I call the Grandmeister my toaster, it's about the same size, but it's so much more, goodbye aching back, pedal board and hello plug and play Grandmeister. USE THEM. This amp is absolutely packed with everything you could possibly want in a lunchbox sized amplifier. Marshall Vox Fender Mesa Orange all in one Those looking for the same feature set, with more clean headroom, should take a close look at the Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200. Soafter some research I figured out that the tubes in the amp where cheap Chinese tubes and although they are matched, they are not matched that well. Good Luck! On its own you can get a really good metal tone, but if you stick a boost in front of it you will get bone crushing metal tones, and the built in noise gate definitely comes in handy here. I have banks set for home play and banks for practice and banks for stage. They just can't handle the heat like a big bottle valve. Stunning when lit up. Real tube twang too! I had seen/heard many of the smaller 1w to 20w heads, but none of them offered more than two or three common features. The sounds that come from this thing are great. All metal chassis, but yet its really small and easier to carry. It does all of that very well, and every channel is usable. Cab emulator sounds good also. The only thing is that the Triamp MKII (and now MKIII) is so good that playing those just makes me wish I had a Triamp. Now I have the tube tone that I want with all the effects built into the amp. on October 8, 2019, By Thom Absolutely. I'll be honest, I don't have loads of experience with classic tube amps like Marshalls and Mesas, I've played them here and there at guitar shops but haven't owned them. Their directions to do this recommend buying an analog volume pedal inserted in the effects loop. I preferred to change the tubes to all JJ, and that is a smart move if you prefer more old-school tone (the stock tubes are ok, but a bit harsher sounding). from CT on May 2, 2018, By Michael Becker Built in delay, direct to board, noise gate why not. Sure, you can do that all in one library, but for no-brainer click-and-go on Sunday, this is a huge blessing. There was word of the H&K forums that this amp was geared towards metal only. Sweetwater has had all my business for the last few years. It's a great amp and it's very practical. Ignore the 3 year warranty - that does not exist.
To compare to a Fender 57 twin or I"d like to thank sweetwater for the quick replacement. Worth the price of admission alone. I think that another reviewer hit the nail on the head with the comment that the overall amp tone is sort of like a VOX with an old-school Marshall vibe. Phase and flanger are weak. Did I mention that the Grandemeister Deluxe 40 sounds HUGE through the 1x12 cabinet? CONS: I feel the build quality is a little lacking. There is a lot of plastic parts used including the front glass and sides which I was a little disappointed with.. Put the dials to noon on any channel and it sounds great and gives you a good starting point to work with. If you know what you're doing then this amp is perfect. I would like to see a built in Tuner, Compressor, and WAH. Add in the option to Boost each channel, and you practically have 8 channels which is insane. from katy, TX on July 16, 2019, By Frank I have been waiting to get this head for a while..I LOVE amps that have built in effectsgreat amplots of awesome tone and really awesome to be able to store so many different presetsthank you so much Lindsey Becker at Sweetwater for your constant support and help you provide.I am SO happy that I finally got this head and the 36 month NO INTEREST financing is a big helpSWEETWATER rules!!!!!!!!! This sucker is loud! Amp is stupid easy to use and I had it figured out in about 2 minutesBUTI was less than thrilled with the tone of the amp when it first arrived. I was a little skeptical, as many are, about how well it will do metal, but it delivers. With the added effects and noise gate, also a great all in one solution. The clean, crunch, lead and ultra channels each have such differrent tone characteristicsthey aren't at all just "gainier" versions of the channel before, but instead each channel acts like its own separate tube amp (similarly to the H & K Triamp amp it's based on). 57 vintage twin amp and said something like it was amazing I'm selling a few pedals off my board that I won't need any more from Chicago on December 15, 2016, Music Background: In a gigging 90's Alt Rock Cover Band, By Brian With this amp it is a great extension of the eq, if you understand how to use them. Finally my 35 year wait is over. Help other music gear aficionados by sharing your opinions of gear you've purchased. Loved it but could not get one channel to do it all, because its not designed like that. from Jacksonville on November 21, 2017, By Fly I got the whole rig, Amp head, midi pedal, and 2x12. As always thanks to Myron who got everything out perfectly! The Redbox.Wow. yeah, it's worth $ Buy the midi foot board with it so you can really dig into the effects presets. So i quickly dialed in 4 patches for each of the pedal board switches and I'm done. Switching between clean to ultra thru my Helix effects is just awesome! Clean channel. By Lance I could spend the day telling you about all the cool features - but why? One minute it's China Grove and the next it's Red Barcheta. from Metairie, LA on July 3, 2017, By Sweetwater Customer So if kept trying amp after amp. I received it Thursday (thanks to Ben and team shipping it fast) and gigged with it Friday. Honest criticisms would be that wifi is not built into the product and requires another several hundred dollar purchase. After firing this beauty up I switch it to the ultra channel and went to town. The lead channel, lower the bass and push a little highs and mids and you can nail a lot of the 80's tones. It certainly saves on the set-up / tear-down time. And it does it all very well. So its amazing, and purdy too. The H&K is the best of them, with Kemper almost tied for 1st. This is a real amp, not some modeling BS, this is what sound should be. Also not five stars because it would be nice to be able to program an expression pedal plugged in to the midi controller to control the master volume. But for me, this was a BIG issue. My hats off to Hughes and Kettner. Bought this this for a quick hookup on stage for a Theramin. I couldn't be more pleased with this monster. It is free. on November 25, 2020, By Michael The resonance control really helps fatten a gain sound, try 3 o'clock ish. Each amp did one thing better then Switchblade but I kept missing it's versatility.
