Why the long wait and delays?
Here is some info on the KoT Saga
This is the story so far
KOT DELAY PAGE kotdelay.htm <--- CLICK HERE for waiting list status etc.
Be sure to go to the link above before asking me for status (then please refrain from asking as there is nothing more I can add at this time, thanks!!!)
Reader's digest version :
When you reach the top of the waiting list, you can get any available version of the KoT pedal. The list is over a year long at this time, see the KOT delay page (link is above) for the exact length of the list. List had been closed nearly a year, now it's open again. Click HERE TO EMAIL analogspam TO GET ON THE LIST.
Please use this link ONLY to get on the list, or if it does not work for you just send an email to analogspam at aol.com. For status questions, etc, please email analogmike. All other emails sent to analogspam can not be replied to, sorry!
The list is semi-automated so we can't really answer any questions when you get on the list. We don't need any phone or mailing address info, just email from your best email address for us to put on the list. It may take us a few weeks to process your waiting list additions and but we will get to them and email you back. If you don't hear from us within a few weeks please try again, maybe from another email address. No need to prepay or put down a deposit, we will give you ordering info when your pedal is ready to ship.
Please don't ask for status on the list unless you are close to the SHIPPING date on the King of Tone delay page. We just can't afford to spend an hour a day on list administration. Thanks!
Info on older model King Of Tone pedals
Here is some info on the Ver2 and Ver3 pedals. The info below covers the current Ver4 model. King of Tone pedal info
Analog Man, in collaboration with Jim Weider, have come out with the pedal we have been looking for for many years - the King Of Tone (KoT). There are many overdrive pedals on the market, but none of them have been quite right, preserving the tone of the guitar and adding the right amount of overdrive without compromise. There are some good clean boosts available, but they just don't have enough drive to really give your amp the distortion you often want. There are some newer OD pedals that have a great frequency response, but to me they sound too DRY, sterile, and cardboardy. That is where the King Of Tone pedal comes in - it has enough warm overdrive but still preserves the tones of your quality guitars and amps.
Jim had been using an original TS-808 for well over 20 years, it's now housed in a 1980s TS9 case after Rick Danko stepped on it at a concert that THE BAND played. Jim likes the tone of his TS-808, but has always found it loses some low end and is a bit too heavy in the mids. I also love TS808s and have sold thousands of TS9s with our TS808 mods. But sometimes I have wished for a less compressed, more open and natural sound with more of the guitar's actual tone, or as Jim says "you can hear the note better". A Tube Screamer makes it easier to play and sound good due to the compression and vocal midrange boost, but a master player like Jim would often prefer less coloration to allow his techniques and superb tone to get through.
The King Of Tone overdrive was designed to take an amp at reasonable settings, and make it sound like it would sound if it were naturally driven to pure, smooth, tube distortion. It was fine tuned with Jim's 1960s Fender Deluxe Reverb amp to duplicate the sound when his amp is singing, but at lower volume settings - to simulate the natural tube amp distortion of preamp and power tubes. It does the same thing on other amps like Vox, Marshall, etc, making them sing in their own voice. Jim's amp was modified by our good friend the late Cesar Diaz, and is about the best sounding Fender amp I have heard. Later on, I tested the KoT on my own 1966 Deluxe Reverb amp. My amp is stock, and does not sound that great when it's cranked up. It gets loud but not very warm or singing, a little harsh. My amp sounds MUCH better using the KoT for overdrive, then it sounds very close to Jim's amp.
Tube Screamer comparison
Everyone seems to know what a Tube Screamer sounds like, so we can use them to describe the KoT sounds. Even our modified Tube Screamers and all the TS clones out there are still basically tube screamers, so this info will still apply. The KoT is one of the few overdrive pedals available that is NOT based on a Tube Screamer circuit. It does not have a huge amount of distortion. In OD mode, it has a little less drive available than a Tube Screamer. It has quite a bit more volume available than a Tube Screamer and The TONE control has a similar range. The KoT has less compression than a tube screamer, and also does not boost the mids or cut the low end as much.
Once we had a prototype that Jim liked and used on stage several times, I emailed the circuit to my collaborator in Japan, Ohbayashi san, and he tried several ideas I gave him. CAMTAC Ohbayashi san has a suberb ear for details like capacitor and chip selection and came up with some great ideas for the pedal- a chip and diodes that made it sound even better! The special JRC chip he preferred was designed for audio tone controls, and has a warm yet clear sound. The diodes are more open sounding, for a stronger, clearer, less compressed sound and more volume. All the nuances of your playing and each string of the guitar will come through clearly.
For more info on this pedal in Japanese language, please check out Ohbayashi san's King Of Tone page.
Last edited by a moderator:
