Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Tube Amp Head Reviews

4.8/5.0 based on 3 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

JT
from Aptos, CA
January 27, 2013Music Background:
Recording Engineer and Hobbyist Musician

The perfect toaster amp

I spent quite a bit of time looking to a low watt tube amp and decided for the H&K TubeMeister 18 coupled with the H&K 1x12 cab with the Celestion 30. To say that I am pleased is an understatment. This is the tone I've been searching for, for a modern prog-ish rock outfit. The 1W setting is great for bedroom rocking and the 18W is plenty for a club gig. My favorite feature is the redbox DI out. I've been doing quite a bit of recording late at night without bugging my sleeping family. Great buy!

Mike
from Raleigh,NC
January 16, 2013Music Background:
Hobbyist

Hugh And Kettner Tube Meister

I Bought this Amp for my son as I wanted my Germino Club 40 Back.
This Amp is an *** kicker for the money
for its size and the available tones.
I own no less than 12 class A Heads so
I can easily move things about to compare.
This Amp is something to be excited about and well worth consideration.

Mackgoo
from Everett, MA
February 27, 2013Music Background:
Crusty old fart with lots of gear

Very nice amp, with a few minor quirks

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.