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The best Hughes & Kettner Guitars reviews

The reviews Audiofanzine members found the most helpful.
  • « A nice surprise! »

    > 100W all-tube amp head: - 4 power tubs: Ruby EL34 (JJ in my case) - 3 preamp tubes: Ruby 12AX7 (JJ ECC83s in my case) > two channels with 2 modes A and B = 4 very distinctive channels - 1 clean and 1 crunch, 2 separate volumes and 1 common EQ - 1 classic distortion and 1 "heavy" distortion with common EQ and volume. On the front panel: > presence control (affects the high frequencies, adds highs and brightness), > reverb control (spring accutronic), > "power amp": general master with watts scale (from minimum to 12 o'clock = 0 -> 2W, from 12 o'clock to 3/4 = 2W -> 25W). On the rear panel: > effects loop with level control (FX-MX, from Dry to Wet), and a "Db" button > XLR output (DI Red Box) > connector for a MSM-1 MIDI module to control the head via MIDI (optional). > 4 tube status indicators > 3 speaker outputs: - 2 x 8 ohms - 1 x 4 ohms - 8 or 16 ohms. The head is rather heavy: 46.2 lbs... What else can you ask for? UTILIZATION The manual is comprehensive but not really necessary, the amp head is easy to set up. The settings are effective, generally speaking (especially the master setting), they are very progressive. The result of this precision is that, even when used at low volumes, the sound remains quite usable, at the price of the warmth of the tubes obviously. Switching the preamp tube is not easy, you have to remove the front and rear panels, separate the interior from the chassis. For the power tubes there's just a grille you need to remove and that's that, however you will have to adjust the bias. This amp head is poorly "ventilated" and thus it can get pretty hot, but you can always remove the back panel to let some air in. The three-voice footswitch allows you ton control: - channel 1 or 2 - mode A or B - the activation of the effects loop and/or reverb. Tube preamp test in V1 position: The JJ Ecc83s seemed to be the best, in my opinion, together with the Electro Harmonix, which sound very similar: good overall definition and respect for the amp's nature. Sovtek WA: The sound seems impoverished, a little vintage. Tung Sol Gold: Too much gain, it boosts the amp, but lacks balance! JJECC81: I recently installed this tube in V1 in order to decrease the overall gain of the channels. SOUNDS There's a tube inside, so it's warm, dynamic, with presence and reactive to your playing! Sample 1 (http://media.putfile.com/HK-tube-test-1) (Guitar with humbucker & EMG), Sample 2 (http://media.putfile.com/HK-Tube100-test-2) (Guitar with single-coil pickup), Channel 1, A mode, Clean : very proper, clean(!), distinct, twangy, funky! If you bring up the volume, it crunches a bit with heavy attacks. I believe H&K is renowned for its clean sounds. Channel 1, B mode, Crunch: Just as good! With a gain control that allows you to even get some overdrive. It comes close to crunchy Marshall-like sounds, but fatter and rounder, since Marshall prioritizes crisp high mids. I think the amp's biggest strength is when the gain is halfway, especially with single coils. Channel 2, A mode, "classic" distortion/overdrive. Discreet enough and more vintage than modern without being too typical, ideal for classic rock or hard rock. Channel 2, B mode, "heavy" distortion: Mode A with balls, the voicing is different, with more gain, more aggressive, hinting a fuzz, dark, heavy due to the intense lows (excessive compared to mode A). Large enough headroom, but pay attention to the background noise! So, the distortion is relatively modern, but not too much, it's not a Switchblade either. It's perfect for big rock, metal, has a muddy tendency, unlike the incisive sounds of a VHT or even an Engl. It's comparable to the Peavey 5150, knowing that this one has everything you need to get metal sounds with a tighter sound. The Tube 100 favors versatility. If you like that sort of color with a "roots" character and you play metal 90% of the time, go for the 5150. If you are looking for something more comprehensive and with nuances, less predictable as well, the Tube 100 is for you. I use a Tube 100 with a Schecter equipped with a Gibson 498T on the bridge and a SH1 (both splittable) and with a Framus 2X12 in V30. OVERALL OPINION This amp head came out in 1997 (http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/8159/hktube100promojn3.jpg) and hasn't been produced by the brand for some time now (since 2001?). Its price new was around $1050. It was replaced by the Triamp MKI, and then MKII. It's also available in a 50W version: Tube 50 and as combo: Tube 50 & Tube 20 (not to be confused with the 20th Anniversary or the Edition Tube!). I chose this amp because I was looking for an amp head halfway between British (Marshall) and high-gain American (Mesa) sounds, so I chose this German amp! I play rock and even metal (498T on 2B), classic & funky rock (498T split on 1B) and lighter and more atmospheric things (SH-1 on 1A). This amp head was used by French metal band X-Vision, although they switched to the 5150 for their latest album. Listen to their first album to get an idea of what the Tube 100 sounds like (extreme!). You can hear it here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X_R3nbcb-o) and here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFzWSuUMICE&amp;mode=related&amp;search=). The only con is that it lacks precision with fat distortions (an EQ on the loop and appropriate pickups and the problem is solved). Among its pros are its versatility and comprehensiveness (from a nice clean sound to a killer distortion!) a very good value for money (like all H&K products, for that matter), and that it can be used at low volumes. I have some pictures in my profile!

