NADx2: Bogner Alchemist and H&K Tubemeister 5.

[Artie]

You all are going to give me some grief on this first one.

Anyone remember back when the Bogner Alchemist was MF's SDOTD? It was many, many moons ago. I just turned it on for the first time, last week. I wanted it, but I just didn't have a cab. So, I finally got off my butt and installed an external jack on my H&K Edition Blue 60R SS amp, so I could plug in an external head. The EB60 comes with a surprisingly nice speaker. It's a Celestion G12 Rockdriver Jr., and it's been broken in for several years. The irony here is that the impetus for installing the jack was the acquisition of the Tubemeister 5. No need to kick me. I'm doing it myself.

The Bogner is amazing! Absolutely beautiful clean tone. Even at low volume. (Think vintage Fender Twin Reverb.) The foot pedal control is killer. Crunch and boost functions are sweet. The control compliment pretty much covers any base you want. The only part of the Line-6 influence I use is a bit of reverb. Although, the delay is fun to play with too. I'm thinking this is probably the last amp I'll ever need. Can't wait to build my dedicated cab with a 15" Eminence Big Ben. That, is going to be killer.





Next up, is the Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 5. I was initially surprised by how small this thing is. It comes in what looks like a camcorder case. Anyone familiar with the size of a Fluke DMM?



I wanted one of these ever since I first saw it. I figured, with only 5-watts, I could crank this thing and enjoy that classic overdriven-tube tone in a home studio. Not so! I can't believe how loud this thing is. Way louder than my 60-watt SS Edition Blue 60. I'm talking, neighbors-who-love-my-ass calling the police loud! I couldn't get a good clean, and even the over-driven sound wasn't great. The tone controls are weird. They don't have much affect, and have even less affect as the gain is turned up. (The owners manual even says this.) Part of the problem is no reverb. The sound is just too dry. I put my Yamaha MagicStomp in front of it, with a little plate reverb dialed in, and that helped. I could finally start to coax some nice tones out of this thing, but what takes work with this, comes naturally to the Bogner.

I'm going to play with it some more, but right now I'm a little disappointed with what I'd hoped it would be. It does light up nice.



Artie

Edit: I have read, online, that the Tubemeister responds well to tube upgrades. I'll probably try that next.

 

[Mad-Max]

Re: NADx2: Bogner Alchemist and H&K Tubemeister 5.

There's an Alchemist at the local GC that I go to and it has a matching cab to go with it. I was REALLY intrigued. Next time I go in there, Probably tomorrow to finish paying off my Delay pedal , I'm gonna hook it up and give it a whirl.

 

[CTN]

Re: NADx2: Bogner Alchemist and H&K Tubemeister 5.

nice! happy NAD!

Definitely upgrade all the tubes in the tubemeister. the stock chinese tubes are pretty garbage sounding.

It can be a dry amp. I like it that way. I put a delay in the loop of my Tubemeister 18 and that gets it sounding lush and full. Also the 18 has a variable wattage that you can turn down to 1W. Useful for late night playing, but even the 1W can be pretty loud then. It also does something weird to the low end - makes it a lot more loose and farty. in 18W mode it's much tighter and more clear.

also the 18 is 2 channels + lead boost on the OD channel.

 

[Artie]

Re: NADx2: Bogner Alchemist and H&K Tubemeister 5.

When you do, note that when you turn it on, it defaults to the "crunch" channel. Switch it to the "clean" channel for your first impressions.

 

[Artie]

Re: NADx2: Bogner Alchemist and H&K Tubemeister 5.

Definitely upgrade all the tubes in the tubemeister. the stock chinese tubes are pretty garbage sounding.

That's what I heard. Figuratively and literally. I'll do that this week.

 

[Jeremiah]

Re: NADx2: Bogner Alchemist and H&K Tubemeister 5.

I've heard the Tubemeisters are really hard to get open to replace the tubes - or maybe that's just the combo versions?

 

[Artie]

Re: NADx2: Bogner Alchemist and H&K Tubemeister 5.

We'll see. This little Tubemeister 5 is built like a tank. The handles on each side are more robust than your typical 4x12 cab.

 

[CTN]

Re: NADx2: Bogner Alchemist and H&K Tubemeister 5.

I've heard the Tubemeisters are really hard to get open to replace the tubes - or maybe that's just the combo versions?

not difficult if you know how you use a screwdriver.

Just take out the screws from the handle plates, take the plates off, take the rear/top casing off, and the tubes are right there. Take the retainers off and replace as you would any tube in any amp.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: NADx2: Bogner Alchemist and H&K Tubemeister 5.

Glad you're liking the Alchemist. I got mine when they first came out and have been loving the tone ever since. It gets some pretty nice crunch tones as well.

I actually like one of the delay settings.."ducking". A very nice effect that's only slightly noticeable. But adds a bunch of fullness to your sound.

The only problem I've had with mine is that there is a delay in the response to some of the switches on the footpedal after it gets warmed up...very annoying. Just started doing it about two years ago. Can't figure out what the heck is going on to cause it. I thought it might have been that the am p was getting too hot so I installed a couple fans in the cab, but that didn't help. Maybe the switches are just going bad (I use them a lot)?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: NADx2: Bogner Alchemist and H&K Tubemeister 5.

Buying the Bogner on the stupid deal sale was a good move. It's a lot of amp for the money.

If I were you, I'd return the Tubemeister if you can, and also sell the Edition 60, then find the matching Bogner 212 cab. If I recall correctly, it has a Celestion G12H30 70th Ann. and a Greenback in it. You'll see how much better it sounds with the original cab.

 

[Artie]

Re: NADx2: Bogner Alchemist and H&K Tubemeister 5.

I might do that. I want to play around with the TM-5 a bit more before I give up on it.

 

[Jeremiah]

Re: NADx2: Bogner Alchemist and H&K Tubemeister 5.

not difficult if you know how you use a screwdriver.

Just take out the screws from the handle plates, take the plates off, take the rear/top casing off, and the tubes are right there. Take the retainers off and replace as you would any tube in any amp.

Maybe it's the combo I was thinking of then - I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that some of the panels were stuck as well as screwed and you needed to lever them off with a knife or something.