Sorry H&K. I love tubes but lately I have been using digital amps for the simplicity of it all. 4) Effects To my ear the effects are great. 2) Controls Don't worry about this being difficult to operate. I have sounds with them turned all the way up, all the way down and everything in between. Pure tube lush amazing little head. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Learn More. I had started out with a quest to find a power-switchable tube amp to accommodate different room sizes (mostly playing in a bedroom at home) yet not sacrificing anything in tonal quality. You can. It has just a few very effective controls. from Kansas on March 26, 2020, By Mark What an amp. Feel like playing some Steve Vai? I now have the tone I've been searching for. First off, I absolutely love the tones, and program abilities of this amp BUT I just can't trust it in a live setting. If I had all those I wouldn't need anything other than the Midi controller on the floor. The crunch channel on the H&K is also better than the blue channel on the EVH IMO. All the knobs where set to roughly noon by default and even at those settings it sounded amazing. I have to wait for Fredo an external developer to have his new version working with this amp to use on a windows laptop. You are using an out of date browser. After receiving this amp and not getting it to play any kind of distortion, I should have returned it - but i put it aside until this weekend when i read the manual and tried again. I like the Line 6 because I can instantly change from one tube patch to another. The GM-40 right out of the box sounds great!!! All I use is a compressor going into the amp for a little more "oomph" on both guitars and that pretty much works. 5501 U.S. Hwy 30 W, Fort Wayne, IN 46818 It's only as sterile as you make it based on your EQ, Effects and levels. The direct out/cab sim is also fantastic. The power soak feature is truly amazing and something that I have been dreaming about for many years as well. Great features as well as lush harmonics and sustain! I have the controller and there 2X12 Cab which I like a lot as well. It is surprising of the power in this head, Don't let the 40 watts fool you, It was shaking the dishes in the cabinet and vibrating the windows from across the house. I personally don't like to drive the gain much past 12:00 on any of the channels for my tones, but I've heard it used to great effect by other guitarists. Oh, and the blue lights are exceptionally cool. From the onboard Redbox to the built in effects to cab simulation, it has it all. I can't wait to get one. Better than any modeling amp I have heard.
The EQ is pretty sensitive when shaping tone which is great. I picked this amp after a lot of research and demo viewing and it delivers. The "Power Soak" option lets you switch between watts the head is running at. The distortion is now smooth and has incredible articulation.
