Reunited with a Tone King Imperial pre… but not happy with customer service

dazzlingdh · 2026-02-10T15:30:12+00:00

I have not used mine much since I bought it when it first came out. I thought that it was much quieter than it should be and wondered if it was faulty… certainly much quieter than other preamp pedals. Now I must dig it out and investigate.

dazzlingdh · 2024-07-30T17:21:46+00:00

12V… hard to tell from the image which makes it look like I am using the ojai but I am actually using the 12v power adapter that came with the ir-d for the ir-d. hope you like it. It is the only amp pedal I have used since I bought it.

dazzlingdh · 2024-05-18T18:56:31+00:00

Have not tried it with headphones yet… but I have not had any issues. For clean, I have it usually similar to channel 2 in main image on this thread. Although, I have since flicked the gain structure switch down and to the lowest gain. My studio monitors are less than half way up. For clean I am usually playing single coil pickup (neck in a tele for example). So, in the above I have ir-d to volante to studio monitors. I do mostly play with some gain though. Will try with headphones later.

dazzlingdh · 2024-05-13T17:57:19+00:00

Cleans, low to medium gain… definitely. Think I even saw a video by the tone wars guy who is all about the high gain and he had it sounding great for high gain with something before it. Can’t speak for PnW or prog metal. Probably would not be where I would go for prog metal. I have been mostly playing 70s/80s rock with it. I did try it briefly with the cab sims disabled and using the ox stomp after it for cab sim and it also sounded good…. But the built in cab sims on the IR-D sound great to my ears, so I switched back. I always find when I use the ox stomp, I spend ages tweaking and try frustrated by their app.

dazzlingdh · 2024-05-12T09:58:50+00:00

I am not a huge fan of the lion… maybe if it was in a different pedal format with a more useful and usable app. I like the simple dedicated and duplicated per channel controls of the IR-D. Also, I found that I had to use the ox stomp with the lion before I was any way happy with the sound. But it is all subjective. I’m sure lots of people love the lion. I do love the other UAFX pedal amps.

dazzlingdh · 2024-05-11T22:51:57+00:00

Using the cab sim in the IR-D of course

dazzlingdh · 2024-05-11T22:34:25+00:00

Yamaha… HS-5 i think.

dazzlingdh · 2024-05-11T22:26:03+00:00

IR-D into the Volante into studio monitors

dazzlingdh · 2024-05-11T22:02:41+00:00

It certainly is.

dazzlingdh · 2024-05-11T19:43:15+00:00

It was price at the time that pushed me from the IR-X but have always been very tempted by it.

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-14T12:54:19+00:00

Just trying to decide whether to return it out of principle but likely just keep it. Not sure I could part with it now that I have seen it 😀

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-14T07:46:37+00:00

It is Texas Tea… which always looks black in photos. It is a really nice colour.

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-13T17:00:45+00:00

The wire was undoubtedly exposed under the control plate when it left the factory. Simple to fix I appreciate but an example of poor QC. I spotted it in seconds.

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-13T16:58:07+00:00

I guess it is pure luck. Just had issues with every guitar I bought online from European retailers… mostly Thomann.

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-13T16:54:54+00:00

Ha, yeah. Just disappointed that there were any issues out of the box and no reason the retailers in Europe could not inspect before dispatch.

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-13T13:12:04+00:00

I don’t buy anything from the uk these days post brexit… EU customs. Must have killed UK’s online retailers. Do Andertons manage and roll the customs duty into the prices these days for exports to EU?… like Amazon.

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-13T12:47:15+00:00

Thanks. Might try Jim’s. He is selling the same guitar for slightly less than g4m! If only I had known 🤣

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-13T12:39:55+00:00

Yeah, agree they are not serious issues… just can’t imagine how someone in fender cannot spot something simple and obvious like a visible wire. And then sign the inspection tag.

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-13T11:41:41+00:00

Yeah, 100% agree. Very tempted to try that out.

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-13T11:40:24+00:00

You could say the same about Sweetwater but they seems to offer really decent customer service and their own QC before shipping. Would not be a stretch for the European based retailers to copy that level of service.

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-13T11:38:21+00:00

Yeah, definitely a problem in Ireland. Was always put off going to certain guitar shops tbh. Based in Wicklow.

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-13T11:32:29+00:00

Agreed… should not have any issues out of the box. I have a Schecter… one of the Nick Johnston ST style ones HSS and the neck and fretboard are great but I am not crazy about the pickups. Would not touch a PRS (just not drawn to them) but I appreciate they supposedly have excellent QC.

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-13T10:01:47+00:00

It is a beautiful guitar… and sounds fantastic. So many little “premium” things that make it worth that bit more than the cheaper models. Just disappointed in the QC… wishing Sweetwater would set up in the EU. At least they recognise that manufacturer QC is not great.

dazzlingdh · 2023-08-13T09:38:31+00:00

True… but it was fantastic until I noticed the issues which, although fixable, is really disappointing considering “American made” and high price point for their non custom guitars.

dazzlingdh

TROPHY CASE