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Hi there my Euro cousins and state side friends.
Has anyone tried out the Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18 combo yet??
I've sold and am selling some amps and I am curious to see if any forum members have tried or own this particular model. It has massive transformers for max clean headroom and 8-16 ohm speaker out. The head version is all that seems to be on offer at retail shops in the UK but I am set on the combo as it is the version that has reverb.
It sounds ok on this Y/T clip but I need some other first hand experience.
So anyone tried and buy'd?????
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11-23-2012 02:13 PM
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I´ve have no experinece with the Tubemeister, but if you searching for a versatile amp in the same class as the Tubemeister you might want to check out the VHT 12/20 RT.
In this amp you can swap tubes as you like - 6V6, 6L6, EL34 and EL84. Output goes from around 2 to 20 watts, 4-8-16 ohm taps for speaker, tubedriven reverb and tremolo. And the amp is handbuildt, - no pcb-boards.
It sounds really good. It is very Fender Tweed and Blackface-like in tone and behaviour. You can get both a head- and comboversion.
EDIT: I even think the price is less than the TubemeisterLast edited by bluefonia; 11-24-2012 at 09:08 AM. Reason: spelling
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Hi Jazzbow
Originally Posted by jazzbow
There are 3 combos on sale in Glasgow: Hughes & Kettner 112 TubeMeister 18 Combo - Merchant City Music
Cheers
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Ha, found them on a search after I bumped this thread this morning. Thanks though. Next visit to Glasgow will have me there. Originally Posted by newsense
Maybe Rob Mac has tried one there in a search for his low watt combo!
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Yeah, I've looked at this amp as well. I have knocked it off the list as it needs fiddling the bias to beef it up with different valves to 20 watts. Originally Posted by bluefonia
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Hi Jazzbow,
I tried the head,and apart form the speaker wich I don't know what they use in the combo,I did not like it....
Or to clarify this,I did not like it for a certain tone at least,it depends on what you wanna do with it....
Wanna play clean,jazz style warm sound ...well look elsewhere then ,my advice...but you have to check it by yourself
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Hi peter. Originally Posted by peterpanico
Hi Jazzbow,
I tried the head,and apart form the speaker wich I don't know what they use in the combo,I did not like it....
Or to clarify this,I did not like it for a certain tone at least,it depends on what you wanna do with it....
Wanna play clean,jazz style warm sound ...well look elsewhere then ,my advice...but you have to check it by yourself
Did you try it with a humbucker guitar or single coil?
The consensus is that it is more single coil friendly.
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I tried it with an Ibanez PM 35,the cheapest Metheny signature because I wanted something "similar" to my PM 100 to compare,it has a "quiet" humb so no problems about that,to me it looked like a good (H&K does very good stuff!) amp but meant for "modern and gainy" stuff,harsh is the word I'd use for it,it's difficoult to explain a sound with words
I also plugged in a Tele,and it did not change my opinion....
It is a good little beast,but it loves to be "pushed up".....that is its territory I suppose,no clean headroom was meant for it.
Just my 2 cents...but again if you have the opportinity try it,it's the only way.
P.S.
of course it was meant that i was into a shop,so could not spend very much time on it,but it was a weekly morning,so it was quiet no noise around,few people.
PP.SS
If you like to stay into H&K family I would go for an Edition Tube 20th Anniversary(small and same 20watts from El84s)
or the Statesman Dual 6L6,wich is a bigger beast but stays clean "forever" :-)Last edited by peterpanico; 11-25-2012 at 10:27 AM.
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Hi again Mr P.
I know what you mean by wanting to be 'pushed!' My current valve amp is a very heavy and loud Marshall DSL 401. It has a separate clean channel with independent EQ which is surprisingly warm but did I mention it was heavy?
I will try this H&K with my main guitar to get a good view on it. It's on the top of my list for so many reasons, one being less than 10 kilos in weight and it can switch down to 1 watt for practice.
Any one else try one??
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I actually use this,after having sold my old Twin,
Dvmark - Galileo 15C this is all tube,wonderfull sounding and light as e feather,all Italian made;
another interesting option would be this one,a hybrid,tube pre,and SS final stage,but it's amazing as well....
Dvmark - Frank Gambale Combo 112
if you have the chance...try them!! Will be amazed....
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Thanks for the heads up on the DV Mark but it's not what I'm looking for. Originally Posted by peterpanico
I actually use this,after having sold my old Twin,
Dvmark - Galileo 15C this is all tube,wonderfull sounding and light as e feather,all Italian made;
another interesting option would be this one,a hybrid,tube pre,and SS final stage,but it's amazing as well....
