Analogman King Of Tone

The Analog Man King of Tone is a dual overdrive pedal: two complete overdrive circuits in one hand-wired box, one on each side, each with its own Volume, Drive and Tone controls and its own footswitch and LED¹. Analog Man, in collaboration with guitarist Jim Weider, released the first version in 2003²¹³, and the current Version 4 arrived in late 2005, developed after players asked for separate controls for each channel¹. It is made in the USA, one at a time, and demand has outpaced supply for most of its life: orders go on a waiting list that press reports have put at roughly three to five years⁴⁵⁶.

Analog Man describes the design goal as taking an amp at reasonable settings and making it sound like it would if naturally driven to pure, smooth tube distortion, less compressed and less colored than a Tube Screamer⁵. Mike Piera describes it as a pedal with "enough warm overdrive but [that] still preserves the tones of your quality guitars and amps"⁵.

Two overdrives in one box

The Version 4 King of Tone is effectively two overdrive pedals in one unit⁹. Each side runs one of three modes, set by internal DIP switches: Boost (Clean), Overdrive, or Distortion¹¹¹. The two sides are independent, so a common setup is one side as a clean boost into the other as an overdrive, or two overdrive settings at different gains. Vintage Guitar's reviewer noted the two-sided design with independent settings that can be blended to taste⁸.

Each mode clips the signal differently, which is where the three voices come from¹:

The pedal uses a special JRC chip designed for audio tone controls, which Analog Man says has a warm yet clear sound, and a high 1 Mega ohm input impedance to keep the guitar signal strong and clean¹.

The controls and internal switches

Each channel has its own Volume, Drive and Tone controls and LED³. The right footswitch selects between the two channels and the left is a normal on/off true bypass switch⁷. Inside, four DIP switches set the voicing of each side, and there is also an internal TREBLE INCREASE trimpot, adjustable by hand or with a pick or small screwdriver, plus a fourth DIP switch that turns on a treble boost for darker amps¹¹².

The factory DIP switch setting puts the red (right) channel in OD mode¹¹³. Switches 1 and 2 control the red side: switch 1 down is clean and up is OD, and switch 2 up engages DIST mode, which gives significantly more and harder distortion with a little less volume¹³. While a DIST switch is on, the normal OD or CLEAN modes are unavailable on that side¹.

An external alternative exists: one or two three-position toggle switches can be ordered for external OD/Clean/DIST setting, with the middle position as boost, down as OD and up as DIST¹.

Power: 9V to 18V, under 10mA

The King of Tone runs on a 9V battery or a 9V to 18V DC Boss-style adapter, center negative¹³. Current draw is low, about 6 to 10mA, and Analog Man says a battery should last nearly 100 hours¹. The manual recommends a good alkaline battery or a power supply, noting that when the battery dies the sound gets hairier rather than simply quieter³. Some players run one side at a higher voltage; Origin Effects documented a player's board with the red side at 12V¹⁴.

Options and the four-jack version

Options are only available on Version 4¹:

• Higher gain: $10 per side¹
• Second output jack: $10, not possible with the four-jack option¹
• Four-jack version: $50 on a new pedal, or $75 as a mod; lets each side be used separately¹
• Buffer for buffered bypass: $45¹
• External mode toggle switches: one or two three-position toggles¹

There have been four major revisions, hence V4⁶. On That Pedal Show, Dan's own unit dates from October 2007 and carries the four-jack input mod¹⁵. The higher gain red side option is the one Pedal of the Day called the best version for many versatile purposes¹⁶.

History: from Bluesbreaker topology to V4

The King of Tone is based on the topology of the 1991 BlackBox Bluesbreaker made in England, but JHS is emphatic that it is very different, and not just a clone: "When you see someone on a forum or you see someone discussing that the King of Tone is just a clone of the Bluesbreaker," it is a new and unique thing built on that topology¹⁰. GuitarPlayer likewise notes the Marshall Blues Breaker served as the basis for one of the most revered gain pedals in the business¹⁷. On That Pedal Show, the hosts described it as "somewhat distantly born of the blues breaker"¹⁵.

The first pedals were sold in 2003⁹. Demand quickly outpaced supply and Analog Man started a waiting list, which ran until spring 2004 and has continued since¹⁸. The company still makes them by hand, one by one, with the same parts always used, though some parts were discontinued years ago and new-old-stock parts are scarce¹⁸¹. In 2022, Piera had to unsolder and replace counterfeit capacitors on about 100 King of Tone boards, and Guitar.com reported that same year that the average wait sat at around four years, with the shop then shipping pedals ordered in 2018¹⁹.

The pedal's influence reaches beyond Analog Man's own line. Delicious Audio credits it with starting the trend of high-quality, multi-function dual-channel dirt boxes¹¹. Analog Man's own single-channel Prince Of Tone covers similar ground in a smaller box, and budget interpretations such as the Tone City King Of Blues and Joyo's King of Kings aim at the same dual-Bluesbreaker format without the wait²⁰.

What reviewers and players say

Vintage Guitar's reviewer found it "delivers smooth, mellifluous overdrive and long-term sustain with gritty complexity and heavenly headroom," and that "virtually every setting on the KOT sounded fantastic. It's not a high-gain pedal"⁸. Gearnews' reviewer's counterpoint: "I think it sounds best when played at stage volume, and not as sweet at lower levels"⁶. The same reviewer also argued that half the pedal's hype comes from its wait time²¹.

On That Pedal Show, comparing it against a Blues Breaker, one host said: "There's a little bit more detail in the King of Tone for me compared to the Blues Breaker"¹⁵.

!That Pedal Show: King of Tone vs Blues Breaker¹⁵

In a 2025 video, Rhett Shull and Josh Scott discussed the used market, where people are "paying, you know, 78, $900, $1,000 on the used market for what is admittedly a fantastic pedal"²². JHS reports vintage units going for upwards of $750, against a new price of $335 plus options⁴¹.

!Rhett Shull: King of Tone²²

Players documented by Analog Man include Sid McGinnis on the David Letterman show, John Platania with Van Morrison, Toshihiro Sumitomo on tour with Chris Duarte, J Mascis using higher-gain units live for clean tones, Brent Mason with a V4 in recording sessions, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who put one on his board for the 2007 Experience Hendrix tour¹²³.

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