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James... « JCM900 now in hifi »
Published on 02/26/12 at 10:11Channels Clean, Overdrive + Boost
Power 50 Watts
Poweramp 2x EL34
Preamp 5x 12AX7
Effects Accutronics Spring Reverb
Effects Loop parallel
Footswitch/Stageboard 3-way footswitch (FS-Duotone) included
Switching Functions Overdrive, Master 2, Boost
Special Features 2nd Lead Master built in - they´ll hear your solo!
Speaker Outputs 1x 4 Ohms, 2x 8 Ohms in series to internal Speaker
Speakers 1x 12'' Celestion Vintage 30
Protective Cover included
Dimensions 670 x 560 x 250 mm
Weight 27 kg/60 lbs
External Fuse (Anode) 1 x T 500 mA
Fuses 230V: T 1.6 A, 117V: T3.15 A, 100V: 3.15A
UTILIZATION
The Duotone is described as Hughes and Kettner as being a very stripped down version of the Triamp. I see where they are coming from, but I don't totally agree. Probably the strongest point of the duotone is its design. Hughes and Kettner are a German company, which means no nonsense, by the book design. Everything is made to be practical. There's a second master switch for solos, which is always a nice touch. Everything else is gravy. There's no junk on this amp that you don't want. It's bulletproof reliability. Manual is great. One thing I like about hughes and Kettner is their effects loops, which are typically very good.
SOUNDS
The clean channel is somewhere between Fender and Vox. But really I think the best way to describe it is to say it's a Fender with a lot of headroom. Yeah, it really doesn't break up at all. If you are looking for a more traditional clean channel that has some power amp breakup, you might want to look somewhere else. I personally am not a huge fan of the cleans. I like a bit more hair. But it's still a good clean. No doubt about it.
The lead channel is where it's at. That is the big show here. In terms of gain, think hot rodded jcm800. This will give you 80's rock, 90's rock, and new rock. The voicing however, is not quite your traditional marshall. The duotone sounds like an 800 that has already went through all the studio magic. It's a bit more compressed and nice around the edges. Not as raw sounding, and more refined. This is great for guys who love that mid to high gain british tone, but they want to recreate that polished studio tone in the live environment. But for guys who love the rawness of a marshall, this won't really do that.
OVERALL OPINION
I think this amp fits a certain niche of players very well. The old school will probably stick to the rawer sounding amps. But for the new school who wants a more pristine sound, I think this might be the best ticket to the ride. The price is pretty fair. You are getting a high quality tube amp with great parts in it. I really like my duotone. But sometimes if I want a different flavor I will get an 800 or something.
Power 50 Watts
Poweramp 2x EL34
Preamp 5x 12AX7
Effects Accutronics Spring Reverb
Effects Loop parallel
Footswitch/Stageboard 3-way footswitch (FS-Duotone) included
Switching Functions Overdrive, Master 2, Boost
Special Features 2nd Lead Master built in - they´ll hear your solo!
Speaker Outputs 1x 4 Ohms, 2x 8 Ohms in series to internal Speaker
Speakers 1x 12'' Celestion Vintage 30
Protective Cover included
Dimensions 670 x 560 x 250 mm
Weight 27 kg/60 lbs
External Fuse (Anode) 1 x T 500 mA
Fuses 230V: T 1.6 A, 117V: T3.15 A, 100V: 3.15A
UTILIZATION
The Duotone is described as Hughes and Kettner as being a very stripped down version of the Triamp. I see where they are coming from, but I don't totally agree. Probably the strongest point of the duotone is its design. Hughes and Kettner are a German company, which means no nonsense, by the book design. Everything is made to be practical. There's a second master switch for solos, which is always a nice touch. Everything else is gravy. There's no junk on this amp that you don't want. It's bulletproof reliability. Manual is great. One thing I like about hughes and Kettner is their effects loops, which are typically very good.
SOUNDS
The clean channel is somewhere between Fender and Vox. But really I think the best way to describe it is to say it's a Fender with a lot of headroom. Yeah, it really doesn't break up at all. If you are looking for a more traditional clean channel that has some power amp breakup, you might want to look somewhere else. I personally am not a huge fan of the cleans. I like a bit more hair. But it's still a good clean. No doubt about it.
The lead channel is where it's at. That is the big show here. In terms of gain, think hot rodded jcm800. This will give you 80's rock, 90's rock, and new rock. The voicing however, is not quite your traditional marshall. The duotone sounds like an 800 that has already went through all the studio magic. It's a bit more compressed and nice around the edges. Not as raw sounding, and more refined. This is great for guys who love that mid to high gain british tone, but they want to recreate that polished studio tone in the live environment. But for guys who love the rawness of a marshall, this won't really do that.
OVERALL OPINION
I think this amp fits a certain niche of players very well. The old school will probably stick to the rawer sounding amps. But for the new school who wants a more pristine sound, I think this might be the best ticket to the ride. The price is pretty fair. You are getting a high quality tube amp with great parts in it. I really like my duotone. But sometimes if I want a different flavor I will get an 800 or something.