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Tone King Imperial Preamp: Why This Was My Favorite Gear Release Last Year
Some gear sounds great.
Some gear feels great.
And every once in a while, a piece of gear comes along that actually changes how you think about your entire rig.
That’s exactly what happened with the Tone King Imperial Preamp.
Out of all the gear I tried last year, this was my favorite release. It's not because it has the most models, or the longest spec sheet, but because it’s one of the most well-thought-out amp simulation platforms I’ve used.
More importantly, it sounds and feels incredible in a band context, which is the real test.
Let’s break down why.
Tone Matters. Feel Matters More.
There are a lot of great-sounding amp sims on the market right now.
What separates good from great is feel.
The biggest question I ask when testing an amp sim:
Does it feel like a real, mic’d tube amp when playing with other musicians?
Some amp sims sound polished but feel flat or plasticky.
The Tone King Imperial doesn’t.
It responds like an amp.
It pushes back.
It reacts to my playing, breaks up, and feels like a tube amp.
That’s the foundation. Everything else builds on top of that.
Designed Around Real Guitar Rigs
The Tone King Imperial doesn’t assume one “correct” way to build a rig.
Instead, it gives you multiple routing options that let you use:
- • Your existing pedals
- • Your real amps
- • External preamps
- • Stereo effects
- • Headphone out where you need it
It’s an amp replacement, but also allows me to enhance or use my existing gear in ways I wouldn't have been able to otherwise.
1) Using the Imperial as a Standalone Amp Sim
The most obvious use:
You get:
- • Preamp
- • Power amp simulation
- • Cab / IR
- • Balanced outputs
Straight into your DAW or front-of-house.
Why It Works
It sounds great. No surprises there.
But more importantly, it feels right under the fingers and allows me to route my modulation and wet effects in the way that sounds best to me.
This alone would make it a solid product.
But as they say, "Wait, there's more!"
2) Mono Send / Stereo Return Effects Loop
One of the biggest problems with standalone amp sims is where to place them in your signal chain.
Usually you must choose:
Option A – After Drives, Before Wet Effects
Pros:
- • More amp-like feel
Cons:
- • Not able to use the headphone out anymore.
Option B – At End of Board
Pros:
- • Headphone out works
Cons:
- • Slightly less realistic feel
The Imperial Solves This
The Imperial includes a built-in effects loop that is mono send, stereo return.
This allows you to run the preamp before your modulation and wet effects (better tone) while running the power amp and cab sim/IR at the end (which gives you stereo XLR outputs, headphone out at the end of the chain and a more realistic setup to real life tube amps.)
3) Adding Channels to a Real Amp
If you own an amp with an effects loop, the Imperial can add channels to your tube amp!
Example with a Fender Twin:
Now you can switch between:
- • Fender clean channel
- • Imperial clean channel
- • Imperial overdrive channel
All through the Fender’s power amp and cab.
Why This Is Powerful
Some amps have a great clean channel but a mediocre drive channel (like my Fender Twin).
The Imperial effectively gives you better additional channels without replacing your amp.
4) Using Imperial as a Power Amp + Cab Sim Only
You can bypass the Imperial’s preamp and use it purely as an power amp and cab sim/IR loader.
This turns the Imperial into a high-quality back end for:
- • Tube preamp pedals
- • Your tube amps pre-amp
- • Other tone-shaping devices
5) Running an Overdrive Pedal as a “Preamp”
An experiment:
Results:
- • Klon-style drive → usable, solid
- • Tube preamp pedal → excellent
This opens the door to building a modular amp system using pedals you already own.
6) Stereo Effects into a Mono Amp (What Happens?)
If you run stereo effects in the Imperial’s loop but send the output to a mono tube amp:
- • Right channel is muted
- • Left channel continues
Upside
No phase cancellation from summing stereo to mono.
Downside
True stereo effects only send one side of their stereo signal.
In practice, if you plan to run mono, you’ll probably choose mono pedals in the loop anyway - so this was strictly a test I ran out of curiosity.
Why the Imperial Stands Out
Not because it does one thing well.
But because it does many things well:
- • Full amp replacement
- • Channel expander for real amps
- • Power amp & cab sim platform
- • Stereo wet-effects hub
- • Headphone out is always in the right spot
All while sounding and feeling excellent.
That’s rare.
The Big Takeaway
The Tone King Imperial isn’t just an amp sim.
It’s a rig-building tool.
A carefully designed platform that:
- • Adapts to your setup
- • Enhances existing gear
- • Encourages experimentation
- • Sounds great in every configuration
That combination is why it was my favorite gear release of the year.
Hope this was helpful!
- Grant Klassen
