Synergy have just released the Tone King Imperial MKII preamp module.
I found one in stock here in the UK the day after launch, and ordered it straight away.
Now that it’s here in a very dusty Hermit’s Cave, what do I think of it? Here are my (very positive) first impressions.
Table of Contents
- tl;dr
- If You Want To Hear The Pros Play This
- What Did You Buy?
- Wait, What? It Was Available At Launch Day?!? That Normally Never Happens!
- Why Did You Buy It?
- What Is The Tone King Imperial MKII Preamp Module?
- My Rig Today
- Exploring The Tweedy Tones Of The Lead Channel
- Does It Klon?
- What About The Clean Channel?
- Other Things I Noticed / Experienced
- The Imperial MKII Is A Tight Fit Into The SYN-1
- The “Zero-Watt Poweramp” Doesn’t Seem To Be A Gimmick
- I’m Not A Tremolo User …
- The Attenuator Feature Makes It Hard To Balance The Two Channels’ Volumes
- The Attenuation Controls Are Backwards To What I Expected
- The Lead Channel Has Incredibly Limited EQ Capabilities
- I Haven’t Tried This With The Matching OwnHammer IRs
- I Haven’t Tried This With My SYN-5050 Poweramp Yet
- Final Thoughts
tl;dr
The Tone King Imperial MKII preamp module is an all-valve module for Synergy’s modular amp system. It brings two channels: a “blackface”-voiced clean channel, and a “tweed”-voiced overdrive channel.
This post focuses on the tweed-voice overdrive channel. I’ll post a follow-up about the clean channel as soon as possible.
I was able to get Bassman-adjacent and 5e3-adjacent overdriven rhythm tones from the Imperial MKII module. While it doesn’t nail either sound, it can get close enough to be a suitable stand-in. I really enjoyed the tweed tones that I got out of this unit, and enjoyed how little effort it took to get those tones.
I didn’t like how it sounded when I boosted it with a Klon klone. I thought it worked best with something more transparent, like the PRS Horsemeat overdrive pedal.
I think it’s a keeper for the Lead channel alone.
If You Want To Hear The Pros Play This
I don’t have the chops to do this thing justice. So here are three YouTube demos from three great players that show off just how good the Imperial MKII Synergy module can get:
All of those demos are done with the new Synergy SYN-20IR amp. If you want to hear how this module sounds through the o.g. Synergy SYN-1, check out my audio demos further down this blog post.
What Did You Buy?
I bought a Tone King Imperial MKII preamp module for the Synergy modular amp system. “Tone King” is the amp brand, and “Imperial MKII” is the Tone King amp that this Synergy module is based on.
I ordered mine brand new a day after launch. It arrived on Friday, and I’m drafting this blog post over the weekend.
Wait, What? It Was Available At Launch Day?!? That Normally Never Happens!
Props to Synergy for this – because, in my experience, it’s not normal.
All too often, here in the UK, we have to wait months for newly-launched gear to become available to buy. Sometimes we get lucky, and Thomann gets it quite quickly.
On launch day, I wasn’t surprised to find that the usual outlets (Thomann, Andertons) didn’t carry this yet. (Update: Andertons made it available on the Friday; Thomann was still showing 2-3 weeks the last time I checked.)
Sadly, either did Peach Guitars. If I can, I’ll always get brand new Synergy gear from Peach Guitars, because they were the first shop to bring Synergy to the UK. (I bought my Synergy setup from them back in 2018, and couldn’t have been happier with their customer service.)
Just imagine my surprise, then, to discover that GuitarGuitar did have the Imperial MKII module in stock for immediate shipping. Happy days!
Why Did You Buy It?
The Demos Won Me Over
A few years ago, I got to spend a bit of time with the full-fat Imperial MKII amp. Even better, Kristi was with me, so I didn’t have to rely on my own ears alone. I didn’t enjoy my time with it. (I’ve since learned that I like recorded tweed amp tones, not the sound in the room.)
So when this Synergy module surfaced during the NAMM 2025 coverage, I didn’t look at it and go “oh, that’s a module for me.” As I didn’t like the amp, I didn’t expect to like the module either.
Then I heard the launch day demos that I’ve linked to earlier in this blog post. I was really struck by how good those demos sounded. Great guitar tones, and the kind of guitar tones I wish I’d been able to get back in February 2018 when I got my original Synergy rig.