  • « A Great Amp with Excellent Sound, Good Features, and One Minor Flaw. »

    I admit, I can be dazzled by sparkly things. When I saw the first ad for the Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 18 I was excited, with its blue glowing front panel. It looked fantastic, and the description of features sounded like just what I was looking for. I bought the Tubemeister 18 Head to use in my rig. I play in a local band that gigs about twice a month, and this amp suits my purposes perfectly. Power Soak The power soak was what I was most interested in. Being able to adjust the volume through wattage output rather than the master volume is a big advantage, especially when using pedals. Distortion pedals are affected by volume, but using the power soak does not cause volume discrepancies like using a master volume. 18 watts is great for gigs, 5 watts is perfect for rehearsal, 1 watt is best for at home practicing, and turning off the output and sending out through the built-in Red Box is great for recording. In certain situations I have even sent my signal out to the main mixing board via the Red Box. I would rather mic my cabinet, but sometimes that just is not possible. Having a built-in DI box is a great feature. FX Loop and Channels The serial FX loop is great for effects that you do not want going through the lead channel. I have a reverb pedal going through mine all the time, I will speak about why in a bit. You can hook-up a footswitch to go between the clean and lead channel. There is a boost feature that can be added on top of the lead channel, but not onto the clean channel. This is really good for going from a clean sound to full out lead by having the boost pre-trigger then switching to the lead channel. The Sound I do not use a footswitch with my Tubemiester 18, because it works really well with pedals. I have yet to find a pedal that does not sound good going into this amp, and believe me I have plenty to try. The sound of this amp is so good it made me rethink the rest of my signal chain. When I bought the amp I was using a multi-effects device that included amp modeling. The amp models masked the tone of the amp so much I had to do something different. I ended up going to individual pedals which allowed the amp to really shine. TSC Another nice feature is TSC, Tube Safety Control, which monitors the tubes in the amp. I have yet to have an issue, but it is nice to give the back of the amp a quick glance to make sure everything is running fine. Portability The amp head is very light, and easy to transport with the included gig bag. I keep a speaker cabinet at my band’s rehearsal space, and a cabinet at home for practicing. This makes it easy to go back and forth from home to practice. I still have to take a cabinet to gigs, but that is a given anyway. It can handle 8-16 ohms speakers. Extras This amp looks fantastic on stage. This may not be a reason to buy an amp, but it is a nice benefit. A very sturdy metal enclosure protects the inner workings on the amp. The 3-band EQ is great for dialing in your tone, but the true tone of the amp is so good it will not take too much twisting to find the sweet spot. Complaint There is no reverb on this amp. Like I said, I was using a multi-effects device when I initially bought the amp head so the fact it had no reverb did not bother me. I had reverb aplenty already. When I switched to pedals, then I had a problem. I ended up buying a reverb pedal, and put it on my pedalboard. Once I realized that I left it on all the time I removed it from the board, and now it sits on my amp fed through the FX loop, where it sounds best. Final Thoughts This is a great sounding amp. The clean tone is very crisp, and allows each note of the chord to be heard clearly. It takes pedals really well, and has a very good dirty sound. The distortion is not enough by itself for a heavy metal player, but for the rock crowd it is plenty good enough. Add your own distortion pedal, and you can take this amp to thrasher heaven. It is a perfect size and wattage for gigging in bars and clubs. It has a very modern sound with all the sonic benefits of tubes.

  • « Will keep it forever »

    Basically I was fed up with lamp amps, having to play at high volume, the maintenance, the prices, and the overall "elitist aspect" of the thing. I play garage rock, I need TWANG, DIRT and VERB. So after some research I bought this amp second hand and absolutely love the way it sounds. It's really easy to use, powerfull enough for a rehearsal or a small gig. It takes overdrive and effects pedals in general pretty nicely. I don't really use the "LEAD" channel, but it can get reaaaallly heavy. All in all, I will never sell this one, it just does the job perfectly without the hassles of a lamp amp.

