Capturing the aggressive versatility of iconic 1990s dirt boxes, the Oxford Monarch by The King Of Gear (TKOG) packs a dual-channel overdrive and distortion engine into a compact 1590BB enclosure equipped with soft-touch knobs and top-mounted jacks.
As highlighted by Guitar Pedal X, the pedal functions as an ultimate “3-in-1” Marshall-in-a-box platform, consolidating three legendary British circuit topologies—the Blues Breaker, Guv’nor, and Shredmaster—into a single flexible box. Engineered to expand upon the frequency ranges and output levels of vintage analog circuits, it transitions seamlessly from a transparent clean boost to blistering high-gain distortion while playing nicely with any amplifier platform.
The pedal operates across two independent, fully customizable channels with swappable signal routing:
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The Gold Channel (Mid-to-High Gain): Delivers two distinct high-gain circuits, each paired with a dedicated 3-band EQ. ’88 Mode replicates the crunchy Guv’nor response using red LED clipping and interactive tone shaping. ’91 Mode employs silicon diodes, a punchy mid-frequency “Contour” control, and an expanded treble circuit to deliver aggressive, Shredmaster-style lead work.
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The Blue Channel (Low-to-Mid Gain): Focuses on transparent Bluesbreaker-style overdrive via Vintage (brighter top-end for bass-heavy amps) and Modern (neutral EQ with full low-mids) voicings. Dedicated Tone and Presence knobs sculpt top-end bite, while three toggleable dynamic profiles—Boost (massive volume with subtle grit), Drive, and Distortion—tailor overall compression.
Hardware flexibility is elevated by a versatile analog true-bypass switching system with soft-touch footswitches. Players can operate each channel independently in Standard mode or toggle between them with a single foot-press using Flip-Flop mode, making it effortless to switch from a rhythmic crunch directly to a boosted solo voice. Combining expanded frequency sweeps with flexible routing, the Oxford Monarch turns classic 90s British gain heritage into an adaptable, modern multi-drive platform.
