Prince of Tone Question

[GloryJones]

So I finally got around to demoing a King of Tone. To me, the pedal completely lives up to the hype. It sounds exactly how I thought. What a killer pedal.

Anyway, seeing as how the waiting list is forever and the used price is pretty absurd, I'm looking at the Prince of Tone.

TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE OWNED / PLAYED BOTH, does the PoT have the same magic as the KoT? It seems like they're extremely close and the PoT has all the options for boost, overdrive, etc. The second I turned on the KoT I knew it was a special pedal. With the settings all at noon it just sang. I want to know if the Prince of Tone will be the same. The Analogman website says they're "about the same" so I'm curious before I grab one. Thanks!

 

[coltonius]

As far as magic, they do sound nearly identical (assuming you're comparing to a high gain KoT channel). The difference is that the Prince has a slightly less compressed Distortion mode, and the internal DIPs behave differently than the King's because the external toggle is standard.

The KoT fits my board better, but if I only needed one channel I wouldn't hesitate to grab another Prince.

 

[GloryJones]

As far as magic, they do sound nearly identical (assuming you're comparing to a high gain KoT channel). The difference is that the Prince has a slightly less compressed Distortion mode, and the internal DIPs behave differently than the King's because the external toggle is standard.

The KoT fits my board better, but if I only needed one channel I wouldn't hesitate to grab another Prince.

Thanks for the response. I actually demoed a King of Tone with two standard sides, no high gain. I'm interested in the Prince of Tone for a light to medium gain, first in my overdrive chain to boost some of my other pedals. I don't need both channels, at least not right now. I use a big(ish) board, so space is tight and I have plenty of boost if I need more gain or a volume push. **I should also note this is for live use with a band, not bedroom playing, if that affects anything.**

Why do the internal DIP swiches behave differently? I'm vaguely familiar with the layout of these pedals. How does the external toggle affect the DIPs?

 

[onwingsoflead]

You could always snag a prince and put yourself on the KOT list. I got mine after 11 months. The prince could tide you over until your name is up.

 

[TheRealDeal]

Not sure which version KOT you tried but the PoT IS the king of tone just the high gain version. If you have two pot then you have the exact same thing as a high gain KOT. The switch on the outside of the pot are the internal trim pots on the kot. I have the kot and would personally rather have two pots for the versatility with the switches on the outside

 

[coltonius]

Not sure which version KOT you tried but the PoT IS the king of tone just the high gain version. If you have two pot then you have the exact same thing as a high gain KOT. The switch on the outside of the pot are the internal trim pots on the kot. I have the kot and would personally rather have two pots for the versatility with the switches on the outside

This is 95% correct. The DIP switches on the Prince are different than the King's DIP switches.

On the KoT:
• The DIPs switch between Overdrive, Boost, and Distortion.
• If you elect for the external toggle, it works in conflict with the right channel's DIPs; you need to set them both OFF for the external toggle to work properly.

On the Prince:
• DIP 1 is a Lo-Mid lift for more definition on your lower strings; DIP 2 is 'Turbo' mode for more compression at higher gain settings.
• You can only switch between Overdrive, Boost, and Distortion on the external toggle- which is stock.
• According to AM, "Distortion mode is improved... for a louder, stronger distortion sound," so there's a minor difference there as well.


It's amazing what you can learn from reading the ad copy and manuals!

 

[GloryJones]

Not sure which version KOT you tried but the PoT IS the king of tone just the high gain version. If you have two pot then you have the exact same thing as a high gain KOT. The switch on the outside of the pot are the internal trim pots on the kot. I have the kot and would personally rather have two pots for the versatility with the switches on the outside

Standard version, no high gain. Can the PoT produce the same low gain tones of a standard KoT?

 

[coltonius]

Standard version, no high gain. Can the PoT produce the same low gain tones of a standard KoT?

Presumably yes. Analog Mike says to just roll the Gain back on the pedal to achieve "low gain" settings. I've never compared directly, but I've heard from some that it makes a difference. I'm sure the low gain version has a slightly restructured crystal lattice that anyone with a discerning ear can detect.

 

[pgoon]

I had this same dilemma a while back - I wanted that sound but wasn't sure I would use both channels - I opted to get the POT to save real estate and gives me an extra slot to stack on top of the POT. I have been very happy with my choice... I usually use POT for a 1st stage gain - sounds great for rhythm sounds. I leave the gain quite low and stack other stuff after it for bigger rhythm sections and lead tones... that being said I have never spent much time with a KOT on my rig, so I can't speak to the usefulness of having both channels. But 'that sound' is there with the POT I think...

 

[coolhandluc]

They really are 99.99% identical. I could hear a tad difference side by side but one without the other you'd never be able to pick one from the other. And the tad difference I heard could just be part variance.