on September 27, 2018, By Sweetwater Customer This is a very controllable 40W that sounds great at low volume. I cant use it at anywhere near full volume in my music room - very powerful and makes my Friedman 2x12 sing and scream. Don't buy if you play professionally. This amp is state of the art and sounds great. However, I realized I play up and down with my volume pot on the guitar to clean up chords and then push it to 10 for lead sustain ala EVH style. It sounds great at all Watts and Volume levels. Currently I'm running it in parallel with my Orange Rockerverb and when they are both fully cranked it is heaven. Now if they will just get Suhr guitars. Incredible tone and responsiveness. Until a while ago I wasn't really aware of what Hughes & Kettner was doing. It's going back. The only one that came close to this was the Randall RM 100but it was just toooooo loud. Lastly, don even waste your time with playing single coil pickups on this. Add in the rackmount capabilities and you have the recipe for an all-in-one solution for pretty much any stage. When I ordered this, I did so as I saw it had a three year warranty if registered within 30 days. You could almost set the eq at 12 and just use the presence and resonance. I welcome the factory reps who made this thing to tell me how to get it to deliver any kind of distortion. from ohio on April 10, 2018. The demo of the amp is great. Wrong. on February 4, 2020, By Michael Stokes Really nice gradual master volume control. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to spend countless hours avoiding real responsibilities and just jamming endlessly. from shirley NY on July 8, 2019, Music Background: pro guitarist studio owner, By Dave But if you're a rock, metal or even blues player who doesn't mind a tiny bit of grit in your clean, this amp is perfection, all around. And I loved it and I still do. Go get ya some! The notes are articulated very well and clear. There is nothing it can't do and it's ALL readily available via a midi footswitch and program recall. Already started recording with it and I was blown awayjust make sure you cut back on the lows. First impressions are great, but with that being said over the course of a year I gave it a big time run through. And I'm done. I've had mine for about a year and it makes everyone in the room happy when it's glowing blue. I've spent a lot of time with the Tubemeister 18, Grandmeister, and Deluxe. But for me, this amp covers so many bases, it's really a Swiss Army knife. Now the last thing. Im bust using the 4 channel settings, boost and effects loop and haven't even dug all the way in to the onboard effects. Now is the perfect time to get the gear you want with simple promotional financing. This probably sounds good to me because I prefer digital distortion and these effects are digital. Then when I step on this switch the sound cuts up and I tune up. Eventide UltraChannel Native Channel Strip, Already have an account? The GM40D cuts right into the mix, carves its spot with plenty of volume on tap. I read on forums that everyone almost immediately swaps tubes to fit their needs as some do like that fizzy sound. Music Background: Making joyful noise since I was 6 years old. The boost function literally adds 4 more channels to the amp. Right now - there is no setting that delivers distortion. Every now and then i'll step on the Tube Screamer for tighter crunch. Quite similar to the line 6, but easier to use. If that wasn't enough, there's also the very useful noise gate, the convincing Red Box AE cabinet emulator output and the very useful Power soak buttons feature when you want the same high end tone but at lower wattage and volume. They're not super high dollar effects tones, but definitely good enough. Its a shame it didn't work out for me, as I fell in love with the dirty sound of this amp. One of my favourite amps I have. This is the most user friendly amp ever, which is right up my alley. I have to absolutely CRANK the volume to cut through the mix. This was my second amp due to the first one making popping and whistling noises. Even on light distortion, it still had that sizzle. When recording through the redbox I dont have a cabinet hooked up at all, I just leave the speaker off power soak selected. from Huntsville, AL on November 16, 2021, By Cody The other place where she shines is the "Redbox" built into the back. You can either pipe the redbox out to a mixer, or just pick yourself up a Behringer P1. Use my jcm800 live use the Tubemiester for recording and practicing an home. For me? Live Cover band/ Recording studio/ Compact rig/ practice amp from Walpole, MA on January 12, 2018, Music Background: Guitarist for 30+ years, By Jonathan Of course there is going to be bias.
I bought this a year ago to add to my growing collection of amps. The effects are surprising and very usable. Each patch holds any combo of amp settings and FX. Or did H&K perhaps get a lot better in recent years? Seriously, just buy one already. It works equally great with humbuckers and single coils and sounds great from clean to massively overdriven. No USA warranty past the 3 months online after purchase.
they are that good. My stage rig is a Messa Boogie Road King, four camps in one and each one worth its weight in gold, downside heavy. I would like some more features! If you're upgrading from the 36 don't expect your settings for that amp to carry over as the 40 is clearly tuned differentlyyou'll have to re-EQ but the end results will be better. I have had a Evh el34 and stealth as well as a JSX and a JVM in the last few months. It's has a super gnarly should when the mids are scooped. He will take care of you as he as always done me and I put that poor guy through the ringer. Not good. It's like being in guitar tone heaven. No more peddle board. I've detracted a half a star because of how complex the initial stages are. Letting my Puretone go was a heartache some time after when I realized how great that amp was. Trying to find a better amp then my old Hughes Kettner Switchblade. Amp itself sounds fine but not very impressed. Initially, I used it with the H&K foot controller, setting up specific patches for different songs (or at least sets of songs), but I found I was getting myself a bit lost, and had to put the preset numbers next to each song on the set list, so I switched to using it in stomp-box mode, as a four-channel amp (although I seldom use the ultra channel). If you are into heavy metal this is the bomb as most players in that style use ten on the volume pots on their guitars the majority of the time they be shredd'n. There where some reviews online that made me hesitant on the purchase but I am so glad I bought this. I don't know what I can