racerevlon
Active member
...are two of my favorite lines: Hughes & Kettner and ROCKMAN. So it's time to play everybody's favorite game show, "What Up Wit Dat???" 
C
chumbucket
Well-known member
The Rockman shit was cool at the time they came out but sound a little dated now.
I never had much Hughes And Kettner stuff but I loved the Red Boxes that I had plus those half rack tube units were super cool. I had the Cream Machine, Metal Shredder, and another whose name escape me.
I never had much Hughes And Kettner stuff but I loved the Red Boxes that I had plus those half rack tube units were super cool. I had the Cream Machine, Metal Shredder, and another whose name escape me.
university81
Active member
H&K do make good amps imo, had a statesman for a year or so, one of the few amps i bought new, which was a pretty good amp, i sometimes ask myself why i sold it to be honest lol, but at the time i think i felt like getting something else and maybe the tone was a bit generic, i got burned big time on the used market tho and i think most h&ks suffer from that (lost 70% on the price i paid for it new..through feebay), and it didn't help that h&k slashed the prices on it 6 months after i bought it by 30% ..
i think unless you try it , it doesn't have that mojo you get from other amps at first sight (say when compared to marshalls/orange and what not) which is a bit unfair i mean you don't necessarily want to plug into it lol, and the glowing neon las vegas style blue neon on their higher end stuff and the small heads really doesn't do it for me
so in summary:
-great amps
-horrible resale value
-blue neon is not for me =0
kinda like buying a car that's fairly expensive new, looks a bit silly but drives great that not many people want to buy on the second hand market
i think unless you try it , it doesn't have that mojo you get from other amps at first sight (say when compared to marshalls/orange and what not) which is a bit unfair i mean you don't necessarily want to plug into it lol, and the glowing neon las vegas style blue neon on their higher end stuff and the small heads really doesn't do it for me
so in summary:
-great amps
-horrible resale value
-blue neon is not for me =0
kinda like buying a car that's fairly expensive new, looks a bit silly but drives great that not many people want to buy on the second hand market
racerevlon
Active member
OK--good stuff so far--keep it coming. So far my only retort is that (and this applies to BOTH) if you set up the ROCKMAN right, it really doesn't sound like a ROCKMAN. Same with the H&K--all about the setup. Is it just that everyone's looking for amps that sound awesome with everything flat (noon)?
Keep the good dialogue coming--My goal here is not to start some kind of war or flame-up, just REALLY trying to understand.
Cheers,
Keep the good dialogue coming--My goal here is not to start some kind of war or flame-up, just REALLY trying to understand.
Cheers,
Skrapmetal
New member
Honestly, I have zero hands-on experience with either. Infact I can't think of any recordings/videos I have heard that showcase them.
Red_Label
Active member
Loved the Triamp Mk I that I used to have. Only sold it because I planned on quitting gigging and had no use for such a beast to just sit in my basement. Would own another one in a second though (since I never really quit gigging). Its strengths were that spanky, snappy clean channel, and the plexi tone on channel 2 in my opinion. I would seriously like to get one to A/B with my XTC Classic and see which one came out the winner for me. I suspect that it'd be the Bogner easily, but I still remember the H&K fondly...
Rockman stuff was cool at the time, but very compressed and "gimicky" in terms of its usefulness for live work.
Rockman stuff was cool at the time, but very compressed and "gimicky" in terms of its usefulness for live work.
J
jcj
Well-known member
racerevlon":1k8hrzf2 said:...are two of my favorite lines: Hughes & Kettner and ROCKMAN. So it's time to play everybody's favorite game show, "What Up Wit Dat???"
I thought that H&K you had at Lugo's shootout sounded fantastic...wish I could have had a chance to play that thing.
Which model was it?
Red_Label
Active member
Skrapmetal":asyn2vcn said:
I know that Three Doors Down has used the Triamp extensively, and of course there Alex Lifeson -- who's used both that head and the Zentera for over the past decade and a half.
