13 Amps, 1 Guitar | Vintage Marshall JTM45 vs Tone King Royalist

[@JamesOnGuitar]

Hey all - a few things! Not all 13 amps are listed in this video but by the end of the week there will be a Two Rock Bloomfield Drive and Bartel Starwood to add to the list! This is a bit of fun, I hope. Following videos will contain less explanation and have 2 sets of 'battles' per video :) I'll throw up a poll on my community page every few videos to see if you want a different guitar and/or backing track in the videos. cheers

[@Gimi.Endrics]

Hi, could you give me a final setup of a Marshall DSL 20CR amplifier for Jimi Hendrix sound in the studio? Voodoo Child reference song or Woodstock live sound? because I'm racking my brain

[@electricj5]

This is a fantastic video and project. So glad to go on this journey with you. Great to actually hear real tube amps and not just chatting about the latest digital modeler or profiler. Analog for the win.

[@marclevant6639]

The versatility of the Tone King and its different voicing would seal it for me.

[@pieve5516]

Brilliant video. Most gear videos are just sales pitches. This video is the real deal. I am a new fan for this channel.

[@billnelson5279]

Love where the channels going. Comparing gear with a playing style similar to mine is exactly what I want from KZbin and exactly what I do at home. I'm in keep them coming

[@meeno_the_man]

These in-depth amp vidi’s have been terrific and now the addition of the scoring really makes it granular in a fun way. It’s certainly the kinds of things one ponders - daily - as one geeks out about which amp is the most akin to one’s soul. And I love your unalloyed approach to thinking - and feeling! - it all out in real time. As I alway say, it’s the journey, man, the journey! Thanks for dragging us along in yours. And your playing is just getting sweeter and sweeter. I’m enjoying the lessons on Patreon. Cheers!

[@GazMoz78]

Two fantastic amps. The JTM 45 is doing it for me in this one. It sounds soooo authentic, the sound of the British Blues! Pure midrange honk👊 Some nice BB style vibrato too 👍 PS; really clever idea with the top trumps format 👌

[@electricj5]

This is a fantastic video and project. So glad to go on this journey with you. Great to actually hear real tube amps and not just chatting about the latest digital modeler or profiler. Analog for the win.

[@Farnboy]

Fascinating and from what I've seen & heard - a pretty fair comparison - very enjoyable

[@tedcier]

NOTE: The HF switch on the attenuator of the TK is a high frequency filter, not a high frequency boost as you mention in this video. I agree that the top end of the TK was slightly glassy or shrill compared with the JTM, but the HF switch should fix that.

[@bryanflannery217]

Wrong comparison here. Sure the JtM45 does the JTM45 thing a little better (marginal, but clear winner), but the Tone King gets super close (perhaps matches some vintage Marshalls given inconsistencies) and also has two more voicings that weren’t part of this video. Three high quality amps in one makes Tone King a clear winner unless all you want is the JTM45 sound

[@michaelclarkphoto]

Love the scoring idea. This will be fascinating.

[@jayseb]

Great video - If I may - A significant part of the vintage Marshall tone is the fuzzy aftertaste that is seldomly found on newer amps. The closest I heard was the recent Friedman Plex that has that little something if you dial it right...

[@hankstacalderon3789]

To many factors to consider in a test like this. From the settings you showed on the TK, you had the treble and presence up high and didn’t mess with the hf filter or fat switch. Did you try rolling the tone or volume down on the guitar at all? The JTM sounded great but seems limited to that one sound. The TK also has the Plexi and Super lead settings so should have got more for than you gave it features imo

[@JamesOnGuitar]

No I didn’t change the settings during the video - i dialled it in off camera. I mentioned all of this in the video and about using the guitars knobs. As I did a large section on the voices of this amp in my previous video I didn’t want to do that again. These ‘top trump’ videos are a snapshot of the amp in the setting I want to use for the backing track, as if it were a gig…

[@hankstacalderon3789]

Both are great amps. Try the Royalist with an Alnico cream speaker sometime, it really makes that amp shine.

