Warm Audio Throne of Tone

The Warm Audio Throne of Tone is a dual-sided, British-inspired analog overdrive pedal that combines two classic circuits in one enclosure: a King of Tone-style side and a Bluesbreaker-style side. Each side is a full overdrive in its own right, with its own footswitch, its own four knobs, and a choice of Boost, OD and Distortion modes, so a player can run one side as an always-on drive and the other as a lead boost, or stack both¹².

Warm Audio launched it in late 2025 alongside the Tube Squealer, a Tube Screamer-based overdrive, at a launch price of $229¹³. Guitar World's Paul Riario called it "a remarkable dual-sided overdrive pedal that combines two classic circuits"¹.

Two overdrives in one: King and Blues voicings

At its core the Throne of Tone is essentially two identical overdrives in one pedal⁴. Each side can be set to a King of Tone-style inspired voicing or a Blues Breaker inspired voicing, and each side can also run as distortion, boost or overdrive². Guitar.com's review describes this as a choice of Boost, OD and Distortion textures plus a High or Low gain stage⁵.

The two voicings have distinct characters. Guitar World found the King side "offers a distinctly warm, rounded, and sweetened drive, contrasting with the Blues voicing's sharper, more cutting tone and edgy warmth"¹. In the Guitar World demo video, the presenter noted that "the overdrive is the classic sound," while Boost mode stood out to Riario as "by far the most lively and present of its three drive modes, boasting the highest headroom." He also found that OD and Dist modes have a noticeably lower output, with more compression and a spongier crunch¹².

Both sides are set up exactly the same, with four knobs each, and each side is served by its own footswitch⁷⁶.

The Presence knob

The Presence control is the Throne of Tone's most notable addition over the circuits it draws from. Guitar.com's Michael Watts called it "the most interesting addition here," noting it "is not available on either of the original units" and that it adds a slice of 500Hz to 2.3kHz top-end sizzle⁵. Guitar World describes it in more technical terms: turned counter-clockwise, the knob adjusts a variable corner frequency that enhances top-end frequencies and seemingly eliminates muddiness¹.

In the Guitar World demo, the presenter found it especially useful on the King voicing: "The presence knob works great on the king mode because the king mode you can lose some of that clarity, some of that touch"². In the deep-dive video, Alex Maier put it plainly: "Let's use the presence knob that they added to get that clarity back"⁷.

Power and connections

The pedal runs on 9V DC center-negative power, drawing 24mA at 9V. A global voltage boost selector engages an internal voltage doubler that runs the pedal at 18V, increasing headroom, and current draw rises to 43mA in that mode¹.

Connectivity is generous for a dual overdrive: 1/4-inch mono input and output jacks, plus 1/4-inch unbalanced Send and Return jacks¹. Those Send and Return jacks form an effects loop, so another pedal can sit between the two overdrive sides. An FX order swap switch lets you choose which side comes first in the chain, and each side has its own On/Off footswitch¹.

Where the circuit comes from

The Throne of Tone's lineage is the Marshall Bluesbreaker and Analog Man King of Tone, two pedals with long waiting lists. Guitar Pedal X describes it as a "Blues Breaker Style Overdrive Boost" and notes that, compared with the JHS 4-Star Modded KOT, Chase Bliss Brothers AM and V2 Coriolis Hail to the King, it adds features⁸. Guitar World's reviewer framed the appeal directly: "you won't need to wait years or empty your wallet for what could easily be the finest drive and boost pedal of the year"¹.

Inside, the all-analog design uses diodes and JRC4580 and TL072 op-amps: four ICs and 24 diodes in total to power the dual-analog circuit¹⁸. Guitar.com's news coverage describes a symmetrical clipping circuit "that captures the feel of classic tube amps cranked beyond their clean limits," aimed at British-style breakup³. The enclosure echoes its heritage too: Riario was "greeted with a chassis similar to the original Marshall Bluesbreaker," a black, steely frame¹.

What reviewers said

Guitar World's Paul Riario reviewed it favorably, writing that "the Throne of Tone truly shines with its touch-sensitivity and liveliness, delivering a rich, creamy overdrive and a polished, assertive boost"¹. In the demo video, Alex Maier suggested a practical pairing: "I feel like the blues breaker side is great for like always on sound"⁷.

Guitar.com's Michael Watts reviewed it as "a double wide anger box" in Warm Audio's lineup, highlighting the presence knob as the standout addition over the original circuits⁵.

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