say that hasn't already been said. , from Texas on April 27, 2017, By Will Crash Just program a louder channel and use the boost for both if that is the sound you are after. When I heard it I was sold. Clean is good crunch really never goes anywherelead has huge mid punch but is tone deficient. I am to old to change my playing style so to ebay it went. I did have some loud cracking and popping when I first got the amp, but that has diminished as the amp got broken in a bit. This amp is a tweaker and has the tone ive been searching for.This amp has 4 channels of raw energy with Cleans that sound great,Crunch channel,Lead channel that is nice for metal/Rock or what ever you use it for,,and Ultra for even more distorted shreading.Hughes & Kettner added a boost button to turn it up to 11 and give each channel some extra power and adds a noticeably different tone to your sound,add in a Master,Presence,Resonance,Reverb,Treb,mid,bass,Volume,Gain and 4 different Mod pedal effects with the gain controlling the Intensity.Fx loop a Noise gate with programable switch on back of the amp,and save slots for your saves settings,the list goes on and on.Just take my word for it,this amp can do alot of cool things but the tone that comes out with a matching 2x12 Hughes & Kettner cab and a 2017 Gibson Flying V Hp is just incredible. Yep. Create a username and password below and an account will be created and your post entered. 50's rock and roll? There are so many presets that if you cant fit this into a rock band, there's something wrong. I had a few H&Ks, including the Duotone combo and one they don't make anymore that was a 25w EL34 head called the Puretone. The built in studio quality digital reverb, delay and modulation effects, which can be set up via the smart rotary buttons and control buttons, work very well and sound great, and the fact that every saved preset and it's fx settings can be "remembered" when you turn a knob and see when the "store" button blinks is clever to say the least. So I have only had this in the US for 3 days. An added bonus is the soft case for it. No more micing and it sounds great for FOH and for recording. from Gettysburg,Pa on July 13, 2018, By David K. I knew that the clean tones and various crunchy tones would be great after all the videos online featuring that type of playing but I was worried how it would play in a metal context. So one thing that IS important to me is the warranty. But as a guitar player who has played on 100w tube amplifiers and "big bottle" valve amps (EL34, 6L6 and 6V6 tubes), this leaves a slight amount to be desired. on May 31, 2020, By Jeremiah Conner from Texas on June 17, 2017, Music Background: Musician/Songwriter/Producer, By Michael Howell Wanna play Buddy Holly? from Missouri on July 21, 2019, By Dave Everyone asks about it. I'm very happy so far! But in terms of bang for the buck I can't think of one that can do better! This little toaster cooks. from Midland, TX on July 1, 2022, By Greg Williams I had one for about 6 months and I really dug it for a while. This thing looks very expensive, and while not made in Germany the specs were no doubt demanded that would be as it was. This is a great amp that sounds good and it's lightweight. You are not going to go wrong with this investment. 2. There is nothing I have to criticize about them. This amp is the end all be all and as of now I can see absalutely no reason why I would have to buy another before a very very long time. Great amp great paired with line 6 hx effects. Just watch and listen to the demo videoslet your ears, and not your eyes, convince you that this Lunchbox-sized head is serving up all kinds of good, hot cookin'and no matter what style you play, you're going to find what you want and need. I had to buy pedals and all that mess on the floor. Well I'm glad I found a review of this amp. Then i would ask them (if it was some obscure setting) why it was so hard to get that to work. The clean tone has a beautiful tone that is jus great sound. You can use an expression pedal plugged in to the midi controlled but it will only operate the volume for the patch you are on and as soon as you change patches it defaults to what volume the patch was saved at. Throw in the 2x12 cab and foot switch and you will be set! from Petaluma, CA on March 28, 2019, By jeff This thing is amazing, no two ways about it. And if you engage the "boost" button each channel has specific frequencies that get pushed that make each channel really sing! From nice cleans that get dirty like a Vox to punishing high gain. A great value for what you get. The 4,000$ one I'm sure is great. Love this amp the only pedal you need is a tuner! If there's a bad tone in this amp, I haven't found it yet and neither has anyone else who's played through it. I've had this amp for about a week in a half and have barely scratched the surface First of all, as a tube head, each of the four channels sound awesome! The iPad controls require a wireless midi adapter that costs extra. And all the effects are more then just ok. But let me tell you, once you have all that you are golden. Its all in the settings of the amps gain, and in the fingers of the player. It lacked the true kinda "farty" vintage sound that I love and in exchange offered a very modern tube sound. The lead channel kicks it up for great solos, and the if you're into metal, the Ultra channel cuts the mids and adds some thunk to the bass end. It really falls short. On the clean channel, turn the presence and resonance all the way up and this think will spank with the Fenders. Would I purchase again For Sure! Amazing for a analog tube amp and the controls are very sensitive. Great flexibility and portability. However, the EVH is an awesome head too don"t get me wrong, and it sounded killer on the the H&K 2x12. Just get it! Overall they're great amps. 3 Sounds like a modern H&K ish distortion, and 4 is pure metal. I have a Triamp MKII, 2 Switchblades, a Grandmeister 36, Tubemeister 36, Tubemeister 18, and had a Duotone. The combination of Tube tone with high quality digital effects make it one of the most versatile amps on the planet. Best of both worlds for me. H&K says in the manual that it only needs about 30 seconds on standby before playing so its ready to go quick. for the money you simply cannot beat it and I have had a Marshall JVM, Krank Revolution, Mesa triple rec, Randall RM 100 (amazing amp by the way), a Bogner, Peavey Triple X, a few Line 6 toys and a Rocktron Prophecy. All in all i'm very happy, the onboard effects are nice to have (especially to save some quick patches with the midi foot controller which is a must with this amp too) but if you have nice Reverb/Delay/Chorus pedals, it probably won't replace them.
