The Analogman King of Tone is a pedal that was a game-changer when it was released back in 2005, and it has inspired not only hordes of guitarists but also a small army of pedal builders. Original units are so in demand that orders have a waiting list of about FIVE years (!!!). Therefore, it’s only natural that some other pedal builders would try and fill in the gap by creating more readily available (and much more affordable) clones of that venerable circuit. Enter the Joyo King of Kings.
At just about $99, this overdrive pedal sounds tempting no matter whether it actually sounds like the King of Tone, from which it inherits the dual-channel configuration and tweakable essence. The two channels have separate footswitches and can be run separately or stacked on top of each other.
The documentation about this pedal is scant, but if it maintains the design of the stompbox it’s inspired by, the two circuits should be identical overdrives armed with two toggle switches each that allow modifying the internal gain levels and diode configuration. This allows to get out of each channel overdriven, crunchy or distorted tones, depending on the settings.
This flexibility and superior tone is what made the King of Tone a winner. The success of this spin-off will be mostly linked to how it sounds – you can get a first idea about it from the video below.
Joyo R20 King Of Kings, Builder’s Notes
Its classic vintage overdrive circuit adopts 1+1 dual channel design, can be used alone or connected in series, you’ll get warm OVERDRIVE, fierce CRUNCH or vintage DISTORTION by 1+1 connected in series.
Features:
1.Each channel features independent diode clipping circuit & Feedback switch, you’ll get tones with subtle nuances by adjusting the pedal
2.Dual channel with independent Volume and Tone control
3.Power: 9V