The one caveat was that all the demos I watched were done with the new Synergy SYN-20IR amp. I’ve got the original Synergy setup: SYN-1 and (rarely used) SYN-5050 power amp.
Is it going to sound as good through my signal chain?
I Want Synergy To See There’s An Audience For Vintage Amp Tones
I’ve got conflicting feelings about where Synergy has gone in recent years.
- On the one hand, I’m really happy that they’ve found their niche / audience, so that the Synergy system as a whole continues to exist.
- But I’m also feeling like Synergy’s less and less relevant to me these days. Their focus is on the ultra-high gain metal amps, while mine is on these gnarly vintage tweed amp tones.
I’m hoping that, if the Imperial MKII module does well, it will encourage Synergy to release more modules for us fans of vintage amp tone.
I’d love a full-fat 5e3 Synergy module. I’ve yet to play a modeller that does everything that my 5e3 Tweed Deluxe reissue amp does. And we haven’t had a tweed-tone module since the Synergy system first launched at the start of 2018.
(At the time of writing) that’s over 7 years ago now. C’mon, Synergy, surely it’s time to make another one?!? Outside the USA, there aren’t many tweed amp options, and most of them are very expensive. A Synergy 5e3 Tweed Deluxe module wouldn’t have much competition.
I Collect Tweedy Tones
I collect pedals that chase the sound and feel of those tweed-era amps; both Fender’s amps, and similar amps of the time.
While the Imperial MKII preamp module isn’t a pedal, it’s (sort of) pedal-budget money. There are tweed-tone pedals out there that cost a lot more, if you can find them in the first place.
Plus, the attraction of the Synergy system is that you can have a large collection of all-valve amps without having to find lots of space to store them in. This is my 11th module, and they all fit in the same amount of space that a dozen books take up.
And, like the amp it’s based on, it’s very much a tweed-tone module. Well, the lead channel is.
What Is The Tone King Imperial MKII Preamp Module?
The Imperial MKII preamp module is an all-valve preamp for Synergy’s modular amp system. It’s based on Tone King’s Imperial MKII amp.
From what I’ve read, the full-fat amp started out as an attempt to combine the most desirable traits of a Deluxe Reverb and a 5e3 Tweed Deluxe: the glorious cleans of a Deluxe Reverb and the raunchy overdrive of a Tweed Deluxe. Tone King decided the best way to do that was to have a dedicated channel for each of these amp types.
And this has carried over to the Synergy module.
- The green channel – the Rhythm channel – is a clean, “blackface”-type sound.
- The red channel – the Lead channel – is a tweed-type overdrive.
Exactly which tweed-type overdrive? That’s what I’ve been exploring so far.
My Rig Today
Today, I’m playing:
- My 52 Reissue Telecaster (aka Jessie),
- into the Axe-FX 3 (for the tuner),
- out to my pedalboard,
- into the Tone King Imperial MK2 module (housed in a SYN-1 unit),
- back into the Axe-FX 3 (for EQ, speaker impedance curve, virtual cab, delay and reverb),
- out to my audio interface
- and into my DAW.
Jessie is my go-to guitar for all things tweed-tone. I find that the Nocaster pickups and the vintage Nocaster blend circuit are perfectly voiced for tweed amps, pedals, and amp modellers.
The Axe-FX 3 is running a couple of presets that I’ve built. The first preset is the one that I built for my Synergy BMan module. From there, I’ve built a tweaked version to better match the Imperial MKII module.
Today, I’ve got two pedals on my pedalboard: the Ceriatone Centura, and the PRS Horsemeat.
- The Centura is my go-to Klon klone for all my demos, because (to my ears) it sounds just like my Klon KTR does. It’s set up in the classic clean boost configuration.
- I’m using the Horsemeat as a clean boost pedal. It doesn’t have the Klon-style mid-boost, making it a little more transparent.
Both pedals are in separate loops of my trusty Gigrig G2, so that they cannot affect the signal in any way when I’m not using them.
All the delay and reverb that you hear is coming from the Axe-FX 3. There’s no post-processing applied in my DAW. I have level-matched the audio demos before uploading them.
You’ll get the most out of these audio demos by listening with a decent set of headphones or studio monitors.
Exploring The Tweedy Tones Of The Lead Channel
I bought this preamp for its tweed-like lead channel. So that’s where I’m starting!
Starting A Little Bit In The Dark
I did a bit of background reading while I was waiting for the overnight courier to deliver this module. I wanted to know what kind of tweed circuit the lead channel was based on, as they all have their own sound.