  • « Hughes and Kettner Edition Blue 15R »

    This is Hughes and Kettner's 15 watt practice amp. It has an 8 inch celestian and spring reverb. It has a clean and a lead channel and also includes RCA inputs. It has one line in and a headphone jack. I don't use this amp for gigging but it is a great amp to plug into and play in your living room. I wasn't looking to buy an amp when I made this purchase, I just happened to come across a Musicians friend blow out sale and I picked this amp for $49 plus $5 shipping. I figured I couldn't go wrong. The little celestian sounds great for only being an eight inch speaker with 15 watts of solid state power pushing it. It really shines with single coils through it in the clean channel. It has a 3 band eq which is responsive and can be dialed in quite nicely. The lead channel prefers humbuckers, and it is not just a on off distortion sound, it is actually pretty controllable which was a surprise for such a cheap amp. The spring reverb also sounds great and and is a legitimate reverb, not emulated. And of course, the blue back-lit panel is very cool. There really isn't much to say here, especially for the price I paid for it. But there is one thing, and it really isn't negative. The amp claims to have tube emulation to sound like a tube amp instead of a solid state amp. It simply doesn't sound like a tube amp. If you get on it tries to sound like you overdriving the tubes, but it is all or nothing, there is no level of overdrive here. It just loses clarity, but it isn't a tube amp so I really can't call it a negative. The amp is solid, I have dropped it a few times and everything has stayed intact. And as for quality, it has a celestian so they aren't skimping on material. I haven't taken the amp apart so I can't say anything about the rest of the internals, it certainly isn't hand wired but it has held up perfectly so far. This is by far the best little practice amp I have had the pleasure of playing. It is built well, sounds good, has all the controls needed and then some, and with an MSRP of $189 and can still be picked up for just over $100 is an easy decision. Great little amp. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

  • « Hughes and Kettner Warp Factor Effect Pedal »

    zzounds.com $50 I had been looking around for a quality metal effect pedal until I stumbled upon the Hughes and Kettner Warp effect pedal. Prior to buying the Warp effect pedal, I bought a Zoom GFX-5 multi-effect pedal ($200). While this pedal had an abundance of metal type effects, I was still unable to get the tone I wanted. I plugged the Warp Factor into a Pignose 40w All-Tube amp and was shocked at the clarity of the pedal. Unlike many pedals that create an overwhelming metal sound, the Hughes and Kettner pedal can produce a clear yet intense sound. A Gain knob, a Warp knob, a Level knob and a unique Sub button assist you in dialing in that perfect sound. One of the best aspects of this effect pedal is the Sub button. The purpose of this button is to simulate the sound of a 4 by 12” cabinet. Like I said before, I play through a 40w all tube amp with only a single 10’ custom speaker. I love the amp, but the bass always seemed to be lacking. With the Sub effect on this petal, my small amp really does sound like a 4-12” cab. Now I can have that great drop-d bass that characterizes most metal. While this pedal is great, it does have a few flaws. My biggest complaint is that the pedal relies solely on an AC power adaptor (AC adaptor is included). There was no battery power supply option that I would have liked to have seen. This could become an inconvenience if you didn’t have an available power supply, like in most gig situations. However, on the upside, you will not rip through battery after battery with this pedal. Another, downside is the on/off switch; it seems a little sensitive to me. While playing, I have often turned it off and on by accident. While this doesn’t influence my high marks for this pedal, the on/off switch is a little annoying. The construction of this pedal seems great. It is constructed of black metal and is very solid. I would expect it to live through many years of hard gigging. The retail value is $119, however, I bought it at zzounds.com for $50 (including shipping). That is a great price for this very well constructed (no plastic) and sexy looking pedal. Hughes and Kettner’s states “The Warp Factor turns every amp into a merciless Nu Metal monster” and I would have to agree. For this reason, I highly recommend this pedal for all metal players looking for that new age sound. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

  • « Hughes and Kettner Edition Blue 30r »

    I was looking for my first guitar amplifier. I didn't want to pay $$$, so fianlly I ended up choosing between a Kettner, Crate 65w, Roland Cube 30 and Crlsbro. But they were just no mach for the amazing sounds this thing could produce. Btw I paid 220$. It's awesome! It has a very solid sound compared to the others. Both channels are very adecuate. The lead channel can produce sounds anywhere from AC/DC to Machine Head! Has plenty of input/output jacks and socekts. Also footswitchable. Can handle smaller gigs, although sometimes the drums tend to cancel it out; but who cares, it was never intended for that. The spring reverb ads nice extra dimensions to the sound, also it was one of the main things in favor of this great amp. And when you slightly kick the amp whilst on max reverb, you can hear the spring bounce 8-). The blue backlight could be a bit more helpful - in pitch dark only the outlines of the knobs are illuminated, not writings or scales. Extremely well built, all knobs are solid etc (not like the ones on Crate, wich were very loose and rattling; I have noticed this defect on many cheaper Crates). Would have happiliy paid 50$ extra for this sort of quality. To quote from the manufacturers' site: There’s nothing a beginner needs less than an instrument that spoils the fun. It offers something you’ll not find in other amps of this class: fat, expressive tone that inspires you to play. I think enough is said. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

