KINGSLEY
MINSTREL
VERSION 2
REVIEW BY NICK RAMBO
STREET PRICE $325.00
You’re probably obsessed
with getting “tube tone” in
a pedal, right? It’s a pretty
safe bet, considering that
the overwhelming majority
of drive pedals on the
market today really want
to sound—and feel—like
a good old-fashioned
tube amp.
Just read the descriptions
and marketing copy. It’s all
in there.
Of course, this sentiment
bleeds into the guitar
forums and message boards
I frequent, too. It seems
like there’s always at least
one thread near the top
of the page about which
stompbox would be best
for replicating the tone and
62
GEAR REVIEW
//
texture of authentic valve
distortion.
So if this is something that
interests you—and again, it
probably is—I’ve got good
news: the Kingsley Minstrel
is literally a tube amp inside
a pedal housing.
KEEP IT REAL
I interviewed Simon Jarrett,
owner of Kingsley Amplifiers
and mastermind behind the
Minstrel and a variety of
other tube-driven pedals,
for the August 2014 issue of
Tone Report.
“A good tube circuit
reacts to picking nuances,
translates subtleties and
feels good when you
play,” he said. “It’s hard
Kingsley Minstrel Version 2
to compete with the feel,
dynamics and response of a
great guitar plugged into a
great amp—I am looking for
the same experience when
adding pedals.”
So in building the Minstrel,
Jarrett essentially put
together a small, handwired tube amp with highgrade components onto a
tagboard. Needless to say,
the gutshot is a true wonder
to behold. It features a
single 12AX7 tube that’s
pushed into overdrive by a
FET for some of the most
authentically amp-like tones
I’ve ever heard out of a
stompbox. (And I’ve played
a ton of them.)