[@davidjohnston1181]

I am going to buy my first good amp soon. These vids might help or possibly make my head explode. Either way I'll keep watching them

[@almostghosts]

The JTM sounded like the tone king with a blanket over the speaker.

[@JamesOnGuitar]

i reckon that's not far off, but then that reminds me more of the old british blues records i listened to anyway!

[@djt6546]

Loving the Top Trumps novelty James. Boy did I love Top Trumps when I was a kid. Regarding the Royalist brightness, I expect this is the cab/speakers you’re playing through. ToneKing website shows they are putting their 1660 Celestion (which is V30 based) in their Royalist cabs. The same speaker they put in the SkyKing. I currently run my Royalist through two 1x12 TwoRock cabs vertically stacked. V30 in bottom cab and G12H30 on top. My theory being I get the highs and lows of a more scooped V30 with mid range texture from the Anniversary speaker. It is a very rich sounding combination for which I typically turn bass down and upper mids/treble up. I also typically use the HF switch on. If you’re finding the Greenbacks you’ve used a little splashy (and personally I find they can be) then try a V30, possibly paired with something else like I use for added texture in the midrange. After all TK have clearly developed the amp to work well with a Celestion V30. You haven’t talked much about speakers over the years and yes they are a very time consuming faff, but they can make or break a great experience with any given amp. I don’t hear your brash irritation over KZbin audio with my headphones. The Royalist just comes across much clearer and wins hands down for me. But then again I really disliked trying the TR Vintage Deluxe in Coda. Too dark/thick/muffled for my taste and I sold my Friedman TwinSister for the Royalist because I thought the same about that comparison too. I thought the new Marshall ST20H was great for the money but still not as lively and dynamic as the Royalist. It’s got to be one of the best new amps released in 2023 for me. I didn’t even miss reverb when I first played my Royalist through my 2x12 pairing as it sounded so rich compared to how most amps sound without reverb. Can’t wait to hear more in this amp series. Cheers 👍

[@andressierra2167]

Spectacular!

[@iTrove]

VERY VERY Cool series! From where I sit your analysis is spot on. Love love love the JTM sound, albeit likely from a lifetime of ear and brain programming. Made me. Wonder if there were an opportunity to hear them in a dual rig setup. In this case maybe 1+1=3.

[@matt6l6]

Love the JTM, but the Royalist does the British thing better than any modern production amp today, including anything i've heard from Marshall in many years.

[@Apeshoot13]

That JTM is fire. What are your thoughts on a solid, vintage voiced humbucker for bridge position?

[@rodvella-iq4so]

Ya - I preferred the the JTM tone as well - the only thing I would say is in a live setting - the Tone King may cut theough the mix better?

[@jamesmarcin4787]

I own a ToneKing Falcon Grande and love it. Love ToneKing amps and had my eye on the new Royalist but that Marshall JTM45 is tone heaven compared to the Royalist. Love these videos. Looking forward to the next one.

[@jobaci]

JTM is the winner for me. I also think yours is pretty dark sample. I have a Reissue ,and dialed in with those settings would be much brighter in the upper mids and highs. That may be a factor . Terrific Job.

[@gbrt9569]

Great video James, but I think it would have been more valuable (to us lot) if you were comparing the Royalist to something that was actually attainable to buy and not a completely one off vintage amp (based on the transformer replacement etc). ....As a consequence, this comparison is only really valuable to you personally.... I would have loved to see this comparison against a JTM 45 reissue (2245) or JTM Studio (ST20H) ...For many of us (including me) we have come to this video to aid us with our own JTM purchasing dilemma, and we trust and respect your viewpoints when comparing amps in the room...Hopefully one day we will see you do a true (attainable) JTM shootout ...great content as usual though

[@victorbeebe8372]

Would liked to hear JTM 45 vs Bassman

[@markn4526]

Interesting video! I really like your playing...you have a nice vibrato! The JTM45 is a classic, legendary amp. The Royalist, along with a few other modern amps like the Magnatone Super Fifty-Nine M80, do a fantastic job at approaching the vintage amp vibe and they're great amps with more features. As you mentioned, if you can find a vintage JTM45, you know it's going to at least hold its value and probably be easier to repair than any modern amp. The Magnatone, Tone King or any other boutique-style amp will decrease in value the moment you plunk your money down to buy it. I suppose it's a matter of personal preference which route you want to take.