  • « Hughes and Kettner Attax Tour Reverb Combo »

    Paid EUR 425 (USD 510) and got it within a few days from Musikhaus Thomann (supposedly Germany's biggest Internet Gear shop). After a long-ish pause I was strating to gig again and I needed a nice but well-priced amp, a combo - by the way. Tube amps rule, but are heavy and expensive. The solution was to go for a robust solid-state amp. It is a loud and clean 112 (Celestion speaker), 100-Watt combo. The crunch channel (soft overdrive) allows the player to control the amount of overdrive via the guitar's volume knob. The lead channel (serious overdrive) does what it's supposed to. On this channel there's also a nifty little knob called 'voicing' that gives brittle or swampy overdrive sounds - very nice stuff it does. The coil reverb is awesome. The price is a bargain. It's not a tube amp - but that's not necessarily a disadvantage. And the foot-switches could've been included. The lead channel could use 10% more gain, but if you're not doing this kind of music (my case) then this is a negligible shortcomming. I don't think a 212 version exists, which is a pity, I would have bought a 212-er. For my taste the front panel is a bit ugly, but that's debatable. It's armor-plated. Delivers 100W of clean sound. In that price category you'll not find any better amp. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

  • « Hughes and Kettner Triamp »

    bought from shop i used to work,first amp that had everything i wanted in one amp,they had access preamp before but this was hundred watt tube head. three amps in one,every amp has two channels. so amp 1a clean fender type,amp 1b vox ac 30 type,early marshall.amp 2a plexi marshall, amp 2b jcm 800 or modded marshall. amp 3a boogie type, amp 3b very tight very distorted,unforgiving but rewarding if you play articulate lines.two effects loop,parallel and serial(three if you use reverb's loop which is parallel loop too)footswitch (incl.) to chance any channel and to switch effect loop on. opt. midi module for same thing which is must if you use programmable effect unit(not must but makes more sense). all the sounds are just great and the clean sounds are better than anyother hundred watt head can give you. footpedals hardwired cable, i add male d-connector to footswitch so now i can use any 9-pin d-connector cable. clean. tidy, sturdy,and made to stand abuse. friend loaned my head and slipped on ice and the head flied and crashed to the ground but nothing broke or anything. even now, if i can pick any amp on market for free it would still be triamp. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

  • « Hughes and Kettner Edition Blue 30W 1X10 Combo Amp »

    I was looking for an amp that was versatile enough to be used at home for practice, but also with a big enough sound and sufficient capability to be plugged into stage amps. I was looking to get an affordable 30-watt amp that would replicate the sounds of 60s-era rock/rhythm and blues. I purchased this amp from musicansfriend.com for $209.00. This amp has a fantastic, solid mellow sound that is perfect for my Rickenbacker 330. For anyone who wants to play classic 60s-style rock, rhythm & blues, and folk rock type music -- you simply HAVE to hear this amp. It is unreal. Although it's all solid state, you could never guess it from the way it replicates the sound of a tube amp. The spring reverb jangles exactly like the old amps too. The blue lighting on the control panel is not just a gimmick, by the way. It really provides a good visual aid. The lead channel provides a nice distortion when set low, but I find it too harsh for my liking at higher settings. Mine is a 30-watt model (you can also get it from H&K in 15-watt). It has 2 channels (clean and lead), 3-band EQ, a 10" Jenson speaker, effects loop, reverb control, CD-input, line-in and line-out jacks. Don't be fooled by the low price -- most amps this cheap sound cheap. This one doesn't! I suspect it's got a lower price only because it's assembled in South Korea -- not Germany like Hughes and Kettner's other models. For all of you young people like me that doesn't happen to have an old Vox or Fender tube amp in the attic, this amp is definitely worth double the price and more. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

  • « Hughes and Kettner Attax 50 »

