2014 Ceriatone King Kong 50

Overview

This amp is a a Malaysian made amp drawn up by Nik Azam, and is the continuation of the hot-rodded British series of amplifiers, which included the Chupacabra and Yeti. Those two amps share the same basic topology as Channel 2 of this King Kong, but are single channel amps. I’ve heard that Channel 2 of the King Kong is almost identical to the Yeti circuit, which is a slightly darker amp than the Chupacabra, which in turn is based on a partial schematic of a Cameron modified, Jose-style, Marshall circuit. That’s quite the lineage - but in short, it’s the evolution of a high gain Marshall and they all originate from the Jose Arredondo modifications to plexi-style Marshalls in the late 70s and 80s, most famously (or rumored, at least) to be used by Edward Van Halen.

The basic configuration of this is a zener diode tied across the master volume, which introduces clipping to the signal prior the phase inverter. The effect is more distortion and a large volume reduction. This amp allows for two different diode types (or no diodes) to be selected with the era switch, as well as two 3-way bright switches on the gain controls to shape the overdrive further. This is the same as the Yeti and Chupacabra, but this amp differs in having another channel, based on a ‘68 Plexi circuit with two gain stages, along with a separate footswitchable “solo” master volume. Channel 1 is the authentic “Plexi” experience, with the same values used in the tone stack, but since it’s only the high treble channel, there’s no blending in the normal channel or jumpering like you can do on a true 4-hole plexi style amp. This channel also has a 3-way era switch, allowing it to be set with a clipping diode directly across a standard plexi circuit, which is great for more “early” modded Marshall sounds of the late 70s.

There are even more ton shaping options as well, with a master depth and presence control, each with its own 3-way switch for additional flexibility. The “character” switch in particular (effects mostly the low end and low mids) can have a huge influence on the gain tones of this amp, while the “bite” switch (affects the presence and high end) working in tandem with the bright switches on Channel 2 can take this amp from vintage to very modern high gain with ease. It might sound like this is an overly bright amp - and it can get bright, like any Marshall - but that’s not really the case. Each bright switch and the bite switch affect different frequency ranges, with some minor overlap, but it’s easy to tweak them in a way that enhances the tone without making it piercing, which is really cool.

Speaking to the construction of the amp, it’s truly peak quality with TAD mustard caps and other high quality components, and the transformers weigh a ton… if that means anything for tone. It’s a point to point wired amp and this particular unit appears to be the 3rd one ever made, with a personal message written on the chassis for the first owner “Daniel.” This amp also has a Metropoulos Zero-Loss effects loop installed, with a loop bypass switch.