[@marclevant6639]

The plexi setting on the Royalist would probably give you better playability

[@Bluesbreaker-uf8ti]

I used the Royalist with band for first time last, it was pretty awesome. I did most of the gained up songs with no pedals, got some killer Angus/Skynyrd like tones. Only thing I need to get used to is dialing in the attenuator at just the right spot where with guitar volume on 10 you've got the nice break up and are just loud enough for lead. I'm used to having a boost pedal in effects loop, in this case on the songs where I needed more volume I was kinda screwed, unless I wanted to go click on the attenuator mid song.

[@JamesOnGuitar]

How about switching channels to the other one set slightly louder with the footswitch when needed?

[@Bluesbreaker-uf8ti]

That's a great idea, in my mind I was always thinking channel 1 clean JTM and channel 2 cranked Plexi, but 2 cranked Plexis with different attenuation might be the way to go, thanks!

[@Bluesbreaker-uf8ti]

Great vid! I'm not sure effecfts loop would be worth having in Royalist, a lot of the overdrive is in the power section, delays/verbs would still be going into gain.

[@JamesOnGuitar]

Yup, you made the point more clearly than me - I always forget to mention that! Cheers 👍🏼

[@graemero5532]

The JTM 45 is the winner for me

[@benjaminsalinas862]

That Gibson is the winner

[@davegrice3423]

It does sound like the business

[@aminahmed2220]

Fantastic 😊❤

[@davegrice3423]

I'm a current Tone King owner, and admittedly kind of a fanboi. But I agree with you on the tone in this case. For this style, there's really no beating the JTM45. Tone candy.

[@Matthewtaylorn]

If you were to pair the jtm45 with a more authentic speaker match (a good pair of old silver bulldog speakers), it wouldn't be much of a competition at all.

[@JamesOnGuitar]

I mean the old cab it is using has 2 vintage green backs in. Haven't tried anything else yet, but it isn't an unusuall combination is it - jtm45 and greenbacks? Will search out the ones you mention - cheers

[@Matthewtaylorn]

@@JamesOnGuitar I don't think I said it was unusual to pair a JTM45 with Greenbacks. In fact, the '65 that you're using probably would have come with Celestion's brand new greenback speaker (the earliest were pretty different from what most people imagine when they hear the term "greenback"). However, every JTM45 before '65 (production started in '62) would have most likely come with the alnico silver bulldogs. Obviously, the JTM45 doesn't need these speakers to sound great. At the same time, these speakers aren't going to make every amp sound better. It's about that particular combination: The JTM45 with alnico Silver Bulldogs. It simply doesn't get better than that. Good luck on your search. It will be worth it.

[@JamesOnGuitar]

@@Matthewtaylorn i think it was the use of the word Authentic then 🤷🏽

[@Matthewtaylorn]

@@JamesOnGuitar Yeah, a lot of people don't realize that JTM's go back that far, and that they should not be referred to as Plexi's. Those are entirely different models. Sorry, I'm a JTM nerd, lol. My favorite amp ever. Awesome video.

[@meer_kaaat]

[@mikkabrightheart2268]

This is a really sick idea I just don't like Les Pauls 🤣 like I love a lot of these amps and I was really excited to hear them all side by side but a humbuckers always just sound like humbuckers to me and mask a ton of the character of the amps

[@bardsamok9221]

I thought the same, that guitar is making the amps sound bad

[@marclevant6639]

The JTM sounds a little better.

[@ABCDEF-ks5op]

:)

[@JamesOnGuitar]

Thanks!