The official marketing from Synergy doesn’t say. It just talks about the “best Tweed tones”, which isn’t helpful to me. “Best Tweed tones” is going to mean different things to different people. Me, I’m a Tweed Deluxe kind of guy. In a blind test, I believe most players would choose the sound of a Tweed Bassman as their preference.
The demos don’t clarify that either. That’s not a surprise to me. I don’t think any of the big YouTube demo channels are tweed amp players or users.
Most forum posts were unhelpful too. While some (correctly) pointed out that it’s based on the 5e3 circuit, many said that it wasn’t, and some said that it wasn’t tweed-y at all 🤷!
I didn’t find the full-fat amp’s manual (which has exactly the information I was looking for) until sitting down to write this blog post – long after I’d explored the amp and come to my own conclusions.
Want A Bassman? The Imperial MKII Module Can Get Close
Not knowing what I was dealing with – and already having a preset for Synergy’s BMan module – that’s where I started.
Before we hear the Imperial MKII module, let’s start with Synergy’s original BMan module, to act as a reference tone. Here’s Jessie into the BMan module, using my BMan preset.
Here’s a photo of how I had the BMan dialled in for that.
I’d argue that that’s the classic Synergy BMan sound: fat to the point of bordering on too much low-end. I’ve always found it so easy (and tempting!) to over-cook the low-end on this module, right from the first time I tried one back in 2018.
In this next audio demo, I’ve tweaked the toggle switches on the front of the Synergy BMan to pull back the low end. Everything else is the same.
Here’s a photo of the BMan’s settings for that:
Hopefully, you’ll agree that this second attempt is a lot more sensible. Maybe not as much fun in the room, but probably a better choice for recording and mixing with.
(The B(right) and T(ight) toggle switches on the o.g. Synergy modules are so handy for adapting a module to suit the overall signal chain. I really miss them on the latest generation of modules.)
What happens if I swap out the Synergy BMan module for the Imperial MKII module, and leave everything else the same? I got this:
Here’s a photo of the Imperial MKII’s settings for that:
That sounds quite similar to my first audio demo of the fat BMan sound. I hear differences (which I’ll go through in a moment) – and I think they’re important differences – but if you wanted a Bassman-adjacent overdrive tone, I think you could make that work with some post EQ applied.
Let’s talk about the differences that I hear between the two:
- The BMan has that classic, rounded note attack that I find highly desirable. Through the same signal chain, the Imperial MKII has a more cutting note attack.
- The Imperial MKII has more energy in the upper-mids than the BMan does.
- There’s something extra in the low-end of the Imperial MKII that just isn’t there in the BMan.
The note attack on the Imperial MKII module can be adjusted by tweaking the Mid Bite control. Unfortunately, this one control also changes the low-end structure, overall gain and the output level. For my tastes, turning down the Mid Bite swaps one problem for another. (It’s quite a frustrating control to work with. I think it’s too clever for its own good.)
That low-end though … it sounded fine to me for the first couple of hours. Then I started noticing a resonance in the low-end that I didn’t want. I couldn’t tame it on the module itself. The only way to reduce the low-end is to turn the Mid Bite control up even more. No thanks.
(Update: turning down the Volume also reduces the low-end, but it also reduces the amount of overdrive too. That works pretty well if I use an overdrive pedal to add the dirt back in. I didn’t discover that until much later.)
Thing is, no matter how much time I spent tweaking the EQ in the Axe-FX 3, I couldn’t find what I wanted. I must have spent a good hour or so constantly adjusting … until finally, I realised what I was doing wrong.
I needed to use a different speaker impedance curve model.
This Is (Not) The 5e3 Module You’re Looking For … But Treat It Like It Is
At this point, I cloned my BMan preset for the Axe-FX 3, and swapped out the “4×10 Bassman RI” speaker impedance curve for the “1×12 Deluxe Tweed” impedance curve.
Same guitar, settings on the Imperial MKII, same signal chain. Even the same 4×10 Bassman RI impulse responses as before. The only difference is the speaker impedance curve model that I’m using.
To my ears, we’ve left Bassman territory, and we’re now flirting with 5e3 Tweed Deluxe territory. Definitely not there – the top-end is very bright and cutting – but it’s starting to feel and play like a 5e3 to me.
