Tone King Imperial MK1

Tone King Imperial MK1 – Original Mark Bartel Hand-Built (Pre-Boutique Builders Guild) + Dr. Z Attenuator

Original Tone King Imperial MK1 combo, hand-built by Mark Bartel in the pre-Boutique Builders Guild era. This is the real deal — the amp that started it all for Tone King.

Condition: Very Good. Fully functional and sounds fantastic. Only a few minor cosmetic blemishes (all clearly shown in the photos). No functional issues. Ready to gig or rehearse out of the box.

This is an absolutely amazing boutique amp that has put a smile on my face at every gig and rehearsal. The tones are pure magic — the Rhythm channel delivers beautiful, glassy blackface-style cleans with that classic touch-sensitive bloom, while the Lead channel goes from sweet tweed breakup into more aggressive British-inspired territory with the Mid-Bite control. Tube-driven spring reverb and bias-modulated tremolo are excellent. It’s the kind of amp that makes you want to keep playing. The red Rolex always garnered comments from the crowds at shows.

What’s included:

• Tone King Imperial MK1 1x12 combo (20W, 2x6V6 power section)
• Original footswitch and footswitch cable
• Dr. Z A attenuator — makes the amp far more usable at reasonable volumes while still letting you dig into power-tube saturation

This is a rare opportunity to own one of the early, pure Mark Bartel Imperials before the brand changed hands. These don’t come up often in this condition with an attenuator and original footswitch included.

Why pay $2800 for the mass built version?

Serious inquiries only. Feel free to ask any questions. Happy to provide additional photos or details.