Used Tone King Meteor Series II model 740A Tone King

Tone King Amps Meteor Series II, Used Tube Guitar Amplifier

1×12 combo / model 740A

The Meteor Series II from Tone King is a tube guitar amplifier designed to go way beyond the classic, vintage tone spectrum and provide crystalline clarity, engaging presence and vivid note definition. This particular amp is a used, 6V6 powered 1×12 combo- model 740A and it’s in on consignment. It works and sounds fantastic although it does display some mild cosmetic scuffs and tolex tears. Nothing serious, however, and it is in nice shape. The standard speaker has been upgraded to a Scumback H75, but the original speaker is also included.

The Meteor Series II is a two channel tube guitar amplifier with Reverb and Tremolo

The Rhythm Channel starts with a classic “blackface” era tonal voicing, familiar to fans of the late 60’s Deluxe Reverb or Super Reverb. It gives you the shimmery clean tones and gritty, ringing overdrive that this style of amp is known for, but with a vivid clarity and lush depth which brings out all the harmonics and overtones in your guitar’s sound. A three-position “bright” switch allows you to tailor the response for just the right amount of shimmer in the top end.

The Lead Channel is a lot more versatile than you would expect from a channel with only 3 controls, thanks to its unique and effective Mid-Bite control. The Mid-Bite control is an exclusive Tone King design feature which does a lot more than simply adjust the midrange level – it completely transforms the overdrive character. With Mid-Bite fully off, the Lead Channel reacts much like a tweed amp. When played clean, the woody resonance of the cabinet, liveliness of the rectifier tube and the expressive response of the cathode-biased output stage work together to give you the raw midrange, silky top end, and soft compression that define the vintage tweed sound – perfect for honky tonk or blues rhythm playing with a tele. As you dig in harder, you’ll feel the sweet, round top end begin to develop a stinging bite. Crank it up into the distortion zone, and the tone gets even fatter and thicker. Compression from the cathode-biased output stage softens the pick attack as single notes and chords swell and sustain in endlessly evolving shades of thick, meaty grind. As you turn up the Mid-Bite control, a midrange peak appears while the bottom end is simultaneously tightened up, which transforms the tone into more of an English-style crunch. The amp develops a tighter feel as single notes really start to sing and sustain, and chords become chunky with a rich array of overtones.

The Meteor II includes a reverb circuit which is inspired by the classic standalone reverb units of the 1960s. This circuit has its own 12AX7 tube preamp and 6V6 tube driver, driving a full-size 3-spring pan. A 12AX7 tube driven reverb receiver allows for shaping the sound of the reverb signal with its own reverb tone control, and for controlling the reverb level for each preamp channel individually, via the back-panel mix controls for the lead and rhythm channels. The “dwell” control, located on the front panel, controls the signal level of the reverb driver, and gives you even more control over the reverb sound. At lower settings, you’ll get a lush sound which is more like a vintage plate reverb sound. At higher settings, you’ll get an over-the-top splashy, drippy surf sound. With the dwell, tone, and mix controls, you have the ultimate flexibility to dial in your own perfect reverb sound.

The Meteor/II uses a vintage Tremolo circuit which creates the tremolo effect by modulating the bias current of the output tubes. Compared to other methods (e.g. the opto-coupler method used in the Fender “blackface” era amps), this method creates a smooth, gradual, and rounded tremolo effect. The tremolo effect can be turned on and off via the footswitch (not included).

Specifications of the Meteor Series II model 740A from Tone King Amps

• Output Power                    40W/20W (switchable)
• Output Tubes                     4 x 6V6
• Rectifier Tube                    5AR4
• Preamp Tubes                   5 x 12AX7
• Reverb Driver Tube          6V6

Rhythm Channel Controls             

• Volume
• Treble
• Middle
• Bass
• 3 position Bright Switch

Lead Channel Controls

• Volume
• Tone
• Mid-Bite

Additional

• Reverb w/ Dwell, Tone, Mix(Rhythm), Mix(Lead) controls
• Tremolo w/ Rate and Depth controls
• 24″ x 19″ x 12″,  40lbs