Skrln
Member
I have a H&K Switchblade 100W head and recently a Tubemeister 18W head. Everytime I think about getting rid of my switchblade in favor of something else (a jvm, mak4, even a diezel herbert) I just can't seem to do it. I talk myself into not liking it and finding fault in it just so I can get rid of it, but everytime I even play 10 minutes on it, it just proves itself over and over. Amazing amp with amazing features for a decent price.
Yes, resale values are horrible, but then again, why would you wan't to get rid of it?
. Just can't be done.
The tubemeister is even more amazing. The tone and features on this thing (selectable 18-5-1-0W, redbox di, fx loop, boost) are the best I've seen on ANY lunchbox style amps. And I've played them all, this is by far 2 bars above any of the others.
So yeah, I'm a H&K fan generally (don't care for the coreblade amp, and even the triamp), but they do make great products!
Yes, resale values are horrible, but then again, why would you wan't to get rid of it?
. Just can't be done.The tubemeister is even more amazing. The tone and features on this thing (selectable 18-5-1-0W, redbox di, fx loop, boost) are the best I've seen on ANY lunchbox style amps. And I've played them all, this is by far 2 bars above any of the others.
So yeah, I'm a H&K fan generally (don't care for the coreblade amp, and even the triamp), but they do make great products!
racerevlon
Active member
I had both the Trilogy and the TriAmp MK II at Lugo's shootout. The Trilogy was EQ'ed for WAY different speakers at the time, so I think that"s why it didn't shine as brightly as it could have. I thought it was funny that they kept asking to turn the gain on the TriAmp DOWN... The thing about The TriAmp is that it REALLY IS three separate preamps in the same chassis--they just share the power section, so expecting it to sound similar going from, say, channel 2B to 3A is not reasonable. Every channel is voiced differently. You just have to dial in YOUR sound. Also, speakers make a HUGE difference. Too complicated?
Keep it flowing!!
Keep it flowing!!
Red_Label
Active member
Skrln":3bfo44er said:
Nice! I've been wondering about the Tube Meister for a while now and may have to just pull the trigger on one.
But what struck me as curious about your post was your love of the Switchblade, but your dismissal of the Triamp. Why? I really wanted to like the Switchblade, due to its many features -- but found it mushy and compressed. On the other hand, but Triamp was more open and the notes breathed and stayed distinct.
racerevlon
Active member
Switchblade=Very picky about speakers. Didn't like V30's AT ALL but G12T-75's or even G12S-50's sound excellent. I had the same experience and almost put my SB up on the chopping block, then on a whim I plugged it into a different cab and WHOA NELLY!!! Massive difference. Same is true of the Trilogy. The TriAmp really seems to like Greenbacks best.
Anyone ever try slaving a ROCKMAN into a Plexi? Joyful!!!
Anyone ever try slaving a ROCKMAN into a Plexi? Joyful!!!
OBGYNkanobi
New member
I've never had one of their amps, but I've been digging on the Replex and Tube Factor for a long time. I sold my Tube Factor a while back and I would have gotten another for lower volume playing until I heard the Carl Martin Plexitone...yowza!
C
chumbucket
Well-known member
I'd like to try a Trilogy or Switchblade but don't know any stores that carry H&K.
Gainfreak
New member
When it Comes to H&k's stuff I think the problem is Marketing and availability. In my humble opinion the company does little to nothing to promote their products or maybe I should say that Ive never seen them push anything since NAMM 2 or 3 years back.
As far as the Rockman stuff and sound, that has been a love hate thing between guitar players since it's release IMHO. Some guys like myself love that 800hz mid hump and other guitar players run away from it like the plague LMAO. I think like the H&K stuff it all comes down to preferance .
As far as the Rockman stuff and sound, that has been a love hate thing between guitar players since it's release IMHO. Some guys like myself love that 800hz mid hump and other guitar players run away from it like the plague LMAO. I think like the H&K stuff it all comes down to preferance .