What happens if I go all-in, and switch over to Origin Effects’ excellent Tweed Deluxe impulse responses instead? I’m also going to switch to the “1×12 Tweed Alnico Blue” impedance curve; and I’m going to pull back the gain to where I’d have it with my real Tweed Deluxe amp.
Here’s how that sounds:
Here’s a photo of the Imperial MKII preamp settings for that:
It is missing some of the things that I love about my Tweed Deluxe amp, for sure:
- The note attack still doesn’t have that gooey roundness that I seek. All that’s happening is that the impulse response is cutting off the top-end where the bright note attack sits.
- The mid-range isn’t as forward (but that might be because the tone is wider?). Seems to sit somewhere between the mid-range of a Bassman and a Tweed Deluxe.
- The raspiness isn’t there at all.
- There’s a hardness to the tone (and playing feel) that’s completely different to my Tweed Deluxe amp.
That’s not to say it’s a bad tone. Far from it. Since I’ve dialled this in, I haven’t wanted to play anything else.
It does remind a lot of how the Deluxe Tweed model sounds in the Axe-FX 3 when paired with the same Origin Effects impulse responses. I think it’s closer to that than it is to my Tweed Deluxe amp.
I’d say that it’s a 5e3-adjacent sound. And I think it’s a good sound.
I have done a little bit of tweaking with the Imperial MKII’s settings, and I think that this low-gain rhythm tone is where it comes closest to the 5e3 sound. I’m not as happy with the tones I get if I crank the gain up high.
I’ll sit down and do a detailed side-by-side comparison between the Imperial MKII module and my 5e3 Tweed Deluxe amp as soon as I can.
Watch Out For The Low-End
I still haven’t managed to completely tame that low-end resonance that was bugging me earlier. Switching the speaker impedance curve has helped a lot, but there’s still something there when I stray down towards playing a low E chord.
Here’s an example of what I’m hearing. The first part of the audio, I’m going into the Bassman impulse responses; the second part uses the Origin Effects impulse responses:
This is with a Telecaster on the bridge pickup too – not exactly a go-to pickup for big and beefy rhythm tones.
Can I tame it with a Klon klone?
Does It Klon?
Clean Boosting With The Ceriatone Centura
Regular readers may recall that, when I’m faced with a pedal that needs the low-end taming, I always reach for a Klon klone first to try and sort it out.
Let’s grab my Ceriatone Centura and put it in front of the Imperial MKII module’s lead channel. I’m still using the Origin Effects impulse responses. Here’s how that sounds:
I didn’t enjoy what I was hearing while recording that demo. It felt like I’d taken away some of the module’s magic. Listening back, it sounds like the low-mids have disappeared. That might work well in a mix?
So let’s have another go at this. Let’s lower the Mid Bite control to try and bring those low-mids back, and turn up the Volume control to compensate for the loss of overdrive. Here’s how that sounds:
That’s still a ‘no’ from me. The low mids are back, but they feel disconnected from the rest of the mids, like there’s a gap immediately above them somehow. I think the Centura is boosting the upper mids a little too much too.
Normally, this is the point where I’d reach for the Wampler Tumnus Deluxe (a true secret weapon for tone-shaping). It’s got a very handy 3-band EQ, and it often works where a more straightforward Klon klone is a bit too much.
The more I think about what I’m hearing in the upper mids, though, the more I want to try something different for a change.
Step Forward The Self-Proclaimed Klon Killer
When PRS launched their Horsemeat pedal, Paul Reed Smith said they’d called it Horsemeat because it was a Klon killer. A bit OTT, perhaps, but maybe there’s some truth in that?
To my ears, the Horsemeat doesn’t sound like a Klon at all. It doesn’t have that mid-boost that the Klon and its klones have. It’s more like an accidental tweed-tone pedal. I’m wondering if that will suit the Imperial MKII preamp’s lead channel better.
Here’s how that sounds: Horsemeat into the front of the Imperial MKII preamp module.
Here’s a photo of the settings on the Imperial MKII preamp:
Here’s a photo of the settings I used on the Horsemeat:
That extra gain and mid-range saturation … it’s not coming from the Horsemeat. To prove it, here’s how the Horsemeat sounds into the Imperial MKII preamp’s clean channel:
Hopefully you can hear that the Horsemeat is set nice and clean, and (counter-intuitively) is boosting the low end. And yet, somehow, it works. I think it’s mostly filling in the low-mids while taking the edge off that cutting top-end.
To finish off the audio demos, I think this signal chain sounds even better if I switch back to the 4×10 Bassman RI impulse responses from Fractal Audio:
That’s a nice sound to arrive at, I think.
