Tone King Imperial Preamp

Tone King Imperial Preamp — Direct Tube Preamp Captures About the Preamp The Tone King Imperial Preamp pedal brings the iconic, hand-wired American blackface and tweed circuitry of the legendary Imperial MKII amplifier into a dedicated tri-tube unit. Powered by three 12AX7 tubes running at high plate voltage, it delivers true tube-driven harmonic richness, wide dynamic range, and immediate pickup response—completely uncompressed by digital modeling or solid-state approximations. Channel 1 (Rhythm) focuses on quintessential '60s Mid-Atlantic tube cleans, offering pristine high-end shimmer, a deeply sculpted mid-scoop, and a lush, touch-sensitive breakup as the input gain is pushed. Capture Methodology & Signal Chain These captures were engineered to isolate the pure, uncolored analog tube preamp section of the pedal, ensuring maximum flexibility when integrated into modern digital rigs, software DAWs, or external Impulse Response (IR) loaders. [DAW Sweep Signal] │ [SSL Interface Output] │ [Radial Reamp Box] ── (Low-Z to High-Z conversion, Ground Isolation) │ [Tone King Imperial Input] │ [TO AMP IN Tap] ── (Pure analog tap: bypasses onboard DSP, power amp, & IRs) │ [SSL Interface Line Input] ── (Recorded at 24-bit / 48 kHz uncompressed) - Signal Tapping (TO AMP IN): Rather than capturing through the main XLR output—which passes through the internal digital DSP engine, cab IRs, and zero-watt power amp filter—the output was tapped directly from the TO AMP IN jack. This acts as a pure, hardwired analog point taken straight off the 12AX7 preamp circuit. - Impedance Matching & Reamping: A dedicated Radial Reamp Box was used to transform the low-impedance line-level sweep signal from the SSL Interface back into a high-impedance (1" M" Ω), instrument-level signal that perfectly replicates the electrical load of a passive guitar pickup. - Conversion & Capture Processing: The returning analog signal was recorded through SSL conversion at 24-bit / 48 kHz without any post-EQ, compression, or digital attenuation. The capture files were trained via Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) to deliver precise dynamic scaling and true-to-hardware tube response. Models Included in This Set * TK_Imperial_Ch1_Vol5.nam Settings: Channel 1 (Rhythm) | Volume: 5 | Treble: 5 | Bass: 2 Tone Profile: High-headroom, glassy clean. Exceptional clarity and transient response for rhythm work and pedalboard integration. * TK_Imperial_Ch1_Vol7.nam Settings: Channel 1 (Rhythm) | Volume: 7 | Treble: 5 | Bass: 2 Tone Profile: Touch-sensitive edge-of-breakup. Cleans up when picking lightly; blooms into classic 6V6-style organic tube saturation when driven harder.