#169659  by Jon S.
 
You're definitely on a mission!

Those Kingsleys are supposedly hard to score these days. Looking forward to your review.

BTW, there's a dedicated The Kingsely Pedal Thread on TGP. It's only 703 pages long so I'm sure you'll want to read through all of it. :lol: https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index ... b.1866198/
wpmartin1979 liked this
 #169688  by Jon S.
 
I finally put my new Joyo American Sound through its paces. It's a solid pedal but won't be replacing my FYD or SMS rack preamps anytime soon. Here are some pros and cons relative to my rack preamps:

Pros:
  • lots of tones from clean to overdriven
  • tone knobs have a full and musical sweep
  • besides the obvious Fendery tones (given its name), w/the treble knob up high = serviceable Voxy-ish chime
Cons:
  • not nearly as much overall volume as either of my rack preamps or into my Reverend Hellhound combo's effects loop
  • related to above, less overall clean headroom on tap
  • no on-board reverb (remember, this is relative to my rack preamps)
02/09/21 EDIT: I'll be dropping the pedal off tomorrow at Kohl's for its return trip to Amazon.
wpmartin1979 liked this
 #169742  by wpmartin1979
 
The Kingsley Maiden BF is an outstanding preamp. It’s like driving an expensive sports car. Glassy Fender clean tones are amazing.

For my purposes I thought it just doesn’t do the Twin thing as well as the Shiftline. It sounds phenomenal, but has more bass in the mix and when I rolled down the bass and turned up the treble I felt that it lost some it’s mojo.

If anyone wants to try this amazing pedal I am selling it. Let me know if your interested ASAP - cool
If we can keep it in the family if you guys want to try it out. They are hard to get with a year or two waitlist.
I can give you the family discount.

https://reverb.com/item/38756833-kingsl ... t=38756833

I’m sticking with the Shiftline since I’m really into the Twin thing. :rasta:
strumminsix liked this
 #169833  by wpmartin1979
 
I scooped up a used Effectrode Blackbird from Reverb a few days ago after selling the Maiden BF.
The Blackbird is the real deal ... it’s a keeper. It has 3 tubes, which really sets it apart in its ability to act and sound like a real amp. It’s incredibly well built and gives you the dynamic tone of a true Fender tube amp. I found the “Twin” settings on the clean channel are the classic Jerry settings like on the FYD - bass down treble up. There is also a bias switch that lets you brighten or darken the tone (I believe by switching between tubes, not sure though) so that is handy as well.
But what makes the Blackbird a true keeper in my book is the overdrive channel. It is absolutely the best overdrive I have ever played. I guess it is modeled after a Dumble style amp, but whatever it is it is amazing - very addicting to play. I recently got an Earth Drive to see what that was like. The Earth Drive is amazing and I like it a lot, especially for its clean sparkle. However, the Blackbird overdrive is far more dynamic and behaves much more like an amp. It is crisp and clear, then gets edgier the more you dig in to the strings. You can dial in pretty much any kind of low to medium gain overdrive tone that you are looking for. It also has a classic/creamy switch that lets you add more compression to the tone, but I prefer the classic setting. It’s almost like the thing was created for a wide range of Jerry tones.
It’s a tough call between the Shift Line and the Blackbird. Perhaps it is a bit excessive to keep both, but for now I can’t bring myself to sell either one.
The Shift Line sounds so good and takes pedals so well that it has become the heart and soul of my upstairs rig. A Stratoblaster or MXR Distortion + into the Shift line is pretty much perfect.
But there is just something so alluring about the overdrive channel on the Blackbird. I guess only time will tell in regards to which one I end up preferring. Truth is, I’m pretty happy just switching back and forth between them and the FYD. The Earth Drive into the FYD is another match made in heaven.

They say that variety is the spice of life. Well, in that case I suppose I am well seasoned. :wink:
strumminsix liked this
 #169835  by lbpesq
 
Will, have you tried the Valeton Coral Amp? $64 new on reverb. It may not be the equal of the $400-$700 pedals you’ve been discussing, but I bet it gets you 90-95% there for 1/10th the price. And it takes up far less real estate on the board. It is one of the most amazing pedals I’ve ever encountered.

Bill, tgo
 #169836  by wpmartin1979
 
I’d be willing to give it a try, but I’m not a believer that SS modeling amps can replicate real tubes. I just hear a huge difference and always prefer tubes, especially in a preamp. I havn’t heard anything to convince me otherwise.
 #169837  by Jon S.
 
Bill, do you have any experience with the Coral Verb II?

https://www.valeton.net/content.html?we ... 2&id=91589
 #169838  by lbpesq
 
Ah, the old tubes vs. SS debate. This one has been around since Ben Franklin plugged his kite into a Tweed Champ! My Quilter amps get awful close. I’d bet that in a full band setting, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. And I’d match up my Pritchard Sword of Satori with any tube amp.

Nevertheless, if you get the opportunity to try the Coral Amp, I strongly suspect you will be duly impressed.

Bill, tgo
 #169840  by lbpesq
 
Jon S. wrote: Sun Feb 14, 2021 1:21 pm Bill, do you have any experience with the Coral Verb II?

https://www.valeton.net/content.html?we ... 2&id=91589
No. I’ve very satisfied with my HOF Mini. I just use a touch of reverb, always on. The HOF more than meets my needs. And if I want to change, there are lots of tone prints available to download, or I can even download their free software to design my own reverb.

Bill, tgo
 #169842  by Gr8fulCadi
 
lbpesq wrote: Sun Feb 14, 2021 1:22 pm Ah, the old tubes vs. SS debate. This one has been around since Ben Franklin plugged his kite into a Tweed Champ! My Quilter amps get awful close. I’d bet that in a full band setting, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. And I’d match up my Pritchard Sword of Satori with any tube amp.

Nevertheless, if you get the opportunity to try the Coral Amp, I strongly suspect you will be duly impressed.

Bill, tgo
Very true that in a band setting it would be harder to tell the difference. But for me as a player, it’s a “feel” thing and especially when a tube amp is in the sweet spot per se. This is IMO of course...

Solid State has come a long way and the Quilter and ToneMaster amps do sound great from what I’ve heard. I’m not ready to convert yet tho...
wpmartin1979 liked this
 #169844  by wpmartin1979
 
For example - the MP Super Black and Effectrode Blackbird are basically the same exact concept, except one is SS and one is tube.
Well, I can tell a major difference between the two in terms of picking dynamics, tone and overall feel.
 #169846  by lbpesq
 
Yeah, I've been hearing these and similar statements for years. Used to make them myself. Until I got the Pritchard. SS has come a LONG way from my first SS amp, a Heathkit TA-16 that I built myself in 1968. If you ever find yourself in Northern California after the Pandemic, come on by. I'll hook you up with the Pritchard and blow your mind. You won't be the first.

Bill, tgo
 #169851  by Jon S.
 
Holy crap! What a small world! I first met Eric shortly after he'd designed PRS's 1st gen HG SS amps and we've run into each other many times since at PRS and TGP events and at guitar shows. Super nice guy and so talented! And I've played personally over the years through most of his amps.
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