Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Tube Guitar Amp Head 

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Tube Guitar Amp Head:

First off I will say I am a true H&K fan. I have played guitar for over 30 years and have played thru just about any combination you could Imagine from huge stacks in the 80's progressive rock to simple combos for small venues. 65 amps, marshall, bogner, vox, rivera, the list is endless. This little gem rivals some of the most expensive botique amps made. I also currently have an H&K Switchblade 100 combo amp as my main gig rig. I must say that being so well versed in the operation and versality of the switchblade (can creat just about any sound...period!!) I was intrigued in the concept of this easy to haul and portable amp. At first after playing around with it I was not sure I was going to keep it and then it all came together as I played around with it some more. This little bad boy is the ultimate solution to all your needs as you can crank it up, patch it into the Board with the built in red box, and record at night in total silence and still have the roar of a lion when needed. With your favorite botique pedals (or even the Boss ME70 I picked up to play around with) you can do anything with this amp. And the amazing signature H&K pure tube sound is unbeliveable!! All at a price point that is amazing. You can use this amp in any situation. I recommend the 12" cabinet with Celestion vintage 30 for the absolute total package. Buy this amp and you will never haul around anything bigger again!!

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I bought one of these as a restock when it was the Stupid Deal of the Day. It's the first product I got through that where I was very disappointed. It sounds pretty good, although not as good as my Mesa TA-15, and has great volume, but I think there's something weird about the tube bias "feature" because the head just cuts out, over and over, when I'm playing it loudly. It's essentially useless for any application where dependability is a must. I may use it for practicing at home, but that's it.

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I have had this amp head for four months and overall I love it. It's super versatile, sounds great and looks beautiful.

Originally I was dead set on a mini rectifier. But I went to GC and compared the mini with an Egnater Rebel 30, a Boogie Trans Atlantic, and the HK, and the HK came out on top by a big margin. I wasn't really even thinking the it was a contender until I plugged in. It was loud and tight with plenty of gain and punchy bass – exactly what I was looking for for. And the nicest clean sound by far vs the other amps I tried. Hi-fi is how I would describe it. Add the 18/5/1 watt capability and I was sold.

CONS:
When you kick in the lead boost it's way louder than the unboosted sound. So, while it would seem like you could use this amp essentially as a three channel, it's not really viable live, because the difference between your crunch and high gains sounds is drastically different. Would be great if the boost had its own volume.

The clean channel doesn't output nearly as much volume of the lead channel. Not a problem unless you're playing at super loud volumes. But in that type of situation, you might reach a point where the lead channel could still easily be heard over a loud drummer, while the clean would be drowned out.

The blue light is cool, sometimes. And sometimes it's a bit much. I'm actually thinking of installing a switch to toggle it on and off.

It only goes down to 8 ohms... wish it went down to 4

SUMMARY:
Love it. Fun, super-versatile amp full of great tones. Quality seems very solid. Looks cool. Quiet. I would (and have) recommended it to friends.

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I absolutely love this amp, it's a perfect design, great for whatever you want to play. 5 stars!

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Tube Guitar Amp Head:

My band mates remarked today (non-guitar players) that it was the best guitar sound they had heard live (non-professional). The image that H&K provides a high-fidelity type sound is true in that you seem to be able to pick out every string/note. Even when distorted. I find the lead and lead boost channel perfect most times w/o need of a pedal. The clean channel is superb and with gain around 1 or 2 o'clock, you can get a touch of breakup with just picking differences!. Add more and you can actually get a nice crunch there. The Lead channel is voiced very different as is lead boost, so you really have a nice range of possible sounds form this head with no pedals. I played this AM with the band on 5 watts and it was plenty loud. The Red Box out is totally silent to the board too. Note! Get the 112 Cabinet made for this head, it really completes it and makes it sing - it is matched perfectly.

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Tube Guitar Amp Head:

This is a great amp for the money! I highly recommend this amp. You can coax nearly any tone your looking for out of this amp and at 18 watts is PLENTY loud enough to play with a drummer or a live gig! Sounds great with my SSS Strats and humbucker Les Pauls. Might not be for the death metal crowd all though a good distortion pedal can push it to death metal bliss. In fact, this amp takes pedals great in front of the amp and equally as well in the effects loop. I normally play classic rock/80's metal/90's alternative/raunchy blues.

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Tube Guitar Amp Head:

To be honest with you, I was worried about this amp only having 18 Watts of max power…. Let me tell you this amp is loud enough for a small stage on it's on but will have to mike it on a larger stage which is not a bad thing at all. You can turn this little beast up and get the good warm sound of the tubes while not blowing the windows off of the hall you are playing in. I have a 2 x 12 cabinet and a 4 x 12 cabinet. I think that it sounds better through the 4 x 12 cabinet but it sounds great through the 2 x 12 also. I love the feature of being able to turn the power from 18 watt to 5 watt and then 1 watt. That helps out when you are at home doing some practicing for sure. The clean is crystal clear, the lead channel has that great rock sound like AC/DC and when you push the lead boost…… Oh boy hold on!!!! Over all I love this amp! Much thanks to Hughes & Kettner for a great amp!

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I was looking for an amp with a DI output, that allows me to plug direcly into my Bose L1. This little head sounds great, and now I don't have to carry a cabinet or one of my heavier combos. I only play small, solo gigs - so this is perfect. Very pleased with the sound, thru a cab or my PA. I also plan to use it for late night "silent" recording while the family sleeps.

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I looked at and researched a lot of these "lunchbox" type amps before I decided on the tubemeister 18 and boy am I pleased with this! If you are considering the mesa mini rectifire...try this out first and save yourself a ton of money. I am using this with the tubemeister 1x12 cab and these two together just crush! The 1,5 and 18 watt options are great...and with the red box for recording direct and an effects loop..this thing is a steal!

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Tube Guitar Amp Head:

Great little amp that packs a lot of pro features into a small yet sturdy package. Looks great too

Recommended.