Dvmark - Frank Gambale Combo 112
if you have the chance...try them!! Will be amazed....
I want a light weight 15-20 watt valve amp with on board reverb and an effects loop and the ability to reduce the wattage with a simple switching system.
The Tubemeister is top of the list with all the boxes ticked. It does have a 10" speaker but you can use the combo as a head for a seperate speaker cab.
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I've been looking for a good (jazz inspired) review of the VHT 12/20 RT for some time. It seems to be only available on-line in the UK, so it isn't possible to "try before you buy". Originally Posted by bluefonia
Bluefonia - are you using this amp regularly - do you have any audio clips - what styles is it good for ?
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You don´t need to set bias when going from 6V6 to 6L6. What you do is flip a switch under the chassis from low- to high voltage. Originally Posted by jazzbow
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I don't own the VHT 12/20, but I had the amp and played it for 14 days. Unfortunalitly I don't have any soundclips. You can get soundclips and a review here, - not a jazz review, but pretty informative anyways: VHT Special 12/20 RT Amp Review - Premier Guitar Originally Posted by newsense
I will tell you my experience with the amp though.
The amp is 12 watt/6V6 tubes and 20 watt/6L6 tubes. I used mostly 6L6 tubes (TAD) and a JAN GE 5751 tube in V1. (The stock tubes not exactly bad, but "my" tubes were better).
I had the head version and used it with an Emi Canabis Rex 12" speaker which was a very good match.
You get very Princeton/Deluxe-clean tones from this amp. When pushed into powersaturation it´s more tweedish.
For jazz I play an Eastman AR403/0.13 Thomastik Swing strings with a VintageVibe HHC pu. IMO the VHT delivers really nice jazztones, warm yet well defined with nice mids and smooth not harsh highs. The amp also responds well to dynamics in your playing. It has a very nice tube driven reverb too. What you might miss on the VHT is a mid-tone control, but this is easily added or you can use an eq-pedal.
Compared to a Fender Deluxe RI which - where I live - costs 3 times the money of the VHT I would no doubt buy the VHT.
And why didn't I keep this amp? I was not quite sure 20 watt would deliver enough clean headroom for my needs and got a chance to buy a used Brunetti Singleman 35 combo, - 35 watt as the name suggest. But if the Brunetti had not showed up I would have kept the VHT. (Brilliant amp that Brunetti by the way, but that¨s a different story.)
A little apendix: Last week I bought the VHT 12/20¨s little brother, - the VHT Ultra 6 Head. Great for jazz practice at home and for playing/recording chruncy/distorted blues and rock/fusion at levels that will not shake the house.Last edited by bluefonia; 11-26-2012 at 04:48 PM.
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Well the Galileo has all of this,except for the switching wattage thing,but bear in mind that going down to 1 watt,does not mean you have a nice tone anymore,I had an Egnater Rebel 20 head,with continoous power handling,much better than the Tubemeister system,but going down implies a decay on tone as well,just to let you know Originally Posted by jazzbow
also you will lose clean headroom. I play mine in house with volume at 3 and it does deliver without busting the walls down,for playing kind of jazz stuff you don't need the power reduction,this is about my experience,different thing is if you wanna play "crunchy" or distirted at low volumes,than the power reduction it's what you need.
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First off the cannabis rex is a nice sounding speaker and would be my choice for speaker swap on my next combo (whatever that will be). Originally Posted by bluefonia
Ok, trying one of these out is hard as there are very few stockists in the UK, plenty of the Ultra's but no 12/20's. What is the workmanship like in the Ultra?
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These VHTs are Chinese,don't know about them quality,but I heard no wonders....What is the workmanship like in the Ultra?
to get the best clean headroom,better tear off the noval adaptor,and stick with a 6L6 into the final stage;the guy using it was a "pedal addict",
( it was a prog band,he needed many "sounds")
and he said this amp was meant for using pedals in it,in fact it has a peculiar circuitation about the loop effects,that let you play a lot with various combinations,also has a built in power feed for pedals,that's what i know...
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As peterpanico already has mentioned the VHT Ultra and 12/20 are build in China. But opposed most other chinese builds, AXL, - who builds the VHT, - has its own factory which does notheing else than building VHT tubeamps. Maybe one could call the VHT the Eastmans of amps ;-). Originally Posted by jazzbow
The workmanship of both amps, - Ultra and 12/20, - is fine. The trannies are big and can deliver. I´ve taken both amps apart and everything looks fine to me.
