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The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

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  • The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

    My local GC just got one, and I ran it through it's paces from clean, blues, rock, to metal, and it did it all amazingly good. It's the best lunchbox amp I've plugged into so far. With a good cab, it does it all. Within 20 minutes of playing it, I was sold on it......forget everything else, I must own one of these.
    The cool looking aesthetics are the icing on the cake, including the chrome side handles with logo.

    But when you turn it around and look at the features, such as 2 modes on the gain channel -footswitchable, clean channel, FX loop, 18w/5w/1w/OFF, XLR out, tube failure indicators......just killer!!!

    I was able to dial in just about every usable tone I need, all at a nice volume level, which gets pretty loud.....or as silent as you need it. And it's noise floor level is excellent....nice and quiet like you'd expect from a quality amp.

    Unlike all the other lunch box amps capable of high gain, the Tube Meister 18 doesn't lose low end definition. It handles heavy gain palm muting and it's EQ and boosts allow you a lot of flexibility in the gain structure.
    Throw away your OD pedals, this amp needs nothing with massive gain on tap. From country to AC/DC to Metallica, it's got it. Hook up a 2 button footswitch and you've got 3 modes....with FX loop. Want killer tube tone at whisper levels? Just turn it down to 1W or 5W.

    At $599, your head will explode when you play one, scheming of ways to get one ASAP. I know mine did. Dual EL-84's in an amp that can sound like anything from a Blues Jr. to a vintage Marshall, to a Bogner XTC type vibe.

    I'm going to be throwing some toys on the used market, because this is the first low wattage amp that got me really excited. The guys at the music store have also made it their new favorite on the floor.





    Last edited by Gearjoneser; 07-13-2012, 04:09 PM.
    Originally posted by Boogie Bill
    I've got 60 guitars...but 49 trumpets is just...INSANITY! WTF!

  • #2
    Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

    WoW...that does sound like a great amp...lot's of features that i'd want for sure!
    Originally posted by jeremy
    God hates bad guitar tone
    GUITARS: Schecter Saturn, Takamine, Ibanez Mandolin
    AMPS: Traynor YCV40WR/KT77s, VHT Special 6, Marshall AS50R
    EFX: Line 6 G30, Fhusk CS-3, Emerson EM-Drive, Emerson Paramount,
    Keisman Earlybird, EB VPJr, Empress Tape Delay, Hungry Robot Lil Gazer

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    • #3
      Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

      Man i wish i didnt hate the way that looks.
      green globe burned black by sunn

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      • #4
        Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

        My local GC had one the other day. Some fellow was playing through it and getting some nice shreddy tones.
        I'm an internet person. All we do is waste time evaluating things that have next-to-zero real world significance.

        Remember, it's just a plank of wood. YOU have to find the music in it - The Telecaster Handbook

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        • #5
          Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

          You've def been living up to your username here lately Joe!
          Gear: More junk than I know what to do with

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          • #6
            Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

            Features appear to be amazing.

            This thing at the Oxnard GC, or where?

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            • #7
              Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

              NICE! Been wondering about these ever since they came out. Been very close to pulling the trigger on one several times. Guess I'll have to expedite actually doing it! Really do like my little Egnater Rebel 20 head and 1X12 cab rig, but I have NO doubt that the Tubemeister kicks ass (based on previous ownership of a Triamp and playing several of the H&K tube series).
              "Always remember... all you do in life, comes back to you" - Roy Kahn, formerly of Kamelot, during the intro to "Karma" on their One Cold Winter's Night DVD

              http://www.soundcloud.com/jwflamenco

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              • #8
                Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

                Originally posted by JeffB View Post
                My local GC had one the other day. Some fellow was playing through it and getting some nice shreddy tones.
                I also tested every mode at super low volume, and it's the perfect practice amp with a 112 cab. Once you find the perfect speaker/s for it, you'll have the best sounding bedroom amp ever. And turned up loud, it really dishes out the volume, while staying pretty tight. Once I get one, it'll probably go on my Bogner 212 cab w/Vin 30's.

                I was glad to see it shined on midgain vintage Marshall tones too. Once I heard all it was capable of, I realized that it's going to be my next amp.
                Last edited by Gearjoneser; 07-11-2012, 10:33 PM.
                Originally posted by Boogie Bill
                I've got 60 guitars...but 49 trumpets is just...INSANITY! WTF!

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                • #9
                  Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

                  Originally posted by DankStar View Post
                  Features appear to be amazing.

                  This thing at the Oxnard GC, or where?
                  I'm sure they got one too. It'll sell quickly, so call them and see if there's one on the floor. I played the first one they got this week at Northridge Ca. GC. I wanted so badly to take it home, but I can't justify it till I part with something of equal value.
                  Last edited by Gearjoneser; 07-11-2012, 10:37 PM.
                  Originally posted by Boogie Bill
                  I've got 60 guitars...but 49 trumpets is just...INSANITY! WTF!

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                  • #10
                    Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

                    Originally posted by Gearjoneser View Post
                    I'm sure they got one too. It'll sell quickly, so call them and see if there's one on the floor. I played the first one they got this week at Northridge Ca. GC. I wanted so badly to take it home, but I can't justify it till I part with something of equal value.
                    Cool deal - I think I'm about equedistant from both of those GCs, that's wild.

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                    • #11
                      Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

                      I believe HK has a tubemeister 36 out now as well.... Which also has the power scaling from 18 on down like the TM18.
                      Gibson Les Paul R8 in Ebony
                      Roland Cube 60
                      Mesa Boogie Mini Rectifier Head & Mesa Boogie 2x12 Horizontal Rectifier Cabinet
                      BadCat Unleash V1 Attenuater/Re-amplifier
                      LoopMaster Clean Dirty A/B Looper Switcher
                      Mogami Cables
                      Mooer Candy Toppers
                      Pedals: Mad Professor Silver Spring Reverb, Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay, Neunaber Stereo WET Reverb, Keeley 30ms DoubleTracker, & TC Electronic Polytune.
                      Extras: AmpWedge & Auralex Great Gramma ISO Platform

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                      • #12
                        Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

                        I believe that it's got some sort of auto biasing circuit, but there's a slot you can slide your pick into that instantly biases it. At least I think that's how it works. H&K has always had state of the art engineering.

                        I watch the clips, but don't hear quite what I was hearing today. I had a new LP Traditional and Am. Std. Strat plugged into the Tube Meister 18 into an Egnater 212 cab. It sounded better in person. If I ran two of those rigs in stereo, I'd have a monsterous sounding setup, all at perfect club level.
                        Originally posted by Boogie Bill
                        I've got 60 guitars...but 49 trumpets is just...INSANITY! WTF!

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                        • #13
                          Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

                          Yup. I'm currently in the process of saving for a new amp and I'm about 90% certain that it's going to be one of these. I've never played one, but it's got all the features I want in the size that I want and every H&K amp I've played before has sounded excellent.

                          I just need to stop buying ****ing pickups and pedals with the money I save...

                          Thanks for the review.
                          Last edited by Kam; 07-12-2012, 07:48 AM.
                          I remember calloused hands and paint-stained jeans, and I remember safe-as-houses self-belief.

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                          • #14
                            Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

                            And their bigger offerings are quite cool too

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                            • #15
                              Re: The Hughes and Kettner Tube Meister 18...awesome!

                              WOW! Most of the youtube demos are horrible. That's usually par for the course on youtube though. Both channels sound really boxy and I think on the premier guitar vid, when he hits the gain boost, it gets all grainy.
                              Gear: More junk than I know what to do with

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