To compare to a Fender 57 twin or I"d like to thank sweetwater for the quick replacement. Worth the price of admission alone. I think that another reviewer hit the nail on the head with the comment that the overall amp tone is sort of like a VOX with an old-school Marshall vibe. Phase and flanger are weak. Did I mention that the Grandemeister Deluxe 40 sounds HUGE through the 1x12 cabinet? CONS: I feel the build quality is a little lacking. There is a lot of plastic parts used including the front glass and sides which I was a little disappointed with.. Put the dials to noon on any channel and it sounds great and gives you a good starting point to work with. If you know what you're doing then this amp is perfect. I would like to see a built in Tuner, Compressor, and WAH. Add in the option to Boost each channel, and you practically have 8 channels which is insane. from katy, TX on July 16, 2019, By Frank I have been waiting to get this head for a while..I LOVE amps that have built in effectsgreat amplots of awesome tone and really awesome to be able to store so many different presetsthank you so much Lindsey Becker at Sweetwater for your constant support and help you provide.I am SO happy that I finally got this head and the 36 month NO INTEREST financing is a big helpSWEETWATER rules!!!!!!!!! This sucker is loud! Amp is stupid easy to use and I had it figured out in about 2 minutesBUTI was less than thrilled with the tone of the amp when it first arrived. I was a little skeptical, as many are, about how well it will do metal, but it delivers. With the added effects and noise gate, also a great all in one solution. The clean, crunch, lead and ultra channels each have such differrent tone characteristicsthey aren't at all just "gainier" versions of the channel before, but instead each channel acts like its own separate tube amp (similarly to the H & K Triamp amp it's based on). 57 vintage twin amp and said something like it was amazing I'm selling a few pedals off my board that I won't need any more from Chicago on December 15, 2016, Music Background: In a gigging 90's Alt Rock Cover Band, By Brian With this amp it is a great extension of the eq, if you understand how to use them. Finally my 35 year wait is over. Help other music gear aficionados by sharing your opinions of gear you've purchased. Loved it but could not get one channel to do it all, because its not designed like that. from Jacksonville on November 21, 2017, By Fly I got the whole rig, Amp head, midi pedal, and 2x12. As always thanks to Myron who got everything out perfectly! The Redbox.Wow. yeah, it's worth $ Buy the midi foot board with it so you can really dig into the effects presets. So i quickly dialed in 4 patches for each of the pedal board switches and I'm done. Switching between clean to ultra thru my Helix effects is just awesome! Clean channel. By Lance I could spend the day telling you about all the cool features - but why? One minute it's China Grove and the next it's Red Barcheta. from Metairie, LA on July 3, 2017, By Sweetwater Customer So if kept trying amp after amp. I received it Thursday (thanks to Ben and team shipping it fast) and gigged with it Friday. Honest criticisms would be that wifi is not built into the product and requires another several hundred dollar purchase. After firing this beauty up I switch it to the ultra channel and went to town. The lead channel, lower the bass and push a little highs and mids and you can nail a lot of the 80's tones. It certainly saves on the set-up / tear-down time. And it does it all very well. So its amazing, and purdy too. The H&K is the best of them, with Kemper almost tied for 1st. This is a real amp, not some modeling BS, this is what sound should be. Also not five stars because it would be nice to be able to program an expression pedal plugged in to the midi controller to control the master volume. But for me, this was a BIG issue. My hats off to Hughes and Kettner. Bought this this for a quick hookup on stage for a Theramin. I couldn't be more pleased with this monster. It is free. on November 25, 2020, By Michael The resonance control really helps fatten a gain sound, try 3 o'clock ish. Each amp did one thing better then Switchblade but I kept missing it's versatility.