What About The Clean Channel?
Out Of Time Today, Sorry!
It’s easiest for me to cover the clean channel separately in its own blog post.
I don’t play clean very much; my main interest in the clean channel is as a pedal platform. I haven’t (yet) seem a YouTube demo that looks at that in depth.
That’s going to take me a bit of time:
- I need to run a variety of pedals through the Imperial MKII, to hear how each pedal comes through.
- I need to run the same pedals through my Axe-FX 3 pedal-platform presets, to give me a reference comparison.
- I think I have to do the same thing with the Synergy TDLX module too. I want to know how they compare with pedals, and I’m sure I’m not alone.
Other Things I Noticed / Experienced
The Imperial MKII Is A Tight Fit Into The SYN-1
I didn’t find it easy to get the Imperial MKII preamp module into my circa-2018 SYN-1 housing.
It slides in easy enough. It’s just the last bit, where I push the rear connector into the socket at the back of the SYN-1. That requires noticeably more force than I need to use with any of my older Synergy modules.
I’ve no idea why. I don’t know if the rear connector on the back of the module is a different width or thickness, or whether it doesn’t line up quite right in an o.g. SYN-1. Maybe it’s something else entirely.
It’s something to be aware of, in case Synergy are having problems either with designing or manufacturing modules to remain safely backwards-compatible.
The “Zero-Watt Poweramp” Doesn’t Seem To Be A Gimmick
This module has Synergy’s new “Zero-Watt Poweramp” circuitry. It brings the full-fat amp’s phase inverter, and uses one of the onboard tubes to replicate the harmonics and characteristics of the original’s power amp section.
I can’t say whether or not it makes the module sound better or feel better to play. I cannot bypass the “Zero-Watt Poweramp” to do that comparison.
But I did notice a difference: I found that this module is far more picky about the speaker impedance curve than any other Synergy module I have.
The Axe-FX 3 includes speaker impedance curve modelling (SIC for short) to emulate the interaction between an amp and a speaker. Reactive load boxes do the same thing – that’s what the “reactive” bit in the name is all about.
The advantage of the Axe-FX 3 is that I’m not stuck with a single, hard-wired speaker impedance curve. It doesn’t affect how the module itself reacts (it’s a digital model; there’s no actual interaction with the amp), but it still has a massive effect on both tone and playing feel in my experience.
- With my older Synergy modules, I get the best results by selecting a speaker impedance curve model that matches my virtual cab (ie, my chosen impulse responses). That’s exactly the same approach as using an amp model in the Axe-FX 3.
- It’s a little different with my amp heads or my Tweed Deluxe combo, because they’re going into a load box. I get the best results there when I select a speaker impedance curve model that matches the load box – or (sometimes) by not having speaker impedance curve modelling at all.
I found that this Imperial MK2 preamp module behaves more like my full amps: I got the best results out of it by dialling in a speaker impedance curve model that matched the amp, not the cab.
This might have absolutely nothing to do with the “Zero-Watt Poweramp” feature. Could just be a coincidence.
I’m Not A Tremolo User …
… so I don’t have an opinion on the tremolo feature that this module offers. Sorry.
I did sometimes have the tremolo on without realising it. I found it easy to not notice which position the tremolo on/off toggle switch was in.
The Attenuator Feature Makes It Hard To Balance The Two Channels’ Volumes
I found it hard to get the sounds I wanted from each channel and have both channels at the same output level at the same time.
Output level is controlled by two controls on the module, and a third (shared) control on the SYN-1 module housing.
- Each channel has a “Volume” control, and it does control how loud each channel is. It also controls how much each channel overdrives, and (on the Lead channel) it also affects how much low-end the channel produces.
- Each channel also has an “Attenuation” control, which can be used to reduce the amount of output level.
- The SYN-1 module housing has its own, independent Volume control. This is handy for balancing out the difference between different modules.
I found myself using the Volume control just for setting the amount of overdrive, and then using the Attenuation control to set the overall loudness.
I’ve run into two problems with this arrangement:
- The Rhythm channel is much much quieter than the Lead channel; and
- the Attenuation control only has 9 fixed positions to choose from.
It’s fine for playing at home, because I don’t need to switch between channels while playing. When I do switch, I can tweak the Volume control on the SYN-1 to make up the difference.
But if I wanted to play live with this? Hmm.
