Volume boost drives the amp input harder. Treble at 5 (centre) preserves the amp's natural voicing. This is the Klon-adjacent use case: the pedal itself is clean, the amp provides the colour.
Gain: Drive amount in OD and Dist modes. In Clean mode, a transparent boost. (Unity Boost to Saturation). Treble: Passive tone control — cuts treble when turned anticlockwise. Functions as a presence control. (Dark to Bright). Volume: Output level. (Silent to Loud). Mode: Three modes: OD (overdrive with asymmetric clipping), Clean (boost only), Dist (higher gain distortion). (OD to Dist)
The Prince of Tone, like the King of Tone, ships from Analog Man directly with a waiting list — it is not available from standard retailers. The wait varies from several months to over a year depending on demand. The waiting list is maintained on the Analog Man website; the pedal cannot be acquired through standard retail channels at list price. The Mode toggle switch changes the clipping diode configuration internally — switching modes while playing produces an audible click (not a pop). It is a set-and-forget control, not a real-time performance switch. Set the Mode for your primary use case and leave it in position.
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