K
Kevin11
Active member
I hail from the Rockman era, but for whatever reason, never tried one personally.
Spent a lot of time with the H&K TriAmp MK I and II (bandmate rigs) and owned the Alex Lifeson sig TriAmp MK II for a short time. The MK IIs in particular have amazing clean and bone-crushing metal tones in them, but I was hard pressed to find low and mid gain tones that worked for me. All of the H&Ks I've tried have a certain feel and characteristic to their tone that I don't really bond with. It's a dry, immediate response with a bit of rasp riding on top of everything. Just tried the lunchbox head a few weeks ago and it had that same vibe. Hard to describe, but it's very much in the feel department. I spent all of 6 months messing around with the Lifeson amp before I sold it. If you like Lifeson's current live tones, you should dig the MK II (either version). It's a fairly decent indication of what the mid-gain tones sound like in that amp.
FWIW, Lifeson is #1 in my book and has been since day 1 for me, but I'm not a fan of his H&K tones much to my dismay. Not so secretly wishing he'd try something else.
Spent a lot of time with the H&K TriAmp MK I and II (bandmate rigs) and owned the Alex Lifeson sig TriAmp MK II for a short time. The MK IIs in particular have amazing clean and bone-crushing metal tones in them, but I was hard pressed to find low and mid gain tones that worked for me. All of the H&Ks I've tried have a certain feel and characteristic to their tone that I don't really bond with. It's a dry, immediate response with a bit of rasp riding on top of everything. Just tried the lunchbox head a few weeks ago and it had that same vibe. Hard to describe, but it's very much in the feel department. I spent all of 6 months messing around with the Lifeson amp before I sold it. If you like Lifeson's current live tones, you should dig the MK II (either version). It's a fairly decent indication of what the mid-gain tones sound like in that amp.
FWIW, Lifeson is #1 in my book and has been since day 1 for me, but I'm not a fan of his H&K tones much to my dismay. Not so secretly wishing he'd try something else.
Red_Label
Active member
racerevlon":2doaeeui said:
Good points! When I had my Triamp, the only cab I had was loaded with silver label G12-30s. To my ears, those speakers are "Greenbackish" in their tone and response. So that might be why I liked my Triamp's tone so much.
It just so happens that those speakers are now loaded in my Bogner Uberkab and my XTC Classic seems to love them as well. I've also got V30 and T75-loaded cabs, but my ears have always preferred the soft, warm response of the G12-30s and GBs.
Skrln
Member
I just felt that the channels and modes on the triamp were all pretty much the same and pretty much mediocre. Not 1 mode caught my attention.
The versatility of the switchblade is really there. Lots of different sounds (and good tone), lots of options, fx, easy midi config etc...
I use my switchblade with the V30's cabinet by H&K and it's a great match. It all sounds good together. Haven't tried other speakers, so can't compare, but V30's work just fine.
The versatility of the switchblade is really there. Lots of different sounds (and good tone
), lots of options, fx, easy midi config etc...I use my switchblade with the V30's cabinet by H&K and it's a great match. It all sounds good together. Haven't tried other speakers, so can't compare, but V30's work just fine.
J
joepete77
New member
There's no question about the quality stiff h&k putts out but as said above the big cheesy blue light and clear plexiglas front are just not my thing, and also the high price an low resale. I have a friend who liked using the rockman into his Marshall but this was back in 80's /90's in his metal band, these days there are better options for the most part.
racerevlon
Active member
First time I ever played a Triamp was a MK I in a Guitar Center and Channel 2B NAILED this Scorps tone. Was SO good I knew I would own one at some point. When the opportunity came to get my MK II for a great price I jumped all over it. As noted above, I wasn't as impressed straight out of the gate as I was with the one in the GC. Then I re-tubed the power section and it REALLY came alive. Haven't heard a bad note out of it since. Had great experiences with my Switchblade Head, but had to get rid of it to thin the herd, then had seller's remorse so replaced it with a Switchblade 100C. Love that amp!!