If you put 6L6's in the 12/20 (you can even put EL34's in for even more headroom) and a 5751 in the first preamp stage you get a decent headroom for jazz, - like a Fender Deluxe. In combination with the canabis rex I got really nice jazztones (and rock- and bluestones as well).
I would not recommend the Ultra for jazz gigs, - not enough headroom for that and the sound is somewhat different from the 12/20. This is probably due to the Ultra being singelended class A and the 12/20 being pushpull A/B. But the Ultra is nice in it's own right.
Yes, the amp is very pedalfriendly, - even includes a 9 volt powersupply so you don't need batteries or external powersupplies for your pedals.and he said this amp was meant for using pedals in it,in fact it has a peculiar circuitation about the loop effects,that let you play a lot with various combinations,also has a built in power feed for pedals,that's what i know...
But this does not mean the amp is restricted in any way. Maybe if you want more control over the mid-tones you might want to use a pedal eq, - like Boss GE-7, - in front of the amp, but most amps will benefit from that.
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I never meant that,just reported what the guy said to me at the end of the act,I had seen ads for the VHT12/20 and was just curious, but never tried one,so as i spotted it on the stage,I just asked him about it,as I said he played a completely different ballgame,so cannot say about its cleans at all. Originally Posted by bluefonia
Also it was miked trough the PA,it could not in any way get out of the mix by itself on 20 watts,with all the stuff going on....a very loud and complex act,you know prog bands are like that 
But I guess with a 6L6 ,or better yet a 6550 ( and 12AT7s in pre) ,it could deliver clean headroom at will...
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peterpanico, - no problem at all
. I just wanted to make clear, that I think the 12/20 is a pretty versatile amp.
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Yeah I think so as well,over here they are a bit "rare" to try,unfortunately Originally Posted by bluefonia
peterpanico, - no problem at all. I just wanted to make clear, that I think the 12/20 is a pretty versatile amp.
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Yup, tried one today!
Opinion?
The 18 watt output really likes the clean channel, it's very clean, hard to make it crunch with single coils and there was no hiss or hum, very hi fi sounding but not squishy sounding. I guess with such a huge transformer that would be really hard to do. But on the OD channel the boost was too much with the gain set past 2 o'clock with squeals and feedback (ok if that's your thang, no me).
The 5 watt output was ok for the clean channel but was better suited for the overdrive channel, it really kicked ass.
The 1 watt was really quiet all round, no surprise there! But I guess the louder 18 watts kinda blew me ears a bit!!
Now it's small and compact with a 10" speaker and the sound is focused due to a sealed cabinet but that is no problem as you can use this as a head. The digital reverb is really nice. I likes it a lot! It even shimmered like a spring reverb should on the overdrive channel.
It's light and compact with valve management technology and a dedicated recording out system.
It really is a jack of all trades and I shall take my guitar up to try it out properly as the store guitars for me were all high action and hard for me to play (I need low low action).
Will I buy one? Hmm, An hour with my own guitar will only tell.
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Wich one you tried? The Tubemeister? Originally Posted by jazzbow
Yup, tried one today!
Opinion?
The 18 watt output really likes the clean channel, it's very clean, hard to make it crunch with single coils and there was no hiss or hum, very hi fi sounding but not squishy sounding. I guess with such a huge transformer that would be really hard to do. But on the OD channel the boost was too much with the gain set past 2 o'clock with squeals and feedback (ok if that's your thang, no me).
The 5 watt output was ok for the clean channel but was better suited for the overdrive channel, it really kicked ass.
The 1 watt was really quiet all round, no surprise there! But I guess the louder 18 watts kinda blew me ears a bit!!
Now it's small and compact with a 10" speaker and the sound is focused due to a sealed cabinet but that is no problem as you can use this as a head. The digital reverb is really nice. I likes it a lot! It even shimmered like a spring reverb should on the overdrive channel.
It's light and compact with valve management technology and a dedicated recording out system.
It really is a jack of all trades and I shall take my guitar up to try it out properly as the store guitars for me were all high action and hard for me to play (I need low low action).
Will I buy one? Hmm, An hour with my own guitar will only tell.
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Yup, the 18 combo. Very clinically clean, no squishy character but I'm reading on other forums this amp warms up by degrees from tube swaps, V1 & V2 pre amp valves especially and jj power tubes. Originally Posted by peterpanico
My current valve amp is too heavy and I want a light alternative. Bluefonia suggested VHT which is also on me list. But I'm quite taken by this amp and maybe might buy
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