So I tried a Kingsley, need settings help

[MikeyG]

So I was happy to demo a Kingsley D32C recently. It’s an amp I’ve really wanted to try out.
So the clean tones were very easy to get. Dirty cleans, also very easy. And very nice...
But I was having a really hard time trying to figure out the OD side. Part of the problem is that the control labels are etched in under the knobs, and at the height of the amp, I had to lean way down to even see the controls.
I know my way around quite a few complicated amps, like the Tremoverb, H&K Triamp, Glaswerks, Two Rock, Fuchs, but this one was not an amp where I could just plug in and play.
Are there any owners that can help with a few basic settings for a good rock tone? I’m pretty much a 70s/80s Marshall tone guy (I like the same era Boogie tones too). It’s an amp that I feel has potential, but I’d like to be able to dial it in at the store instead of making a purchase, and then finding it’s not for me.

[rrhea]

That's a tough one for me, since mine is a modded D32 with PPIMV.

Anyways, here is how I have mine set for a searing thick lead tone that I use my guitar vol knob to control (plugged into the top input jack). All the knobs labeled "1" are the OD channel controls, and all the knobs labeled "2" are for the clean channel. The Tone is labeled "1+2" because it rolls of highs from the power amp, so it naturally affects both channels. It's quite effective.

Volume levels will likely need to be set a lot lower if the amp your playing isn't modded with a Master. If there are no mods to this amp the back panel should be set to 30w mode and with Pentode mode engaged (and try the other modes once you get a good tone to see how they sound to you).




RR

[MikeyG]

This amp has power scaling on each channel I believe

[rrhea]

Originally Posted by MikeyG

This amp has power scaling on each channel I believe

Hmmm. Interesting! Well, then these settings should get you a pretty nice, thick distortion. Roll down the gain for more of a crunch and play with the global Tone knob.

Being the knowledgeable amp connoisseur that you are, I need not stress the importance of playing through the ideal speaker/cab combination. Is this a head going through a Kingsley cab or a combo?

I play mine through TR 2x12 cabs with the TR Emi designed speakers and it sounds amazing. Simon develops these with Celestions (usually a GH12 and Greenback mismatch in his 2x12s and a GH12 for the 1x12 cabs).

Ryan

[toneboy]

may i suggest sending simon an e-mail.
no one knows the amp better then he does.
he is a true gentleman and has the best customer service i have seen.
from what i have heard you should get some great OD tones from that amp.

[rrhea]

Originally Posted by toneboy

may i suggest sending simon an e-mail.
no one knows the amp better then he does.
he is a true gentleman and has the best customer service i have seen.
from what i have heard you should get some great OD tones from that amp.

I should have said that in my first post. I concur. Simon is awesome and he'll definitely help you find what you're looking for in that amp.

RR

[MikeyG]

In the short time I played it, I'm coming to the conclusion that it may not be for me. There were other people saying "Wow, that sounds great" but it wasn't my thing. These things are very personal.

The thing is, the amp is obviously very deep, and I don't want to pass on it if the tones I like are there (somewhere).

It doesn't seem very Marshally at all. It didn't sound like anything I've heard before, really, and some people love that, but I need a familiar tone and feel. That's just me.

I may call Simon. I always feel guilty about doing that on second-hand gear, because he's losing out on a potential 'new' customer.

[rrhea]

Originally Posted by MikeyG

In the short time I played it, I'm coming to the conclusion that it may not be for me. There were other people saying "Wow, that sounds great" but it wasn't my thing. These things are very personal.

The thing is, the amp is obviously very deep, and I don't want to pass on it if the tones I like are there (somewhere).

It doesn't seem very Marshally at all. It didn't sound like anything I've heard before, really, and some people love that, but I need a familiar tone and feel. That's just me.

I may call Simon. I always feel guilty about doing that on second-hand gear, because he's losing out on a potential 'new' customer.

I totally understand where you're coming from. I just happen to like the different overall vibe it has versus the familiar thing, so Kingsleys fit me well.

There is a chance it won't be for you if you didn't dial in something you liked pretty quickly. These amps tend to sound musical almost regardless of how you twist the knobs, so while you can get a lot of different tones it is hard, if not impossible, to make it not sound like a Kingsley (if that makes any sense).

Although I can hear some Marshall in both my Kingsleys... as well as some Vox AC30. But Kingsley amps really do have their own, distinct voice.

Good luck on your quest! If you can take the amp home on a return policy, then you should. It might grow on you as you play and tweak.

RR

[toneboy]

rrhea,
no worries,it was nice of you to post those amp settings for him.
by now you may know the amp as well as simon!