Sorry H&K. I love tubes but lately I have been using digital amps for the simplicity of it all. 4) Effects To my ear the effects are great. 2) Controls Don't worry about this being difficult to operate. I have sounds with them turned all the way up, all the way down and everything in between. Pure tube lush amazing little head. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Learn More. I had started out with a quest to find a power-switchable tube amp to accommodate different room sizes (mostly playing in a bedroom at home) yet not sacrificing anything in tonal quality. You can. It has just a few very effective controls. from Kansas on March 26, 2020, By Mark What an amp. Feel like playing some Steve Vai? I now have the tone I've been searching for. First off, I absolutely love the tones, and program abilities of this amp BUT I just can't trust it in a live setting. If I had all those I wouldn't need anything other than the Midi controller on the floor. The crunch channel on the H&K is also better than the blue channel on the EVH IMO. All the knobs where set to roughly noon by default and even at those settings it sounded amazing. I have to wait for Fredo an external developer to have his new version working with this amp to use on a windows laptop. You are using an out of date browser. After receiving this amp and not getting it to play any kind of distortion, I should have returned it - but i put it aside until this weekend when i read the manual and tried again. I like the Line 6 because I can instantly change from one tube patch to another. The GM-40 right out of the box sounds great!!! All I use is a compressor going into the amp for a little more "oomph" on both guitars and that pretty much works. 5501 U.S. Hwy 30 W, Fort Wayne, IN 46818 It's only as sterile as you make it based on your EQ, Effects and levels. The direct out/cab sim is also fantastic. The power soak feature is truly amazing and something that I have been dreaming about for many years as well. Great features as well as lush harmonics and sustain! I have the controller and there 2X12 Cab which I like a lot as well. It is surprising of the power in this head, Don't let the 40 watts fool you, It was shaking the dishes in the cabinet and vibrating the windows from across the house. I personally don't like to drive the gain much past 12:00 on any of the channels for my tones, but I've heard it used to great effect by other guitarists. Oh, and the blue lights are exceptionally cool. From the onboard Redbox to the built in effects to cab simulation, it has it all. I can't wait to get one. Better than any modeling amp I have heard.
The EQ is pretty sensitive when shaping tone which is great. I picked this amp after a lot of research and demo viewing and it delivers. The "Power Soak" option lets you switch between watts the head is running at. The distortion is now smooth and has incredible articulation.
on September 27, 2018, By Sweetwater Customer This is a very controllable 40W that sounds great at low volume. I cant use it at anywhere near full volume in my music room - very powerful and makes my Friedman 2x12 sing and scream. Don't buy if you play professionally. This amp is state of the art and sounds great. However, I realized I play up and down with my volume pot on the guitar to clean up chords and then push it to 10 for lead sustain ala EVH style. It sounds great at all Watts and Volume levels. Currently I'm running it in parallel with my Orange Rockerverb and when they are both fully cranked it is heaven. Now if they will just get Suhr guitars. Incredible tone and responsiveness. Until a while ago I wasn't really aware of what Hughes & Kettner was doing. It's going back. The only one that came close to this was the Randall RM 100but it was just toooooo loud. Lastly, don even waste your time with playing single coil pickups on this. Add in the rackmount capabilities and you have the recipe for an all-in-one solution for pretty much any stage. When I ordered this, I did so as I saw it had a three year warranty if registered within 30 days. You could almost set the eq at 12 and just use the presence and resonance. I welcome the factory reps who made this thing to tell me how to get it to deliver any kind of distortion. from ohio on April 10, 2018. The demo of the amp is great. Wrong. on February 4, 2020, By Michael Stokes Really nice gradual master volume control. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to spend countless hours avoiding real responsibilities and just jamming endlessly. from shirley NY on July 8, 2019, Music Background: pro guitarist studio owner, By Dave But if you're a rock, metal or even blues player who doesn't mind a tiny bit of grit in your clean, this amp is perfection, all around. And I loved it and I still do. Go get ya some! The notes are articulated very well and clear. There is nothing it can't do and it's ALL readily available via a midi footswitch and program recall. Already started recording with it and I was blown awayjust make sure you cut back on the lows. First impressions are great, but with that being said over the course of a year I gave it a big time run through. And I'm done. I've had mine for about a year and it makes everyone in the room happy when it's glowing blue. I've spent a lot of time with the Tubemeister 18, Grandmeister, and Deluxe. But for me, this amp covers so many bases, it's really a Swiss Army knife. Now the last thing. Im bust using the 4 