Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister TM18 18W Tube Guitar Combo Amp 

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister TM18 18W Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I really like the size of this combo and using the direct out has great sound. I returned the combo to get just the head to run into a 2x12 cab. the 10" speaker in this combo is great for the mids and highs, but it isn't made for any lows. Thats my only complaint.

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister TM18 18W Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

This is my first tube amp in twenty years! I travel mostly by subway and taxi, and am an older gent, so portability is paramount for me. 21 pounds of muscular, clear tone. Being a jazz player, I have no use for the overdrive circuit, but the clean channel alone is worth the price.
Reverb level is light, but sounds great and I only use a little anyway. And this amp looks really cool. I tried a modeling amp, but am happier with one great sounding option.

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister TM18 18W Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I was looking for a nice clean, affordable small tube amp that had enough juice for small jazz gigs. This was not it! I read all of the reviews and thought this would do the trick. WRONG! The head room is so low that unless you play "metal jazz" it is useless. The reverb is the worst and needs to be cranked to even be a bit useful, and even then it sounds horrible. This is not an amp for use with an archtop.

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister TM18 18W Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I really wanted the new mini-Mesa but besides the cost, I'm disabled and only wanted to lug around 1 piece of 20lbs or less. I ALMOST got the Egnator for it's sound options, but no dedicated footswitchable gain channel. So I got this, "sound" unseen for it's features.

Clean channel, despite lack of a bright switch, can be very beautiful when eq'd properly. The gain channel is useless for me. WAY too much midrange/bass. With no separate eq, one channel changes the other's sound. With the gain at noon, the sound is livable, but when you kick in the boost, the fixed amount makes your ears bleed! Only when gain is maxed out can you use the boost to produce a usable amount of db addition. However, it's at this point that unless you scoop the eq like crazy, you're "thick as a brick", which is not my sound.

Ultimately, I'm using an AMT Series II Mesa Boogie as a pre-amp pedal into the effects return to utlize it's brighter sound. It also has a clean level and boost to help out. I also use a Lovepedal Superlead for Marshall tones. A Seymour Duncan pickup boost at the front of pedal chain gives me lead boost.

All this pedal fuss could have been applied to an Egnator with many more options for tone adjustments.

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister TM18 18W Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I was looking for a tube amp that had a warm, clear tone and was compact. Also I was trying to spend $1000 or less. This amp definitely lived up to my expectations. I play a Les Paul with an HD 500 for all my effects and I love the tone I'm getting from this amp. The clean tone especially sounds amazing. The dirty channel sounds a little muffled without the boost on, so I just decided to use the distortion effects from the HD 500 instead. It is plenty loud especially if you are miking the amp and only using the amp for sound and monitor. I am very happy with the amp thus far.

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister TM18 18W Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

This is a decent amp that won't break your wallet.The power soak options allow for a broad range of sounds.The clean channel with reverb is quite good.Seems to have some bleed over from the dirty channel that becomes most apparent when you add pedals to your chain.Doesn't play too well with my Decimator noise reduction , causing some fizzy sounds when you hold a note for a long time.All in all I like it but have yet to try it in a group setting.You will need to mike it or use the direct out to the P.A.or both depending on how much volume you need. I don't like the lack of an extension speaker output, would like to have a 1x12" speaker IN ADDITION to the 10" onboard one.

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister TM18 18W Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

love this amp it just makes you want to keep playing. has a wide range of tones and that special tube warmth very creamy , Ice creamy smooth

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister TM18 18W Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I cant believe how loud this amp is when set to 18 watts. This amp is plenty loud enough for small venues and is loud enough to compete with the drums and pa. The spring reverb is a nice addition to the combo

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister TM18 18W Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

Very clean, and gets grungy too. Any sound you want is in there. Really lets your instrument tone and feel come out. Fender sounds like a Fender, Gibson a Gibson with P90's or Buckers.Powerful enough, bought the FS2 and makes it more versatile. Reverb OK but not Fabulous. Now I need a new delay. Love it.

Comments about Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister TM18 18W Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

Ubiquitous best describes this combo. At home on stage, in a studio, or in your room this amp is light, packed with great technical features yet not skimping on tone.

Hughes and Kettner are keenly aware that as a tube amp there are many big boys they're going to be compared to and they deliver. Aside from delivering all the essentials you'd expect from a Tube combo (12AX7, EL84, Celestion, FX loop, Dual Channel, Reverb), the amp includes Hughes and Kettners Red Box technology and Balanced output.

The amp includes a nice logo inscribed cover for the combo but doesn't include the "optional" FS-2 footswitch. I think this is the only negative thing I can say but will work with any standard TLR footswitch.

All in All go get yourself a Tubemeister 18 and watch it stand up to Marshall ampheads that cost 3 times as much.
Time and time again you've heard how tube amps are essential to getting the best sound out of your axe. Well this little german does not dissappoint!

LOOKS- Out of the box the Tubemeister 18 has clean lines, it's front grill covers a unique 10" Celestion speaker while presenting the Hughes and Kettner logo for all to see. It seems to be channeling a modern VOX amp interpretation.

Your top view controls are simple and classic, you have two channels both with Master and Gain controls. Both channels share your eq settings Treble, Mid, Bass. You have your standard 1/4" jack, channel select and lead boost buttons and your Power and Standby switches.

Your back panel is where most of the tech features are clearly laid out. FX loop send and return, Footswitch (Not included), Red Box output, Power soak controls, balanced direct out, footswitch and reverb.

TECH- while not overburdened with digital effects, the Tubemeister 18 has a nice built in digital reverb. It's pre-amp houses two 12AX7 tubes. It's power amp houses two EL84's. These are tubes that have defined electric guitar sounds from British Classic Rock to your latest super overdriven Death Metal. This is an amp that will be at home on stage, in small get togethers, and in every recording studio of any size, mainly due to the built in Power soak. The tubemeister 18 let's you dial up or down the wattage from 1 to 18 watts so you can push those tubes for lush tones without upsetting the neighbors. Also included is Hughes and Kettners redbox technology which allows you to plug in directly to a mixer for a recording session or PA without sacrificing that tube voicing we all love.
The Tubemeister 18 combo is solidly built for an amp of this size. The exterior is rugged to handle all the travel you're going to do with this 20lb. terror. The German engineering is clearly visible, from the solid click of the power and standby switches to the smooth feel of the volume and eq controls. The amp's presentation is ice cold cool glowing an electric blue that speaks of the electric tone it's ready to dole out.

This amp in terns of sound does not dissapoint. From lush clean single note runs to chord strumming the clean channel is solid. The lead channel is where this amp earns it's reputation. I personally believe this amp can dial up any distorted tone you can think of, from country, to rock, to rockabilly, to hard rock, to metal and more.
Know thyself and to thy own self be true.

The Tubemeister 18 seems it was designed for a musician that knows their sound. If you're just starting out and are looking for an amp that comes full of digital effects and presets this is not a combo for you.

If you're gigging and doing demo's in a home studio and practicing on the weekends this amp is going to be your best friend! This combo will hang with the big boys while not breaking your back or your bank account.