Like with the Mid Bite control, I think this is another area where the circuit design is being too clever for its own good.
The Attenuation Controls Are Backwards To What I Expected
This isn’t covered in the manual that comes with the preamp module, so I think it’s worth mentioning here.
The Attenuation controls work in the same direction as a volume control would:
- turn to the left to turn the output level down,
- turn to the right to turn the output level up.
This caught me out at first, especially as the left-most position is labelled “1” and the right-most position is labelled “9”.
I was expecting this to mean the amount of attenuation applied (with “9” being the most attenuation). I was wrong 🙂
The Lead Channel Has Incredibly Limited EQ Capabilities
To my ears, this preamp module puts out a lot of low-end. (Or, perhaps, it just has a more extended low-end frequency range?)
In recent years, I’ve become a fan of gear which works like this. I really enjoy the creative options that it offers. I find such gear to be more than a one-trick pony, and, as a result, I’m more likely to use that gear when I want to change things up.
But this works for me because I’m running a hybrid rig (ie, a rig that includes both analogue and digital components). Hybrid gives me all sorts of EQ options and opportunities that wouldn’t be there in a physical amp-and-cab setup.
It’s a good job too. In my experience, the Lead channel’s onboard controls aren’t very useful for managing the EQ – especially that low-end that it produces.
- The sweet spot on the Tone control doesn’t shed much of the low-end.
- The Mid-Bite control gets pretty nasty at the top-end well before it sheds enough low-end.
- Turning down the Volume offers the best control over the amount of low-end, but it also cleans up the overdrive very quickly too.
I think the three controls are great when I treat this liked a mic’d up amp:
- Set the onboard controls for overall guitar tone.
- Move the virtual mics / choose the best IRs to find the overall sweet spot.
- Use the virtual preamps to cut out any remaining excessive low-end.
I’m very happy with working that way. I’ve built my signal chain so that I can work that way. But I’m mindful that many home players haven’t.
I Haven’t Tried This With The Matching OwnHammer IRs
The full-fat combo amp uses a custom-designed speaker. As far as I know, the major modellers don’t include any impulse responses of this speaker. I certainly couldn’t find one in my Axe-FX 3.
Fortunately, OwnHammer made a set of impulse responses of this combo amp for Tone King. Is it a must-have? Probably not.
- The module’s two channels are voiced so differently, I think it’s a struggle to use a single IR with both channels. I’m worried that it’d be too much of a compromise.
- The module seems to work really well with a wide variety of IRs. I’m not sure that we’re missing out here.
The OwnHammer Imperial IR pack includes a lot of IRs of other speakers too, including Deluxe Reverb and Tweed Deluxe cabs. If you’re interested in using different IRs with each channel, the pack has you covered.
I wish Synergy module owners got free access to the three IRs that are on the Imperial MKII preamp pedal that recently came out. That would have been a nice gesture.
I Haven’t Tried This With My SYN-5050 Poweramp Yet
All the audio demos were recorded by running the SYN-1 module housing straight into the Axe-FX 3. This meant that I didn’t use a real poweramp, and I didn’t have to use a load box of any kind.
Although I’ve still got it, I rarely use the SYN-505 poweramp these days. It’s just a lot easier to use the Axe-FX 3 for poweramp emulation.
I will try the Imperial MKII preamp module with my SYN-5050 poweramp soon. I am curious to hear how much difference there is between the two signal chains.
Final Thoughts
So far, I’ve spent all of my time just with the Lead channel of this module. These Final Thoughts only apply to that channel.
I think that the Lead channel on the Imperial MKII preamp module is tweedy, just not classic tweed-tone. It isn’t a Bassman, and it isn’t a 5e3 Tweed Deluxe either – even though it’s based on the 5e3 circuit. It’s something different.
In my signal chain, it lacks the roundness and softness of those iconic tweed amps. It’s got a more cutting note attack, a harder playing feel, and less foundational low-mids than I’d expect from a tweed amp. (Hmm … I wonder how it compares to my Marshall Origin …)
But I tell you what: if I didn’t have a real 5e3 Tweed Deluxe amp, I wouldn’t know what I was missing. Because it sounds great in its own right.
I’m very happy with the Lead channel on the Imperial MKII preamp module.
- I really like the low-gain rhythm tones I can get straight out of the module.
- And since I worked out the trick of boosting it with the PRS Horseman, I just can’t stop playing.
It’s a keeper, for sure, just for the Lead channel alone.