channel settings, boost and effects loop and haven't even dug all the way in to the onboard effects. Now is the perfect time to get the gear you want with simple promotional financing. This probably sounds good to me because I prefer digital distortion and these effects are digital. Then when I step on this switch the sound cuts up and I tune up. Eventide UltraChannel Native Channel Strip, Already have an account? The GM40D cuts right into the mix, carves its spot with plenty of volume on tap. I read on forums that everyone almost immediately swaps tubes to fit their needs as some do like that fizzy sound. Music Background: Making joyful noise since I was 6 years old. The boost function literally adds 4 more channels to the amp. Right now - there is no setting that delivers distortion. Every now and then i'll step on the Tube Screamer for tighter crunch. Quite similar to the line 6, but easier to use. If that wasn't enough, there's also the very useful noise gate, the convincing Red Box AE cabinet emulator output and the very useful Power soak buttons feature when you want the same high end tone but at lower wattage and volume. They're not super high dollar effects tones, but definitely good enough. Its a shame it didn't work out for me, as I fell in love with the dirty sound of this amp. One of my favourite amps I have. This is the most user friendly amp ever, which is right up my alley. I have to absolutely CRANK the volume to cut through the mix. This was my second amp due to the first one making popping and whistling noises. Even on light distortion, it still had that sizzle. When recording through the redbox I dont have a cabinet hooked up at all, I just leave the speaker off power soak selected. from Huntsville, AL on November 16, 2021, By Cody The other place where she shines is the "Redbox" built into the back. You can either pipe the redbox out to a mixer, or just pick yourself up a Behringer P1. Use my jcm800 live use the Tubemiester for recording and practicing an home. For me? Live Cover band/ Recording studio/ Compact rig/ practice amp from Walpole, MA on January 12, 2018, Music Background: Guitarist for 30+ years, By Jonathan Of course there is going to be bias.
I bought this a year ago to add to my growing collection of amps. The effects are surprising and very usable. Each patch holds any combo of amp settings and FX. Or did H&K perhaps get a lot better in recent years? Seriously, just buy one already. It works equally great with humbuckers and single coils and sounds great from clean to massively overdriven. No USA warranty past the 3 months online after purchase.
they are that good. My stage rig is a Messa Boogie Road King, four camps in one and each one worth its weight in gold, downside heavy. I would like some more features! If you're upgrading from the 36 don't expect your settings for that amp to carry over as the 40 is clearly tuned differentlyyou'll have to re-EQ but the end results will be better. I have had a Evh el34 and stealth as well as a JSX and a JVM in the last few months. It's has a super gnarly should when the mids are scooped. He will take care of you as he as always done me and I put that poor guy through the ringer. Not good. It's like being in guitar tone heaven. No more peddle board. I've detracted a half a star because of how complex the initial stages are. Letting my Puretone go was a heartache some time after when I realized how great that amp was. Trying to find a better amp then my old Hughes Kettner Switchblade. Amp itself sounds fine but not very impressed. Initially, I used it with the H&K foot controller, setting up specific patches for different songs (or at least sets of songs), but I found I was getting myself a bit lost, and had to put the preset numbers next to each song on the set list, so I switched to using it in stomp-box mode, as a four-channel amp (although I seldom use the ultra channel). If you are into heavy metal this is the bomb as most players in that style use ten on the volume pots on their guitars the majority of the time they be shredd'n. There where some reviews online that made me hesitant on the purchase but I am so glad I bought this. I don't know what I can say that hasn't already been said. , from Texas on April 27, 2017, By Will Crash Just program a louder channel and use the boost for both if that is the sound you are after. When I heard it I was sold. Clean is good crunch really never goes anywherelead has huge mid punch but is tone deficient. I am to old to change my playing style so to ebay it went. I did have some loud cracking and popping when I first got the amp, but that has diminished as the amp got broken in a bit. This amp is a tweaker and has the tone ive been searching for.This amp has 4 channels of raw energy with Cleans that sound great,Crunch channel,Lead channel that is nice for metal/Rock or what ever you use it for,,and Ultra for even more distorted shreading.Hughes & Kettner added a boost button to turn it up to 11 and give each channel some extra power and adds a noticeably different tone to your sound,add in a Master,Presence,Resonance,Reverb,Treb,mid,bass,Volume,Gain and 4 different Mod pedal effects with the gain controlling the Intensity.Fx loop a Noise gate with programable switch on back of the amp,and save slots for your saves settings,the list goes on and on.Just take my word for it,this amp can do alot of cool things but the tone that comes out with a matching 2x12 Hughes & Kettner cab and a 2017 Gibson Flying V Hp is just incredible. Yep. Create a username and password below and an account will be created and your post entered. 