The Tone King Royalist Preamp is a high-voltage tube preamp pedal from Tone King that distills the sound of the company's Royalist MKIII amplifier into a compact, pedalboard-friendly format. It is an analog, all-tube design, not a digital emulation: three 12AX7 tubes run at proper amplifier voltages, not the reduced voltages found in many "tube" pedals1. Premier Guitar's press release puts the street price at $599.99, with availability from February 26, 20262.
The pedal draws 800mA from a 12V supply1. That is well beyond what a standard daisy-chain output provides, so plan for a dedicated supply output.
What it is and where it came from
Tone King unveiled the Royalist Preamp in early 2026. Premier Guitar's press release describes it as bringing "the sound and feel of the Royalist MKIII amplifier" to a pedal, available February 26, 2026 at a street price of $599.992. In the Andertons demo video, Lee Anderton and Pete describe the circuit as leaning into "sort of a 60s through the 70s kind of era. Marshalls"3.
Delicious Audio's product page says the tube design delivers "genuine touch sensitivity, harmonic bloom, and the dynamic response that digital modelers struggle to replicate," calling it a tribute to the golden age of British rock1.
The controls: two channels, voicing switches and EQ
The Royalist features two independent channels, each with Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, and Reverb controls1. In the Andertons demo, the presenters note that, just like the amplifier, the two channels are identical3.
The defining feature, per Delicious Audio, is a three-way voicing switch per channel that traces the evolution of British amp tone1. The 1964 position gives a smooth top end, lower gain and vintage warmth inspired by early JTM45 blues amps, while the 1967 position gives crisp treble, bold mids and the aggressive bite of the Plexi era1. The top channel uses a vintage-accurate JTM45/Bassman-inspired EQ1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Reverb | Per channel, on both of the two independent channels1 |
| Three-way voicing switch | Per channel; 1964 (smooth top end, lower gain, early JTM45 blues amp character) and 1967 (crisp treble, bold mids, Plexi-era bite) positions1 |
The Zero Watt Power Amp
A built-in "Zero Watt Power Amp" uses one of the three 12AX7 tubes as a phase inverter, capturing the interaction between the preamp and power amp stages1. That is part of how the pedal aims to reproduce the feel of a full Royalist MKIII amplifier rather than just its gain stages.
MIDI, outputs and going direct
For players running presets or a fly rig, the Royalist carries 5-pin MIDI and USB-C, and can manage up to 128 MIDI presets1. For recording or going direct to a front of house desk, it has dual balanced XLR outputs with ground lift1.
The Andertons demo
In the Andertons Music Co demo, Lee Anderton and Pete run through the pedal's two identical channels and its three band EQ, and confirm it is an all-tube preamp pedal3.
Videos
Andertons Music Co
The Studio Rats
Brett Kingman
News
Questions
Is the Tone King Royalist Preamp a real tube preamp or a digital emulation?
It is a real tube preamp, not a digital emulation. Delicious Audio describes it as a living, breathing tube preamp, and the Andertons demo calls it an all tube preamp pedal. Three 12AX7 tubes do the work, running at proper amplifier voltages rather than the reduced voltages found in many tube-voiced pedals.
How many tubes does the Tone King Royalist Preamp use?
Three 12AX7 tubes. Premier Guitar's press release says they run at full amp voltages, and Delicious Audio notes that one of those tubes is used as a phase inverter in the built-in Zero Watt Power Amp section.
Does the Tone King Royalist Preamp have MIDI?
Yes. It has a 5-pin MIDI input plus USB-C, and can manage up to 128 MIDI presets, so you can store and recall channel and voicing settings from a MIDI controller or a computer.
Can the Tone King Royalist Preamp go straight to a mixer or interface?
Yes. It has dual balanced XLR outputs with ground lift, which are made for feeding a mixer or audio interface directly, alongside its instrument-level outputs.
What power supply does the Tone King Royalist Preamp need?
A universal 12V adapter, which is included in the box. It draws 800mA, so it needs its own supply rather than a shared daisy-chain output on most pedalboard power supplies.
What does the Zero Watt Power Amp do?
It is a built-in power amp section inside the pedal that uses one of the three 12AX7 tubes as a phase inverter. Delicious Audio says it captures the interaction between the preamp and power amp stages, which is part of how the pedal reproduces the feel of the Royalist MKIII amplifier.
Sources (3)
- Tone King Royalist Preamp, Delicious Audio, 2026-03-25
- Tone King Royalist Preamp, Premier Guitar, 2026-02-26
- Tone King Royalist Tube Preamp & New Synergy Amps!, Andertons Music Co, 2026-01-24
