MXR Custom Shop Duke Of Tone

The MXR Custom Shop Duke of Tone is a mini overdrive pedal built in collaboration with Analog Man, the indie builder behind the King of Tone. It is based on the Prince of Tone, the single-channel version of the King of Tone, so it delivers one channel of that circuit in a much smaller enclosure¹. Analog Man's Mike Piera teamed up with MXR's Jeorge Tripps to distill the essence and functionality of the original into a mass-market mini pedal².

Half a King of Tone in a mini pedal

The King of Tone is a double-channel pedal based on heavily modded circuitry from the Marshall Bluesbreaker, and it has a reputation that made it hard to get. The Duke of Tone is primed to represent a more affordable, and more available, version of that circuit⁵. MusicRadar called it essentially a mini Prince of Tone, half a King of Tone in mini form for the mass market⁹. Guitar.com's reviewer went further, describing it as pretty much a Prince of Tone, which is itself the King of Tone with a higher gain option, a toggle option and an improved distortion mode¹⁰.

The enclosure is much smaller than the original's, which is the whole point: the three knob controls of the original are replicated here in a box that fits a crowded pedalboard⁴. Pedal of the Day described it as designed in conjunction with indie pedal builder Analog Man, with a Boost/OD/Distortion switch that sets the overall attitude of the pedal's output³.

The controls

The control layout is deliberately simple: three knobs and one toggle.

GuitarPlayer reported Mike Piera describing the layout as self-explanatory Volume, Drive and Tone knobs¹². The three-way toggle is where the pedal's range lives, and the manual spells out what each position does⁶:

• Boost mode bumps up your signal loudly and clearly with no clipping. Delicious Audio calls it the most transparent setting, with huge headroom, excellent for stacking multiple overdrive pedals or pushing an amp⁴.
• OD mode is the standard overdrive voice, adding grit and compression¹².
• Distortion mode engages hard clipping for a grittier, more compressed sound and a bump in output level⁶. Delicious Audio describes it as taking everything great about the Boost and OD modes and cranking it up, offering harmonic-rich aggression that retains the guitar and amp's distinct character⁴.

Guitar World's review notes one technical detail: the Boost mode is the equivalent of the King of Tone's Clean mode and uses op-amp clipping rather than diodes⁷.

How it differs from the King of Tone and Prince of Tone

The Duke is a single-channel mini pedal, so it gives you one voice where the King of Tone gives two. Beyond size and channel count, Premier Guitar's review flags the one real feature loss: the Duke of Tone lacks two DIP switches that, on the Prince of Tone, offer the option for a low-mid frequency lift and extra compression and crunch².

On price, the comparison is straightforward. MusicRadar's head-to-head found the young Duke cheaper than both the King of Tone and the Prince of Tone¹³. It was available to preorder for $149 in September 2022, with shipping looking set for October 1⁸, and Guitar.com's demo video in 2023 described it as a mini pedal that costs under $200¹⁴.

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's write-up of favorite pedals concluded that the Duke more than justifies its comparatively high price with three modes delivering a boost, overdrive and distortion that is as articulate as it is versatile, and that it is great for stacking⁹. Guitar World's review credited it with decent build quality and noted its USA origin⁷.

On JHS Pedals' channel, Josh Scott explained the pedigree: the pedal was brought to the table by Jeorge Tripps, with Joey Osk as project manager, and the Analog Man designs have now been officially licensed for production with the designers' involvement. His verdict on the sound was blunt¹⁵:

Josh Scott, JHS Pedals¹⁵

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On That Pedal Show, in a 2025 episode testing the Chase Bliss x Analog Man Brothers AM against the King of Tone family, Mick named the Duke of Tone his second favorite of the day's test, preferring it to the Prince of Tone¹⁶.

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Videos

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Questions