50's rock and roll? There are so many presets that if you cant fit this into a rock band, there's something wrong. I had a few H&Ks, including the Duotone combo and one they don't make anymore that was a 25w EL34 head called the Puretone. The built in studio quality digital reverb, delay and modulation effects, which can be set up via the smart rotary buttons and control buttons, work very well and sound great, and the fact that every saved preset and it's fx settings can be "remembered" when you turn a knob and see when the "store" button blinks is clever to say the least. So I have only had this in the US for 3 days. An added bonus is the soft case for it. No more micing and it sounds great for FOH and for recording. from Gettysburg,Pa on July 13, 2018, By David K. I knew that the clean tones and various crunchy tones would be great after all the videos online featuring that type of playing but I was worried how it would play in a metal context. So one thing that IS important to me is the warranty. But as a guitar player who has played on 100w tube amplifiers and "big bottle" valve amps (EL34, 6L6 and 6V6 tubes), this leaves a slight amount to be desired. on May 31, 2020, By Jeremiah Conner from Texas on June 17, 2017, Music Background: Musician/Songwriter/Producer, By Michael Howell Wanna play Buddy Holly? from Missouri on July 21, 2019, By Dave Everyone asks about it. I'm very happy so far! But in terms of bang for the buck I can't think of one that can do better! This little toaster cooks. from Midland, TX on July 1, 2022, By Greg Williams I had one for about 6 months and I really dug it for a while. This thing looks very expensive, and while not made in Germany the specs were no doubt demanded that would be as it was. This is a great amp that sounds good and it's lightweight. You are not going to go wrong with this investment. 2. There is nothing I have to criticize about them. This amp is the end all be all and as of now I can see absalutely no reason why I would have to buy another before a very very long time. Great amp great paired with line 6 hx effects. Just watch and listen to the demo videoslet your ears, and not your eyes, convince you that this Lunchbox-sized head is serving up all kinds of good, hot cookin'and no matter what style you play, you're going to find what you want and need. I had to buy pedals and all that mess on the floor. Well I'm glad I found a review of this amp. Then i would ask them (if it was some obscure setting) why it was so hard to get that to work. The clean tone has a beautiful tone that is jus great sound. You can use an expression pedal plugged in to the midi controlled but it will only operate the volume for the patch you are on and as soon as you change patches it defaults to what volume the patch was saved at. Throw in the 2x12 cab and foot switch and you will be set! from Petaluma, CA on March 28, 2019, By jeff This thing is amazing, no two ways about it. And if you engage the "boost" button each channel has specific frequencies that get pushed that make each channel really sing! From nice cleans that get dirty like a Vox to punishing high gain. A great value for what you get. The 4,000$ one I'm sure is great. Love this amp the only pedal you need is a tuner! If there's a bad tone in this amp, I haven't found it yet and neither has anyone else who's played through it. I've had this amp for about a week in a half and have barely scratched the surface First of all, as a tube head, each of the four channels sound awesome! The iPad controls require a wireless midi adapter that costs extra. And all the effects are more then just ok. But let me tell you, once you have all that you are golden. Its all in the settings of the amps gain, and in the fingers of the player. It lacked the true kinda "farty" vintage sound that I love and in exchange offered a very modern tube sound. The lead channel kicks it up for great solos, and the if you're into metal, the Ultra channel cuts the mids and adds some thunk to the bass end. It really falls short. On the clean channel, turn the presence and resonance all the way up and this think will spank with the Fenders. Would I purchase again For Sure! Amazing for a analog tube amp and the controls are very sensitive. Great flexibility and portability. However, the EVH is an awesome head too don"t get me wrong, and it sounded killer on the the H&K 2x12. Just get it! Overall they're great amps. 3 Sounds like a modern H&K ish distortion, and 4 is pure metal. I have a Triamp MKII, 2 Switchblades, a Grandmeister 36, Tubemeister 36, Tubemeister 18, and had a Duotone. The combination of Tube tone with high quality digital effects make it one of the most versatile amps on the planet. Best of both worlds for me. H&K says in the manual that it only needs about 30 seconds on standby before playing so its ready to go quick. for the money you simply cannot beat it and I have had a Marshall JVM, Krank Revolution, Mesa triple rec, Randall RM 100 (amazing amp by the way), a Bogner, Peavey Triple X, a few Line 6 toys and a Rocktron Prophecy. All in all i'm very happy, the onboard effects are nice to have (especially to save some quick patches with the midi foot controller which is a must with this amp too) but if you have nice Reverb/Delay/Chorus pedals, it probably won't replace them.