    I bought this amp used at a guitar store near me only 125 bucks!!. its great. Bought it used but still works at 3 years in my possesion. 2 channels: clean and lead 3 volumes: clean volume. lead volume, master volume Reverb, headphone jack, line out line in jack, footswitch, EQ- treble, mids, bass Best amp i've ever played ( line 6, Mesa , marshall, crate, fender ) this thing has taken a lot of abuse. played many shows with it. fallen over plenty of time from high heights while plugged in and up loud, still works , just pick it up, this thing is one tough beast. the next amp i buy will definately be a Hughes and Kettner 2 channels: clean and lead 3 volumes: clean volume. lead volume, master volume Reverb, headphone jack, line out line in jack, footswitch, EQ- treble, mids, bass Best amp i've ever played ( line 6, Mesa , marshall, crate, fender ) this thing has taken a lot of abuse. played many shows with it. fallen over plenty of time from high heights while plugged in and up loud, still works , just pick it up, this thing is one tough beast. the next amp i buy will definately be a Hughes and Kettner the only thing that could be better is if it were higher wattage and was in head form no other complaints this thing is so beastly that it will take any abuse you put out. sounds great even with a crappy guitar. I now use and Epiphone SG, and it sounds even better, this amp rules!!! If it were lost and stolen, i wouold poke the robber to a harsh pain and go get 3 more amps This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

  • « Hughes and Kettner Tubeman 2 Recording Station »

    I've purchased the unit through Internet from a German distributor of Hughes and Kettner Products /Musik Service Gmbh/. Because Hughes & Kettner are German based company I decided that it will be the cheapest way, besides that I live in Europe and the shipping costs are kept to the minimum as well. The total cost, including shipping and custom duties was around 320$. Before that I've tried Tubeman as a live preamp directly plugged into a PA system in a guitar shop in Denmark. The tone and feeling was great. And as soon as I came back home I ordered it /Denmark is not the country where you can buy gear cheap/. This unit has 3 switchable channels. Clean, Crunch and Lead, all of them sharing common EQ with Bass, Mid and Treble controls. Lead channel has a voicing control, which realy changes the tone of the preamp from mild lead to "blow-the-windows" heavy lead sounds, but preserving the character of the guitar. Clean channel is great - it has awesome dynamics, which can be controlled just with the picking technique /just like with a real amp/. Max the guitar volume and it breaks-up nicely, back it a little and it is godly clean. Crunch channel on the other side is aimed towards blues,classic rock. It is very full and fat sounding without "over-the-top" gain. Just enough to get early Santana or AC/DC tone, depending on how you set it. Lead channel is the one that should be used for heavy leads. It doesnt has the massive amount of gain that Messa Triaxis provides, but has just enough to pill the paint off the wall. As a huge Extreme/Nuno Bettencourt fen I can get almost every Extreme sound with Tubeman and my Washburn Nuno Bettencourt signature guitar. Not noisy at all, except on the Lead Channel, which is easily removable by any Noise Suppresor. It would be nice if it had some MIDI implementation there. For switching the channels, enabling/dissabling the EQ. Solid German Craftsmanship- all shiny sturdy metal. It is built to last forever. I own it from a year and it doesnt have a scratch. Overall this is great,great,great recording preamp. It is primarily designed for a recording preamp and there is where its best. But if you want three big sounding amps in 10"x10"x5" box live on stage, with no doubt it can be used as a very professional sounding unit. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

  • « Hughes and Kettner Attax 100 »

    I have a marshall rack, with a jmp-1, jfx-1 and 9200. But it wasn´t very practical to take for some gigs. So i looked for a medium combo, wich could give me also a good stage sound. I went to a friend of my who owns a musicstore, and he told me to take a try with this one. I paid about $500. The sound!! Is amaizing. I enjoy is flexibility. I play mostly with a Ibanez PM120, an the jazz sound it´s impressive, so warm.. and it can be played loud with no distorcion. I own also an american fender stratocaster with lace sensor pickups and this baby can also rocks, with some blues, or country. The features are: clean channel is a legitimate clean, with a seperate volume level, and seperate three band EQ. The OD channel has a gain and master control, and a seperate three band EQ. There are two master volumes that can be selected by footswitch, giving you two volume levels for clean, and two volume levels for OD. There is a master presence, an effect loop with adjustable level, and reverb. Also, a boost button that is footswitchable. The boost only affects the OD channel and gives it a slightly more raspy crunch. It has a ton of tones, with heavy crunch and a legitimate clean. The footswitchable dual master levels is a great feature. Nothing ... it's a perfect combo amp! This amp is well contructed. Look like it can take a licking and keep on jamming! The coners are well protected, and it looks good. I am travelling with it always, and still with no trouble. Buy it! well i´m not sure, if H&K are still making this model, but i´m sure that the new ones, should be as great as this. I am also looking forward to buy another amp like this to make a stereo sound. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com