[MikeyG]

So how does the Tonebaron compare tonally to the D32? (since you've owned both)

I would've loved to hear your Tonebaron this past weekend. Too bad that didn't work out. As it turns out, my wife booked me at a nearby hotel, I wasn't at the venue. Didn't find that out until I arrived there that day!

I will see if I can demo the amp with your settings in the picture ... thanks for doing that BTW, that's a very cool thing to do!

[bluessyndicate]

Hey Mike;

There are a lot of things to try out here...if the D32 you have is anything like what I am familiar with. This amp has tremendous tonal flexibility, more than meets the eye, and it's like driving a car from A to B...there are multiple ways to get there. I definitely get some very marshallesque sounds out of my D32.

At the outset know that either channel can go clean or dirty, although my opinion is that the clean channel gains up in a more raw vintage way, and may NOT where you want to go for the marshally tones.


Your major D32 tonal shaping tools are
Pentode vs. triode (big difference to my ears)
EQ lift vs. not lifted
3 way gain switches
Gain level control
Boost, and footswitchable boost variable setting
Global EQ (1+2)

The speakers are of course huge...I have an oversized vertical Kingsley Cab with a Celestion Gold and am getting some great marshallesque crunch when desired.

Try these to see if you get anywhere:

1) Gain channel
3 way switch: high
gain: full (try full gain, then try about 65% GAIN to see which you like)
Boost off
EQ Lift: Not lifted
EQ to taste
Global EQ to taste (think like a presence)

2) Gain channel
3 way switch: low
gain: full
Boost ON, adjust variable to suit your need for "fullness"
EQ Lift Off
EQ to taste
Global EQ to taste (think like a presence)

3) Clean channel
3 way switch: High
Volume: Get volume up to at least 1/2 or more by using 1/2 power or triode mode
Boost ON, adjust variable to suit your need for "fullness"
EQ Lift ON (if boost is on, try eq lift on and off for preference)
Global EQ to taste (think like a presence)

Try them in all combiantionis of pentode/triode and 1/2 power.

The amp cleans up as well, so sometimes I just go for broke on the gain channel with 3 way gain high, and full gain (yields incredible biting gain) and then I roll back for the desired amount of gain or roll all the way to the spanky cleans...all the while the footswitchable boost is there to fatten things up if needed.

I hope you find what you are looking for. If not, best wishes in the on-going quest.

Simon of course is a great resource, but maybe the above will give you some detail to try.

P.S. I agree with your comment about the knob names being hidden under the knobs...I had him move my knob names down an extra space in order to make them easier to read when I ordered mine, and was happy with the results.

[rrhea]

Originally Posted by MikeyG

So how does the Tonebaron compare tonally to the D32? (since you've owned both)

I would've loved to hear your Tonebaron this past weekend. Too bad that didn't work out. As it turns out, my wife booked me at a nearby hotel, I wasn't at the venue. Didn't find that out until I arrived there that day!

I will see if I can demo the amp with your settings in the picture ... thanks for doing that BTW, that's a very cool thing to do!

Yeah, I really wanted to bring my Kingsleys to show them off, but since we didn't have a room in the hotel that would have been difficult. Maybe next year I'll get a room in the same hotel and stay the night so I can bring stuff.

As far as the two amps go, when I got the D32 (after owning the TB for over a year) I was really amazed at how ballsy the amp was. It was much fatter sounding than the way I was running my TB... so I A/B'ed them and was able to tweak the TB to sound just as fat. Overall, though, I would say the two amps are very similar but the TB has a more "refined" sound to it... more 'hi-fi", so to speak. The D32 is just a raw, thick, mean little amp and the TB is certainly capable of that but it can also be made to sound brighter and more "cutty", as I discovered when I plugged into my D32 for the first time.

So, my take on it is that TB is a little more versatile tonally but still has the same Kingsley tone as the D series amps. Also, bear in mind that my TB is running a quad of 6L6s and the D32 is an EL84 amp. I suspect I could get them even closer tonally if I YellowJacketed down the TB to a quad of EL84s. I already tried the TB with a quad of 6V6s and it sounded awesome... and darker.

Another thing I have noticed is the time period for my ear to acclimate to a new amp. I don't switch amps very often, so when I move to a new one it's a big deal for me. And it seems to take me a while to learn to play a new amp and adjust. I am so comfy with the TB and D32 now that I don't even think about it, but at first the TB was a big adjustment for me.

Try those settings and see what you get. Because I use delay on some of our tunes and because I generally like a tad bit of 'verb on all the time I run the Kingsley Jester OD/Boost pedal with my D32 so I can

A. run a delay between amp and stompbox and...

B. use the clean channel 'verb with OD.

The Jester sounds and works just like a Kingsley amp circuit so there is no loss of tone or touch sensitivity. But that photo should provide a decent, full blown amp gain tone for you... just eq to taste!

RR