Hughes & Kettner TriAmp Mark 3 150-watt Dual 3-channel Programmable Tube Head Reviews
Get all the true tube tones you want and all the stage-rumbling wattage you need! The Hughes & Kettner Triamp MKIII head comes equipped with a trio of independent power amp sections that can be used independently or combined. The best part? You can use a wide range of different tube types to conjure authentic American and British amp tones (and create your own custom sounds, too). Each of the Triamp MKIII's three preamp sections has a pair of channels, and you can route them independently to the power sections. The result? You're plugged into 42 different amp possibilities - all from one amp head. You also get a DI output with Ambience Emulation, full MIDI control, an included MIDI footboard, intuitive controls, an onboard noise gate, and much more.
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As low as $185/month
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Highest Rated Reviews
The greatest multi channel amp ever designed and built!!!
If you can't find your tones with this, but an Axe FX III and give up on the amps!
Makes a Mesa Boogie Road King room and hide and cry like a little girl!
6 channels with a unique boost for each one! I have mine tubed up for 3 50 watt pairs to select, 6L6, EL34, KT66.
All 3 together is killer as heck, too for all 6 channels!
Can't beat this tube amp!
I've owned everything tube under the sun, including Axe FX III, Fractal FM9, and most every to of the line modeler.
Sound like rush
Yes for that RUSH sound this is the head a truly amazing amp.
MK 3 TRI AMP
I have used the MK1 for over 20 yr's .I put SOVTEK MAIN'S and ruby 12a7's in it and it has been a beast .I can only imagine the MK3 being nothing less and more of a beast then my MK1 they are built like tanks ,look great on the stage and can cover any genre in the 3 amp's and 2 channels on each in my MK1 wish i could afford to upgrade to the MK3.This rig and axe have been with me over 20 yr's and still running great .
The Holy Grail
I was so excited to get this head, that I forgot to touch a single knob other than volume when I first turned it on. And I didn't realize it for fifteen minutes, because it sounded absolutely fantastic!
The noise gate is wonderful - I don't hear a peep with it engaged and my note trails aren't cut off.
The stomp boost adds a different character to every channel, and cuts straight through in a live setting without fiddling with knobs or switching channels.
I play a wide range of styles from Jazz to Metal and this thing covers everything. But it's not just a swiss-army amp, master of none. Every channel is worth the price of the head, because they're all lush, clear, powerful, articulate, full bodied.
I don't think I'll ever buy another amp again. This is the holy grail for me. I would give it 6 stars if I could.
Steve Drizis Fron Voodoo Dancer (Band)
This is a great amp i can do anything with this head, i use to carry so many pedals to get these sounds and still this amp does it all, the only pedal i bring is the TLC delay. The Lead channel 3A & 3B are amazing it cuts thru very nicely, I have about 10 different types of power amps none compare with the MKIII, I Strongly recommend the MKIII for everyone thank you for making my life so much easier.
Steve Drizis
Voodoo Dancer
An amplifier for the ages.
I purchased my Triamp MK3 from Arend Raby here at Sweetwater. If you need anything he is the guy to see.
I was blown away by the specs of this amp on paper. After spending a good amount of time with the amp I've come to the conclusion that Hughes and Kettner hit a grand slam home run. I have had many, many, many high end and high gain amplifiers over the years. I feel this amp has really cured me of flipping and constant GAS.
Playing in a couple local gigging metal bands I need my amps to cut through the mix but still retain its brutality. This amp delivers in all the areas I need and then some. No need for an external noise gate. It's as good if not better than my ISP components. This is no easy task I'm sure but they pulled it off. The gate is assignable to any of the channels. Great feature.
The built in Red box is stellar. I currently own a Two Notes Torpedo live for FOH tones. It's a great piece to have in my live arsenal but the built in red box hits the nail on the head for FOH. It's the icing on the cake of a superb amplifier.
The assignable power tube section is one of the biggest selling points to me. The fact that it's self biasing and super easy to change tubes was a no brainer for me. I love to tweak with power tubes to get the sound I hear in my head. With this amp I finally decided on a pair of Gold Lion KT77's, and the factory supplied TAD EL 34s, and 6L6's. I can achieve the ultimate tones with various combinations of these tubes.
Even with all the bells and whistles this amp is super user friendly. Don't feel intimidated by all the knobs and buttons. Takes mere minutes to get aquanted with it. I had a great tone within minutes. A sign of a great amp in my opinion. Great Tone is really what it boils down to for me. If the tone isn't there I can have a million features and I don't care. I thought for sure I would only use 2 channels and that would be it. Not the case. I have found really awesome and completely usable tones on every channel. I'm not sure how Hughes and Kettner pulled it off but I'm glad they did.
This is one of the most brutal, if not the brutalist amps I've ever played played. It's also one of the clearest most articulate amps I've had the pleasure of owning. Fear not non metal players, it will do rock and lower gain tones equally as well.
Do yourself a favor and stop searching for the ultimate amplifier. You've found it right here in the Hughes and Kettner Triamp Mark 3.
The best "Swiss Army" amp the world has ever seen
It has been a long time since I've been truly blown away by an amplifier, especially one that claims to do it all.
There are good amps, there are great amps, and then there are those that defy all expectations. The latest revision of the Triamp falls into the last category.
Every channel on this amp would make a standalone amp worth owning. While each channel pays homage to a specific brand/era/sound, Hughes and Kettner really did their homework on making it their own.
The ability to mix and match power tube pairs and freely assign them as you please was what first piqued my interested in the Mk III. Not only does this offer extensive flexibility but it also means you no longer have to pull the chassis to bias a new set of power tubes.
From crystal clean, to raunchy mid gain, to all out sonic mayhem...the Triamp Mk III delivers in spades.
So often amps that try to do too much fall flat, jack of all trades...master of none. The Mk III does not suffer from this in the slightest.
I have also NEVER been a fan of noise gates...until I tried the built in one on the Mk III. It is extremely intelligent, transparent, and made me reconsider my stance on them all together.
There is also the newest edition of the redbox built directly in as well. I have also never been too impressed by hardware based speaker emulations...yet another stance the Mk III has made me reconsider. Standing in front of a mains speaker and a guitar cab and walking between their respective "cones" of sound...you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. I would have no issue skipping the mic on stage and sending the redbox FOH. Beware, however, that the Triamp (unlike the Tubemeister) MUST have a proper load at all times and does not have a silent recording feature. Not an issue at all, just a PSA.
This is also the first amp I've ever come across that has even more to offer than what is covered in the manual. For those who are MIDI savvy, there are Easter Eggs such as changing the color of the illuminated acrylic.
Well done, Hughes and Kettner. This truly is a masterpiece of guitar amplifier technology. All six channels are works of art. Anyone who takes the plunge into the Mk III will have the last amplifier they will need in a long, long time.
